This information for motorhomers has been selected from a range of sources including ADAC, Caravan Club, Lonely Planet
INTRODUCTION
'Crystal-clear seas, lush islands, unspoilt fishing villages, beaches, vineyards, Roman ruins and medieval walled cities' – this is how the Lonely Planet introduces Croatia.
The capital is Zagreb, the population 4.5 million, the area 56,000 sq km(UK = 244,000 sq km), the language Serbo-Croatian and the alphabet Roman. In fact, the Romans occupied the country from 230 BC until the arrival of Slavic tribes from Poland around 625 AD. Roman remains abound and are a major feature of many tourist centres.
Roman Catholic since the 9th century, Croatia had close links with Austria until it was forced into the Yugoslav Federation in 1918. 10,000 people were killed in the second half of 1991 when Croatia began its struggle for independence from Yugoslavia. The bloody struggle continued until the Dayton Agreement was signed in December 1995.
The country is now a parliamentary democracy with ambitions to join the EU in due course. Tourism is spearheading a recovery that has been slow, with people experiencing a sharp decline in living standards since 1991. Border controls are relaxed and the increasing number of visitors made welcome.
Croatia is an Adriatic and Balkan country, stretching from the Danube in the north-east to the Istrian Peninsula on the coast of the Adriatic. This beautiful 6,000-km long coastline is one of the most indented in the world with approximately 2,000 islands and islets, the largest of which are Cres, Krk, Mali, Losinj, Pag, Rab, Dugi Otok, Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Mljet and Vis. Most of the 'beaches' along the jagged coast consist of 'slabs of rock sprinkled with naturists'. Don't come expecting to find sand, warns the Lonely Planet, quite accurately!
The interior of the country is quite mountainous in parts. There are 7 National Parks: Brijuni near Pula (oak forests), Risnjak near Delnice (lynx), Paklenca near Zadar (reptiles and griffin vultures), Plitvice between Zadar and Zagreb (bears, wolves, deer, cascades and turquoise lakes) and Krka near Sibenik (more cascades and turquoise lakes). The 101 islands of the Kornati Archipelago also form a National Park, as does the forest on the island of Mljet near Korcula.
Dubrovnik is a very attractive city, which has been sensitively and extensively restored with few visible scars of the 1991/92 conflict remaining. The Dubrovnik Summer Festival, staged in splendid surroundings in the open air (mid-July to mid-August), attracts world-class performers.
English is widely spoken. Do call the country Croatia, as using the name Yugoslavia can cause offence.
In lowland regions of Croatia the climate is continental, with hot dry summers and cold winters. In mountainous regions the summers are fresh and cool, the winters snowy. The coastal climate is Mediterranean with hot summers and cool windy winters. A warm current in the Adriatic means that sea temperatures never fall below 10°C in winter and can be as high as 26°C in summer. The winds have names: the maestral (a spring and early summer breeze which cools the coast), the bura (a cold winter wind from the north) and the siroko (a humid wind from the south).
May and June are good months to go, while July and August can be excessively busy, with campsites full and traffic jams on the coastal road. September is probably the best time, with people gone, prices lower, campsites still open and the weather still warm.
Lack of industry makes the country largely pollution-free and the coast is among the world's cleanest, bluest and clearest. Sadly, much of the original coral has now been sold!
The Adriatic coast offers a wide variety of generally excellent seafood. 'Brodet' is made with a variety of fish and served with rice. In the interior of the country, meat is served roasted or boiled. Red and white wines are produced in Dalmatia and Istria and local beers are good and inexpensive.
Contact the Croatian National Tourism Office in London for more details: 2 The Lanchesters, 162 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 9ER. Phone 020 8563 7979. Email
.co.uk.*** This email address is being protected from spam bots and you need Javascript enabled to view it. Ask for their map of Croatia and a 'Camping' booklet for the region(s) of your choice. Visit www.croatia.hr which can be searched for campsite details. Also www.camping.hr (excellent for campsites with prices and opening dates), www.visit-croatia.co.uk (good general information) and www.inyourpocket.com (for the historical cities).
GENERAL INFORMATION
Ageism: Some museums and attractions offer discounts to students and the over-60's.
Car's Papers: Driving licence and vehicle document. International green insurance card.
Currency: The currency is the Kuna (KN) divided into 100 lipa. Up to 2,000 KN may be taken in and out. No limit on foreign currency taken in. ATM's are plentiful and cash is easy to get. *** KN = £1 (October 2009). Credit cards are accepted everywhere, including larger campsites.
Customs: Main border crossings from Hungary and Slovenia are open 24 hours a day.
Ferries: Regular boats operated by several companies connect Croatia with Italy but not, sadly, with Greece. Jadrolinija is Croatia's national line and runs all year between Ancona - Split, Ancona - Zadar and Bari - Dubrovnik. Many small ferries link the coastal islands of Croatia, running from Rijeka to Dubrovnik. Year-round, Jadrolinija operates a coastal car-ferry route: Rijeka-Dubrovnik calling at Zadar, Split and the islands of Hvar, Korcula and Mljet. This ferry can be used to avoid driving the coastal highway both ways, albeit at some cost. Visit www.jadrolinija.hr or www.smc-ferry.com. Details from: Viamare Travel Ltd, Graphic House, 2 Sumatra Road, London NW6 1PU. Tel: 0870 410 6040.
Health: Under a reciprocal agreement, UK citizens are eligible for free emergency medical and hospital treatment in Croatia, though medicines have to be paid for. The UK passport will have to be shown (rather than the EHIC card, which covers only EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). It is advisable to take out comprehensive medical insurance for travel in Croatia, to be fully covered for all eventualities (such as returning to the UK in an air ambulance).
