Finding a Croatia phone number or phone code on line is simply a matter of going to the Hrvatski Telecom phone book, which provides Croatia phone numbers, residential and business information.

The country calling phone code of Croatia is 385, and you omit the "0" of the area code when dialling from outside the country. You don’t have to dial the area phone code when calling within a local area in Croatia. There are four mobile (cell) phone operators: VIPnet: 91; Tomato: 92; Tele2: 95; T-Mobile: 98, 99.

Free telephone number search

HRVATSKI TELECOM
http://imenik.tportal.hr/show?lang=en&action=pretraga: Telefonski imenik is the white pages telephone directory for people and businesses in Croatia. It includes reverse search (search by number) and also yellow pages classified search (just choose one of the tabs). Results have links to maps (click on address to see). It’s in English (one of thirteen languages!), choose from the links top right.

Croatia's World Heritage Plitvice Lakes National Park

Plitvice Lakes National Park is another Croatian asset that is on UNESCO’s World Heritage listing. Set in the heart of Croatia, it was discovered in 1949. There’s some 300 sq kilometres of parkland comprising 16 lakes, forests and beautiful waterfalls.

In the dense forests within the National Park, there is a huge range of flora and fauna, including wolves, foxes, wild boar, wild cats, etc. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we didn’t encounter any of these furry animals. Some 160 species of bird life have been recorded, including eagles, falcons and peregrines.

Visiting the Park

You can walk around the lakes by following the paths and in some sections there are nicely laid timber walkways. Electric buses are available to take walkers to the starting points of the trails or to take people back to their hotels in the park. With the exception of some hotels, there are no towns or villages in the reserve, keeping the area pristine.

There are two entrances to the lake. When we visited, our electric bus took us to the top of the waterfalls for a view. We then did a 3 km. walk downhill, around the shores of the lake, to where our boat was waiting for us. When I first learnt of the 3 km walk, I was a little concerned for some of the older people in the group, but everyone made it without problems.

Along the walk, the scenery was fabulous. There were large and little waterfalls, streams and lakes, and apart from the gushing water, the atmosphere was so serene. Our electric boat took us on a scenic ride across the lake. We had a stop at a picnic location where there were wooden stalls selling some local handicraft, food and cheese. The gift shop there had espresso coffee which was rather good and a pleasant surprise for coffee addicts. When we reached the other end of the lake, we walked back up to the largest waterfall for a view and then it was uphill and back to where our bus was waiting.

In all it took 3 hours.  It was a very pleasant sightseeing experience with a difference and also got us some much needed exercise!

Aerial view of Dubrovnik's Old City

UNESCO’s listing describes the Old City of Dubrovnik as the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’ situated on the Dalmatian coast.  It’s no wonder that this is an internationally popular tourist destination with independent travellers, coach tours as well as cruise ships.

When we grumbled to our tour guide that our hotel was a bit far from the Old City centre, he in turn complained that there were so many tourists in town that it’s difficult to get affordable accommodation close to the centre.

The city has two main gates, Pile and Ploce and entry to the old fortified city centre is via the Pile Gate on the western side.  To get to the Gate, you walk over a small stone bridge which used to cross what was once a moat.  Above the arch of the gate is a small statue of St. Blaise, the patron saint of Dubrovnik.  It’s easy to find your way around the Old City and its interesting exploring the side streets both at ground level as well as the streets on the upper levels.  There is a lot to see here, so if you’ve only got a couple of days in Dubrovnik, you may have to race around a little and not be distracted by the souvenir shops.

Some key monuments to see in the Old City

Great Onofrio Fountain
This interesting fountain is just next to the Pile Gate and is a good meeting point. It was built by Onofrio della Cava to commemorate the completion of the new waterworks in 1438.  The waterworks supplied the city with water from the Dubrovnik River, 12 kilometres away.

