Mobile phones

The main operators are: T-mobile Trg Petra Preradovica 3 (Tel: 098 1550, www. t-mobile.hr), VIP (Vodaphone partner) Ljudevita Gaja 2B, Iblerov trg 3 (Tel: 091 7700, www.vipnet.hr), Tele2 Ulica grada Vukovara 269d (Tel: 6328 300, www.tele2.com.hr).

Car hire Hertz, Vukotinoviceva 4 and also at the airport (Tel: 484 6777/488 3077, www.hertz.hr, Email: reservations@hertz. hr). Dollar & Thrifty Pleso bb (airport) (Tel: 626 5333, www.subrosa.hr, Email: reservation@subrosa.hr).

Office rental Zagreb doesn’t yet have serviced offices for rent. Contact a good estate agency to help you find office space. Bradmore King Sturge, Trg Nikole Subica Zrinskog 15 (Tel: 482 6114, Email: bradmore@bradmore.hr, www.bradmore. hr).

Office equipment hire Tehnicar Copyservis offers photocopier hire (Kranjceviceva 25A, Tel: 382 0333). SupraNet Projekt sells computing and telecoms equipment and rents out projectors and audio-visual systems (Erlichova 2, Tel: 235 2283/4/5, Email: prodaja@supranet.hr, www. supranet-projekt.hr).

Secretarial services Adecco can supply permanent and temporary secretarial staff (Branimirova 27, Tel: 462 1792/4, Email: info@adecco.hr, www.adecco.hr).

LOCAL PRESS

There is very little in the way of English-language press locally. For entertainment listings, call into the Tourist Information Centres at Trg bana Jospia Jelacica 11 or Trg Nikole Subica Zrinjskog 14. There you can also pick up a copy of Zagreb In Your Pocket, an English-language city guide with information on culture, dining and nightlife.

Check out the following websites to get up to speed on the economic and political environment: www.hina.hr/nws-bin/ehot.cgi for English-language reporting from Hina, the Croatian news agency. www.hic.hr/english/index.htm for English-language current affairs reporting from the Croatian Information Centre. www.setimes.com offers political, economic and cultural news on southeastern Europe. www.einnews.com provides daily news briefs by email, but it’s a paid-for service. www.tol.cz gives comment and analysis on Croatian and regional political affairs.

INTERNET

The two main mobile phone operators offer wi-fi access at the following public hotspots: T-mobile Hotels: Dubrovnik, Four Points, Sheraton, Westin (see Hotels section). T-mobile shops: Iblerov trg 7, Trg Petra Preradoviceva 3 (Tel: 498 4960), Vukovarska 23.

VIPnet Hotels: Arcotel Allegra. Internet café: VIP (see below). VIP shops: Iblerov trg 10, Ljudevita Gaja 2b.

Zagreb has a good supply of well equipped internet cafés in the city centre. The following are worth a try: Ch@rlie’s Ljudevita Gaja 4a (courtyard), Tel: 488 0233. Fast, clean and friendly, it’s open 8am-10pm.

Sublink Nikole Tesle 12 (courtyard), Tel: 481 1329. Laid back and a little underground, with helpful staff, this one is open Monday-Saturday 9am-10pm, Sunday 3pm-10pm.

VIP Trg Petra Preradovica 5, Tel: 483 0089. This small but efficient café run by the VIP mobile operator is open 8am-11pm.

MONEY

The unit of currency is the Croatian Kuna (Kn) and there are 100 lipa to one Kn. At the time of writing, there were approximately 7.5 Kn to the Euro, making 1 and 2 lipa coins a pure irritation. Other coins are 5, 10, 20 and 50 lipa, and 1, 2, 5 and occasionally 25 Kn pieces. Notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 Kn denominations.

Major credit cards are accepted in most businesses. However, smaller family-run shops and restaurants may not accept them. It’s not unusual to see a sign offering a discount for cash payment (gotovina). If in doubt, ask—very often, if you don’t, they simply won’t tell you. For major purchases, it’s always worth asking for a discount, whichever way you pay. Bargaining is a way of life on street markets.

There are many cash machines in almost all Zagreb neighbourhoods. Banks tend to open at around 7.30am on weekdays, closing at about 8pm. Some open at 9am on Saturday, closing at lunchtime, and all are closed Sundays.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

Rounding up the bill or leaving a 10% tip are both appreciated in restaurants, hotels, taxis and in bars on a hefty round of drinks.

VISA/VACCINATION

Citizens of EU countries, most of the Americas and Australia and New Zealand can enter Croatia for up to 90 days without a visa. Citizens of other countries should check with the local Croatian Embassy as they may need to obtain a visa before entering the country. You should organise your visas from your home country (or the nearest country with a Croatian diplomatic mission) as you cannot do this at any border crossings. Take a look at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (www.mvp.hr) for an up-to-date list of visa requirements, including prices and a downloadable application form.

PUBLC HOLIDAYS

1st January—New Year’s Day
6th January—Epiphany
16th April—Easter Monday
1st May—International Workers’ Day
15th June—Corpus Christi
22nd June—Anti Fascist Resistance Day
25th June—Statehood Day
5th August—Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day
15th August—Feast of the Assumption
8th October—Independence Day
1st November—All Souls’ Day
25th and 26th December—Christmas

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Zagreb has a continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters. Temperatures can peak at over 35C in July and August, while in January temperatures may drop below -20C for a day or two. There are usually a few snowfalls between November and February. The most pleasant times of year to visit are autumn and spring.

SUGGESTED READING

The Rough Guide to Croatia offers more in-depth history and geography of Zagreb and its surroundings, plus that lovely coastline.

Zagreb: An Intimate View, by Ivo Eterovic (Mladost), is a history of the city and its sights.

Croatia—A Nation Forged in War, by Marcus Tanner (Yale University Press), gives a reasonably balanced view of how it all happened, going right back to the Middle Ages.

Zagreb, Exit South, by Edo Popovic (translation Julienne Eden Busic, Ooligan Press), is a darkly humorous tale of modern post-war angst, from a cult author and Zagreb resident who’s been doing the rounds of international literary festivals.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport Pleso international airport, 17kms from the centre of Zagreb (near Velika Gorica), connects the city with many European destinations. The terminal has a 24-hour information desk, cash machines and a good restaurant, open daily 7am-9pm. For flight information and English-speaking assistance, Tel: 626 5222, www. zagreb-airport.hr.

Car On your arrival at the airport you can hire a car from a number of agencies in the Arrivals hall. Prices start at about 30 per day for unlimited mileage. Because the airport is so close to the city, the drive shouldn’t take longer than 20 minutes. However, Zagreb does suffer from heavy traffic throughout the day and the road leading to the airport can be very busy. It’s best to allow plenty of time for your journey. At the end of the approach road to the airport, turn right and follow signs to Zagreb—Centar. These signs, however, will run out on you just as you need them most, so make sure you have a road map of the city or you’ll find yourself taking an impromptu picnic at Bundek Lake.

Taxis If there are no taxis waiting outside the Arrivals hall, the information desk will call one for you. The trip into the city centre costs 200-250 Kn plus 3 Kn per item of luggage.

Bus Luxurious shuttle coaches connecting the airport with Zagreb’s main coach station are laid on throughout the day and to meet scheduled flights. A single trip costs 25 Kn. For information, Tel: 633 1999, www.plesoprijevoz.hr.