May 9, 2022 - To make the most of your next vacation, here are some apps that shouldn't be missing from your phone when traveling around Croatia.

Oh yes, the good old days when having a city guide under your arm and an adventurous spirit were enough to travel the world and enjoy it to the fullest. Times have changed, and both the constantly evolving digital age and marketing make us aware of needs we didn't think we had. Today, we book airline tickets and accommodations, navigate with GPS, and change currencies, all on a mobile device.

But this is by no means a critique of the mobile app era. On the contrary, we will use this space to highlight some of the apps that will truly make your next trip easier, relieve the stress, and leave uncertainty while traveling around Croatia aside.

Just a reminder. The apps that we will list below are not necessarily secret or unknown, because some of them (we hope) you should already have installed! Basically, we remind you that the following apps are essential to make your experience in Croatia better.

Google Translate

Let's start off right: communication. Yes, English is spoken in Croatia. And very good English. Some will believe that it has to do only with the tourist context, but there are many reasons to explain the very good level of speaking and understanding of English in Croatia, even in public offices.

However, English is not the official language in Croatia. Croatian is. As a good tourist, you will find that the locals will really appreciate it if you replace some words in your sentences with Croatian ones. After all, it is a difficult language and they know it. You just have to try it and you will notice the gratitude almost immediately. Now, go ahead and use some common words or even dare to ask some questions in Croatian. Not only do we encourage you to do it to create a link with the locals, but also because it will be useful in case English is not enough to make it clear what you need with your host, your waiter at the restaurant, the bus driver, or even a random person in the street.

For this reason, Google Translate is the application that we recommend you to have. Personally, we recommend using their English to Croatian translator, which has more translations and fewer errors. There are other translation apps, but unfortunately, they do not have a Croatian translator or they are not well programmed for that function.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Currency

As you well know, the official currency in Croatia is the Kuna. Although it is very likely that you booked your accommodation and your tickets in euros, dollars, or pounds, once you land in Croatia you will need to know the currency exchange. It is true that you can use your credit or debit card to pay for everything here, but besides being a very good idea to be aware of the exchange rate, it is good to note that some places (such as bars, cafes, tours or activities) charge cash only.

For this reason, before going to the nearest ATM to withdraw money or to an exchange house to change it, we recommend you use the Currency application, where you can see the value of the kuna versus absolutely all the existing currencies in the world. This will be a year of many changes in prices because from January 2023 Croatia will begin its transition process to the Eurozone. Therefore, we could not recommend you more to have this application at hand.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Google Maps

Another app that you should already have installed on your mobile device. Apple Maps is also an option, but from experience, I think Google Maps today is better designed to be used in a country like Croatia. Even the vast majority of satellite images from Google have been recently updated in the country, so it will be a great tool to guide you safely when traveling around Croatia.

In some cities, like Zagreb, the database of the public transport system is synchronized with this application, so it is possible to know exactly which bus or tram should take you to the place you need in real-time. In other cities, like Split, it is even possible to see the ferry routes in 360 views.

Google Maps will definitely be your ideal tool not only to find your accommodation, a good restaurant to eat at, or a secret beach to relax but also to build your itinerary if you plan to travel to several cities in Croatia, evaluate which is the best breakfast option based on its review system, or also to take alternative routes in case you come across a closed street or traffic.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Booking.com

No, we do not have a partnership with Booking.com, and we definitely know that there are numerous alternatives such as Hotels.com, Airbnb, Hostelworld, or Expedia. However, if there is one thing you need to know about accommodation in Croatia, it is that there is more than one type of accommodation. Actually, more than three. Honestly, more than ten. It's hard to count.

Hotels, villas, houses, apartments, rooms, bungalows, camping sites, eco-lodges, hostels... even boats! The offer of accommodation in Croatia is incredibly diverse, and this invites you to be open-minded and correctly evaluate which one will be able to effectively satisfy your dream vacation. Therefore, you need an accommodation search site that brings together all this diversity, and you can find it on Booking.com.

