croatia – Optimise Travel https://www.optimisetravel.com Travel Smarter Travel Cheaper Travel More Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:37:16 +0000 en-AU hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://www.optimisetravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/cropped-12-32x32.png croatia – Optimise Travel https://www.optimisetravel.com 32 32 Getting the most value from your European holiday (for Australians) https://www.optimisetravel.com/european-holiday-value/ https://www.optimisetravel.com/european-holiday-value/#respond Mon, 11 Jun 2018 05:41:18 +0000 http://www.optimisetravel.com/?p=1 Read more]]>

I used to assume a European holiday meant picking between Paris and everywhere else, and quietly accepting whichever price tag came with it.

Then I started actually checking the exchange rate before each trip, rather than after, and the picture got a lot more interesting.

Some places genuinely aren't pricier than they were a few years ago. Others have become dramatically cheaper, and it's rarely the country you'd expect.

Here's where your Australian dollar is actually working hardest in Europe right now, and why.

  • My Travel Tip: Why looking beyond the big five still pays off

It's tempting to assume the euro and the pound have both gotten more expensive for us. Checking my own currency conversions over the past few trips, that's not really true, the AUD to euro and pound rates have barely moved. 


What's changed dramatically is the alternative side of the comparison, destinations like Turkey have become so much cheaper that stepping outside the obvious five countries now delivers a genuinely bigger gap than it used to.


I only really noticed this by paying attention trip after trip, rather than assuming the picture was the same as it was a few years ago.

Table Of Contents
Central and Eastern Europe
Turkey
Serbia and North Macedonia
What about the big five?
A few things that actually make a difference
Get more from your European holiday
Frequently asked questions

Central and Eastern Europe

Prague Charles Bridge dusk

Central and Eastern Europe has been quietly good value for years, and my own experience comparing prices here against Western Europe on the same trip keeps confirming it.

What I like most isn't just the savings. Nothing about the experience feels reduced because of them. The architecture, food, and history can easily compete with cities charging considerably more.

Three places I'd consider first

  • What stays with me is how easily you can have a good night without thinking too much about the budget. A proper sit-down dinner, a couple of drinks, and a taxi back to your accommodation can still come in below what I'd expect to spend on a fairly ordinary evening in many Western European capitals.
  • Krakow: I remember walking away from a proper sit-down dinner here having spent noticeably less than a casual lunch cost me in Munich the week before. The free walking tours are excellent too, and they're a good way to get your bearings before deciding what you want to explore properly.

    Krakow's Old Town is also one of my favourite places in this part of Europe to simply grab a coffee and watch the day go by. You get that classic European square experience without paying the prices you'd expect somewhere further west.
  • The value almost becomes secondary once you're there. Accommodation goes particularly far, and I've found genuinely comfortable places to stay for less than I'd expect to pay for a budget option in much of Western Europe.
  • The bigger takeaway:

I'd choose these places because they're worth visiting, not simply because they're cheaper.


The lower daily costs just mean you can afford better accommodation, eat out more often, stay longer, or add another stop without watching the budget quite so closely.

Turkey

hot air balloons over Cappadocia at sunrise

Turkey is where the value story gets particularly interesting. The lira has weakened enormously over the past decade, and I remember being genuinely surprised the first time I did the maths properly on a Turkey trip. 

I'd expected my budget to land somewhere similar to Greece, and it went considerably further.

Istanbul alone justifies the trip, but what surprised me was how many different parts of the holiday benefited from that extra spending power.

Where you'll notice your money going further

  • Everyday spending: Meals, taxis, coffee, and markets can all feel noticeably easier on the budget than in much of Western Europe.
  • Coastal stays: Around Antalya, resorts and all-inclusive packages can offer particularly strong value if you want to add a few relaxing days to a longer trip.
  • Big experiences: Cappadocia's hot air balloon rides aren't exactly cheap, but experiences like this can be much easier to fit into the budget than you'd expect.
  • Shopping and markets: Istanbul's Grand Bazaar rewards an afternoon rather than a quick photo stop. Wandering, haggling, and getting thoroughly lost in it is half the experience.

That's what stood out to me most. Turkey didn't necessarily make me want to spend as little as possible. It gave me room to spend a little more freely without constantly feeling like the numbers were adding up against me.

  • If value is your priority:

Turkey would be one of my first choices on this list.


You can combine a major city, Mediterranean coastline, incredible food, and a bucket-list experience like Cappadocia without needing the kind of budget that combination might demand elsewhere in Europe.

Serbia and North Macedonia

Ottoman Old Bazaar at sunset

Serbia and North Macedonia are good options if you want the lower costs of the Balkans without building your whole trip around the best-known destinations.

I'll be honest, I didn't expect much from either before visiting, and both quietly outperformed that low bar.

They're the kind of places I'd add to a longer European itinerary when I wanted a few days somewhere different, affordable, and considerably less crowded.

