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Croatia

croatia map

Croatia Quick Facts

Population: 4.4 million
Language: Croatian
Religion: Roman Catholic (87 %)
Currency: Kuna
 

Terrain: Coastal, Mountains
Riding Months: May to October.  Avoid summer months if you don’t like hot weather.
Drives on the right
 

Visa Requirements for American Citizens: None
Visa Requirements for European Union Citizens: None
Motorcycle Info: Though Croatia is not a part of the European Union as of yet, the papers you need for riding in the European Union, including insurance, will be enough.

Traveling in Croatia

When I (Hilary) traveled in Croatia in 2008 we went in September and it was still hot. Be prepared to have layers that you can take off when the afternoon heat starts baring down on you.

Croatia is an old country with a lot of history.  There are some beautiful places in Croatia, mostly the mountain areas.  Croatia is generally cheaper than Western Europe, and with its long beaches it makes it a popular tourist destination.  It seems, at least on the coast, that Croatians know they are a popular tourist destination and take advantage of it.  If you want some Croatian culture, I’d recommend going more in land, for the coast didn’t have much to offer.

English is spoken in many of the tourist beach towns. However, be prepared to find a typical beach town. The feeling I got is that they want to take your money and give you their beaches, and not much else. And while the beaches are nice, they are mostly rock beaches so they aren’t that comfortable!

Be warned that you can get ripped off at gas stations. If you come to gas station and the gas price and liters is not set to 0, DO NOT fill you tank. It means that somebody left without paying and YOU will be charged for their gas. This happened twice to us, and the first time I was unaware and had to pay for a thief’s tank. The next time we just did not use that gas pump and moved to a different one.

Where to Ride

The coast of Croatia is breath taking, but not much off road riding is available. If you are looking for some off road fun, we recommend you check out the Croatian mountain ranges and national parks.

From personal experience,National Park Biokovo is simply breathtaking. It is not far from Makarska, there is a small fee to enter the park, and a windy windy road up to the top. Once at the peak of the tallest mountain, Sv Jule, one can even see the ocean! It is absolutely breath taking.

If you are looking for a city break, Dobrovnik is a must see town. This town is an old sea fort and still has a lot of the old buildings in tact and tons of history. When I visited they were still rebuilding from the war (and they made sure you didn’t forget), but the town didn’t loose any of its charm.

Croatian Survival Phrases

yes = Da (dah)
no = Ne (ne)
please = Molim (maw-leem)
thank you = hvala (hva-la)
I don’t understand. = ne razumijem
Do you speak English? = Govorite li engleski?