We do not want to recommend an app based on bad experiences, but the truth is that during the high season in Croatia there are many cases of scams to tourists looking for accommodation. Many of them book accommodations that cancel reservations or raise their prices at the last minute, or even didn't exist in the first place! Therefore, having an application like Booking.com is a good idea if you want to see alternatives with ratings and reviews that give you more security before booking your accommodation, as well as being in contact with a customer service that avoids this type of awkward situations.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

FlixBus

During summer at its height, transportation alternatives for traveling around Croatia are not in short supply. Trains, planes, ferries, catamarans... you name it. However, the leading transport system in Croatia continues to be buses. Everyone, both locals and tourists, can basically get to any corner of the country, and from anywhere in Europe, by bus.

The German company FlixBus is the best option if you plan to reduce travel costs and choose the bus as your transportation alternative if you travel from another country to Croatia. Its modern fleet will bring you to and from Croatia with the comfort that a well-deserved vacation deserves.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Arriva Croatia

This time, we will add another bus application. Believe it or not, FlixBus is not necessarily the favorite in the country. Although you will see their green buses at all stations and roads in the country, it cannot be said that the margin of preference is as distant as that of Arriva Croatia, and for a special reason. FlixBus, while connecting to almost every city in Croatia, may not reach everywhere. Something that you will find in Arriva Croatia, which not only offers you tickets to big cities like Zagreb, Split, Rijeka, Osijek, Zadar, Dubrovnik, Pula or Šibenik, but also to more remote and smaller towns and villages throughout the country (and even the islands and National Parks!).

Likewise, Arriva Croatia has a huge fleet of buses and, therefore, a large number of schedules and competitive prices that will motivate you to compare your options between both companies. At the end of the day, it doesn't hurt to organize a trip around Croatia using buses from both Arriva Croatia and FlixBus. Both have mobile applications that allow you to check their schedules, reserve seats, and download your tickets to your phone.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

BlaBlaCar

Here we present a somewhat different transport application. It is the app that almost everyone has recommended to me in Croatia, and very recently I used it for the first time to travel from Zagreb to Rijeka.

BlaBlaCar is a French application that allows you to choose a city or town of departure and destination, and it will give you a list of drivers who will also travel that route on the day you choose to travel. The drivers are the ones who offer their departure and arrival times, as well as the exact departure and arrival points in the respective cities. The choice is yours. You'll be able to see who else will be traveling with you, as well as ratings and reviews from past passengers.

BlaBlaCar is a great alternative if you travel light from one city to another, want to get there faster, and to make it more interesting, to meet people during the trip through good conversations.

Once the driver has been chosen, you will receive a confirmation from him and you will be able to obtain his contact information to coordinate the meeting at the starting point. We recommend that you confirm your trip in advance, and also bring cash as it is generally the preferred form of payment for drivers.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Jadrolinija

What's a Croatia vacation without an island getaway? Of course, the Croatian Adriatic coast is long enough to find a beach that suits your needs, but there is a special feeling of getting on a ferry and exploring one of the more than 1000 Croatian islands. If that is your wish, then make sure you have the Jadrolinija app installed.

Jadrolinija is the national ferry company in Croatia, and while their website or port offices have long been the most common places to buy your tickets, their mobile app is also a great option as you never know when you may be tempted to change your plans and hop on a ferry.

In their app, just choose your departure ferry port and you'll be able to see the destinations you can go to. This will allow you to see your table of times and prices according to the number of passengers. You can also find information about the location of the ferry ports in Croatia. The app allows you to pay by debit card.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Tripadvisor

Although Google Maps has a huge database of reviews and ratings to help you make a decision on where to go, stay or eat, Tripadvisor remains a benchmark among travel guide applications. Perhaps what positions Tripadvisor as a leader in the category is that you only have to enter a destination to which you plan to go to obtain a wide range of possibilities on what to do and see during your trip.

