The currency in Croatia is the euro (EUR, €). Croatia joined the euro area on 1 January 2023, replacing the Croatian kuna (HRK), and the euro is now the only currency you normally need for a trip to Croatia.
Paying for things in Croatia is straightforward: cards and contactless payments are widely used, ATMs are easy to find in cities and resorts, and euro cash remains useful for markets, small cafés, tips, rural areas and occasional cash-only businesses. The biggest money traps for foreign visitors are usually ATM fees and Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC), not the currency itself.
This guide covers the practical side of money in Croatia: euro notes and coins, cards, ATMs, exchange offices, budgeting, tipping, customs rules, tax-free shopping, Croatian euro-coin designs and what you can still do with old Croatian kuna.
Croatia currency: quick overview
- Official currency: Euro (EUR, €)
- Euro introduced: 1 January 2023
- Former currency: Croatian kuna (HRK)
- Cash or card? Cards are widely accepted, but some euro cash is useful as a backup
- ATMs: Widely available in cities, towns and tourist areas
- ATM tip: Check the displayed withdrawal fee before confirming
- Currency-conversion tip: If an ATM or card terminal offers to charge you in your home currency, normally choose EUR and decline Dynamic Currency Conversion
- Old kuna banknotes: Still exchangeable at the Croatian National Bank without a time limit
- Old kuna coins: No longer exchangeable; the deadline expired on 31 December 2025
- Official kuna conversion rate: €1 = 7.53450 HRK
Simple strategy: use a low-fee card for most spending, carry some euro cash in smaller denominations, keep a second payment card separately, and always read ATM and card-terminal conversion screens before accepting them.
Euro cash in Croatia
Croatia uses standard euro banknotes and coins, the same currency used throughout the euro area. Prices are written with the euro symbol (€) or the currency code EUR.
Euro banknotes are issued in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100 and €200 in the current Europa series. The €500 note from the earlier series remains legal tender, but it is no longer issued and is impractical for ordinary travel spending.
Which notes are most useful?
- €5 and €10: useful for cafés, bakeries, markets and small purchases
- €20: one of the most practical everyday notes
- €50: widely useful, although very small businesses may prefer smaller notes
- €100 and €200: legal tender but less convenient for everyday spending
Euro coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, €1 and €2.
Practical tip: Keep a mix of small notes and €1/€2 coins. They are handy for small purchases, tips and situations where a merchant does not want to break a large note.
Paying by card vs cash in Croatia
For most trips, the easiest setup is a combination of card payments and some euro cash.
Cards are widely accepted in Croatian cities and established tourist destinations. Hotels, supermarkets, fuel stations, pharmacies, larger restaurants, rental companies, major attractions and many tour operators commonly accept card payments.
Cash remains useful because Croatia also has thousands of small family-run businesses, market stalls, cafés, kiosks and seasonal businesses where card acceptance may vary or where a payment terminal can temporarily be unavailable.
Where cards usually work well
- Hotels and larger accommodation businesses
- Supermarkets and shopping centres
- Most established restaurants in cities and tourist destinations
- Fuel stations
- Pharmacies
- Car-rental companies
- Many museums, attractions and organized tours
- Many ferry, bus and other transport bookings when purchased online
Where cash is particularly useful
- Green markets and small produce stalls
- Small cafés, bakeries and kiosks
- Some beach bars and seasonal businesses
- Small family-run businesses
- Rural locations
- Some island situations where connectivity can be unreliable
- Small tips
Do not assume that every private apartment or holiday rental accepts a card directly. Payment arrangements depend on the accommodation and booking platform, so check before arrival if a balance is due locally.
Can a business charge extra for paying by card?
EU rules generally prohibit merchants from adding a surcharge simply because a consumer uses a standard debit or credit card covered by the relevant EU payment rules. This does not prevent your own bank or card issuer from charging foreign-transaction or currency-conversion fees.
If a merchant tells you that card payment has a separate charge, ask what the fee is for before agreeing.
