Paying in Croatia: Euro, Card, or Cash?

Good news for your holiday: since 1 January 2023, the euro has been Croatia's official currency. No more exchanging money, no more comparing rates, no more leftover foreign coins rattling around in your pocket on the way home. A few things about paying are still worth knowing, though, so you can enjoy your stay in your holiday home in Croatia without a care from day one.

Croatia Pays in Euros

Croatia has been an EU member since 2013 and joined the eurozone on 1 January 2023. The former national currency, the kuna, has been fully replaced. All prices in shops, restaurants, and at petrol stations are shown in euros, and the ATMs dispense euros too. If you're visiting from another eurozone country, paying in Croatia works exactly like at home.

Card or Cash?

Credit and debit cards are accepted almost everywhere in Croatia: in supermarkets, at petrol stations, in restaurants, and at most day-trip destinations. In small konobas, at market stalls, in beach bars, and at some parking meters, cash is still handy. Our tip: bring some cash in small notes, and you'll be flexible at the weekly market or the ice cream stand on the beach.

Tolls, Ferries, and Parking

Croatia's motorways are tolled. At the toll stations you can pay in cash or by card, all in euros. You can read more about getting there by car in our post on the highways in Croatia. Ferry tickets, for example for crossings to the islands, are available online or at the counter by card as well. As for parking in the old towns: the machines usually take coins, and increasingly cards too.

Withdrawing Money: How to Avoid Unnecessary Fees

You'll find ATMs in every holiday resort. Check whether the machine belongs to a bank: ATMs run by independent operators often sit at tourist hotspots and charge noticeably higher fees. The machines of the Croatian banks are usually the cheaper choice. If your account isn't held in euros, for example if you're visiting from the UK or the US, always choose to be charged in euros at the ATM and at the card terminal, never in your home currency. The instant conversion on offer sounds convenient, but the rate is almost always worse.

Tipping in Croatia

Tipping isn't compulsory in Croatia, but it's an appreciated gesture. In a café you simply round up, and in a restaurant around 10 percent is customary for good service. It's best to leave the tip in cash even when you pay by card, so it's sure to reach the staff. Where a tip is especially well earned? Our post on the best restaurants in Croatia has some ideas.

When People Still Paid with Kuna

A little piece of history to finish: kuna is the Croatian word for "marten". In the Middle Ages, valuable marten furs were used as payment in the area of present-day Croatia, and the name stuck. From 1994 until the end of 2022, the kuna was the country's official currency. If you still have kuna banknotes left over from an earlier trip: the Croatian National Bank continues to exchange notes for euros free of charge.