Wall sockets in Croatia operate at 220 volts and take round, two-pin plugs. A standard continental adaptor allows the use of 13-amp, square-pin plugs.

Mail

Most post offices (pošta or HPT) are open Monday to Friday from 7 or 8am to 7 or 8pm, and Saturday 8am to 1 or 2pm. In villages and on islands, Monday to Friday 8am to 2pm is more common, though in big towns and resorts some offices open daily, sometimes staying open until 10pm.

Stamps (marke) can be bought either at the post office or at newsstands. If you're sending parcels home, don't seal the package until the post office staff have had a look at what's inside: customs duty is charged on the export of most things, although newsprint and books are exempt.

Phones

Croatian phone booths use magnetic cards (telekarta), which you can pick up from post offices or newspaper kiosks. They're sold in denominations of 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 units (impulsa). Generally speaking, a single unit will be enough for a local call, and the 25-unit card (costing around 13Kn) will be sufficient for making a few longer-distance calls within the country or a short international call. For international calls of longer duration, invest in a higher-value card, or head for the post office, where you're assigned a cabin from which to phone and given the bill afterwards – either way, rates are cheapest Monday to Saturday 10pm to 7am, and all day Sunday. It's best to avoid making international calls from your hotel room: charges are extortionate, and seem to rise in proportion to the star-rating of the hotel.

Time

Croatia is always one hour ahead of the UK (except for one week at the end of September when the time is the same), six hours ahead of US Eastern Standard Time, nine hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, ten hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time, and twelve hours behind New Zealand.