Travel money
Travel money in Croatia: cash or card?
Croatia has used the euro since 2023, so guides telling you to get kuna are out of date — the coins cannot be exchanged at all any more. On the coast, the thing to watch is which cash machine you use.
euro (EUR, €) · figures checked against the sources at the foot of this page
Konobas in villages, markets, beach bars, small islands, parking and the odd family-run rental.
Hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, ferries, museums and anything in Split, Zagreb or Dubrovnik.
A modest float in euros. Nothing needs converting — Croatia has been in the euro area since 2023.
Euronet machines, which dominate the coast and charge several euros a withdrawal plus a bad conversion.
The money itself
- €5Grey
- €10Red
- €20Blue
- €50Orange
- €100Green
- €200Yellow-brown
1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, then €1 and €2. Every coin is legal tender across the whole euro area whatever national design is on the back, so change collected in one country spends fine in the next.
If you have kuna left from an earlier trip, the coins are gone: the exchange deadline passed at the end of 2025 and they are now worth nothing. Kuna banknotes can still be exchanged at the Croatian National Bank, with no time limit, at the fixed changeover rate of 7.53450 kuna to the euro — but only there, not at a bank branch or a bureau.
Every way to pay, and whether it works for a visitor
Whether a payment method exists in Croatia and whether you can use it are different questions. This table answers the second one: no local bank account, no local SIM, no residency.
Visa / Mastercard
WorksAccepted in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, ferry operators, museums and anywhere in the cities, contactless included. Coverage thins in villages and on the smaller islands.
Cash (euros)
WorksAlways accepted, and worth having on the coast: a konoba on an island, a beach bar, a market stall, a parking attendant and a family-run apartment may all prefer it, and some will take nothing else.
Apple Pay / Google Pay
WorksWorks wherever contactless does, which is most places that take cards at all, and clears above the €50 tap ceiling without a PIN.
Croatian kuna
Not acceptedWithdrawn. The euro replaced it on 1 January 2023, the dual-circulation period ended within a fortnight, and kuna has not been spendable in shops for years. Coins can no longer be exchanged anywhere; notes only at the central bank.
American Express
Works, with a catchLarger hotels and some restaurants in the cities. Rarely elsewhere. Bring a Visa or Mastercard as the working card.
Cash
Croatia joined the euro at the start of 2023, which removed the whole question of changing money for most European visitors and made the country's payment landscape ordinary. What remains distinctive is the split between the cities and the coast.
In Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik you can spend on cards without thinking. On the islands and in the villages, cash still does real work: a konoba with a handwritten menu, a market, a beach bar, a parking attendant with a receipt book, a family renting rooms. Carrying a working float saves an expensive walk to whatever machine is nearby.
That is the reason to withdraw before you leave the mainland or a large town — because on a small island the machine you find will usually be the expensive kind.
Cards
Card acceptance is good and improving, with contactless standard in anything of size. Ferries, hotels, supermarkets, museums and national parks all take cards, and the €50 tap ceiling applies to physical cards but not to phones.
The gaps are geographic rather than technical: the smaller the business and the further from a city, the more likely cash is the answer. Some island properties still ask for the accommodation balance in cash, which is worth clarifying at booking rather than on arrival.
Decline dynamic currency conversion wherever it appears. In a country where most card payments in summer are made by visitors, the offer to bill you in your own currency comes up constantly and always costs more.
ATMs
Croatian bank machines — Zagrebačka banka, PBZ, Erste, OTP, Raiffeisen — charge a modest access fee to foreign cards, shown on screen before you confirm. That is the sensible option.
Euronet is the problem. It has blanketed the coast, the islands and the ferry ports with machines that charge more per withdrawal and present dynamic currency conversion as the default, which together can cost close to a tenth of a small withdrawal. In some resorts it is the only machine in walking distance, which is precisely why you withdraw before you get there.
Take euros, decline the conversion offer, and use a bank branch machine in a town rather than the free-standing one by the harbour.
Changing money
For anyone arriving from the euro area there is nothing to exchange, which is the main practical benefit of the 2023 changeover.
