Traveling to Croatia soon? Plan your trip carefully and get yourself a local sim card on arrival. Don't get fooled by slow overseas data roaming or get stuck with high roaming charges. This is your complete guide for buying a sim card in Croatia. It is simple, fast and easy. Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per July 2022, the best 4G/5G network in Croatia, my recommendation and even info about international and e-sim cards for Croatia.
The first thing I do when arriving to a new country is buying a local prepaid sim card. As I am aiming to visit every country in the world I get to a lot of new countries constantly and therefore on Traveltomtom you can find already almost 200 prepaid sim card guide from all over the world: Europe, Istanbul, Turkey, Rome, Italy, London, UK, New York, USA, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Moscow, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Colombia, Cameroon and many more.
Flying to Zagreb? Then check out my guide for buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport ZAG.
Why buying a sim card for Croatia?
First of all to save on high roaming charges. Why waste money when operators keep on charging this stupid amount of $10 a day for internet abroad. Secondly, did you know that your data speed is reduced! Buying a prepaid sim card for Croatia is easy, fast and cheap!
I am sure your hotel or Airbnb provides free WiFi and so do restaurants and bars in popular tourist destinations in Croatia. In fact the free public WiFi is pretty good in Croatia, but... as soon as you go off the beaten path for example when on a road trip, into the national parks, waterfalls or on a ferry or sailing boat, there is NO WiFi.
Yep being disconnected for a bit is awesome, but also highly inconvenient when traveling. What about ordering a taxi through an app, finding directions on Google Maps or searching for a restaurant nearby with good reviews, finding your friends in a city, etc. Just like in normal life, being connected to the internet makes traveling so much easier and more convenient.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends a T-Mobile sim card for traveling in Croatia. For $15 you get unlimited data for 1 week and the T-Mobile 4G/5G network is by far the best in Croatia.
You can also consider buying a sim card for Croatia online before your trip. You can already get 20 GB data for $49.90 USD. Check out my comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling in 2022 and chose the one that fits your trip. That said, have you heard about e-sim cards already?
E-sim cards for Croatia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling abroad in 2022 is an e-sim card. Forget about visiting a store and swapping sim cards, you can all arrange it online in just a couple clicks with an electronic sim card. Order one, get a code, apply settings and you are all set! Check out the following Croatia e-sim card deals:
- 1 GB data for 7 days = $5 USD
- 3 GB data for 30 days = $10 USD
- 5 GB data for 30 days = $15 USD
Click here to directly order an e-sim card for Croatia online or find more info.
Another great alternative is to order your physical sim card for Croatia online before. You can already get 10 GB data + unlimited calls/text in all of Europe for less than $30. Click here to order this Croatia sim card or check out all the deals. This international sim card will be shipped to your home address before your trip.
Croatia sim cards and free EU roaming
Although Croatia is part of the EU (not Schengen) there should be no roaming costs if you already have a sim card from Italy, Denmark, Sweden, UK, Germany for example. The other way around when buying a prepaid sim card for Croatia and traveling onwards to other European countries you should be able to use your data at no extra costs as well. But be aware that there are limitations. Therefore I always recommend everyone to ask about free roaming in Europe when buying a sim card in Croatia.
I can already tell you though that Croatia sim cards are NOT the best idea for traveling in Europe! Check out my article about the best Europe sim card for tourists in 2022 and I tell you everything you need to know how to stay connected during your Europe trip. Or check my guide for buying a local sim card in Europe with all my tips for when you are traveling to Europe and wondering which prepaid sim card to buy.
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Mobile internet operators Croatia
There are three mobile internet operators in Croatia: T-Mobile Croatia, A1 Croatia and TELE2 Croatia. All three providers offer Croatia prepaid sim cards for tourists.
Where to buy a Croatia sim card in 2022
The best places to buy a prepaid sim card for Croatia are in the city centers of any big tourist destination and city. T-Mobile, A1 and TELE2 all have shops in Zagreb, Zadar, Pula, Dubrovnik, Split, etc. The Croatia sim card deals you find at the international airports are more expensive, but more convenient.
When in the city use Google Maps to determine the nearest mobile internet shop by just typing in the by you preferred mobile internet provider in the search bar.
