July the 30th, 2022 - Just how much does the average family need to set aside financially for a comfortable week spent on the Croatian coast?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, summer on the Croatian coast is the ultimate experience for very many foreign visitors to our shores, but that experience really does come with a hefty price tag, especially in the Dalmatian city of Zadar. Zadar, at least according to the latest research, is the most expensive city in the Republic of Croatia, as reported by N1.

According to the data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (CBS), an average four-member family with an income of 10,000 kuna per month would need to set aside around 2,000 euros for a comfortable seven-day holiday on the Croatian coast. Most people earning a typical Croatian salary can't afford that.

The City of Zadar is one of the top destinations for summer holidays on the Croatian coast, both for foreign and domestic tourists. The only question is just how many people earning Croatian salaties can actually afford it.

"You need around 1,500 kuna for four days, with accommodation, then it's about 2,500 kuna. I don't think the average family can afford that," said one Croatian resident when asked.

The cost of living in Zadar, according to the well-known website for tracking the cost of living, Numbeo, is twice as high as the standard and amounts to around 20,000 kuna. The average family would need to pay out around 400 to 500 kuna just for a walk and some time spent around Kalelarga (a very popular street in the heart of Zadar). That is too much even for the locals.

It costs 100 euros per night for a room and another 100 euros is needed to go out and have a good time, according to local Zadar residents. For seven days in Zadar, and from the beginning of the story, the average family would need to pay around 300 euros per evening in the centre of the city, and between 150 and 200 euros per evening outside the city in places like Vir, Iz or Bibinje. That is about 2,000 euros or two average Croatian monthly salaries.

The price of food and drink also depends on the depth of any given wallet...

"The prices are now higher than they were back during the first of July, but even those prices have their own market and demand. A family of four can still find an apartment in Zadar for 80 to 100 euros per night," said Daniel Radeta, the president of the Zadar Association of Renters. The price of food and drink depends on the balance a person has in their wallet. Residents of Zadar point out that 100 euros per day is enough, even though restaurateurs have raised their prices by 10 percent.

"One round of drinks for four of people comes in at 100 kuna, and that's the cheapest, so coffee and mineral water. If people fancy an alcoholic cocktail, then that's double the price,'' pointed out the president of the Catering Guild at OK Zadar, Robert Kovacevic.

''One meal is from 40 to 100 euros for a family, so that's why you should be careful where you choose to come and sit down. One lunch and dinner for two are around 40 euros. And for four, with a bottle of wine, it's about 100 euros or more," explained Dominik the waiter, who revealed that 90 percent of the people who do this are foreigners, and that there are almost no locals engaging in similar behaviour on the Croatian coast. After lunch, you should cool down. The best solution is ice cream. N1 found a place where a single scoop of ice cream comes in at a price of 12 kuna.

“It's not a big price at all. There are places where a scoop costs 18 kuna,'' said ice cream seller Katarina.

Even going into the sea itself is no longer a free pleasure in some places along the Croatian coast. In Petrcane, entrance to a private beach costs 50 kuna, and the prices on the public beach are the same as everywhere else else: coffee and a sandwich are around 50 kuna, and other pleasures cost between 100 and 300 kuna. A tour of any nearby islands is about 40 euros per person. However, most cash is spent on street food and souvenirs. The prices in Zadar are now fairly steep, but foreign guests still don't complain.

"Yes, I think it's more expensive here than in some other countries in Europe, but the prices are a bit cheaper than they are in Sweden," said one Swedish tourist.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

July 15, 2021 - Not the best news for the peak season - the Croatian coast is no longer green on the ECDC corona map! 

The Croatian coast is no longer green on the new corona map of the European Union published by ECDC, reports Index.hr.

The entire Adriatic part of Croatia is now in orange.

The ECDC map is updated every week. Colors for individual areas are determined by a combination of the number of confirmed cases in the past 14 days per 100 thousand inhabitants and the percentage of the population tested. The latest map was released today.

Updated ? maps are online!

These maps aim to support the @EUCouncil recommendation on travel measures in the EU during #COVID19 pandemic.

Color-blind friendly map in next tweet.https://t.co/CcBVx6B0o5 pic.twitter.com/K2oaO7oqzq

— ECDC (@ECDC_EU) July 15, 2021

It is the most important coronavirus map in the European Union, and it is considered a reference because EU member states adopt measures and determine the conditions for entry from a particular country according to the color that the country has on the ECDC map.

