Find Croatia » Topics » Message Board » Good intro to Croatia by Washington Post

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• #14809
  
  PaperBoy

  Guest

  We are thinking of traveling to Croatia in early February. Since it will be wintertime, should we be concerned that many tourist attractions might be closed?

  You know, hardly a day goes by when we aren’t treated to a traveler’s tear-stained story about how U.S. currency is buying so little abroad. But are we here to wallow in dollar-inspired dourness? No, we are here to talk about a little antidote called the kuna. As in the Croatian national currency. As in not-the-euro. You can get five of these babies for a dollar at present.

  But what will five kuna buy, you ask? “Beer and a coffee” in a cafe, says Nena Komarica of the Croatian National Tourist Board (800-829-4416, http://www.croatia.hr). And lest you think that a metabolic roller-coaster ride is the only bargain, one dollar also buys “coffee and cake,” which sounded kind of vague, although the excitement in Komarica’s voice was palpable.

  Furthermore, when a favorable exchange rate meets the February offseason, you might get even more with your coffee. Komarica recommends that you visit the spas of Opatija, in western Croatia on the Adriatic coast, where a room for two at a five-star hotel such as the Millennium goes for $138 a night. Wellness centers can be found there, at the Grand Hotel ($129 a night) and elsewhere, as can inscrutably titled therapies such as “aromasoul massage” and “vacuum detox.” (Information on both hotels: http://www.opatija.net.)

  But if a Croatian seacoast in winter isn’t your thing — hey, how do you know until you try it? — Zagreb will be hopping, too, in its own way. “It is not a typical capital,” Komarica says of the city of 1 million. “It is also one of the ‘art cities’ in Europe,” a distinction that appears to apply to only, well, 38 European cities. Even more exceptional is Zagreb’s status as one of the world’s few true walking cities. There are dozens of galleries and museums within strolling distance of the central square, Jelacica Trg, among them the Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters and the Mimara Museum, which has works by Rembrandt, Renoir and others

  #15929
  
  SunFun

  Spectator

  If you have no kuna, use $ or ? or Euro no problem 

  #15956
  
  Mario

  Spectator

  Preferably Euro these days 

  #15958
  
  SunFun

  Spectator

  Preferably Euro these days 

  Yep, dolars and pounds are in bit of the trouble  :

  #16553
  
  pocks05

  Guest

  If you don’t have Euro’s and you’ve got a pocket of pounds or dollars, if you sneek away from the main tourist areas for food/entertainment/lodging you’ll be able to stretch your money a bit more to make up for the weaker currency……hope I’m not stating the obvious. 

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