Contactless payments, Apple Pay and Google Pay
Contactless card terminals are common in Croatia. If a business accepts contactless Visa or Mastercard payments, mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay will often work as well, provided your own card is supported.
Mobile payment is convenient, but do not travel with a phone as your only way to access money. Battery failure, loss, connectivity issues or a payment-terminal problem can leave you without a usable payment method.
A sensible payment setup
- Primary debit or credit card
- Backup card kept separately
- Mobile wallet if you use one
- Some euro cash
- Access to your bank app for card controls and transaction alerts
Before travelling, check whether your bank charges a foreign transaction fee, ATM withdrawal fee or currency-conversion fee.
ATMs in Croatia: withdrawing euros and avoiding extra fees
ATMs are widely available in Croatia’s larger towns, cities, resorts and tourist areas. Machines dispense euros.
Two separate charges can affect a withdrawal:
- ATM operator fee: charged by the company or bank operating the ATM
- Your bank/card fee: charged by your own financial institution
An ATM should disclose its own access fee before you complete the transaction. If you do not like the fee, cancel and try another machine.
Bank ATMs vs independent ATMs
A bank-operated ATM is generally a sensible first place to check because the operator is easy to identify and fee disclosures tend to be straightforward. That does not mean every Croatian bank ATM is free for foreign cards.
Independent ATMs are also common in heavily visited areas. They can be convenient, but pay particularly close attention to the displayed withdrawal fee and any currency-conversion offer.
How to keep ATM costs down
- Check the fee before confirming
- If the fee looks excessive, cancel and compare another ATM
- Know what your own bank charges for international withdrawals
- Avoid repeated tiny withdrawals if each one triggers a fixed fee
- Do not withdraw more cash than you are comfortable carrying simply to save an ATM fee
ATM safety
- Prefer well-lit and busy locations
- Use an ATM attached to a bank branch when convenient
- Cover the keypad when entering your PIN
- Do not use a machine if the card slot or keypad looks unusual or loose
- Take your card, cash and receipt before walking away
Dynamic Currency Conversion: choose EUR
Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) is one of the most important money concepts for visitors whose card is issued in a non-euro currency.
An ATM or card terminal may recognize that your card is linked to dollars, pounds, kroner or another currency and offer to convert the payment for you.
You might see wording such as:
- “Pay in GBP or EUR?”
- “Accept guaranteed exchange rate?”
- “Continue with conversion?”
- “Charge card in USD?”
If you accept DCC, the ATM or merchant’s payment provider performs the currency conversion using the displayed rate. If you decline it and choose EUR, conversion is instead handled according to the rules and rates applicable to your own card.
Do not confuse declining conversion with cancelling the transaction. Some ATM screens use wording that makes the choice less intuitive, so read the question carefully.
Exchanging money in Croatia
If your home currency is not the euro, you may decide to exchange cash into euros. Banks and licensed currency-exchange offices, known in Croatian as mjenjačnica, operate in tourist destinations and larger towns.
Many travelers no longer need to exchange physical money at all because paying by card or withdrawing euros from an ATM can be more convenient.
How to compare exchange offices
Do not judge an exchange office only by a large “0% commission” sign. The exchange rate itself can contain a substantial margin.
Instead:
- Check a current euro reference rate.
- Ask how many euros you will actually receive for the amount you are exchanging.
- Confirm whether any additional fee applies.
- Compare the final payout with another option if the difference is significant.
The Croatian National Bank publishes euro foreign-exchange reference rates that are useful as a benchmark.
Should you exchange money at the airport?
Airport exchange services can be convenient, but convenience does not necessarily mean a competitive rate. If you need cash immediately, exchanging or withdrawing only what you need for the first part of the trip can give you time to compare options later.
Should you get euros before arriving?
You do not normally need to arrive with a large amount of euro cash. Having a small amount can be convenient for your first day, but Croatia has extensive ATM and card-payment infrastructure.
How much money do you need in Croatia?
There is no useful single answer because Croatia ranges from inexpensive inland towns to some of the Adriatic’s busiest resort destinations.
