Before Your Island Hopping Tour of Croatia
Croatians are friendly people and most will be willing to help you out if you have a question. Google Translate is readily available on your phone, so please do make an effort to translate your question into Croatian so that you can more readily be understood and they can help you out if at all possible.
You’ve booked an Independent Island Hopping tour … now what?
What’s included? Accommodation in your listed hotels (bed and breakfast basis), ferry tickets between each destination and transfers to and from the airport, ports and hotels.
What’s not included? Walking tours, excursions, day trips, lunch or dinner, tips, anything else not listed. If you’d like to pre-book some walking tours or day trips, please let us know.
Do I get individual Vouchers for everything? No, we no longer need you to carry individual vouchers for every portion of your package holiday. You will have a PDF Voucher from Discover Croatia with a list of inclusions and all emergency contact numbers. Individual vouchers for hotels/transfers/ferries are not required, and you just need to show your passport upon arrival to the hotels.
You will receive another Welcome Letter / Itinerary later (usually 21-28 days prior to arrival) with the exact pick up times between your hotels and ferries between Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, Brac, Split or Vis (depending which itinerary you have booked and in which direction). This is standard for all island hopping tours.
• NOTE: Ferry transfer times are limited to the Jadrolinija and Krilojet ferry timetables. Please note that ferry schedules are occasionally subject to last minute changes. You can select your preferred ferry times from either ferry company and we pre-purchase the tickets for you (already included in the cost). You can find their timetables on their websites, which are listed here on our Ferries page.
How do I meet my airport transfer? Please look for someone holding a sign with your Surname on it (lead customer’s surname) and/or ‘Discover Croatia’. The emergency contact number for your transfer will be on your documents, please put this number in your phone or print out the documents before you go so that you know who to call if you can’t find your driver. Please do give them a chance to find you by calling them if you can’t see them at the exit to your flight. Not all transfers are private transfers, some airport transfers may be shared transfers.
Please immediately let the emergency contact for the transfer know by text or phone call (details are on your Voucher) if your flight details change from those on your documents so they can notify your driver.
What about my hotel / port transfers? Your driver will pick you up at the appointed time from your hotel. The time will be in your Welcome Letter / Itinerary. Please be ready and waiting in reception with your luggage. Not all transfers are private transfers, especially in Hvar and Korcula as often there is a shuttle bus from the hotel meeting each ferry. Sometimes the transfer will just take your luggage and you can walk to your hotel or to the port. The hotel porterage staff will let you know how to get there.
Someone will meet you when you get off the ferry and take you to your hotel. In Hvar or Korcula, sometimes if you are in one of the hotels very close to the port, the hotel staff will take your luggage on a cart and you may walk around to the hotel via the pedestrian promenade from the port, which can take from 2 to 10 minutes depending where you are. This gives you a nice overview of the area on the way to your hotel. The hotel luggage staff will point you in the right direction.
Where do I get my ferry tickets? The driver who comes to pick you up to take you to the ferries will have your ferry tickets with them each time, or the tickets will be left at hotel reception for you if you are walking to the port (and your luggage is going with the porters).
What hotels are included? The exact hotels will be given to you on your Provisional Booking. Please check that these hotels suit your needs, as not all hotels have elevators or fridges and tea/coffee making facilities in the rooms (especially in 3star hotels). Most 3stars now have airconditioning, but again, if you are going in July and August in particular, please check with us or check the hotel’s facilities online to ensure it’s the right hotel for you. Please also carefully check the location as most hotels are a short walk from the main old town areas, to allow for easy vehicle transfers. If you want boutique hotels please let us know which ones and we’ll send you a quote.
If you need something in particular in your hotel room (eg fridge for medication, tea/coffee making facilities like a kettle etc), or if you cannot manage your luggage or yourself up and down a couple of flights of stairs, please let us know before we Confirm your booking. Thank you.
Many hotels in Croatia do not have elevators and you might end up with rooms on the first or second floor and have to walk up the stairs.
What meals are included? Breakfast only, as your days are your own with no planned activities unless you want to pre-book some excursions or walking tours. Breakfast buffet style is usually served from 7am to 9-10am.
Dietary preferences – please let us know at least 60 days in advance!
Guests are kindly asked to inform us as soon as possible of any dietary preferences, such as diabetic, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, etc. The hotels will make reasonable efforts to accommodate these requests. We have a Food Intolerances in Croatia Info Page here with some info on how to find restaurants and cafes. Please do let us know if you find anything else we should add to our page.