Franciscan Monastery
Just across from the Fountain is this 1317 monastery.  Within the monastery is a pharmacy which was founded at the same time as the monastery, making it one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe. The monastery library is also noted to be one of the most important old libraries in Croatia and in the world.

Stradun (officially called the Place)
This central stone street of the Old City was built in 1667 after the great earthquake destroyed the city.  As you walk down the Stradun, imagine what it was like before the earthquake – lined with lovely and luxurious palaces.

Orlando’s Column
Near the Clock Tower in the Square of the Loggia is a stone column with the figure of a medieval warrior bearing a sword and shield standing on a pedestal. Orlando’s statue is a symbol of the freedom of Dubrovnik and the flag of the Republic always flies on top of this column.

The Sponza Palace
This combination Gothic and Renaissance style palace was originally intended to be a custom’s house where traded goods from all over the world were brought here to be taxed. During its days, the palace courtyard and all the arcades were abuzz with traders and business people meeting here.

The Rector’s Palace
This is where the highest level of city government met.  The Dubrovnik Rector lived here, without his family, for the duration of his office which is limited to one month. Except for official business, he was not permitted to leave the palace. The rector was also responsible for the keys to the city.  Each evening a special ceremony was held in which he accepted the keys to the city gates and was responsible for ensuring that no one could enter into the town through the night.

Bokar Fortress
The purpose of this fortress was to defend the main entrance gates, drawbridge and moat at Pile.

Fort of St. John
The fort was the main defence for the city port and one of the most important defence fortresses of the city. This is a beautiful side of the city and definitely worth making your way to.  The Ploce Gate is also at this eastern end of the city.

Other sights and Monuments of Interest

Other significant places of interest and monuments include the Dominican Monastery, Church of St. Blaise, Clock Tower and the Square of the Loggia.

The Old City Wall will be covered in a separate post.  It takes time to walk from the entrance to the exit and during the peak tourist season it is very busy up there.

Rakija or Croatian wine cart

Croatia is not a shopping destination, however that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing to buy here.  There is a long tradition of handicraft here so one can buy original handmade craftwork such as lace, hand-painted ceramics or jewelry.

What to Buy?

Embroidery is a typical craft that is carried out throughout the peninsula.  A characteristic design is red geometric patterns stitched onto a white background.  You’ll see these designs on table clothes, pillowcases and blouses.  Similar patterns and colours can be seen on hand-painted ceramics.  Both the embroidery and hand-painted ceramic are very attractive and make good presents.

Pag Lace dates back to the Renaissance, but it was only in the early 20th century that this handiwork became famous.

It all started when a noblewoman gave a beautifully decorated blouse to Marie Josephine, the Archduchess of Austria.  The Archduchess liked the blouse so much that she personally went to Pag to order more lace clothing.  During that period, trends were set by the Austrian court and from then on Pag lace decorated the clothes of empresses and princesses throughout Europe.

This amazingly intricate lace is produced using an ordinary mending needle.  It’s produced only on Pag Island where you can still see older women at work. There is also a Pag Museum on the island.  Pag lace can be found in the more upmarket souvenir shops throughout Croatia.

The Cravat, a Croatian invention

Did you know that Croatia is the home of the cravat?  During the bloody 30 Years’ War in Europe in the 17th century Croatian cavalrymen wore scarfs to distinguish themselves from other soldiers.  The French referred to the Croatian scarf as “a la cravate”, meaning “in the Croatian way”, hence the commencement of the fashion.

This accessory was once the rage of Louis XIV’s court at Versailles. Unfortunately, the cravat wasn’t in vogue when we were in Croatia and only ties could be seen in the men’s clothing shops.  However, fashions come and go and no doubt cravats will take their place in fashion again.  If you happen to be in Croatia at that time you can claim to have bought your cravat from its country of origin.