Your budget depends most heavily on:
- Destination: Dubrovnik, Hvar and prime waterfront locations generally command higher prices than many inland destinations
- Season: July and August are normally the most expensive months on the coast
- Accommodation: usually the largest variable in the daily budget
- Eating style: supermarket breakfasts and casual konobas cost very differently from waterfront fine dining
- Transport: rental cars, ferries, taxis and private transfers can add significantly to a multi-stop itinerary
- Activities: boat trips, national parks, guided tours and attraction tickets can be major daily expenses
Budget travel
A lower-cost Croatia trip generally means hostels or inexpensive rooms, supermarket food mixed with casual meals, public transport, beaches and free attractions, and carefully chosen paid activities.
Mid-range travel
A mid-range budget usually allows a comfortable hotel or apartment, restaurant meals, regular café stops, ferry or intercity travel and several paid attractions or excursions.
Higher-end travel
Premium accommodation, private transfers, boat charters, upscale restaurants and high-season island stays can increase costs quickly.
How much cash should you carry?
There is no fixed amount that every traveler needs. If you pay mainly by card, carry enough cash to cover smaller purchases and a few unexpected cash-only situations without carrying more than you are comfortable losing.
On islands, in villages or when travelling between smaller businesses, a somewhat larger cash buffer can be useful because ATMs and card terminals may be less convenient.
How to estimate your own Croatia budget
- Price your accommodation first.
- Add expected intercity transport, ferries or rental-car costs.
- Decide how many restaurant meals you expect each day.
- Add the major paid attractions and tours you already know you want.
- Include a contingency for spontaneous activities and higher-than-expected prices.
Do not rely too heavily on old online price lists. Restaurant, attraction, parking and transport prices can change from one season to the next.
Tipping in Croatia
Tipping in Croatia is optional. It is appreciated for good service but is not treated as an automatic obligation in the same way as in some countries.
Cafés and bars
For a coffee or small bar bill, simply rounding up is common. If you receive table service and are particularly pleased, you can leave more.
Restaurants
For a sit-down meal, many visitors and locals leave a modest tip when service has been good. There is no universal mandatory percentage.
Check the bill before adding anything extra, particularly if a service-related charge has already been listed.
Paying a tip by card
Card-terminal tipping is not handled uniformly. If you want to leave a tip and are paying by card, ask whether the tip can be included. Cash is often simpler for small tips.
Taxis
Rounding up a taxi fare is sufficient if you want to tip. You might leave more for particularly helpful service or assistance with luggage.
Tour guides
Tipping a guide is optional. A tip is appropriate if you enjoyed the tour and felt the guide provided particularly good service.
Hotel staff
Small tips for porters, housekeeping or other particularly helpful hotel staff are appreciated but discretionary.
Bottom line: tip because you were pleased with the service, not because you believe Croatian bills automatically require an additional percentage.
Hotels, car rentals and card deposits
Some travel payments involve more than simply charging the final price to your card.
Hotel pre-authorizations
A hotel may place a temporary pre-authorization or hold on your card to cover incidentals or guarantee payment. This is not necessarily the same as a completed charge.
The hold can reduce your available card balance temporarily, and release times after checkout depend on the hotel, acquiring bank and your card issuer.
Rental-car deposits
Car-rental deposits can be considerably larger. Many suppliers require a physical payment card in the main driver’s name and place a pre-authorization for the security deposit.
Debit-card acceptance, deposit size and insurance conditions vary by supplier. See our Rent a Car in Croatia guide before booking.
Why a backup card is useful
A card can be declined even when you have sufficient funds because of fraud controls, offline terminals, merchant restrictions or a large existing pre-authorization. A second card stored separately is useful on longer trips.
Cash declaration and money rules
Ordinary holiday spending does not involve special cash declarations, but travelers carrying very large amounts of money should know the EU rules.
Entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more
If you enter or leave the EU carrying €10,000 or more in cash, or the equivalent in another currency or certain other cash-equivalent instruments, you must make a cash declaration to customs.
This applies to Croatia as an EU member state when you are crossing the EU’s external border.