What happens with my luggage?
If you arrive to the hotel early and your room isn’t ready, then the hotel will hold your luggage securely and then you may explore the town until check-in time.
If you are departing after check-out you can leave your bags with the hotel until you are ready to depart, but they do need you packed and out of the room at check-out time (usually 10am or 11am, please check with each hotel). If you have departure transfers included with your tour and are leaving after 10am, you will be informed you what time you need to be back to meet the transfer.
Both Dubrovnik and Split harbours have ‘left luggage’ kiosks where you can pay to store your bags if you need to.
What is the dress code? What clothes should I bring?
Croatia is fairly relaxed and the dress code is casual in most restaurants and cafes. Of course if you are planning on staying in 5 star hotels and visiting Michelin rated restaurants, then please dress appropriately.
Clothes: Dress code in Croatia is casual and comfortable. We recommend you to pack lightly – swimsuit, a pair of shorts, summer dresses, light-weight pants, a few T-shirts and a good mood will suffice! We also recommend bringing some clothes for possible cooler evenings (e.g. windbreaker, light jacket or similar). There is no formal dress code, but uou must be reasonably covered in eateries, so please keep this in mind. Thank you. Wearing a bikini top or just a pair of shorts isn’t acceptable inside in cafes and restaurants.
Don’t forget your sunscreen, hat and water shoes! Nobody wants to spend their holiday miserable with sunburn or damaged feet, so please take care. There are numerous kiosks and shops in all harbours that sell sunscreen, glasses, hats, water shoes and so on if you need to buy them on arrival.
Food: What is there and how much will it cost?
There are plenty of restaurants, konobas (Croatian pubs), cafes and bars in every town. Your can ask the hotel staff for recommendations, and you are free to wander around and find somewhere by yourself. Many restaurants have their menus on stands outside, so you can look at a few and decide before committing to anything. Many restaurants have outside dining areas. Smoking is still permitted in many outside dining areas in Croatia, so please be aware and ask your concierge to seat you somewhere smoke-free if this is a problem.
Croatian cuisine is known as “the cuisine of regions” so wherever you go ask for the local delicacies.
Fresh seafood is a particular specialty all along the Croatian coastline. Fish, squid, shrimp, mussels, oysters are all readily available. Like in many European countries pizza, pasta and meat dishes are common in restaurants everywhere. Try cevapi for the Croatian variation of the humble sausage. Desserts are also something to try… check for the local version of ‘creme caramel’.
Croatian beers (pivo) are of a high quality. Try Zagreb’s Ožujsko, Laško or Karlovačko (our personal favourite, but harder to find than the others).
For the wine lovers, virtually every region produces its own exquisite varieties of wine. Croatian food and produce is what we would consider as organic food, being mainly home grown and farm fresh.
Tap water is also clean and drinkable, though some cruise ships will recommend you drink bottled water. Please check your cruise info for specific details for your ship, or check with the Cruise Director.
The average cost of a meal out is around $8-15, whilst beer is around $3-5. If you budget for the equivalent of Australian prices, then you should be well covered.
Timeout has a great list of Croatian restaurants to start you off: https://www.timeout.com/croatia/restaurants
Vegan / Vegetarian/ Gluten-free / Allergies etc: We have a separate page here with more information on food in Croatia, with a list of restaurants and shops for those with food intolerances or who are vegan/vegetarian. https://www.discovercroatia.com.au/food-intolerances-in-croatia/
General Info:
Electricity
Electrical current on board is European of 220 volts. Plugs you will find in cabins have two round pins of 4.8 mm in diameter. In order to use any appliances (e.g. shavers, battery chargers, etc.) you should bring 2 things:
– UNIVERSAL TRANSFORMER to convert the power if your device does not support 220 volts power.
– UNIVERSAL ADAPTER PLUGS for sockets if they differ from the ones in your country.
Internet connection (Wi-Fi)
Almost every hotel has free Wi-Fi in the public areas, and most in the rooms as well. Many Croatian restaurants, bars, cafes and shops have free internet connections available for their customers.
All departures on ferries are subject to any unforeseen incidences occurring before your departure. If that ferry departure cannot be provided due to accident, emergency repair or similar, then all efforts will be made to get you on the next departure. Very, very occasionally there are issues that require repair or there’s been some ‘force majeure’ beyond the ferry company’s or local agent’s control. This is why we recommend you have proper travel insurance to cover you for all eventualities.
Call us or WhatsApp: +612-9212-1507
Email us: [email protected]
