Croatia, COVID and other tips

Entering our fourth week of this Croatia odyssey, we feel qualified to offer some advice to anyone thinking of heading out here, so here goes…

COVID

If you think you’d feel threatened or vulnerable due to a lack of COVID rules, then it’s probably best you stay at home. If however you feel there is some overblown mass hysteria afoot, or just want to escape the “new normal” for a while, then Croatia is for you. It’s masks on buses and trains, and inside shops and public buildings, but otherwise life is absolutely normal. Locals do have a tendency to wear the mask only over the mouth, and leave the nose free! Bars and restaurants are fully functioning, there’s no social distancing, no queuing due to restricted numbers, no spacing as you board a ferry or the like. There is, though, hand gel everywhere. Life is satisfyingly normal. Like we say, that may not be OK for everyone.

GETTING IN

Before you travel here, you need to complete an online COVID questionnaire and obtain a certificate permitting entry. Once here, each host then takes photos of your passports, from which they then confirm online your right to be here. The same system therefore logs your movements throughout Croatia should tracing be necessary.

(Note though- we are reading of increases in cases here, so things may change).

VISITOR NUMBERS

In Split it was a bit quiet, in Plitvice it was extremely quiet with guest house owners bemoaning a lost season and fearing for their future. Here on the islands, there are many more visitors from all over Europe and everywhere is getting busier by the day. Whether that’s because the islands are more popular, or whether it’s because more people are escaping home, we don’t know – but our last host told us that suddenly bookings are at normal summer levels.

MONEY & ATMs

Croatia is not the cheap option that it once was. Prices vary greatly from place to place, but in general you can expect to pay around 10%-15% less than in the UK for food and drink – though in the more popular spots it’s considerably higher. 

ATMs are absolutely everywhere; we’ve never seen so many. Every beach, every village, every street, seems to have at least one, and, in city centres, they really are every few yards. A word of warning though: every ATM makes a charge of around £4 for each withdrawal so it’s worth withdrawing as much as possible each time.

BEACHES

Beaches are lovely, with gorgeous clean crystal clear water and gently lapping waves. But note: sandy beaches are an absolute rarity in Dalmatia and on the islands. If they call it “sandy”, this usually means smaller pebbles. Others vary from larger pebbles to rocky shores to man made concrete slabs, but they’re all labelled “beach”. 

BEER & WINE

Croat beer is ubiquitous, mostly in three brands, Karlovacko, Pan and Ozujsko. They’re all OK, but the draught versions are infinitely better than their bottled equivalents. Not only do prices vary greatly from bar to bar and town to town, but some places charge around 80-90% of the price of a 500ml glass, for a 300ml glass. Check carefully, it might be better to order a big one! The freebies you get elsewhere in Europe (nuts or crisps with beer) are unheard of here, as indeed they are in the UK.

Wine is just too good to be true. Nearly all restaurants have only Croatian wines on the menu, and imported wines are rare and probably confined to splurge eateries and swanky hotels. You don’t need imported wines, the home grown stuff is not only outstandingly good, but varies in style from vineyard to vineyard and island to island, so every one is different. Our tip is: just go for a carafe of the house red or white – they will serve you a half or full litre even if it’s not on the menu, and it’s always good, and often cheap. They call it “domestic wine”, so ask for that and you’ll get a treat. (By the way, the Croat name for red wine is “Vino Crno” which is actually “black wine”, not red!)

FOOD

Well really, you can’t go wrong. Grilling over wood or charcoal is the usual prep method, for fish and meat, and everything is fresh. The fish and seafood is wonderful, if sometimes surprisingly pricey, the meat always tender. Local specialities such as peka (meat cooked under a bell), pasticada (beef soaked in prunes before cooking), seafood in buzara sauce, brudet (fish stew), gregara (fish in white wine) and the heavily smoked and salty Dalmatian ham are all delicious. It’s herbs more than spices though, so if, like us, you like it spicy, you might start craving a curry! If all else fails, pizza is available absolutely everywhere: actually, the Italian influence is pretty strong throughout Dalmatia. Last word: everything is so good that even the tap water is nectar! 

NATURAL BEAUTY

Well….read any part of our blog. Croatia is a stunningly attractive country with so, so much to offer. Every single place we have visited has been lovely. No exaggeration.