So you're visiting Zagreb!

As a visitor you will find a large amount of interesting historical and contemporary data about Zagreb in brochures, web pages, blogs, portals and other source material - though very little of it in terms of practical, everyday minutia. Visiting a place isn't just sightseeing, history and leisure, it's living there for a brief period of time, as such it is the goal of this guide to provide you with practical data on the ups and downs of being a temporary resident of the City of Zagreb. Let's start!

DRINKING WATER
Though among European cities most abundant in natural sources of clean drinking water, Zagreb does not have an organized network of public drinking fountains. Public drinking fountains are few, far-between and non-standardized in appearance and function - as such they are an unreliable source of drinking water. Local residents rely on store-bought bottles of drinking water to quench their thirst while going about their daily activities. Half a liter of store-bought drinking water will cost you about 1 euro. Shopping malls and similar venues commonly do not feature public drinking fountains. Cafes and other similar establishments may provide you with complimentary drinking water along with any order, however this custom is quickly changing, with many coffee shops offering only priced bottled water on order.

FOOD
While walking the city you will notice that a popular source of "street food" or quick bites are numerous bakeries. There are several bakery chains that operate in the city, however each neighborhood or city block also has a large number of single location small-business bakeries. The selection and style of baked goods offered is commonly a blend of French, Italian and Turkish pastry and pastry related products. You will encounter a selection of pizzas, numerous puff pastry variations and a local favorite - Burek, a form of round layered pie generally cut into quarts, offered in a cheese or meat filling variant. It is important to note that ALL bakeries accept ONLY cash as a means of payment in the form of Croatian currency. You will have no luck offering any form of card payment or euros.

Beside the bakeries, other local quick bite favorites are burgers, kebabs, french fries and chevapi (Grilled meat patties placed inside a specially made, usually also grilled bread loaf, originating from Turkey but regionally present in their local variant sourced from and perfected in neighboring Bosnia) commonly offered throughout the city in small grill shops. Unlike the bakeries, you might encounter some grill shops that accept card payment, but still decline euros.

PUBLIC AMENITIES
A network of public toilets is present throughout the city, though it is poorly organized and non-standardized in appearance and features offered. Some frequented locations contain public toilets, while others don't. Locations that almost always do feature public toilets or toilets available to the public are: large bus stations, large train stations, city markets, shopping malls and centers, large supermarkets, city and state administration buildings. You might also have luck asking to use a toilet in a cafe without being a patron. Zagreb currently does not have public baths or showers. There are several well maintained public pools which also feature showers. The use of public pool facilities incurs a modest charge.

ACCESSIBILITY
Zagreb ranks very poorly on the list of European cities in terms of accommodating the needs of persons with disabilities. Wheelchair ramps are generally absent in public spaces or are inadequate in construction and execution. Markings in braille are also commonly absent as are public walkway guide-patterns for persons with impaired vision. The majority of pedestrian crosswalks feature audio ques indicating red and green lights, however a small number still don't. Some public transportation vehicles play external recorded announcements noting the route or line number of the vehicle, the name of the current stop and the subsequent destinations, but some don't. Some public transportation vehicles are low-floor models, allowing easier embarking and disembarking of persons with disabilities, however some are not. As a result one will rarely encounter a person with a disability moving autonomously about the city. The majority of public toilet facilities feature areas accommodating persons with disabilities.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Public transportation in Zagreb is based on ground level tram lines and bus lines. There is no underground or elevated railway transportation. Available also are several TAXI companies as well as Uber and bicycle renting stations for public use offered by the local Nextbike franchise. The bus and tram lines are operated by the city authorities, tickets can be purchased at specialized public transportation kiosks and offices. Tickets can also be purchased directly from drivers of public transportation vehicles though you may encounter a language / communication barrier.  Fares are charged in the form of a half-hour ticket/pass which costs approximately 50 euro cents, but are also available in forms of daily passes, monthly passes and yearly passes. The half-hour ticket must be validated upon entering a public transportation vehicle using the one of two available mechanical validation machines located at the front and the end of the vehicle.

MONEY
Croatia is a member state of the European union, but currently does not use the Euro as the official currency. The official currency of Croatia is the Croatian kuna, or Hrvatska kuna in Croatian language, officially abbreviated to "HRK" though mostly marked as "Kn" in the context of store prices. When purchasing goods or services with cash payments, payments are legally possible only in Croatian kunas. When using card payments an automatic conversion process will occur using the exchange rate of your card issuer. You can access your private funds and bank accounts through local subsidiaries of your bank if present and the related ATM machines, through proxy banks, proxy ATM machines, Western Union, and other similar services.

LAW
Croatia is a secular constitutional parliamentary democracy with a Prime minister executing the role of the head of state and the head of the parliamentary majority. The role of the president is mostly ceremonial with jurisdiction over military matters and foreign affairs with very limited practical executive power. Croatia has a police force and a voluntary military force. You may legally be asked to show your passport, be questioned or briefly detained only by a police officer after he or she has identified themselves by displaying their badge AND their officer ID card featuring a personal photo, first and last name of the officer and the officer ID number. You must give consent prior to having your person and your belongings searched, or, the officer must provide you with a court issued warrant - 'probable cause' is not legally acceptable as a foundation for such searches. If an officer does not identify themselves in proper manner even upon your request you are not obliged to comply with the instructions and demands of a then in-effect civilian person claiming to be an officer of the law. In case you believe your rights have been violated you should report to or contact your local embassy or consulate.

EMERGENCY SERVICES
The unified emergency services number in Croatia is 112. This number is to be dialed as such on any cell phone or landline, which will connect you free of charge to a dispatcher of the emergency services call center for the area. The dispatchers speak English as a rule, while some might speak additional foreign languages. If you are not a citizen of European union and have not bought medical travel insurance any medical services you might need, including emergency ones, will be charged. If you are a citizen of the EU and have the EU health ID with you all medical services should under EU regulations be provided free of charge.

TOBACCO, DRUGS, ALCOHOL
Alcohol and smoking are legal in Croatia, though smoking is not allowed in government buildings and most privately owned areas, but is allowed in most public spaces. All drugs including cannabis are illegal. However, possessing a small amount of cannabis for personal use is not considered a criminal offense but an infraction. Croatia does not currently allow the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.

CULTURE
It is a thankless job commenting on the culture of a country. As a visitor you should form an opinion of your own. Statistical data can be provided somewhat neutrally. Croatia, and Zagreb have an almost singularly Caucasian population. In terms of religion, the bulk of citizens identify as Roman-Catholic, however most social studies show that the actual number of practicing churchgoers is low. Religious freedoms and protections against religious, ethnic, racial, sexual, gender and other discrimination are guaranteed by law. In terms of nationality or ethnicity the bulk of the citizens identify as Croats, while Serbs, Bosnians and Romanis form significant minority groups.

CLOSING REMARKS
If you've found some of the information present here disheartening - don't! Zagreb is a beautiful city, while most of the potential downsides mentioned are generally minor annoyances, especially in terms of temporary residency. There are many beautiful things to see, do, try and feel in the city, as such I hope you will enjoy your stay and that the information provided here will allow you to manage your visit in a more efficient manner.

QUESTIONS, DONATIONS
If you have other questions or think the content presented here can be improved, please contact me through the contact form located on the main page slide-out menu. In case you've found the information presented useful, please consider making a symbolic donation.


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