Croatia is not the bargain it was

Montenegro and Albania just keep looking better and better.

Hi Barbara, I agree that Croatia isn’t the inexpensive bargain destination anymore. But, it’s a beautiful place to go. I was there in June, and Dubrovnik was very hot, too. The price ranges seemed similar to the one in Italy.

My 1-night solo nice room on beautiful Hvar Island was $290. There were definitely more expensive options. I don’t remember the price for the 1-hour ferries to go from Split to Hvar and then Hvar to Korcula, but they seemed reasonable.

[Insert name of any place] is not the bargain it was could be the headline of the year.

I'm sure prices have gradually been creeping up. (It sure wasn't the equivalent of 35 euros to walk the walls in Dubrovnik back in 2009!!!). I do wonder if the switch to the Euro has made things worse.

If you think Korcula and Hvar are expensive, try Vis - I visited last year and loved it. Checked prices this September in Vis for lodgings and there were plenty of places that were not expensive in Euros. Vis is lovely but much less convenient to get to from Split, whereas it's super simple to get to Hvar Town quickly by catamaran from Split, and a lot of tourists go...supply and demand has a lot to do with prices.

35 Euros for the Wall now!! Holy Doodle. I can't remember the cost in 2017, but I think it was about 10. Supply and demand I guess, or maybe gouge and demand is a better term.

The ferry from Split to Korčula and Korčula to Dubrovnik were around 32€ pp. Not too bad. I know the pensioners get free ferry rides from the islands, especially since they need to go to doctors, etc on the mainland sometimes. I don’t know about other island residents.
What was surprising in Split was that we went to buy tickets to the Cathedral and underground museum and both times they let us in free cause my husband is a citizen. He told them I wasn’t and was going to pay, but they said no, I went free too. So, in other cities we asked about this policy and they told us no, everyone pays. Go figure.

PS. Yes Jean, like Venice, everyone should visit Croatia, especially Dubrovnik once because it is a special city, but just budget accordingly. Or better yet, take Rick’s Adriatic tour.

What was a bargain were tickets for the Lindjo Folk Dance performance at 25€. We’re going tomorrow night and I’m looking forward to it.

It's a shame they don't run the big ferries up and down the coast anymore - I know they are slower but they are so much more fun than the catamarans. I was surprised last year to see how much cheaper the Jadrolinija ferries were between Split and Stari Grad vs. the catamarans between Split and Hvar Town. Yes, I know the Jadrolinija ferries are subsidized. I found those slower ferry rides so fun in the beautiful weather. I'll bet a slow ferry ride between Split and Dubrovnik would have been great.

Andrew, I remember those slow ferries from Rijeka to Dubrovnik on Jadrolinija- 23 hours. If you didn’t book one of the few cabins, it was a nightmare. The first time took the ferry we did not have a cabin. You can bet in subsequent years we made sure my Father-in-law picked up those tickets for us. There was no internet back then so no on-line purchases. So we were thrilled when the new roads were built and we could drive, at least as far as Zadar then use catamarans.

Our RS tour guide who is from Slovenia enlightened us as to what happened when Slovenia tossed its currency in favor of the euro. Croatia adopted the euro Jan 1 2023. We were there a year ago and enjoyed how reasonable it was to dine and shop. Sorry to see the instant inflation and Euro pop. It must be difficult for the citizens to experience this.

We left Dubrovnik this morning, after a very expensive breakfast of 6 of croissants on a plate with some fruit (1/3 banana, one raspberry, a few pieces of melon and half of the tiniest kiwi) and jam with coffee @68€, and are in Zagreb. Thank goodness the prices here are not like on the coast. A beer is half the price. We just ate dinner, 4 people - 2 appetizers, 4 dinners, 4 glasses of wines, and a bottle of water - 144€. Much more affordable.

It's so interesting to read about everyone's experiences and observations about the prices in Croatia! Tourist hotspots like Dubrovnik and Split have indeed seen a significant increase in prices over the past few years, especially now with the introduction of the Euro. It's valuable that we share these insights here so that travelers with various budgets can prepare themselves.

The local population also struggles with this inflation, especially in the tourist areas. For tourists, it might be a matter of adjusting expectations and budgets, but for the locals, it's a very different experience, especially considering the tourism-dependent economy of these areas. You notice that, in particular, the prices of essential goods have really increased. But unfortunately, that's the case all over Europe now :(

You will notice that the euro is very rarely broken down into more than 0.5 euros. Any jumps in price are only then in 1 euro or 0.5 euros. I am sure nothing was rounded down from the old currency. This means we all pay more.
I did note that when eating at the only pizza place at Plitvice Lakes. An old time place. They seemed to have translated the old pricing into the euro as exact as they could. So prices were listed 5.65€,
Or a beer for 3.28€.
They do have breakdowns of euros if you go to a grocery store. So it is the restaurants that have made it all about the round numbers. I guess not much different than here in the US where I see that almost all prices are rounded dollars. You never see a hamburger for $13. 68, or $13. 17. They would always go up to $14.
I guess there is some math challenges to restaurants.
Seem like any currency that is large in its basic bill denomination sets itself up for the above scenario and inflation. The increment is just too large a jump each time.

Of course, coming from NYC my travel companions didn't blink an eye at the prices in the restaurants. But having been visiting Dubrovnik for the past 20+ years and having family living there, it is very difficult for the locals to live, let alone dine out in their own city. I was talking to a friend who lives in Zagreb and she was saying she has never been to Dubrovnik and probably won't get there for a long, long time. Being a new teacher her salary is less then 1,000euros per month, much less. Luckily she lives in her mother's apt, her mother works in Germany, so she doesn't have to pay rent.
The good news though is that rentals in the Old Town are not outrageous and didn't go up in price which saves on taxi rides.

As I wrote before, I would still encourage people to visit as it is a beautiful city and so unique but just budget accordingly. Of course, there is always a burek from the local bakery which would have been our go to meal if we were alone.

Color me not shocked. It's the euro. Going on the euro allowed everyone to raise prices. I believe that it was a terrible mistake for Croatia to go on this currency.