The vast majority of Europe is still in the green zone. The Croatian coast, parts of Greece, part of the Netherlands, part of Sweden, Ireland, and the south of France are now marked in orange.

Spain, Portugal, a small part of Greece, part of Denmark, and part of the northeast of the Netherlands, as well as Luxembourg, are red. 

Parts of Spain, as well as a very small part of the Netherlands, are dark red, symbolizing the worst epidemiological situation.

The headquarters announced that 139 new cases in Croatia were recorded in the last 24 hours, and the number of active cases in Croatia today is 653.

Among the active are 110 patients on hospital treatment, of which 9 patients are on a respirator.

The headquarters also announced that no deceased persons had been registered in the last 24 hours.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

July the 1st, 2021 - As many as 68 percent of Croatian residents are planning on heading to the country's coast this summer, marking an increase when compared to last year.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, this year, 68 percent of Croatian residents are planning to travel during the summer holidays, significantly more than last year when just 54 percent of them planned such a holiday, according to the results of the MasterIndex survey which was published on Tuesday.

The survey was conducted for Mastercard back in May 2021 by the Improve agency on a sample of 1,043 users of banking services in Croatia aged from 18 to 55. A total of 68 percent of the survey's participants plan to spend their summer holidays this year in Croatia, with 39 percent saying they will definitely go on holiday somewhere in the country this year, a jump of 16 percent from a year earlier, while 29 percent plan to travel, but aren't yet quite sure of where and exaxtly when, this year's survey showed.

The main reasons for the large decline in the travel segment during the coronavirus pandemic were the epidemiological measures, fear of coronavirus infection and financial uncertainty. Thankfully, that is dinally changing, an increasing percentage of the population has been vaccinated and that has led to a drop in the number of infected people and to a more optimistic financial outlook, so more and more people are opting for a long awaited break somewhere, the statement said.

The research also showed that this year's summer holidays are being planned for primarily by (78 percent) highly educated people, those with higher incomes and those from Zagreb or Northern Croatia. In terms of travel, 51 percent of respondents have no fear of contracting the novel coronavirus.

When it comes to Croatian residents with certain concerns, the main fear is the possibility of contracting the virus. In addition, they're afraid of travelling and then being faced with quarantine, while 11 percent are worried that they will not be able to return home on time. In terms of safer travel, 22 percent of the respondents opted to ban boarding for passengers who didn't have a negative test.

Survey participants who will not go on holiday this year in 28 percent of cases cited financial uncertainty as the main reason for their indecision, 21 percent said they gave up on the idea this summer because of work commitments, and 20 percent cited health concerns as the main reason for not going to the coast. Half of the respondents said they would stay in private/family accommodation during the summer.

That number is then followed by 37 percent of Croatian residents who plan to stay in their own properties, with family or friends, and this accommodation option is most common among respondents from Zagreb (46 percent). Only 17 percent of the respondents plan to stay in hotels. The price of accommodation this year plays a much bigger role in choosing a travel destination than it did last year - the price-quality ratio is crucial for 64 percent of people, and the cost of the accommodation is the most important factor in choosing a destination for 62 percent of the Croatian residents surveyed.

For more, follow our travel section.

17 June 2021 - Jadrolinija national ferry company acquired a new ship that will connect the town of Biograd with Tkon on Pasman island.

"Jadrolinija" is one of the most used words in the Croatian language during the summer, at least on the coast. This national ferry company has been connecting the mainland and the islands of the Croatian part of the Adriatic for decades. Its international lines see it connecting Croatia with Italy for part of the year as well.

Because of the small size of the towns and villages and the scarce population living on the islands, only a portion of these lines are profitable and the fleet is pretty large. It is therefore quite a newsworthy item to see Jadrolinija presenting a new addition. Ferry „Tkon“ joined the fleet that now counts 55 ships in total.

Valuable Addition

It was purchased from Rapska Plovidba (Rab Shipping) as index.hr reports. Tkon is a product of renowned Croatian shipyard Viktor Lenac. It is 42 metres long, 15,3 metres wide, and can hold 250 passengers and 35 cars. It was built in 2003. In comparison, ferry „Prizna“ that serviced this Jadrolinija line so far is over 50 years old. It will be on stand-by for the busiest parts of the year. After the purchase Tkon is heading to the docks for maintenace and re-painting. This is good news for all travellers to Pasman island, but also all the islanders and Biograd locals. Chairman of the board of Jadolinija, David Spota said the move goes along the strategic goal of updating and improving the fleet. This is the fifth new ship to come under Jadrolinija flag in the last four years.

