Croatia
Visa: Part of the Schengen Area. Visa-free entry for up to 90 days applies to EU/EEA citizens and many others (US, UK, Australia, etc.). Official visa info
Currency: Euro (EUR). Cards are accepted in most places, but small cash is useful for market stalls, buses, and family-run konobas (taverns). ATMs are widely available.
Transportation: Buses are the first choice (Arriva&FlixBus). Trains are useful in the interior (Zagreb–Split) but don't serve the coast south of Split. Renting a car gives you the most freedom along the coast, but expect narrow old-town streets and pricey parking.
Croatia is well-connected to its Balkan neighbours by bus.
Montenegro: Buses run daily from Dubrovnik to Kotor and Budva (Globtour).
Bosnia: Direct buses link Dubrovnik and Split to Mostar (Arriva).
Slovenia: Frequent buses run between Zagreb and Ljubljana (FlixBus).
What To Expect
Croatia wears its history in the open. In Dubrovnik, the Venetian-era walls still encircle the old town in a near-unbroken ring; walk them at sunset and the Adriatic is on both sides. Split is built around a Roman palace that stayed inhabited — Diocletian's retirement home is now a warren of bars, apartments, and stone passages you can get lost in. Further north, Zagreb moves at a different tempo: café culture, a compact pedestrian centre, and museums that don't feel like homework. The islands pull you away from the cities. Hvar has the nightlife reputation, but Korčula and Brač keep more of the old stone architecture intact. Inland, Plitvice Lakes National Park is the headline act — sixteen lakes stacked in terraces, connected by waterfalls, and it lives up to the photos. Croatia joined the Schengen Area and switched to the Euro in 2023, which smoothed out what used to be a fiddly border situation. Summer is crowded. Shoulder seasons are when the place actually breathes.