What I'd go for

  • Belgrade: Come for the nightlife, which is far more serious than I expected, but give yourself time to explore the city during the day too. Food is hearty, portions are generous, and eating out doesn't need to become a major part of your daily budget.
  • Skopje: The combination of its Ottoman old town and slightly eccentric modern architecture makes it unlike almost anywhere else on a typical European itinerary. It's compact enough to explore without needing a huge amount of time or money.

Neither city needs to be the headline act of your trip. I actually think they work better as affordable additions to a longer Balkans route, particularly if you're travelling between Central Europe and Greece.

  • Who I'd recommend them to:

Travellers who enjoy discovering places before they've ticked off every famous European capital.


I've recommended both to friends who assumed there wasn't much worth stopping for between Vienna and Athens, and they've come back pleasantly surprised.

What about the big five?

None of this means I'd skip France, Italy, Spain, the UK, or Germany just because my money goes further elsewhere. I still go back to Italy most years, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Instead, I've changed how I build the budget around those trips.

My approach: Spend, then balance

If Rome or Paris is one of the reasons I'm going to Europe, I'll spend the money to enjoy it properly.

I'd rather book a good hotel in a location I actually want, eat the food I came for, and pay to see the things that matter to me than spend the whole time trying to make an expensive city cheap.

Then I'll balance those days with somewhere my budget naturally stretches further.

That might mean combining Vienna with Prague, Germany with Poland, or Italy with a few days further east. Suddenly, I don't need every day of a three-week holiday to operate on the same expensive daily budget.

  • The goal isn't the cheapest European holiday:

It's spending more where it genuinely improves your trip and saving money where you can do so without feeling like you're missing anything.


For me, that creates a much better holiday than choosing destinations purely by price or spending two weeks in somewhere I've always wanted to visit while worrying about every restaurant bill.

A few things that actually make a difference

A handful of small habits consistently stretch my European budget further, often more than obsessing over which country is technically the cheapest.

  • Skip the airport currency exchange. Withdraw cash once you're in the country instead, and always check the fees your bank charges before you leave.
  • Stay just outside the tourist centre. Even moving a few streets away from the busiest area can bring accommodation prices down without making sightseeing inconvenient.
  • Eat a little further from the main square. I've rarely regretted walking five or ten minutes away from the obvious tourist restaurants. Prices tend to improve, and the food often does too.
  • Check whether you actually need a transport pass. Sometimes unlimited passes are great value; other times I've realised I could have walked almost everywhere.
  • Book the expensive things early. Trains, popular attractions, and accommodation are where leaving everything until the last minute can really hurt the budget.
  • Pay in the local currency. If a card terminal offers to convert the transaction into AUD, I usually decline and let my bank handle the conversion instead.

None of these will transform an expensive trip into a cheap one, but together they leave more of the budget for the things I actually travelled to Europe to experience.

a European train platform

Get more from your European holiday

Real value in Europe right now comes from mixing it up, not necessarily avoiding the obvious names, but not stopping at them either.

The trips that have felt most generous to me weren't the ones where I chased the absolute cheapest country available.

They were the ones where I paired something classic with something that stretched the budget further, and let each part of the trip do what it does best.

If working out how to combine a big-five stop with somewhere that stretches the budget further sounds like the hard part, that's exactly what our personalised travel planning service is built for. 

Tell us what you want to see and we'll build the itinerary around it.

Frequently asked questions

Which European countries don't use the euro?

Several EU countries still use their own currency, including the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Denmark, and Sweden. Always confirm the current currency before you travel, since this can change.

Is Turkey part of Europe for travel purposes?

Yes, Istanbul in particular straddles both Europe and Asia, and Turkey is commonly included in a European itinerary. It's also one of the strongest value destinations on the continent right now.

Can you combine Western and Eastern Europe in one trip?

Yes, and it's a great way to balance the trip. Pairing a few days in a big-five destination with a stretch through Central or Eastern Europe keeps the overall cost down without giving up the classic stops.

What's the best time of year to visit Europe for value?

Shoulder season, generally spring and autumn, tends to offer the best combination of lower prices and manageable crowds across most of Europe.

Is it better to use cash or card when travelling in Europe?

Cards are widely accepted across most of Europe, but carrying some local currency is still useful for markets, small businesses, tips, and places with minimum card payments. When paying by card or withdrawing cash, choose the local currency rather than AUD to avoid potentially poor conversion rates.

]]> https://www.optimisetravel.com/european-holiday-value/feed/ 0 Why Croatia Is a Must See Destination for Australian Travellers https://www.optimisetravel.com/coast-croatia/ https://www.optimisetravel.com/coast-croatia/#respond Thu, 07 Jun 2018 09:19:51 +0000 http://www.optimisetravel.com/?p=2949 Read more]]> Optimise Travel Test – Croatia

Croatia offers plenty of options for holiday-makers, including its culture, historical buildings and national parks, as well as beautiful coastal and inland mountain resorts.

We’ve put the country through our Optimise Travel holiday destination test, and it comes up trumps.

  • Is now a good financial time to go? 

  • Is there a wide variety of interesting things to see and do? 

