If you’re already planning your summer vacation and Croatia’s coast and island are one of your top picks, here are a couple of tourist tips that could help make your awesome Croatian vacation even better.
In our past blogs, we’ve covered lots of tips for camping in Croatia – from the most important things to bring with you to how safe is Croatia for campers. In this blog we’ll share with you a couple of tips you need to know if you plan on spending your vacation on the Croatian coast or some of the islands.
Try local food and wine
We talked numerous times about how great and delicious local Dalmatian food is, but there’s no harm in saying it one more time. It’s really, really delicious, so if you plan on visiting Croatian coast and islands this summer, make sure to spend some time exploring traditional Dalmatian taverns and wine cellars, and trying delicacies like Pag lamb, cheese and asparagus, as well as the traditional baškotin. That’s how you’ll truly learn what Dalmatian culture and lifestyle is all about.
Charter a boat
If island hopping is your thing, the easiest way to do it is to charter a boat in one of the marinas, or to get a ticket for an island cruise or an excursion that will take you around the islands. Out of the three, chartering a boat may be the best choice as it will allow you to choose the islands you want to visit and create your own personal adventure. Also, there are marinas in every major town on the coast, so getting a boat is almost as easy as going for a swim – you can even rent one in Šimuni.
Before we go to the next tip, allow us to give you a small recommendation. The beautiful islands of Maun, Olib and Silba are located next to Camping Village Šimuni, and you can visit them all in one day. If you decide to dock and explore any one of them, make sure to visit their wonderful beaches as well as sandy coves, and have a chit-chat with the locals.
Go on a road trip
If you want to discover all of the amazing things that lie scattered around the Croatian coast and islands, booking a road trip is the best way to do it. There are available excursions in almost every city and all larger islands, so you can choose to visit whatever you want. To see just how much there is to see around Dalmatia, just go and take a look at some of the excursion we organise. And that’s only a small part of the excursions you can go on when you visit Dalmatia and the island of Pag!
Hop on the bus
If you need to quickly get around the islands or from one Dalmatian city to the other, hopping on a bus is your best option. There are terminals all around, busses operate all day long (especially during the summer season), they connect most of the larger towns and cities in Dalmatia and they tend to be way cheaper than taxis.
Watch your step
There are hundreds of kilometers of marked hiking and biking trails all across Croatian coast and its islands, and they are perfectly safe, but a lot of adventurous tourists like to step off the beaten paths and explore those hidden parts of Croatian islands that may take you to an absolutely majestic cove or a sandy beach. If you’re one of those adventurers, make sure to be careful and always watch your step, as those paths may be difficult to pass through. Also, if you’re going on foot, make sure to carry lots of sunscreen to protect yourself from sun’s rays.
Exchange your money
Even though Croatia is officially in the European Union, it still hasn’t switched its currency from Kuna (HRK) to Euro, so you’ll have to exchange your money when you get here.
- 1 USD will get you around 6.1 HRK
- 1 EURO will get you around 7.4 HRK
- 1 GBP will get you around 8.3 HRK
EXTRA TIP – Croatian dictionary
Even though English is widely used all across Croatia, learning a couple of Croatian words will make the locals like you even faster. Here are a couple of words and phrases that are good to know.
- Hello / Goodbye – Bok (bohk)
- Nice to meet you – Drago mi je (dra-goh mee yeh)
- Please – Molim (moh-limb)
- Thank you – Hvala (hva-lah)
- Excuse me – Oprostite (oh-pro-sti-teh)
- My name is – Zovem se (zoh-vhem se)
- Do you speak English? – Govorite li engleski? (goh-voh-ree-teh lee en-glees-kee)
- I’m looking for… – Tražim…(TRAH-zheem…)
- I’d like to go to… – Želim ići u…(ZHEH-leem ee-chee oo…)
- The check, please – Račun, molim. ( Rah-choon, MOH-leem)
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Now that we have shared with you a number of tourist tips that are good to keep in mind if you plan on visiting Croatian coast and islands, all you have to do is book your ideal vacation in Camping Village Šimuni and get ready to have a great time!