The best fashion and gift stores Croatia

Timetable

Food shops, supermarkets and shopping centres are mostly open from 8am to 8pm-9pm. Some close between noon and 5pm, but this is quite rare. They are sometimes open on Sunday morning. In the tourist centres, during the summer, they are generally open 7 days a week.

Budget & Tips

The cost of living is lower in Croatia than in France, even if, as soon as the euro is fully adopted at the beginning of 2023, a general price rise will be felt by retailers and service providers.

Cigarettes, alcohol, foodstuffs, etc. are subject to reduced tax rates (5%). Now's the time to treat yourself, especially on gourmet products.

Credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere, even in the countryside. At the market, on the other hand, you pay in cash , and haggling is not practiced at all. Prices advertised or displayed are fixed. Mini-markets and supermarkets (Konzum, Billa, Mercator, Spar) have entire sections devoted to regional products. For food prices, visit , the website of Croatia's leading supermarket chain(www.konzum.hr/klik).

Sales

For shopping, if you're really into fashion, Zagreb is the place to go. The capital's commercial city center is packed with stores featuring major international brands, young designer boutiques and concept stores. And in the larger cities, such as Rijeka and Split, you'll find entire arteries dedicated to ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, books and stationery, souvenir stores, gourmet food stores, pharmacies, drugstores, perfumeries and art galleries. Four times a year, these large and small stores, as well as shopping centers, offer discounts (-15% on their entire range):

What's very local

Special events such as Love Shopping on Valentine's Day, Late Night Shopping (June) or St. Nicholas Shopping are festive traditions organised by traders throughout Croatia. At craft and tourist markets, haggling is not practiced at all. The advertised or displayed prices are fixed (including taxes).

Tourist traps

At roadside stands and tourist markets, beware of so-called natural olive oil sold in plastic bottles. Assured to be locally produced, they can just as easily be cut, blended or of European origin. Glass bottles with sealed caps are preferable.

Tourist markets in major coastal cities (Dubrovnik, Zadar, Split) are full of products made in China. To find the real thing, you need to look at local crafts and sort through the stalls.