An interesting even that takes place in September/October in Varazdin is called "Varazdin Baroque Evenings" - a festival of baroque music held in churches and theatres. Varazdin is a town in north-west Croatia (80 km from Zagreb) with nice baroque architecture, old town and cemetary. A good one day trip from Zagreb.
The Adriatic Highway is really one of the most exciting drives in the world but not only for beautiful views. It is damaged due to lack of maintenance and very dangerous on certain spots.
Sucana Habrun, Croatia (Feb 99)
There are no ATM machines which take Visa in the entire country. This means that you cannot get money on a Sunday, as the banks are closed. At Zagreb airport none of the banks accept Visa at all, so make sure if you are flying in that you have some currency to change. There is a Bank of Austria where you can do Visa cash advances in Zagreb, otherwise the Splitska banka is in major towns throughtout the country where you can make Visa cash advances.
Megan Brayne, Australia (Jan 99)
You can change money almost anywhere in Croatia. I found that the bank offering the best rate of exchange was the Dubrovacka Banka. Rijecka Banka was a close second, but Splitska Banka had the lowest exchange and, unlike the other two, charged a commission.
What I liked about Croatia was the feeling that the people were genuinely welcoming towards tourists. Because of it's re-awakening to tourism, they seem keen to get it right - many asked me why I had chosen to come to Croatia, and one man even thanked me for visiting his country. The Brits may be reluctant to return but there are already many Italian, Austrian and former Eastern bloc visitors. If you like loud resorts with souvenir shops on every corner, Croatia is not the place to come. Towns such as Dubrovnik, Hvar and Korkula obviously do buzz at night, but the pace is certainly more serene than that of many Mediterranean countries. It is difficult to predict what the next ten years have in store, but my advice to anybody would be to enjoy this beautiful country with its turquoise waters whilst it is still unspoilt.
Victoria Burford, UK (Aug 98)
There are now ATM cash machines in most of the towns of any size in the area we visited. However, a lot of them (eg Zagrebacka Bank) take MasterCard/Cirrus, but not Visa. Most of those shops which accept cards do accept both, though.
Alasdair Hamblin (Sept 98)
One major problem we faced in Croatia concerned obtaining money. Arriving after hours in Zagreb we found that no banks offer ATM access for visa card holders - only users of MasterCard or Cirrus. We were able to get a cash advance the next day at the Splitska bank.
Louisa Norwood, Australia (Aug 98)
My route in Croatia took me Split - Hvar - Korcula - Split, all by Jadrolinija, and cost 62 Kuna deck class. Apparently the more tickets you buy together, the cheaper it becomes. The Croatian Tourist office in London sells 10, 20 and 30 day Jadrolinija tickets that can be used on all domestic routes. A ten day travel pass costs 43 - but to be frank I don't think that it is a bargain unless you intend travelling fast and frequently.
Colin Viney (July 98)
Croatia was easy , simple and comfortable. Very tourist-friendly and tourist-saavy. Split is a beautiful, relaxing city. One thing that surprised me not only about Split and the rest of Croatia, but almost all of the former Yugoslavia - there is no admission fee to see such sites as the ruins of the Roman city of Solin, near Split. If you go, the number one bus takes you right to the entrance, but it's schedule is infrequent on Sundays.
More so than any other coastal town in Croatia, Dubrovnik was anxiously awaiting the return of the tourists. The city is almost totally rebuilt from the 1991 attack and what little remains to be repaired is almost unnoticeable. And the walks are still awesome, the old city they enclose as charming as ever.
John Ellis (June 98)
If travelling through Croatia, be careful of venturing off the beaten path. After a few sun soaked days of relaxing in ever so beautiful Dubrovnik, I decided to hike up the local mountain to get a great view of the ocean and the fairy tale like walled city. Not only would I escape the throngs of tourists but I would also work off a killer hangover. I was saved by an old man collecting bottles on the side of the road. He informed me that the Serbs had strategically littered the country side with land mines, and sadly, the government could not afford to have them removed. Who knows where my lower extremities would be right now, if not for that old friendly Croat.
taken from the Thorn Tree (June 98)
Visa cards can now be used for cash advances in almost all Croatian coastal resorts; eg Hvar & Dubrovnik at Dubrovaka Banca, in Split and Pula at Istarska Banka and also in Zagreb in Splitska Banka. But outside of these areas, a Visa card is of no use and they aren't accepted anywhere in Bosnia either, I don't think. Deutschmarks are accepted instead of dinar in Bosnia, and also in a lot of places in Croatia too.
The Sarajevo-Dubrovnik bus now makes three trips per day, but there are still no trains to Split from Sarajevo as the track is still closed.
Niamh Humphries & Jennifer Escott (Apr 98)
Eastern Europe has been extensively connected to the Mastercard/Eurocard/Cirrus ATM network, but not as yet to VISA.Some of the additions include :