Arriving with another currency, use a bank machine rather than the exchange windows along the promenades, which price for holiday traffic. Banks change money at fair rates during office hours.
The one exchange question left is historical: kuna banknotes still in a drawer can be handed in at the Croatian National Bank without a deadline. Kuna coins cannot — that deadline passed at the end of 2025 and they are now souvenirs.
Costs that are not the price
The sojourn tax
A per-person, per-night tourist tax applies to every registered accommodation, higher in the peak summer months and in the popular coastal towns than inland or out of season. It is collected by the property and is often not included in what a booking site quoted.
Tipping is roughly 10%
More expected here than in Scandinavia: around 10% in a restaurant for good service, rounding up in a bar or a taxi. Some places add a service charge in peak season, in which case extra is not needed.
Cash-only accommodation balances
Family-run apartments and island rentals sometimes want the balance in cash on arrival. That is normal rather than suspicious, but it does mean asking before you travel so you are not hunting for a machine on a small island.
You can reclaim VAT if you live outside the EU
Minimum spend is €100 on a single invoice. Ask for the form at the till, have it validated at the border on your way out of the EU, and expect meaningfully less back than the headline 25% once the operator has taken its cut.
Paying for transport
Ferries are the transport that matters
Jadrolinija and the catamaran operators sell online and at port offices by card. Book ahead in July and August, especially for cars, and be aware that some island routes still want you to collect a paper ticket at the port before boarding.
Buses over trains
The intercity bus network is the practical way to move around, sold online and at stations by card, with a small cash charge sometimes added for luggage stowed in the hold. Trains are slow and limited outside the Zagreb corridor.
City transport and parking
Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik sell tickets at kiosks and machines, and buying from the driver costs more. Coastal parking is often paid by machine or by SMS to a local number, which does not work on a foreign SIM — carry coins for the machine.
What you may carry in and out
Cash payment cap
Cash payments involving a business are capped at €10,000 in Croatia, a rule you would only meet buying something substantial such as a boat or a vehicle.
Carrying cash across the EU border
€10,000 or more entering or leaving the European Union must be declared. Croatia's borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia are external EU frontiers where this is checked.
Common questions about money in Croatia
Does Croatia use the euro?
Yes, since 1 January 2023. The kuna was withdrawn within a fortnight of the changeover and has not been usable in shops since. Any guide telling you to obtain kuna before travelling is out of date.
Can I still exchange Croatian kuna?
Banknotes yes, coins no. Kuna banknotes can be exchanged at the Croatian National Bank with no deadline, at the fixed rate of 7.53450 kuna to the euro. The deadline for coins expired at the end of 2025 and they can no longer be exchanged anywhere.
Do I need cash in Croatia?
Some, especially on the coast and the islands. Cities and larger businesses take cards without trouble, but konobas in villages, market stalls, beach bars, parking and some family-run rentals prefer or require cash. Withdraw before you leave the mainland or a large town.
Are Euronet ATMs in Croatia worth avoiding?
Yes wherever you have a choice. Euronet has saturated the coast and the islands, charges around €5 or more per withdrawal and pushes dynamic currency conversion, which together can cost close to a tenth of a small withdrawal. Croatian bank machines charge €2–3 and are the better option.
Can I pay by card everywhere in Croatia?
In the cities and at anything of size, yes, contactless included. Acceptance thins in villages and on smaller islands, and some family-run accommodation asks for the balance in cash — worth confirming when you book.
How much is the tourist tax in Croatia?
The sojourn tax is charged per person per night by the accommodation, at a higher rate in peak summer and in the popular coastal towns. It is usually collected at the property rather than included in what you paid online.
How much should I tip in Croatia?
Around 10% in a restaurant for good service, rounding up in a bar or taxi. It is more customary here than in northern Europe but still not obligatory, and some places add a service charge in season.
Where these figures come from
Checked against the following on . Fees and thresholds move; where a figure varies by bank or by machine, this page gives the range rather than inventing a single number.