Getting in and visas for Croatia

North Americans, Australians and many other nationals can enter Croatia with a valid passport and without a visa. Citizens of EU member countries and Bosnia and Herzegovina can even enter the country with a valid identity card. The document of identity must be valid at least three months longer than you plan to stay in Croatia.

By plane

• Croatia Airlines, the national carrier and member of Star Alliance, flies to Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Prague, Tel Aviv, Rome, Sarajevo, Skopje, Vienna, Zurich and - during the tourist season - Manchester.
• Adria Airways - Slovenian national carrier flies from Ljubljana to Split and Dubrovnik (note: there are no flights from Ljubljana to Zagreb as the two are located close together and are around 2 hours by car/train/bus)
• Adriajet - charters from Scandinavia to Dalmatia (unchecked)
• Aer Lingus Dublin - Dubrovnik
• Austrian Airlines flies from Vienna to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik
• Alitalia flies from Milan Malpensa to Zagreb and Split.
• Clickair, a Spanish low-cost carrier will be flying between Dubrovnik and Barcelona as from 24 February 2008.
• CSA Czech Airlines - SkyTeam member; flies from Prague to Zagreb all the year, and to Split during summer.
• Darwin Airline flies between Geneva and Dubrovnik (Thursdays and Sundays) as well as Zurich and Dubrovnik (Saturdays).
• EasyJet has flights to the following destinations in Croatia:
  • London Gatwick - Split
  • London Luton - Rijeka
  • Bristol - Rijeka
• Estonian Air is flying every Wednesday and Saturday from Tallinn to Dubrovnik.
• FlyBe operates routes between Dubrovnik and two UK destinations Exeter and Birmingham.
• GermanWings - cheap connection from Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg, to Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik
• HLX (Hapag-Lloyd Express) - flies to Rijeka and Dubrovnik from Germany, has good overview of cheaper flights
• Intersky flies from Friedrichshafen to Zadar
• Norwegian connects Oslo with Rijeka, Split and Dubrovnik
• Ryanair flies from London Stansted to Pula. Also from Dublin to Pula.
• Scandjet is a Scandinavian low fare airline that connects Sweden, Norway and Denmark with Croatia. It flies from:
  • Oslo to Split
  • Stockholm to Pula, Split and Dubrovnik
  • Gothenburg to Zagreb, Pula, Zadar and Split
  • Copenhagen to Pula, Split.
• SkyEurope - cheap connection from Bratislava, Prague and Budapest to Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik in the summer season
• TAP Portugal is flying from Zagreb to Lisbon via Bologna three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays).
• Wizz Air flies between Zagreb and London (Luton Airport)

• Additionally you can use airports in neighboring countries which are within few hours of reach from Zagreb and Rijeka (apart from some of the listed options in Italy):
  • Ljubljana (for EasyJet flights to London Stansted or other Adria Airways flights)
  • Graz and Klagenfurt (for Ryanair flights from London Stansted)
  • Trieste (for Ryanair flights from London Stansted). You can also use Venice Marco Polo (for British Airways flights from the UK) or Venice Treviso (Ryanair from Stanstead). Ancona is also an option (Ryanair from Stanstead) for those who want to take ferry [2] or hydrofoil [3] to Zadar and Split. Ryanair also flies to Pescara which is a short drive away from Ancona.
  • Some may decide to use Tivat Airport (in Montenegro) which is within easy reach from Dubrovnik.

By train

The rail network connects all major Croatian cities, except Dubrovnik. There are direct lines from Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Greece. There are indirect lines from almost all other European countries. Tourists coming from or going to neighboring countries should note the following EuroCity and InterCity railway lines:

• EC "Mimara": Berlin - Leipzig - Munich - Salzburg - Ljubljana - Zagreb
• IC "Croatia": Vienna - Maribor - Zagreb
• IC "Kvarner": Budapest - Zagreb - Rijeka

By car

To enter Croatia, a driver's license, an automobile registration card and vehicle insurance documents (including Green Card) are required. If you need road assistance, you should dial 987. The following speeds are permitted:

• 50 km/h - within built-up areas
• 90 km/h - outside built-up areas
• 110 km/h - on major motor routes
• 130 km/h - on motorways
• 80 km/h - for motor vehicles with a caravan trailer
• 80 km/h - for buses and buses with a light trailer

When driving in the rain, you should adjust speed to conditions on wet roads. Driving with headlights is obligatory during both day and night. Use of mobile phones while driving is not permitted. Maximum permitted amount of alcohol in blood: 0.0 per ml! Use of seat belts is obligatory. Hrvatski Auto Klub is the Croatian Automobile Club dedicated to assisting drivers and promoting greater traffic security. Its site offers minute-by-minute updates, status of national traffic, weather, numerous maps and webcams located all over Croatia. Content is available in Croatian, English, German and Italian.

By bus

Very good network of buses once in the country - cheap and regular. If you are coming from Italy there are two buses daily from Venice leaving at 11am and 1:45pm going to Istria, with a final stop in Pula. These are operated by two different bus companies, but you can buy tickets for both buses at the A.T.V.O bus office at the Venice bus station. The office is in the bus station, but located outside on the ground level across from where all the buses park. Both buses pick up at spot b15. It is roughly a 5 hour bus ride, with stops in Trieste and Rovinj. You can also pick up the bus at the bus station in Mestre, fifteen minutes after the scheduled bus leaves Venice. Coming in from Trieste, Italy is popular among Europeans, for Trieste is a Ryanair destination. You cross the Italian-Slovenian border first, followed by the Slovenian-Croatian border, but they are very close to one another. Border officers will board the bus to see passports, but you do not have to exit the bus. Dubrovnik and Split are the main destinations of international buses from Bosnia and Hercegovina or Montenegro, with daily buses traveling to cities such as Sarajevo, Mostar and Kotor (some lines such as Split-Mostar operate every few hours). Seasonal lines also extend through to Skopje from Dubrovnik. Border formalities on the buses are extremely efficient, and do not involve leaving the bus (previous services from Dubrovnik to Kotor involved changing buses at the Croatian border). Osijek is a very big bus hub for international travel to Hungary, Serbia and Bosnia in addition to its local buses, and the station is located conveniently next to the railway station. Many buses heading from Zagreb north into Hungary or Austria will pass through Varaždin.

By boat

Ferries are cheap and go regularly between various places by the coast. Although they are not fast they are probably the best way to see the beautiful Croatian islands of the Adriatic Sea. Jadrolinija is the main Croatian passenger shipping line that maintains the largest number of regular international and domestic ferry and shipping lines. The following international lines are serviced by car ferries:

• Rijeka - Zadar - Split - Hvar - Korčula -Dubrovnik - Bari
• Split - Ancona - Split
• Korčula - Hvar - Split - Ancona
• Zadar - Ancona - Zadar
• Zadar - Dugi otok - Ancona
• Dubrovnik - Bari - Dubrovnik

Blue Line International also covers the international line:

• Split - Ancona - Split