Rakija or Croatian wine

With the ban on liquids on flights, wines are more difficult to transport home these days.  However, if you’re arriving by ship or train, then you’re in luck.  By far the most popular Croatian rakija is travarica which is made from grape brandy that has been allowed to infuse in an assortment of herbs. There could be up to 20 different types of herbs added to their flavour. Rosemary, chamomile, lavender, rose hips, matgrass, juniper, thyme, currants, mint or sage are some of the more common ingredients. There are also rakija made from plums, carob and even mistletoe.

So when a Croatian wine producer says that his wine has a “bouquet of mellon, smoke and vanilla notes that play up the jammy blackberry fruit, finished with hints of dried spices and coffee …..” he means it literally!  I haven’t tasted these herb wines but would imagine they’d taste a little strange if you’re only used to straight bordeau, shiraz, cabernet, merlot, etc.

Travarica is produced commercially but the best and strongest is homemade. You can find the commercial variety in supermarkets and homemade travarica in many open air markets or carts like in this photo.

In Dubrovnik, there are lots of shops in the Old Town selling anything from gifts, handicraft, t-shirts, scarves, jewelry, etc. I managed to find myself a very nice ring and the price was very reasonable.

In Zagreb, the capital city, the shops are in the main street in town.  This is where the shopping centres are.

Coffee and cake in Dubrovnik's Old Town square

Food styles in Croatia are varied, depending on the regions, but broadly they can be categorized into two main groups – the inland and the coastal areas.  There is a distinct difference in the types of foodstuff and styles of cooking between the two main regions.  Cuisine in the inland are influenced by Central European countries like Hungary and Vienna, whereas the coastal regions have been greatly influenced by the long period of Venetian rule – pasta dishes and pizzas can be found virtually everywhere. Seafood is plentiful along the coast, but they are not necessarily cheap.

Traditional and Favourite foods

Croatians of course have their own traditional cuisine and their favorite foods include spit-roasted lamb and suckling pig, grilled fish, calamari cooked in various styles, barbeque dishes, raznjici (similar to shish kebab), cevapcici (Croatia’s answer to the hamburger), mixed grill, prosciutto and sheep’s milk cheese, or smoked ham and cottage cheese with sour cream, fish stew and venison.

Burek is a common pastry you’ll see all over Croatia.  It can be filled with cheese (often feta), minced meat, potatoes or other vegetables.  It was a favorite breakfast food with farmers and fishermen.

Pag cheese, made on the island of Pag, is a delicacy throughout Croatia.  It is a sharp tasting sheep’s milk cheese, often served thinly sliced with olives on the side, as an appetiser.

Palacinke is a crepe-like dessert which is often stuffed with walnuts or chocolate and sometimes served with ice cream.

Typical Festive Dishes

As with many traditional cultures, food plays a important part of any traditional festivity and as such every holiday has its own typical food:

• Pilgrimages and fairs – Pork and potato stew
• New Year’s Day – Pork
• Good Friday – Cod
• Easter – Ham and boiled eggs with green vegetables
• Harvest time – Kulen (hot-pepper flavored sausage)
• St. Martin’s Day – Goose
• Christmas – Bakalar (dried cod prepared in a variety of ways), turkey and other fowl, as well as sarma (meat-stuffed cabbage leaves)
• Weddings – a variety of dishes and lots of cakes and biscuits are served
• Doughnuts are part and parcel of carnival festivities and in the south there is a similar fried sweet dish known as hrostule.

Where to eat in Croatia?

Croatia is a very popular tourist destination with independent travellers, tour groups as well as cruise liners.  There is no shortage of eating places and restaurants, konobas, gostinicas and pizza joints can be found all over peninsula, especially in the popular tourist resorts.  Restaurants tend to be the more formal dining places attached to hotels or resorts, serving international cuisine.  For something more local, head for a konoba or gostionica.  These are the equivalent of a trattoria or taverna and are less expensive.

If you don’t fancy any of the local dishes, there’s always the pizza to fall back on.  The pizzas here are really good.  We had a very nice one in Dubrovnik and came back for more the next day.