It really is difficult to avoid blue-striped Jadrolinija ships along the Croatian coast. They bring much joy to all those wishing to visit some of over a thousand magical islands of Croatia. Here's to Tkon's smooth sailing!

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 10, 2021 - German and Swiss tourists in Croatia can now visit without restriction upon returning home, which is a great sign for tourism on the Croatian coast. 

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that the best news for the Croatian tourism sector in the last two years came from Germany and Switzerland. After the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention last week removed the entire Croatian coast from the red epidemiological zone and placed it in the yellow zone, the German state epidemiological institute Robert Koch removed Croatia from the list of high-risk areas on Monday.

Moreover, Split-Dalmatia County, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Istria County, Karlovac County, Krapina-Zagorje County, and Požega-Slavonia County entered the green zone of this prestigious institute. The whole of Croatia was removed from the list of epidemiologically high-risk countries on Tuesday by Switzerland, with the abolition of all restrictions on completely vaccinated persons, persons who have recovered from Covid-19, but also those who have not been vaccinated or have recovered from Covid, but travel by land.

Since the ECDC map, like the opinion of the German Robert Koch Institute, is considered the most relevant indicator of destination safety for European tourists, the door to a successful season in Croatia in early June is wide open to all Europeans, who no longer have to isolate themselves after returning from the Adriatic. This is the best confirmation that the epidemiological situation is the only criterion that will determine the success of the season and that the effort of reaching the "green" in some regions pays off.

"Given the current epidemiological situation as well as the forecasts for the coming weeks, and if something unforeseen does not happen in the next period, the overall result of the season could be significantly better than last year, but still below the record 2019. What is crucial is that we ensure a quality epidemiological situation for as long as possible, preferably to be "green" at least until October," said Veljko Ostojić, director of the Croatian Tourism Association.

How important it is for Croatia to be in the green zone of epidemiological safety in Germany is shown by the fact that 1.5 million Germans arrived during last year's Covid season while we were in the green zone, so even better numbers can be expected this year.

Croatian tourism partners from Germany welcomed three Adriatic counties in the green zone with great pleasure, which is why the airlines will certainly strengthen their routes to Split and Dubrovnik. Thus, Split Airport already has 30 confirmed airlines in June, with the expected 80,000 passengers.

Eight regular lines have been announced to Germany, seven to France, five to Poland, four to Great Britain, three to Switzerland, two to Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands, and one to Serbia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Russia, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Ukraine, Latvia, and Denmark.

In addition to many airlines already operating to Split, Aeroflot from Moscow, Air France from Paris, Iberia from Madrid, British Airways from London, Luxair from Luxembourg, Ryanair from Dublin, Edelweiss from Zurich returned to Split Airport, Ukraine International and Windrose from Kyiv resumes in early June. Last weekend alone, 70 flights landed on regular routes, and 8,000 passengers passed through Split Airport.

"At the moment, bookings for July, August, and September are excellent. For some types of accommodation facilities, it is even at the level of 2019. We are already seeing a much fiercer market competition, considering that we are no longer the only Mediterranean country that can achieve significant international tourist traffic in such epidemiological conditions this year. The whole main season is ahead of us, and we must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of last year," warns Ostojic.

"Croatia is primarily a car destination, which is why it is logical that guests from key markets first visit Istria and Kvarner and Zadar County. As for our southern destinations, we expect a larger influx of guests after June 15, i.e., from the beginning of July, when over 180 airlines from our most important markets start operating. We are especially looking forward to direct flights from the USA to Dubrovnik," said Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of testing centers and vaccination points across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and choose your preferred language.

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 3rd, 2021 - The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) has released an updated corona map of Europe and the Croatian coast is no longer red!

Jutarnji reports, as seen on the map, the Croatian coast is no longer marked in red, according to the ECDC coronavirus traffic lights system. This is great news for Croatian tourism, just in time for the summer season. Namely, the ECDC map, as far as European tourists are concerned, is considered the most relevant indicator of the safety of a particular destination.

The color chart shows the 14-day incidence of coronavirus in each European country per 100,000 inhabitants. 

The Croatian coast is marked in yellow on the updated map, just like most of Europe. The northern part of Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and a large part of Spain and France, the extreme south of Italy, and the Benelux countries are still marked in red. 

#JustPublished
Updated ? maps are online!

