Dubrovnik and Dalmacija travel guide

Left ATM Middle Internet café Right Post office
Banking and Communications
Currency
Dalmatia’s official
currency is the Croatian
kuna (kn or HRK). There
are 100 lipa to the kuna,
though the former are
effectively obsolete.
Prices are often quoted in
euros and kuna, with both
accepted. Exchange rates
are often more favourable
for kuna than euros.
Exchange
Banks, post offices,
bureaux de change, travel
agencies and hotels all
offer exchange services,
with the euro being the
most easily converted
currency. Many will also
readily exchange US
dollars and sterling for
kuna. Most banks and
post offices also change
travellers’ cheques. Banks
offer the best deal for
currency exchange.
Cash Machines
Cities, towns and
larger villages have ATMs.
You can use credit and
debit cards to withdraw
money at an ATM, and
will pay commission or a
set fee each time you do
so. ATMs are few and far
between in rural locations
and on smaller islands.
Credit Cards
and Debit Cards
American Express, Diners
Club, MasterCard, Visa,
Maestro and Cirrus are
widely accepted in shops,
restaurants and hotels, as
well as at ATMs, although
it’s wise to keep some
spare cash on you (see
p106). Before travelling,
check with your issuer
for hidden charges and
note the international
number for reporting a
lost or stolen card. Chipand-pin
technology is
increasingly common.
Public Phones
Direct calls can be
made to local, national
and international numbers
using any public phone.
Most only work with a
phone card, which can be
bought at a post office or
from a tobacco kiosk in
denominations of 25 to
500 units. For local calls,
omit the three-digit area
code. The country code
for Croatia is 385.
Mobile Phones
Mobile phone calls
made within Croatia are
charged at local mobile
rates, but the cost of
incoming and outgoing
international calls is
high. Phone calls made
from Croatian numbers
to mobiles on global
networks also incur
expensive international
charges. Those visiting
for a long time should
consider purchasing a
Croatian SIM card.
Post Offices
At larger post offices
you can post mail, send
faxes, buy telephone
cards, exchange currency,
withdraw cash using a
credit card and arrange
Western Union money
transfers. Airmail takes
around five days to reach
Europe and two weeks
to reach the USA. Normal
opening hours are 7am
to 7pm Monday to Friday,
7am to 1pm on Saturday.
Branches in small towns
often close earlier.
Internet
Internet cafés have
sprung up all over
Dalmatia. Coin-operated
terminals are common in
hotel lobbies. Wireless
technology is arriving,
with hotspots appearing
in a growing number of
hotels and cafés; VIP
runs the biggest network.
VIP: www.vipnet.hr
Television
State-owned Hrvatska
Radio Televizija (HRT)
broadcasts on HRT1 and
HRT2. Two privately run
channels – Nova TV and
RTL – have recently gone
on air. Non-sub scription
satellite channels, mainly
in German or Italian, are
also widely available.
Upmarket hotels will
usually have international
channels, including BBC
World and CNN.
Newspapers
Croatian dailies include
Slobodna Dalmacija,
Vecernji list, Jutarnji list,
Vjesnik and Hina News
Line (the latter in English).
Foreign-language dailies
include The Guardian
Europe and International
Herald Tribune, but they
are often too out-of-date to
justify the inflated prices.
Hina News Line: www.
hina.hr
Streetsmart
If you are planning to pay by credit card, make sure that you
know your chip-and-pin number.
105