  • Is there a good time of year to go? 

  • How hard is it to get to and get around when you’re there? 

 

We’ll look at each one of these criteria in more detail in this article, offering you some practical tips and advice along the way.

A good financial time to go √

Current exchange rates between the Australian dollar and the Croatian kuna make Croatia a good value for money destination for Australian tourists.

As the graph below shows, the Australian dollar (AUD) will currently buy you approximately 5.17 Croatian kunas (HRK). Although you would have been able to get more than 6 kunas to the dollar 2 or 3 years ago, the Australian dollar has held up better against the kuna in recent years than against currencies like the United States dollar (USD) and the Euro (EUR).

AUD vs Croatian Kuna

Image: xe.com

A variety of interesting things to see and do √

Before we get into those, you need to get your head around the geographic layout of the country. The capital city of Croatia is Zagreb, and the country is bordered by Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Croatian is the official language in the country, but most people speak at least a little English, so the language barrier won’t be as acute as in some other countries.

Map of Croatia

Image: http://reliefweb.int

Pula Arena

This amphitheatre was built in the first century, and is the 6th largest surviving arena from the Roman Empire. It is also the best preserved historical building in Croatia, and hosts a variety of festivals and concert performances over the summer months.

Pula Arena in Croatia

http://www.houseofcoco.net/park-plaza-arena-hotel-pula-croatia/

Plitvice Lakes

Plitvice Lakes is a World Heritage-listed national park located near Croatia’s border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is particularly famous for its series of cascading lakes and their green, blue and azure watercolours. Its dense forests are home to unique flora and fauna species, including the European brown bear, eagles, owls, wolves and wild cats.

Plitvice Lakes In Croatia

Image: https://acoupledetours.files.wordpress.com

Hvar

   Hvar is a Croatian island town located in the Adriatic Sea, off the Dalmatian coast near the city of Split. It is home to some of Croatia’s more upmarket resorts, and is known for its sunny weather, beaches and harbour.

Hvar in Croatia

Image: http://www.suncanihvar.com

Zlatni Rat Beach

This much-photographed and popular beach, also off the coast of the city of Split, is surrounded by pine trees and is typically lined in summer with sunbeds. It is ideal for water sports activities such as wind-surfing and kayaking.

Zlatni Rat Beach in Croatia

Image: http://stuffpoint.com

Korčula

Korčula is also an island town located off the coast of Split. There you can stroll and explore its centuries-old stone buildings, medieval walls and towers on car-free stone alleys. You can also visit Marco Polo House, the birthplace of the famous 13th-century explorer.

korcula Sunset In Croatia

Image: http://i.uniline.hr

Dubrovnik

Nicknamed “the pearl of the Atlantic”, the city of Dubrovnik in the south is one of Croatia’s most prominent tourist attractions. It is a walled city, and the stunning architecture of its churches, monasteries and museums are its most striking feature. Besides walking the streets to take its history in, a great way to view the city as a whole and its neighbouring islands in the Adriatic Sea is via aerial cable car. In addition, the ‘old city’ was used in filming the HBO TV series Game of Thrones.

  Old town, dubrovnik, Croatia

Image: http://www.valamar.com

 

A good time of year to go √

Being located in the northern hemisphere, Croatia’s seasons occur at the opposite time to Australia’s. Its weather is much cooler than in Australia, with average summer temperatures of 18°C and -3°C in winter. Coastal areas are warmer than inland areas.

You can expect holiday destinations and accommodation within Croatia to be more crowded and expensive during school holiday times. Approximate Croatian school holiday dates are as follows:

Christmas: 24 December 2015 to 8 January 

Spring:       21 March 2016 to 28 March 2016

Summer:   13 June 2016 to 31 August 2016

Autumn:     5 September 2016 to 9 September 2016

 

Getting there and getting around while you’re there √

There are regular flights to Zagreb (the capital and largest city in Croatia) from most capital cities in Australia. It’s a long flight, taking approximately 24 hours from the east coast of Australia, based on one quick stopover at a connecting flight destination along the way (such as in Abu Dhabi, Bangkok or Dubai). Connecting flights are common for such a long journey. Your total travel time will obviously be affected by the length of any stopovers, so you should plan accordingly.

Within Croatia, there are airports in each of its major cities. Flights between cities are relatively short by Australian standards. For example, a flight between Zagreb in the north of the country and Dubrovnik (popular tourist destination in the far south) only takes about an hour.

 

Is it safe?

The Australian government’s official advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is that Australians should exercise normal safety precautions when travelling in Croatia. As you should in any international country, pay close attention to your personal security and belongings.

You should also talk to your doctor about appropriate vaccines and preventative medicines before you go. In addition to the routine vaccines, for Croatia, you should prevent your chances of contracting any of the following diseases –hepatitis A/B and rabies.

 

Please Share your Croatian tips, tricks and stories in the comments section so that others can benefit on their travels!

*We aim to provide up to date content and information. If any information provided is no longer correct then please email us at optimisetravelaustralia@gmail.com or post in the comments section

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