These maps aim to support the @EUCouncil recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restriction of #FreeMovement during #COVID19 pandemic.
❗️❗️❗️#IE & #SE data not available due to a disruption to the national databases this week. pic.twitter.com/QbtX1YdWiu

— ECDC (@ECDC_EU) June 3, 2021

The map was posted on the official ECDC Twitter account along with a color-blind version of the map. 

Color-blind friendly version of the map:https://t.co/CcBVx6B0o5#COVID19 pic.twitter.com/mN4z1CH3AI

— ECDC (@ECDC_EU) June 3, 2021

The daily number of Croatia cases, specifically along the coast, has decreased, and with the vaccination rolling out, Croatia is confident to have a better season and welcome more tourists than last year. 

To check out a more detailed look into the Covid-19 situation by counties and islands in Croatia, CLICK HERE.

For all, you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border, and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centers across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

ZAGREB, July 27, 2020 - In the last 24 hours there have been five new cases of infection with COVID-19 along the Croatian Adriatic coast, and this is the safest destination for guests from the European Union in the Mediterranean region, the Croatian Association of Tourism (HUT) stated on Monday.

From the area from Istria to the southernmost Croatian city of Dubrovnik, there are about 1.4 million inhabitants, and statistics show that there are only 0.357 newly diagnosed cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the coastal region, HUT explains.

If one takes into consideration that there are also an estimated 700,000 guests vacationing in the Croatian coastal region, the situation can be depicted in more favourable figures: 0.238 new cases per 100,000 people.

HUT has recently launched the Corona Region Tracker which shows that COVID incidence along the whole coast is declining.

June 14, 2020 - Thanks to the extended weekend, tourist traffic has finally begun to pick up on the Croatian Coast. So far, the first part of June is just under 5 percent of last year's results. 

Currently, 111,000 tourists are in Croatia, of which 79,000 are foreign and 32,000 domestic tourists - mostly from Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic, reports HRT.

Looking at the destination, most tourists are in Rovinj, Vir, Mali Lošinj, Medulin and Umag. Hotels are opening throughout central Dalmatia, and the first larger groups of guests have been announced.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Despite the pandemic, Split's Radisson Blu Hotel, however, was anything but idle.

"We have done a lot of new and wonderful things as you can see, we have renovated the whole plateau, we are working on renovating the Spa. I am looking forward to the guests who can come from June 15," says Kristina Rogaljska, the senior hotel manager.

According to the announcements, they will be domestic guests, Germans and Austrians, but no more are expected in June. July and August should and should be significantly better, judging by the reservations received. Safety and responsibility are at the forefront.

"The safety of guests and employees is our number one priority, we have respected epidemiological measures by the Republic of Croatia and the strict measures of our group. We have plexiglass partitions in all possible places, from stickers where guests must stand at the reception and in front of the elevators to all the cleaning measures that we will carry out," adds Rogaljska.

As of Saturday, the Bluesun hotels opened on the Makarska Riviera, in Tučepi and Brela, and in Bol on Brač. Hotels in Supetar also opened their doors.

"In Supetar, both hotel houses have been opened in slightly reduced capacities and according to the announcements, the season will be like that, but we can expect a little more activity at the end of this month, and July has good bookings," says Ivan Cvitanić, director of Supetar Tourist Board.

As of June 20, more specific traffic has been announced at Split Airport, and according to updated data from the entercroatia application, about 230,000 tourists will arrive in Croatia in the next few days. We hope that at least some of them will choose central Dalmatia as their destination.

Some tourists are already vacationing in Istria. The action of the Administrative Department for Tourism of the Istrian County, which offers as many as 50 attractions of cultural and eno-gastronomic content at half price or even free - has finally stimulated the long-awaited tourist momentum. Most are domestic guests.

Baredine Cave is one of the most beautiful speleological objects, of 1500 of them in Istria. The tourist workers of Istria are satisfied with the response of visitors to the reduced price attractions.

"Right now, as I was traveling towards the Baredine cave, I saw a lot of cyclists on the road, I believe that people will slowly decide to come through to relax and appreciate the fact that we are a really safe destination, says Nada Prodan Mraković, head of the Istria County Tourism Department.

Winemakers, olive growers and oil producers also opened their taverns to guests, and are offering free tastings.

"We don't do it only today, we have all been doing it for about 20 years, on average. And every year you want to be better and better because that is the future. If you did something well, why shouldn't I do the same, and that is a healthy competition," points out Andjelo Brcic, Nova Vas.

Natural, top-quality wines, rich taverns, various attractions and beautiful Istrian nature at half price or even free. And all available to you, right now.