Croatian customs are easy to follow: greet people when you walk in, take your time over coffee, wait for Dobar tek before eating and look people in the eye when you say Živjeli. If you are invited home, bring a small gift and expect to take your shoes off at the door.
How people greet
Greetings are expected in everyday situations, not only between friends. Say hello when you walk into a small shop, bakery, pharmacy or lift, and goodbye when you leave.
| Croatian | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dobro jutro | Good morning | Morning |
| Dobar dan | Good day | The safe default for most of the day |
| Dobra večer | Good evening | Evening |
| Laku noć | Good night | Only when parting at night |
| Bok | Hi / bye | Informal, used by all ages with friends |
| Doviđenja | Goodbye | Shops, offices, people you don't know |
| Hvala / Hvala lijepa | Thanks / Thank you very much | |
| Molim | Please; also "you're welcome" | |
| Oprostite | Excuse me | To get attention or apologise |
When meeting someone for the first time, people shake hands and make eye contact. Friends and relatives greet each other with two kisses on the cheeks; visitors can follow the other person's lead. Use the polite Vi form, and gospodin (Mr) or gospođa (Mrs) with a surname, with older people and in formal settings until they suggest first names. In Dalmatia you will also hear local and Italian-influenced words; nobody expects visitors to use them.
Coffee culture
Going na kavu (for a coffee) is the most important daily social ritual in Croatia. It means sitting down at a café, often outdoors, for an hour or longer, and it is how people meet friends, catch up with colleagues and fill a Saturday morning.
- Nobody will ask you to leave a table because you have only ordered one coffee.
- Common orders: kava s mlijekom (coffee with milk), bijela kava (milky coffee), produženi (espresso lengthened with water), and kava s šlagom (with whipped cream).
- Most cafés serve drinks only. Bring a pastry from a bakery (pekara) next door rather than expecting food.
- Along the coast, the slow, unhurried mood that comes with long summer afternoons has a name: fjaka.
At the table
- Before eating: Dobar tek (enjoy your meal). Wait until everyone is served and the host starts.
- Toasting: Živjeli (cheers). Look each person in the eye as you touch glasses; avoiding eye contact is the classic mistake.
- Rakija: a fruit brandy offered to guests in many homes, sometimes before a meal. A small glass is a gesture of hospitality; it is fine to sip slowly or politely decline.
- Being served more: hosts offer second and third helpings. A friendly refusal may need repeating, and leaving a little on the plate signals you are full.
- Sunday lunch is the main family meal of the week in many households, and in restaurants it is the busiest service.
- In restaurants: ask for the bill with Račun, molim. Service is not usually added to the bill. Tipping is optional; around 10% for good table service is common, left in cash because card terminals rarely include a tip option.
Being invited to a home
Hospitality matters a great deal, and an invitation home is a real compliment.
- Bring a small gift: a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, a cake from a good bakery, or flowers.
- Flowers: give an odd number. Even numbers and chrysanthemums are associated with funerals and with All Saints' Day (1 November), when families visit graves.
- Shoes: in many Croatian homes people take their shoes off at the door and hosts offer slippers (papuče). Offer to remove yours.
- Timing: arriving on time or a few minutes late is fine; much later without a message is not.
- Accepting what is offered: coffee, juice, homemade cake or rakija will appear quickly. Accepting at least something is polite.
- Leaving: thank your hosts and compliment the cooking. Visits often run longer than planned.
Sundays, holidays and name days
- Sunday shopping: since a 2023 change to the Trade Act, most shops may open on only 16 Sundays a year, chosen by each retailer. Shops at stations, airports, ports and petrol stations, and those in hotels, hospitals and museums, are exempt, and some coastal towns use local rules to allow summer Sunday trading. Plan grocery shopping for Saturday.
- Public holidays: shops close on public holidays, which include Statehood Day (30 May), Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day (5 August), the Assumption (15 August, Velika Gospa, a major feast with processions in many towns), All Saints' Day (1 November) and Christmas.
- Christmas Eve (Badnjak) is traditionally a meatless day, with fish such as cod (bakalar) served in many homes.
- Name days (imendan): many Croatians celebrate the feast day of the saint they are named after, and colleagues and friends offer congratulations as they would on a birthday.
- Patron saint days: towns and villages celebrate their patron saint with Mass, a procession and often an evening gathering, such as St Blaise in Dubrovnik on 3 February.
Topics and behaviour to handle with care
- The Homeland War (1991–1995) is recent and personal for many families. Listen rather than argue.
- Language: the language is Croatian (hrvatski). Calling it "Serbo-Croatian" or "Yugoslav" causes offence.
- Yugoslavia, politics and religion: views vary widely; let your hosts lead.
- Dress: cover shoulders and knees in churches, and keep swimwear for the beach. Split and Dubrovnik fine people walking in swimwear in their historic centres.
- Money: prices are in euros. Croatia replaced the kuna on 1 January 2023, so ignore older advice quoting kuna.
Small efforts go a long way: a Dobar dan when you walk in and a Hvala when you leave are noticed and appreciated.