It is an application widely used by companies of all kinds in Croatia, and that is why you will not find it difficult to find tours, activities, or workshops that allow you to have a different vacation. Precisely, you will be able to use the ratings and reviews to validate the quality and reliability of these activities, and not take any risks.

There are all types of tourists, and among them, there are those who do not usually arrive with pre-made itineraries, since for them spontaneity and improvisation add some emotion and a feeling of adventure to their vacations. Therefore, Tripadvisor is a great tool to get inspired and make a list of places to see and things to do in your destination in Croatia.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Uber

It may not have the best public transport in Europe, but Croatia is a country where you can get around without any problems. If time is not an issue for you and you enjoy urban and rural landscapes while onboard a bus or tram, then there is no reason to despair.

However, it is true that from time to time you will have to rush to the airport, the train station, the bus station, or the ferry port or you will lose your trip. Similarly, you never know when you may need to go to a hospital (when it's not an emergency) or maybe you've booked a tour where you have to meet the agency at a certain place and time. In these and many other cases, the virtue of patience is probably not enough and nerves do not allow you to wait for a bus or tram, which sometimes you do not know when they may arrive.

In that sense, it might be a bit obvious that having a taxi app installed is always a good idea. Yes, there are taxis that can take you from the airport to the city and vice versa but don't trust their rates. It is better to grab the WiFi and book the taxi from an app. While many in Croatia will recommend apps like Cammeo or Bolt, I have personally found Uber to be quite reliable and effective, with reasonable and fair rates.

Available at Apple App Store and Google Play.

Today's smartphones contain enough storage to install dozens of apps, so you shouldn't feel limited to just these ten. The idea is to travel calmly and happily, so the more apps you find that can help you organize your vacation, the better! Find apps that help you learn about private boat rentals, weather apps, airline apps, apps with biking or hiking trails, and more. Everything helps!

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

October the 20th, 2021 - Following the recent Croatian Uber driver strike which saw drivers across the country refer to themselves as ''digital slaves'' and voice their clear dissatisfaction, arrears have been paid out.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the union of digital platform workers assessed the recent Croatian Uber driver strike as having been successful, although they don't have the exact data on the number of drivers across the country who participated in it.

The strike was announced last Friday due to delays in payments to drivers from the company, and lasted from 07:00 to 10:00, without blocking the traffic, so as not to create a wrong perception.

Uber's management said that they fully respect the right of Croatian drivers to protest, and although they believe that this group doesn't represent the majority of the driver's partners, they say that they take do their complaints seriously. The bank was accused of delaying payments following the event.

“Last week, there were problems with the processing of payments at the local bank, which resulted in a delay in the payment of weekly earnings. We quickly took steps to resolve the issue and pay off any arrears, which was resolved (yesterday) morning.

As soon as we realised what was going on, we sent a message to all of our partner drivers whose payment is late, apologising for the inconvenience and explaining when they can expect their payments,'' they said from Uber.

“We're going to learn from this experience to continue to improve our processes. In terms of earnings in general, we remain committed to creating a sustainable business environment for our partners, so we've recently raised our prices for this purpose.

This increase doesn't make a significant difference for the users of the Uber application (app), while in the end our partners benefit the most, whose revenues are now higher,'' they concluded. 

For more, follow our business section.

October 18, 2021 - As part of the Uber drivers strike in Croatia, a press conference was held. They claim: ‘‘We cannot get in touch with the company. We have not received an explanation as to why the money is late and when it will be paid. (...) We feel like digital slaves’’.

This morning, Uber drivers went on strike in Zagreb and its surroundings because their salaries were late, reports Telegram.hr. The salary that was supposed to sit last Tuesday was paid this morning, and Uber claimed over the weekend that the delay was due to an error in the local bank system. Nevertheless, the Uber team continued with the strike organized by the Croatian Digital Platform Workers' Union until 10 am this morning. At 10 am, the secretary of the Trade Union, Iva Filipović, addressed the media.