Official information:
Goods carried into Croatia
If you arrive from another EU country, normal personal goods generally move within the EU without customs duties. Different allowances and restrictions can apply when entering Croatia from outside the EU.
Rules depend on the type, quantity and value of goods and sometimes on whether you arrive by air, sea or land.
For current details use:
- Croatian Customs Administration
- Government of Croatia - passenger allowances
- Croatian Customs passenger-luggage rules
Tax-free shopping in Croatia
Visitors who normally reside outside the European Union may qualify for a VAT refund on eligible goods purchased in Croatia and taken out of the EU, provided the relevant conditions are met.
Tax-free shopping does not mean that every purchase automatically receives a VAT refund.
Typical process
- Buy eligible goods from a retailer that participates in tax-free shopping.
- Ask for the required tax-free documentation when you make the purchase.
- Keep the goods and documentation available for customs inspection.
- Obtain the required customs validation when leaving the EU.
- Claim the refund through the retailer or refund provider according to its procedure.
If your trip passes through several EU countries, customs validation is normally handled at your final point of departure from the EU, not necessarily in Croatia.
Allow extra time at the airport or border if you need customs validation, particularly if the purchased goods are packed in checked luggage.
Official overview: VAT and tax-free shopping in Croatia.
Design of Croatian euro coins
Euro banknotes are the same throughout the euro area, but euro coins have a common European side and a national side chosen by each issuing country.
Croatia’s national designs all incorporate the distinctive Croatian checkerboard in the background.
| Coins | Croatian design |
|---|---|
| 1, 2 and 5 cent | The letters HR written in angular Glagolitic script |
| 10, 20 and 50 cent | Nikola Tesla |
| €1 | A marten (kuna), recalling the animal that gave Croatia’s former currency its name |
| €2 | A geographical map of Croatia |
The edge inscription on Croatia’s €2 coin reads “O LIJEPA O DRAGA O SLATKA SLOBODO”, a line from Dubravka by Dubrovnik writer Ivan Gundulić.
Still have Croatian kuna (HRK)?
The Croatian kuna stopped being legal tender after Croatia introduced the euro in 2023. You cannot spend old kuna in shops, restaurants or other businesses.
However, the treatment of banknotes and coins is now different.
Kuna banknotes
Kuna banknotes can still be exchanged for euros at the Croatian National Bank (HNB) without a time limit.
Kuna coins
Kuna coins can no longer be exchanged. The official three-year exchange period ended on 31 December 2025.
What conversion rate applies?
The conversion is not based on today’s foreign-exchange market. The official euro-changeover rate is permanently fixed at:
€1 = 7.53450 HRK
Is there a fee for exchanging kuna banknotes?
The Croatian National Bank exchanges eligible kuna banknotes at the fixed conversion rate without charging an exchange fee under its standard kuna-exchange procedure.
Where are kuna banknotes exchanged?
Since 1 January 2024, commercial banks, FINA and Croatian post offices no longer provide the public kuna-to-euro changeover service. Remaining banknote exchanges are handled by HNB.
Before travelling specifically to exchange old money, check the Croatian National Bank’s current exchange instructions for location, submission and identification requirements.
Money tips for different types of Croatia trip
Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb and major cities
You can rely heavily on cards, but keep some cash for smaller purchases, markets and backup. ATMs are widely available.
Island hopping
Cards are widely used in major island towns, but carrying some cash is sensible if you are visiting smaller villages, beach businesses or remote areas. Withdraw before travelling onward if you are unsure about ATM availability.
Road trips
Carry a card accepted by fuel stations and accommodation providers plus a small cash reserve. If renting a car, remember that the security deposit may temporarily reduce the available balance on your card.
Rural Croatia
Expect card acceptance to vary more than in the major coastal destinations. A practical cash reserve becomes more useful as you move away from heavily visited centres.
Markets and food-focused trips
Cash is useful at produce markets and small stalls even when nearby restaurants and shops readily accept cards.
