Currency in Croatia: what to use and how to exchange

Croatia adopted the euro on 1 January 2023, replacing the kuna. That removed the main money task for most visitors: travellers from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Austria, Greece, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium or Slovakia already carry the right notes. Visitors from the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand need to arrive with euros or get them locally.

Prices are quoted in euros, including on ferry and bus websites, hotel booking pages and menus. There is no dual pricing any more, and no need to convert in your head. Expect coastal prices close to Italian or Greek levels in July and August, and noticeably lower in Zagreb, Osijek and inland Istria.

Cards work almost everywhere a tourist spends money: hotels, supermarkets, fuel stations, most restaurants, ferry and bus counters, museum ticket desks. Visa and Mastercard are the standard; American Express is accepted in fewer places, mostly larger hotels. Contactless is normal. The gaps are small family konobas on the islands, farmers' markets, some taxi drivers, and a few rural guesthouses, which is why a cash float of EUR 30–50 is worth carrying.

If you do need to change money, Croatia has plenty of licensed exchange offices (mjenjačnica) in city centres and at ferry ports. They are legal and usually better than airport desks, but rates vary by several percent between offices on the same street, so compare two or three before handing over notes. Banks also exchange cash, at slightly worse rates but with no haggling. Never use a street tout offering a rate far above the official one; that is a scam.

For cash withdrawals, use an ATM attached to a bank branch rather than a standalone machine in a bar or souvenir shop. Croatian bank ATMs typically charge EUR 2–5 per foreign-card withdrawal, and your own bank may add a fee plus a currency conversion margin. When the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline and let your bank do the conversion; the ATM's rate is usually worse.

One practical note: many Croatian ATMs dispense EUR 100 and EUR 200 notes, which smaller places struggle to break. Ask for a smaller amount or a mix if the machine allows it.

Tell your bank you are travelling if it still requires it, and carry a second card from a different network in case one is blocked.

Keep a small amount of cash split between bag and pocket; pickpocketing is rare in Croatia but not unknown on crowded ferries and in Dubrovnik's old town in summer.

Tipping is normally about 10% in restaurants for good service, and rounding up for taxis and cafés; it is usually left in cash even when you pay by card.

If you are staying on an island for several days, take enough cash before you sail; ATMs exist on Hvar, Korčula and Brač but can run dry in peak season.