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 Croatia Travel Tips Shopping
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CROATIA TRAVEL TIPS
"Here you will find the most important information about CROATIA "
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Croatia is a former Yugoslav republic on the Adriatic Sea. It is about the size of West Virginia. Part of Croatia is a barren, rocky region lying in the Dinaric Alps. The Zagorje region north of the capital, Zagreb, is a land of rolling hills, and the fertile agricultural region of the Pannonian Plain is bordered by the Drava, Danube, and Sava Rivers in the east. Over one-third of Croatia is forested.
Croatia, at one time the Roman province of Pannonia, was settled in the 7th century by the Croats. They converted to Christianity between the 7th and 9th centuries and adopted the Roman alphabet under the suzerainty of Charlemagne. In 925, the Croats defeated Byzantine and Frankish invaders and established their own independent kingdom, which reached its peak during the 11th century. A civil war ensued in 1089, which later led to the country being conquered by the Hungarians in 1091. The signing of the Pacta Conventa by Croatian tribal chiefs and the Hungarian king in 1102 united the two nations politically under the Hungarian monarch, but Croatia retained its autonomy.
Following the defeat of the Hungarians by the Turks at the battle of Mohács in 1526, Croatia (along with Hungary) elected Austrian archduke Ferdinand of Hapsburg as their king. After the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian kingdom in 1867, Croatia became part of Hungary until the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918 following its defeat in World War I. On Oct. 29, 1918, Croatia proclaimed its independence and joined in union with Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia to form the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. The name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. |
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Traditional handicrafts like embroidery, woodcarvings and ceramics make good souvenirs. Tourists can reclaim VAT on expenditure of more than K500. Visitors should ensure that all receipts are retained after any purchase is made, as financial police do have the power to fine visitors without relevant documents. This is to prevent VAT evasion by shopkeepers.
Shopping hours
Mon-Fri 0800-2000, Sat 0800-1400/1500. Some shops in cities may now open on Sundays.
Currency Information:
Currency
Kuna (K) = 100 Lipa. Notes are in denominations of K1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of K25, 5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 4, 2 and 1 lipa.
Currency exchange
Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks, by authorized dealers and post offices. ATMs are widespread.
Credit & debit cards
All major credit cards are widely accepted. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other facilities which may be available.
Travelers cheques
To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take travelers cheques in US Dollars, Pounds Sterling or Euros.
Currency restrictions
The import and export of local currency is limited to K15,000 (in banknotes up to K500). The import and export of foreign currency is unlimited.
Exchange rate indicator
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Kuna against Sterling and the US Dollar:
| Date |
May '04 |
Aug '04 |
Nov '04 |
Feb '05 |
| £1.00= |
11.15 |
10.94 |
10.85 |
11.13 |
| $1.00= |
6.24 |
5.93 |
5.73 |
5.89 |
Banking hours
Mon-Fri 0700-1900, Sat 0700-1300. Some banks may open on Sundays in larger cities.
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