Filipovic said that they decided to promote an Uber driver strike because they estimated that an immediate response was needed. They appealed to Uber to show solidarity with them. "We are sorry that the application had to be blocked, but we are in such a relationship that we feel like digital slaves," she said in front of Uber's headquarters in Croatia.

Iva Filipović addressed the media this morning during the Uber drivers strike in Zagreb. (Photo: Photo: Matija Habljak/PIXSELL)

She added that Uber constantly emphasizes that their drivers are partners, that they are socially aware and care about the community. “Then how can we not get in touch with them? We have not received an explanation of what is happening, why the money is late and when it will be paid," she said, adding that the money was paid today.

‘‘We can’t talk to any natural person’’

She said they continued the boycott until 10 a.m. to send a message to Uber. “Unfortunately, we can’t talk to any natural person from Uber,” she said, adding that this can happen with any other digital platform, not just Uber. She also said that drivers in Zagreb can, at best, meet with a student who can solve some basic problems in the application. "Drivers from the rest of Croatia can only get an appointment online," she added.

“I’m sorry because no one from Uber showed up, we were hoping someone from the authorities would come out and explain to us what was going on,” she said, saying that says enough about Uber’s claim that their drivers are actually partners. When asked by reporters, she said that the boycott was felt and that users waited twice as long for the ride as well as that the rides were twice as expensive. "It's hard to say, but experience shows that a large number of drivers who would otherwise be on the road were not there today," she said.

Journalists at the Uber drivers strike also asked her how many drivers Uber has in Croatia, to which she replied that only Uber can answer. She also said that they are a new union whose membership is growing, although they are aware that people in Croatia are afraid of union association. She added, however, that some problems like this with salaries can only be solved if they work together.

‘‘If Uber doesn’t pay me, I can’t pay the benefits’’

She also explained that the problem is that she is, for example, as far as the state is concerned, a self-employed person to whom Uber is a partner. “If Uber doesn’t pay me, I can’t pay the benefits to the state I owe,” she said. She said it was important to regulate the area to get workers ’rights.

She also told reporters that they want to solve the problem with Uber through dialogue, adding that roadblocks are not an option as part of the Uber drivers strike. She assures that they do not want to make it difficult for citizens to move. In the end, she added that tomorrow is the day for the payment of funds and that she hopes that there will be no delays.

For more, check out our business section.

October 15, 2021 - An Uber strike in Croatia will begin on Sunday due to payment delays to drivers. Some 2,000 drivers should take to the streets.

About 2,000 Uber drivers in Zagreb and the surrounding area will go on strike from Sunday and are checking out of the popular mobile app until further notice. Iva Filipović, secretary of SRDP (Union of Digital Platform Workers), confirmed this to Večernji List on Friday.

The reason for the strike is the delay in driver payment from Uber, which happens more and more frequently. However, the drivers lost patience this week, and the details were revealed to Večernji List by Filipović, who also has her own business, is registered for the application as a driver and in that sense represents Uber's partner.

"Uber usually pays its drivers every Tuesday for the work done last week. No driver in Croatia had money in their account on Tuesday, so we expected it to be on Friday since there was such a bang the previous few times when payments were late. This has started to happen more and more often. We need to feed our families, aggregators and Uber partners can’t pay their employees' salaries. So it’s a chain reaction that entails a number of negative consequences. Drivers have been accustomed to weekly payments for years and so adjust their a life and work that is hard and risky," says Filipović for Večernji List, adding that the driver's anger is caused by the lack of any human communication.

"Uber’s policy is to brag about social sensitivity and call its drivers partners. However, we feel like digital slaves who don’t really even know who they work for. There is simply no way to talk to a competent person. We don't know who these people are. The only possibility of communication is through the application, and we all receive an automated response from the customer service," claims Filipović.

