Dont want to carry too much or too little. Whats the average cash people carry when travelling around Croatia?
I’m currently backpacking across Croatia and I try to keep my daily cash under control. I usually carry around 200 to 300 kuna, which covers breakfast, coffee, maybe a bus ticket, and a simple lunch if I’m in a place that doesn’t take card. Anything bigger, I pay by card. I ran into a few situations where places had a card reader but said it was down due to connection problems, especially in rural areas and beach towns. So yes, bring cash, but don’t overdo it. ATMs are everywhere, just stick to the ones outside banks to avoid higher fees.
I went all over the Dalmatian coast and didn’t use much cash until I got to smaller towns. In Dubrovnik and Split, I used my N26 card pretty much everywhere, but once I got to places like Ston and Mljet, I realized how card-heavy I had gotten. Luckily I had about 300 kuna tucked away, which I used for ferry tickets, fruit stands, and a place that rented bikes. Honestly, carry enough for one full day of expenses around 400 kuna and just withdraw more when you need to. Most towns have ATMs and I used my Revolut card for withdrawals with no issue.
When I was traveling through Istria last month, I started out with about 200 kuna and realized pretty quickly that wasn’t enough. While hotels and bigger shops were fine with cards, I needed cash for toll roads, small cafés, and parking meters. I found a sweet spot carrying around 400 to 600 kuna at a time. That covered local buses, snacks, entry fees to smaller attractions, and tips. I used ATMs from Erste Bank and PBZ in bigger towns to top up. Just avoid taking too much because not everywhere likes giving change for big bills.
I just got back from a two-week trip covering Zagreb, Split, and a few days on Hvar. I mostly used my card, but cash definitely came in handy. Small restaurants, bakeries, and kiosks sometimes didn’t accept cards, especially outside the big cities. I kept about 500 kuna on me most days, which was enough for meals, tips, and the occasional taxi. Some hostels also preferred cash for laundry or lockers. You don’t need to carry a huge amount, but having around 60 to 70 euros worth in local currency gave me peace of mind.