5 Do’s When You Travel To Croatia

Croatia, touted as aunique destination in the world tourism scene is a country with a glorious 1778km-long coast and a staggering 1185 islands.

With almost 1,200 islands, azure waters and picturesque villages rich in history, Croatia is drawing more and more travellers to its shores. Since its re-emergence as a world tourist spot, many travel agencies around the world have developed numerous kinds of Croatia tour packages to entice tourists to this beautiful country. While travel in Croatia is pretty much a breeze, here are a few tips on do's during your Croatia tour packages to help you navigate the country’s diverse offerings more smoothly.

Croatia Do's

1. Do Take Ferries and Charter a Boat

Most of the residents of Croatian islands have their own small boats to travel between islands and the coast -- it’s the easiest way to get around. Public ferries in Croatia are another common way to island hop. Keep in mind that island hopping by commercial ferries can be difficult to plan and often inefficient. For example, the north-south ferries (Rijeka to Dubrovnik), run only 2 times a week. If you need more flexibility, look into chartering a boat. There are many local companies from whom you can rent speedboats, yachts or catamarans.

2. Do Watch Your Step

If you venture off to the beaten path, beware of unexploded minefields in inland areas. Up to 2 million mines were laid during the war of the early ’90s, and Croatia is not expected to be mine-free until 2019. The mines are not in tourist spots and chances that foreigners would visit many of these places are slim. Nonetheless, hundreds of people have been killed by mines in Croatia since the end of the war; if you do happen to travel in these areas, stay on cultivated paths and look out for warning signs with the international symbol for mines -- a skull and crossbones inside a red, upside-down triangle.

3. Do Remember the Patron Saint

According to the last major censes, almost 90% of Croatians are Catholic. So keep in mind that each village and town has a patron saint whose feast day will be celebrated with processions and ceremonies and probably a day off from work. Croatians are especially devoted to the Virgin Mary, whom they call "Gospa." Keep your eye out for little shrines built throughout the countryside to honour her.

4. Do Call It Croatian

Linguists say the Croatian language is almost identical to Serbian, except that Croatian is written in the Roman alphabet, while Serbian is written in Cyrillic. Nonetheless, always call their language “Croatian,” and not “Serbo-Croatian,” as it has sometimes erroneously been called in the past; comparisons to anything Serbian can still be a touchy subject for some.

5. Do Watch Where You Go Topless

If you are tempted to go European and drop the bikini top, feel free. Plenty of travellers sunbathe topless on beaches in the northern and central parts of their Croatia tour package and go totally nude in specified areas-- but you may need to be more discreet in the south, where values tend to be more conservative. And if you happen to find yourself on the island of Vrbnik, know that this is the birthplace of numerous Croatian bishops and a very religious community, so keep your clothes on.