Common money mistakes to avoid
- Accepting DCC without checking: choose EUR when you want your own card provider to handle conversion
- Using the first ATM you see: compare displayed fees if they seem high
- Carrying only one card: keep a backup payment method separately
- Assuming everywhere accepts cards: carry some cash
- Carrying excessive cash: there is little reason for most visitors to carry their entire holiday budget in banknotes
- Using old kuna: kuna is no longer legal tender
- Trying to exchange kuna coins: the exchange deadline expired at the end of 2025
- Relying on old Croatia price guides: costs can change substantially by season and location
- Ignoring card pre-authorizations: hotels and rental companies can temporarily tie up part of your available balance
- Assuming “0% commission” means a good exchange rate: compare the final amount you receive
FAQ - Croatia currency and money
What currency is used in Croatia?
Croatia uses the euro (EUR, €). It became Croatia’s official currency on 1 January 2023.
Does Croatia use euros or kuna?
Croatia uses euros. The Croatian kuna is no longer legal tender and cannot be used for purchases.
Can I pay in US dollars or British pounds in Croatia?
You should plan to pay in euros. Do not rely on businesses accepting US dollars, British pounds or other foreign currencies. If a merchant does voluntarily accept another currency, the exchange rate may not be attractive.
Do I need cash in Croatia?
It is useful to carry some euro cash even if you plan to pay mostly by card. Markets, small cafés, kiosks, rural businesses and some seasonal establishments may prefer or require cash.
Can I pay by card in Croatia?
Yes. Credit, debit and contactless payments are widely accepted, particularly in cities, tourist areas, hotels, supermarkets, fuel stations and established restaurants.
Do Apple Pay and Google Pay work in Croatia?
They commonly work at merchants that accept compatible contactless card payments, provided your own card supports the wallet service.
Are ATMs easy to find?
Yes. ATMs are widespread in cities and tourist destinations and dispense euros. Smaller islands and rural areas may offer fewer choices.
Do Croatian ATMs charge fees?
Some do. The ATM operator may charge an access fee, and your own bank may charge an additional withdrawal or foreign-transaction fee. Read the fee disclosure before confirming.
What currency should I select at a Croatian ATM?
If you have a non-euro card and the machine offers conversion into your home currency, choosing EUR and declining Dynamic Currency Conversion will normally leave the currency conversion to your own card issuer.
What is Dynamic Currency Conversion?
Dynamic Currency Conversion, or DCC, is an optional service where the ATM or merchant converts a euro transaction into your home currency using its displayed exchange rate. It can include an additional exchange-rate margin.
Should I exchange money before visiting Croatia?
Not necessarily. Cards and ATMs are widely available. Some travelers bring a modest amount of euros for arrival day and obtain additional cash only when needed.
How do I know if an exchange-office rate is good?
Compare the final amount of euros offered with a current ECB or Croatian National Bank reference rate. Also check for commissions or other fees.
Is tipping expected in Croatia?
Tipping is optional. Rounding up is common for small bills, while a modest tip is appreciated for good restaurant, taxi, hotel or tour service.
Is Croatia expensive?
It depends strongly on location, season and travel style. Dubrovnik, popular islands and peak summer generally cost more than many inland destinations or shoulder-season trips.
Can I still exchange Croatian kuna?
Only kuna banknotes remain exchangeable. The Croatian National Bank exchanges eligible kuna banknotes without a time limit. Kuna coins can no longer be exchanged because the deadline ended on 31 December 2025.
What is the kuna-to-euro conversion rate?
The permanent official conversion rate is €1 = 7.53450 HRK.
Can I exchange kuna at a bank or post office?
No. Since 1 January 2024, the public exchange of remaining kuna is handled by the Croatian National Bank rather than commercial banks, FINA or post offices.
What happens if I carry more than €10,000 into Croatia?
If you are entering or leaving the EU with €10,000 or more in cash or covered cash-equivalent instruments, you must follow the EU cash-declaration rules and declare it to customs.
Can non-EU visitors get a VAT refund in Croatia?
Eligible travelers resident outside the EU may qualify for a VAT refund on qualifying goods exported from the EU, provided they obtain the required documentation and customs validation.