Basic questions on water and chargers

• Is the tap water drinkable or is it recommended to get bottled water The tap water is safe to drink.

• Plug in adaptors required for electronics https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com/croatia/

• Seeing a lot of expensive comments for Dubrovnik and so wondering for solo travellers - Is there a grocery chain store, where we can store up and do simple food? I didn't find Dubrovnik to be especially expensive, but we stayed in an apartment just outside of the walls, so that may have been a less expensive option. We bought groceries at a small store in between our apartment and the walls, as it was convenient, and we could pick up items on our way "home."

• any recommendations for do's / don'ts for a first timer Get a Dubrovnik Pass. It's one of the few tourist cards that I thought was really worth it. By the time we visited the city walls and one other included site, it had basically paid for itself, and the other free admissions and discounts were gravy. https://www.dubrovnikpass.com Walk the walls first thing in the morning. When we did that, there was hardly anybody else there. I've heard they can get very crowded otherwise, although October may be less busy.

Here is my trip report on Croatia, in case you might find it helpful: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/croatia-and-ireland-may-2022-castles-and-forts-and-water-oh-my

Thanks for the detailed answers and appreciate it.

I have a rental car and so I plan to stay outside touristy areas. Not sure if you had any thoughts on taking travel insurance to assist with extra insurance.

Do you mean for the rental car? We've never rented cars in Europe, so hopefully others who've done so will chime in, but when we've rented cars elsewhere, we haven't added insurance.

You are leaving in 3 weeks? Do you have a plan?

Here is some info on relative costs https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/01/28/europes-most-expensive-and-cheapest-countries-for-hotels-and-restaurants.

Tap water is very safe, Croatia has some of the best drinking water in the world.

Croatia has type F sockets, you will need a USA to Euro converter, they should be easily found.

Dubrovnik is expensive. If you did not think it was expensive you must be doing well for yourself. In terms of cooking it depends on where you will stay and if you will have a kitchen to be able to cook. If you are staying in a hotel you may not be able to store cold food. I cannot remember ever staying in an apartment without a kitchen.

Supermarkets have different sizes, there is a Maxi Konzum and a Hyper Tommy on Vukovarska ulica which will have best selections, Konzum locations closer to the old city will still have things to buy but are small.

Agree with Dubrovnik pass. City walls are 40€ on their own, the pass is also 40€ and gets you public transportation while it is active. I usually stay in the old city so that is not very useful to me but it is nice. I can also recommend Lokrum or cable car to Mt Srđ but that is very expensive. I do not know where else you are going so cannot make additional recommendations.

There are not really areas that are not touristy if you are staying on the coast. Especially not in Dubrovnik. They also just changed traffic regulations so be careful, if you use the central city roads without a permit you can be charged.

I have no idea about travel insurance, I usually just take basic insurance that comes with the car. However some car companies will find scratches when you return the car if you do not take their insurance. It is good to photo and video the entire car for damages before you rent. I do this even at car rental companies I have used without problems for years.

Also this may not matter to you but do not get into a taxi. Use Bolt or Uber instead. Taxi drivers may set their own prices outside the apps and some of them are very expensive.

Dubrovnik accommodations are the most expensive part, other daily expenses (food & drink) I felt were on par with any other popular European town. Which is to say, if you think Croatia is cheaper than Western Europe… well, it’s not. There are grocery stores, and you should take advantage of them for water, snacks and sundry. But it’s the European style that these are small spaces, like a bodega. There’s no big American grocery stores, so this is the kind of store you’re looking for. Most of these places will have a deli counter/bakery rack where you can buy a burek, a great cheap snack/lunch and a Balkan staple.

Tips: If you plan on any time in the water, even for a day, get a good pair of water shoes. I found Croatians, even in hyper-touristed Dubrovnik, to be especially proud of their local specialties and appreciate when you enquire or seek them out.

Thanks for so many wonderful responses and appreciate all your answers.

So, with 2 days in Dubrovnik , Dubrovnik Pass is a must have , and can spend another day or looking around.

Then 2 days in Split and so will be careful driving on the roads, but will also look up on Central city roads, so that it can be avoided.

I was told that apart from Split / Dubrovnik, the other cities like Zadar or Plitvice are also manageable and so will keep an eye on Google maps for Bodega's and review them for checking them out. I am hoping that I can survive with just English skills and not sure if any translation app would help me to immerse more in local culture.

Dubrovnik has the road restrictions, not Split. I would get the one day Dubrovnik pass and spend that day visiting the attractions on the pass and the second day outside, maybe Mt Srđ or Lokrum.

Croatian supermarkets are not bodegas, I do not think that is correct advice. Supermarkets near central Dubrovnik will be small but there are large supermarkets in Croatia, they are just further away from central areas. Tommy categorizes their markets into Hipermarkets, Maximarkets, Supermarkets, and Markets on their website. In Dubrovnik Tommy Hipermarket on Vukovarska ulica will be your best bet.

What has not been mentioned are bakeries, which will be an even easier bet for a cheap meal. Though these are not cheap in Dubrovnik either compared to the rest of Croatia. Mlinar is major bakery brand and is fine, local bakeries can be better or worse, often better it really depends. You should be able to get a cheap sandwich or slice of pizza from bakeries.

Zadar is under two hours from Split, Plitvice is about three hours one way driving. I would look at Krka over Plitvice to save time but there is a lot closer to Split as well worth seeing, for instance if you only have two days I would spend it close to Split and if you had longer would look at Šibenik as well.

Repeating from another post, but bakeries are generally a good source for a cheap meal.

You can answer the question yourself of "how much burek is too much?".

And there are local stores where you can get basic food as well, however check the hours and don't assume they will be open when you expect them to be.

Yeah, sorry if that was miscommunicated. I meant “like a bodega” in the sense that they’re generally not large supermarkets in the tourist zones, so OP knows what they’re looking for on the ground. Ivan named a couple places above, Kozum being one of the chain stores.

There’s very little language barrier. You’ll be in extremely well touristed areas and most folks can speak English.