He says that the strike will definitely take place, regardless of whether the money will be paid to drivers that day.

"It is very important to send a message. That's what we want. For now, we only know that the headquarters of Uber in Croatia is on Radnička Street in Zagreb. More than 2,000 drivers are active in the wider Zagreb area. The vast majority of them will turn off the application, and an arrival to Radnička Street has been organized, from which we will not leave until a competent person comes out of the administrative building to talk to us. We want to know what is going on, we want a humane approach. We are not robots," Filipovic told Vecernji List, adding that the exact number of drivers outside Zagreb who will join the strike will be known on Sunday.

Večernji List sent an inquiry to the Croatian branch of Uber.

“Our partner-drivers are aware of the situation of payment delays due to an error in the local bank system. Once again we apologize for the technical problem, the earnings will be visible to drivers in their bank accounts no later than Monday. We are completely committed to our community of drivers and we are working to resolve this situation as soon as possible," Uber told Vecernji List.

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

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January 14, 2019 - Uber will allow the students from Bernays to cooperate with them on research projects linking tourism, urbanism and mobility and aimed at building a system on a global level

Edward Bernays University College and Uber, the largest global mobility company, have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of developing and building an ecosystem of mobility and traffic in tourism on both local and global levels. The partnership was signed by Damir Jugo, PhD, dean of Bernays and Uber General Manager for South-East Europe, Davor Tremac.

The cooperation between Bernays and Uber highlights the use of advanced technological solutions to meet the needs of tourists via sharing economy as well as their relevance for tourism-related and wider communities. The special benefit of this cooperation between the academic community and the top high-tech company is that Bernays students will participate in research on the links between tourism, urbanism and mobility in order to improve the competitiveness of the Croatian economy.

“Following our partnership with the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, this partnership with Bernays will build upon Uber’s cooperation with educational institutions, with which we wish to further promote the development of technological innovations and give young intellectuals the chance to work on projects of considerable importance for the entire society,” said Davor Tremac, Uber General Manager for South-East Europe.

Furthermore, the students at Bernays can expect to see guest lecturers from Uber, who will tell them firsthand what it means to work for such a company. Uber is also one of the partners at an upcoming student competition, where one of the participants will win a scholarship for Bernays and an Uber voucher worth HRK 200 over a period of one year.

"The fact that Uber joined the growing network of our partner institutions is an important event because it has opened the doors of a global company to Bernays students and allowed them to learn about the business and communication models used by a global leader in the digital economy. This partnership of the business community with our students is extremely important to us, not only because of the potential employment opportunities but also because of the knowledge transfer", said Damir Jugo, Dean of Bernays.

As a global and innovative tech company, Uber relies on its services to contribute to the development of the society and Croatia’s tourism promotion. This summer alone, Uber services on the Croatian coast were used by 170,000 tourists. As many as 94 percent of them were Uber users in their countries of origin, which shows that foreign tourists who visit Croatia throughout the year expect to see Uber as part of our tourist offer. Finally, Uber is continually working on improving mobility and the way people move in cities, at the same time primarily thinking of user safety, which is why only recently Uber introduced a number of new in-app safety features that have doubled the safety of both users and partner drivers.

To read more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

Uber awards scholarships to students of the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences.

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November 9, 2018 - Uber took me on artistic adventures around the world and now we are bringing art to everyone who has been isolated from it.

Vesna Mačković, a multidisciplinary artist from Sisak, founded ARKTIK – The Institute for the Future, an organization where older people, children, people with disabilities, immigrants can be creative

ARKTIK – The Institute for the Future emerged from anger and defiance. Art is something that I really want to do, that I know I can do and that I have the people with whom I can do it well, but we lack the finances necessary to include more people in what we do and to further develop. I’ve realized that if I want more, I have to stop relying on the state budget, and that it is not OK to expect my works to be fully funded with the tax payers’ money. That's why we are now looking for support from the corporate sector, and the first company to respond was Uber, Vesna Mačković, a multidisciplinary artist from Sisak and one of the founders of ARKTIK – The Institute for the Future, explains.