Internet: Cheaply and widely available – eg a public library in Crikvenica, a computer shop in Biograd, a tourist hotel in Dubrovnik, internet cafes in most towns.
Laundry: Self-service launderettes are rare indeed. Some campsites have laundry sinks or will wash clothes for a fee. Dubrovnik's 'Solitudino' has a well-equipped laundry with a single fee for washing machine, drier and iron.
Local time: Central European Time (GMT + 1). Summer time (GMT + 2) is from the end of March to the end of October.
Personal Documents: Passport, which is also needed if passing through Bosnia-Herzogovina to Dubrovnik. Children under 16 can be entered in a parent's passport. Stays of up to 3 months are permitted before a visa is required.
Pets: (at least 3 months old) need a rabies vaccination certificate that is at least 15 days (and max 6 months) old, entered in the International Vaccination Pass.
Telephone: International code for Croatia 00385 (and omit next 0). When dialling internationally from Croatia, first dial access code 00 and then the national country code, eg 44 for the UK. Phone cards are available for use in public telephone boxes.
TV: Three national television channels carry at lot of American films and programmes, always in their original language with sub-titles.
FOR THE DRIVER
Breakdown Service: The HAK is available round the clock. AIT Credit Letters are recognised.
Emergency Numbers: Police 92; Fire 93; Ambulance 94; Operator Assistance 90. Oruse the international emergency number 112.
Fuel: Petrol stations are generally open from 0600 to 2000 hours, while some of those on major stretches of road stay open 24 hours a day. Most accept payment by credit card. LPG is not common but is found at some filling stations – see www.gas-tankstellen.info.
Fines: The police may impose on-the-spot fines for parking and driving offences, such as driving without dipped headlights at any time of day.
Maps & Guides: Kummerley & Frey's map Croatia & Slovenia at 1:500,000 is good for an overview and tourist offices provide local maps. The Lonely Planet and Rough Guide are thorough.
Roads: Surfaces may be uneven and, because of the heat-resisting material used to surface them, may be very slippery when wet. The coastal highway is exceptionally busy in July and August but a parallel toll motorway running inland is now open, offering an alternative to driving both ways along the coast (or you can take a coastal ferry).
Road Signs: Conform to international standards. Lines indicate parking prohibitions and restrictions. Traffic wardens are employed in some towns.
Special Regulations: School or children's buses must not be overtaken whilst loading or unloading. Jumping a column is forbidden. When towing, a warning triangle must be carried on the front of the towing vehicle and the back of that being towed. Spare replacement bulbs must be carried. Every accident must be reported to the police. Vehicles with noticeable damage to their bodywork may only leave the country with a police certificate of damage. Croatia has laws stating that it is illegal: to drive with more than 0.5% of alcohol in the system (but if in any kind of offence, zero tolerance applies); to drive without dipped headlights at any time, day or night; and to use a mobile phone whilst driving.
It is obligatory to carry a fluorescent vest in your car whilst driving in Croatia. You must keep the vest in the car and not in the boot. You must wear the vest whilst attending to a breakdown, eg changing a tyre. All passengers must wear seatbelts and special seats are required for infants. Children under the age of 12 may not sit in the front seat.
Tolls: There are tolls on all the motorways, on the Ucka tunnel between Rijeka and Istria, and on the bridge to Krk Island. They can be paid in local currency, in Euros or by credit card. The new motorway south to Split and beyond (aiming for Dubrovnik) is particularly impressive, with its many tunnels, frequent rest areas and spacious service stations. The tolls are good value for long distance travel and we have overnighted on the service areas without any problem.
Casual camping is not generally permitted. There are about 300 organised campsites in Croatia, situated mainly on the coast. They are mostly well equipped but not inexpensive. Campers in possession of a Camping Card International may get a reduction. For lists, see www.*** on this website.
In recent years some campsites have closed down, but many small private sites are opening along the coast. Campsites down the west coast of the Istrian Peninsula have been renovated to high standards and those in the north of the country are generally very busy in the summer, with hardly a free place to be had in July and August, although many a campsite is fairly flexible with its official capacity limit! Sites on the Istrian east coast are still in general old-fashioned and in need of renovation but they are clean and in beautiful locations. Down the Dalmatian coast progress is slow and campsites are in need of maintenance but the area is beautiful. Dubrovnik is an honourable exception, with an excellent new site, Camping Solitudo, open from April to the end of October.
Most campsites have a short season, opening mid-May to mid-September, although a few stay open longer and a very few stay open all year. The large campsites can be very expensive in mid-summer.
There are several campsites for 'naturists', led by German-speakers – look for the 'FKK' sign. We think this means 'Federation of Kegless Krauts' but we could be wrong.
Recently, places along the coast have been developed for tourist use in many ways, to the dismay of longstanding long-term campers. Charges for independent travellers have increased, while those for pre-booked group travellers are lower.
The managing staff of hotels and campsites change too frequently for long-term concepts to be developed. Where campsites are run alongside hotels and marinas, they are the last to benefit from investment. Music and open-air discos are the rule on the larger Croatian campsites, often continuing till after midnight in the summer months.
VAT on campsites is 22% and is included in the price and a local tourist tax is often levied, adding another couple of Euros per person per day.
The electricity supply is 220 volts, with current on campsites ranging from 10 to 16 amps. There are few CEE connections and a long cable is recommended. The full range of Campingaz cylinders may not be available in Croatia. LPG is not common but found at some filling stations.
.JPG)
