Croatia Information & Facts, Time Zone, Climate & Important Dates

Currency: Kuna (1 Kuna = 100 Lipa). There are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 Lipa coins, 1, 2, 5 and 25 Kuna coins and 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 Kuna banknotes.
Foreign currencies can be exchanged at banks, exchange offices, post offices and at most tourist agencies, hotels and camping grounds.

Banking hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday. On Saturdays banks are open until 1 p.m. In the larger cities some banks are also open on Sundays.

Credit cards: Most hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards (American Express, Diners Club, Eurocard/Mastercard, Visa, Sport Card International). Cash dispensing machines are ubiquitous.

Electricity: 220V, 50Hz

Water: Tap water is potable throughout Croatia.

The telephone code for Croatia is +385.

Time zone: GMT plus one hour in winter and GMT plus two in summer

Travel documentation: Passport or some other internationally recognised identification document. Tourists may remain in Croatia for up to three months.
For more information: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Croatia

Customs: There are no Customs charges for personal belongings. Foreign currency can be imported and exported freely. Domestic currency up to the value of 2,000 Kuna can be exported. Professional and technical equipment of significant value should be reported when entering the country. Pets must have valid international veterinary certificates.

Purchase tax reimbursement for foreign citizens: Tourists making purchases in Croatia (apart from petroleum derivatives) which exceed 500 Kuna per receipt may reclaim VAT (“PDV”). At point of purchase the sales person will provide on request a form PDV-P, which should be filled out and stamped, on the spot. On leaving Croatia the receipt must be verified by the Croatian Customs service. A PDV refund in Kuna can be obtained within six months, either at the same shop where the goods were purchased (in which case the tax is refunded immediately), or by posting the verified receipt back to the shop, together with the account number into which the refund should be paid. In this case the refund is dealt with within 15 days of receipt of the claim.

Medical care: Medical assistance is available in hospitals providing a 24-hour emergency service.

National holidays: 1 January – New Year’s Day; 6 January – Epiphany; Easter, including Easter Monday; 1 May – Labour Day; 30 May – National Day; Corpus Christi (Movable feast); 22 June – Anti-Fascist Resistance Day; 5 August – Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day; 15 August – Assumption; 1 November – All Saints’ Day; 18 November – Remembrance Day; 25 December – Christmas; 26 December – St Stephens Day.

Working hours: Shops and department stores are open between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or to 3 p.m. A smaller number of stores close between noon and 4 p.m. Many stores are also open on Sundays, especially in the summer, and a smaller number in the larger cities are open 24 hours a day. Public services and companies usually work from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

Post and Telecommunications: Post Offices are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays until 1 p.m. There are Post Offices in the larger cities which are open until 10 p.m. in the summer. Postage stamps are sold in Post Offices and at newsstands. Public telephones can be used only with phone cards, which can be purchased in Post Offices and at newsstands, in hotels and tourist complexes.

Important Dates for Dubrovnik
03 February – St. Blasius (patron saint of Dubrovnik)
10 July – 25 August- Dubrovnik Summer Festival (www.dubrovnik-festival.hr)

Climate and Weather:
The climate of Dubrovnik is characterized by warm and dry summers and mild winters. The average air temperature in the coldest month (February) is 4.6 °C and in the warmest month (August) 26.2 °C. The cold half of the year accounts for 68 % of the total annual rainfall; the spring accounts for 29, the summer for 14, the autumn for 26 and the winter for 37 rainy days out of the total number of 105 rainy days. Snow occurs extremely rarely; with 2,554 hours of sunshine a year, Dubrovnik ranks among the sunniest towns of southern Europe. In July it has 12.4 hours of sunshine a day, like Alexandria in Egypt. The vegetation is subtropical and extremely luxuriant (olives, almonds, citrus fruit, rosemary, laurel, holm oak, pine, stone pine, cypress).