She receives financial support from the Ministry of Culture and the cities of Zagreb and Sisak for her artistic work; but it simply is not enough for her to realize all her ideas.

That’s why she founded ARKTIK – The Institute for the Future, an organization focused on the society and various globally and locally relevant issues that will integrate people from different walks of life affected by these issues into its work. Essentially, Vesna’s idea is to have children, old people, minorities, people with disabilities, immigrants and anyone else participate in performances.

Considering she has difficulty moving due to her problems with bones, in all her artistic adventures Vesna had a faithful companion in Uber. The company decided to support her as a partner in the work of the Institute for the Future as well. In the coming period Uber is going to allow the organization's members access to its services.

Vesna loved art since an early age, but life took her in different direction. She had her own company producing multimedia as well as her own finance-related web portal. In fact, everything was fine until the 2008 financial crisis, when all her projects closed down overnight. Though it hit her hard, this breakdown brought her back to her first love - art.

Nowadays, she is into writing, dancing, directing, acting, and experimenting with sound and radiophony.

Vesna performed all over the world and was given free rein and full artistic freedom. Her plays Intenziteti (Intensities) and Pod staklenim zvonom (Under a Glass Bell), video performance Pozdrav (Salute) and many other works have led her to an artist-in-residence program by the great Robert Wilson. He chose Vesna among 800 candidates and built her a five-meter high replica of the Sisak Ironworks– in the middle of Long Island – so she could perform Salute that she had originally filmed with our award-winning video artist Ana Opalić at the Sisak Ironworks.

She performed in Moscow, Kazakhstan, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Saint Petersburg. And she always used Uber.

- I have used Uber from the first day it came to Croatia. Unfortunately, the transport in Zagreb is inadequate for many people with disabilities who are likewise 100-percent disabled. Uber offered acceptable prices, which was a great help financially. It was also the first to launch an app where users can see where their driver was or how to contact them. I find it very difficult to stand for a long time, but with this app I know exactly how long I can sit at home until the driver approaches, Vesna says, adding the she uses Uber in every country she visits. The app is the same all over the world, and it allows her not to have to worry about paying in foreign currencies, or fret over not knowing the local language.

- The drivers have always been very kind to us and would gladly stop for us wherever we wanted it. When you are in Brazil, you don’t want to just speed down the highway. Also, we Croatians are quite exotic to them. They don’t speak Croatian, of course, but when you tell them you’re from Croatia, they always mention Luka Modrić. They also find it interesting that someone would come to their country for theater, says Vesna laughing, and adds that she has never had any problems with Uber drivers in any of the countries that she has visited so far.

- They are always ready to hold my bag or help me out of the car. They are kind and discrete. Wherever I go, I order Uber, says Vesna.

Uber’s support for ARKTIK is extremely important to her because, as an artist, it is important to her to follow all the different types of art and the work of her fellow artists.

- Thanks to Uber, we will be able to quite conveniently follow art events in Zagreb and maybe even farther away. We will no longer have to worry about going to see a play for which we will have to pay both the ticket and our ride to and from the theater. This is a huge financial boost for us. The corporate sector in Croatia isn’t even aware that, apart from investing in football, it is also good to invest in arts and culture. Uber is such a sparkly, positive example and I really hope others will follow it, adds Vesna. She is aware that people are usually skeptical about joining organizations that are turning a new page; however, she is not scared of failing.

- I have nothing to lose. I can always go back, she concludes.

New in-app safety center allows riders and drivers to easily share their trip details and contact emergency assistance, and warns drivers about speed limits.

Safety features increase security of the data communicated between riders and drivers so no phone numbers are visible on either side.