Croatia adopted Euros as official currency as of January 1st, 2023. You can pay for all goods and services with the same currency used in most European countries.
Croatia became a member of EU in July 2013, but it took us another decade to also enter the monetary union. Since 2023, our old currency Kuna is no longer in use. Old banknotes can still be exchanged until 2026.
This article will give you a brief rundown of old Croatian currency Kuna, but also some tips and tricks to pay conveniently and save money.
About Kuna – HRK Croatian Currency
One Kuna (code HRK) is equal to 100 Lipa. The Croatia Kuna banknotes available were with values of 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, and 10 Kuna (kn).
The Croatia coins are in value of 5 Kuna, 2 Kuna, 1 Kuna, 50 Lipa, 20 Lipa, 10 Lipa, 5 Lipa, 2 Lipa, and 1 Lipa (with a limited edition 25 kuna coin circulating on occasion). 5 Kuna banknotes are removed from circulation as 5 Kuna coin was more popular.
Hotels, excursions, private accommodation and plane tickets are always priced in Euros now. Very few businesses will accept other currencies.
The word “kuna” means “marten” in Croatian since it is based on the use of marten pelts as units of value in medieval trading. Find out more about history and etymology and when the idea of a kuna currency reappeared in Croatia.
Exchanging Money in Split Croatia
If you don’t have EUR currency at hand you will often run into issues. US dollars, pounds sterling or some other popular currencies might be unofficially accepted at certain places per discretion of private owners. Buying things like ferry or bus tickets with foreign currency will almost always be impossible. Even if some restaurant or bar owner accepts other currencies, your inconvenience will always result in a very unfavorable exchange rate. Because of this, you should always make sure to have Euros at hand.
Most airports, train, bus stations and ferry ports will have a convenient exchange office to change money – Mjenjacnica in Croatian. Typically this involves a 3% or higher conversion fee.
You may also be able to exchange your currency at your hotel or any bank office in Split town, and it’s rather easy to find exchange points in Split. It is difficult to say if the exchange rates are more favorable at Mjenjacnica offices compared to banks, but usually you can expect lower fees and better exchange rates at banks.
In Split city center, you can try exchange office at Brace Radica Square (locally called Vocni trg – Fruit Square). This exchange office often has good exchange rates.
There is a significantly lesser demand for exchange offices ever since Croatia adopted EUR, and many have closed their doors. This makes ATMs the easiest and most convenient way to get cash.
ATMs (Cash Machines) in Split Croatia
You can find ATM machines everywhere around Croatia. Just look for the “bankomat” sign. If you are getting to Split by plane, you will immediately notice a few bank ATM machines at the Split Airport passenger terminal ground floor.
ATMs in Split Croatia are reliable when you need quick cash, but it can be difficult to figure out the fee charged for this convenience. It may be wise to ask your home bank about these costs, especially if you’re traveling on tight budget where every penny counts.
From my experience, for a withdrawal of $200 (USA dollars), a $5 fee was applied. You can check ATM charges and fees for most important USA banks at Bankrate website.
Your bank (or even our local bank ATM machines) may even charge you a flat fee plus an additional 5% off the total withdrawal amount, so it’s probably better to withdraw larger amounts fewer times.
The daily limits of withdrawals from ATMs depend on your banking contract. It is advisable to withdraw larger amounts of cash every time, thus avoiding repeating transaction fee payments.
Paying with Credit Cards
Credit cards are broadly used in Split Croatia and Central Dalmatian islands, but with some restrictions. Credit and debit cards like Visa or Mastercard are much more widely accepted than American Express or Diners. From my experience, most places will not accept American and Diners cards.
You can use your debit or credit cards for paying hotel bills, rent a car services, or day trip excursions from (most) local travel agencies. If you’re eating at small local taverns (konobe), it is highly advisable to have cash at hand.
If business or accommodation owners don’t accept credit card payments, and you don’t carry Euros, don’t be surprised to pay a 20% or higher premium for using other foreign currencies. The inconvenience of not paying in Euros and not knowing the current exchange rate means your bill will likely be rounded up to a higher number, and you are even less likely to receive leftover change in any currency.
Private accommodation (rooms or private apartments) owners will never accept any credit cards. They love their Euros, so bring cash.
Cryptocurrency and Other Digital Payments
Rijeka is a town in the north Adriatic where I saw nearly every bar accept crypto payments for their services. This town is an exception, however. It’s extremely rare that I see coffee shops or restaurants in other places accepting crypto payments so widely.
If you want to use your cryptocurrency to pay for expenses, I recommend getting a crypto debit card from one of the larger crypto exchanges. These will be accepted anywhere other Visa or Mastercard cards are.
Croatia is somewhat crypto-friendly. As per Croatian crypto laws, digital currencies are legal to use as means of payment. In fact, you can even buy Bitcoin or Ethereum at any of our government-owned postal company offices. Buying here won’t be cheap, mind you, but it shows that the government is relatively friendly and open to cryptocurrency use.
In a few towns like Cres and Sveta Nedelja you can even pay for utilities with crypto. A Croatian company Electrocoin has a service called PayCek, and many local companies have adopted it for easy crypto payments. You do not need to create any special account to pay with PayCek, but you will need your own crypto wallet to send payments with. You can read a guide on how to make payments with PayCek here, it’s very simple.
More importantly, you can use the same PayCek service to pay for groceries at Konzum, Croatia’s largest retail chain. Crypto payment methods in Konzum (website only in Croatian) physical stores include BTC, ETH, BCH, EOS, XML, XRP, and NEAR. Their web store accepts a few more cryptocurrencies.
Several hotels, travel agencies and other companies in and near Split are accepting PayCek, and you can view this list on PayCek’s website. You can also pay with crypto at Tifon gas station chain found throughout Croatia.
Generally speaking, there are many ways to spend crypto in Croatia, but do not expect to be able to pay for everything with it. As I mentioned earlier in this article, cash is still king here. Hospitality industry likes to avoid high transaction fees from bank cards, private accommodation and bar owners prefer to hide income and avoid paying taxes, and everyone else prefers the convenience of cash, because it is accepted everywhere.
Other payment methods and digital wallets such as Paypal, Venmo, AliPay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay or not popular and rarely accepted in physical locations in Croatia.
Saving Money and Avoiding Inconveniences
If you’re looking to further save money and avoid paying additional transaction fees or premiums, I strongly recommend booking your accommodation in advance.
Pay your hotel, hostel or apartment rental using online booking agencies, where your credit card is welcomed as a paying method. You can often get additional discounts and deals.
Bring at least a couple of Mastercard or Visa credit or debit cards, because other cards may not be accepted. Make sure your accounts are funded with Euros to avoid additional exchange rate fees.
Additionally, do not expect the overpriced ice cream vendor by the beach to accept credit cards. Not because they can’t, but because they are likely hiding a good portion of their income and illegally avoiding paying taxes. That being said, you should always ask for payment receipts – everyone is legally required to issue one. If they do not want to issue a receipt, you are not required to pay for their goods or services.
I also recommend you try and carry at least €50 per person at all times. Don’t get caught off guard at some local restaurant and unable to pay your bill with your country’s currency, or in case they don’t accept cards.
Aside from Euros, US Dollars and British Pounds are in most cases the only foreign currencies that you may be able to pay with. Don’t expect anyone in Croatia to know (or go check) up to date exchange rates for Canadian or Australian dollars, or any other currencies.
To find out how much money you may end up spending during your visit to Croatia, refer to my Split travel costs guide. I broke down the average expenses for different budgets, and it may help you understand how much cash you will need.