Zagreb Airport
At Zagreb Airport they only sell TELE2 prepaid sim cards and A1 prepaid sim cards. Click here to read my complete guide for buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport in 2022.
Split, Dubrovnik and Zadar Airport
I have done research online about buying a sim card at these airports in Croatia and found out that every airport sells the same prepaid sim cards in the Tisak convenience stores, like at Zagreb Airport. They don’t sell T-Mobile Croatia sim cards at the airports, only TELE2 and A1.
Convenience stores / gas stations
In Croatia it is NOT necessary to bring your passport when buying a prepaid sim card. The sim cards are not registered on your name. This makes it possible to buy a prepaid sim card for Croatia in the bigger convenience stores: Tisak, INA and Hrvatska Posta as well as in gas stations on the bigger toll roads. The sim cards you buy here are self service and you will need to activate them yourself. I don't recommend this to tourists traveling to Croatia.
Best Croatia mobile network in 2022
Not only the price is important to determine what is the best prepaid sim card in Croatia. The strength of the mobile network is just as important. Therefore I had a look at the 4G/5G networks coverage maps for Croatia.
Is there 5G in Croatia?
Yes, there is 5G in Croatia and it is pretty good as per July 2022. When I was traveling in Croatia in July 2022 myself I mostly enjoyed a 5G signal in the famous tourist destinations in Croatia.
T-Mobile 4G/5G network coverage map
A1 4G/5G network coverage map
TELE2 4G/5G network coverage map
From the above coverage maps we can clearly see that T-Mobile has the best network in Croatia in 2022. TELE2 and A1 are not far behind though and also perfectly cover all the tourist destinations in Croatia.
That said when you go sailing in Croatia the best prepaid sim card for tourists is T-Mobile because it has the strongest network around the islands.
Prices prepaid sim card Croatia in 2022
All the below prices are up to date as per July 2022. You can find links to the providers website for the latest information on their Croatia sim card deals.
T-mobile Croatia prepaid sim card
T-Mobile Croatia has a special prepaid sim card for tourists. It costs 85 HRK ($14) and comes with unlimited data + 5 HRK calling credit. This bundle is only valid in Croatia! You can also opt for a daily data package, see the picture below.
On top of that T-Mobile Croatia offers the following data bundles to top up with. Or you can top up again after one week with the same 80 HRK bundle with unlimited internet as mentioned above. For the latest T-Mobile Croatia sim card deals check their website in the link.
TELE2 Croatia prepaid sim card
When buying a TELE2 Croatia prepaid sim card you only have 1 choice.
- 67 HRK ($11) = 10 GB data + 200 minutes or sms + 10 KN credit - valid 30 days.
The above packages is ONLY valid in Croatia, there is NO EU roaming included. For the latest TELE2 sim card deals for tourists check their website in the link.
A1 Croatia prepaid sim card
They sell two different A1 Croatia prepaid sim cards.
- 80 HRK ($13) = Unlimited data + 100 minutes/sms - valid for 7 days.
Also for this tourist sim card counts that minutes and data are only valid in Croatia, there is NO EU roaming included. For the latest A1 sim card deals check the A1 Hrvatska website in the link.
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Best prepaid Croatia sim card in 2022
After comparing all the Croatia sim cards for tourists I come to the following conclusions:
- Croatia prepaid sim cards are pretty expensive.
- However weekly/daily packages makes them very flexible.
- TELE2 has the best value for money.
- TELE2 has the weakest network.
- A1 and T-Mobile both have a Croatia sim card with unlimited data.
- A1 includes some calling minutes in their short term visitors package.
- There is NO data roaming in the EU included.
T-Mobile is the best sim card in Croatia in 2022!
Prices for sim cards are kind of similar and T-Mobile has by far the best network! For $14 you get unlimited data + $1 calling credit when buying a T-Mobile sim card. A1 offers a similar package and is a good Croatia sim card for tourists as well.
Buy a sim card for Croatia online
In case Croatia is part of your Europe trip then I won’t recommend you to buy a Croatia prepaid sim card, because of its limited EU roaming. Have a look at the following European sim card deals, all including free roaming in Europe:
1. Orange Holiday ZEN - $29.90
- 8 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 30 minutes worldwide
- 200 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
2. Three PAYG AIO15 - $29.90
- 10 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- Valid 30 days
3. Three PAYG AIO20 - $39.90
- 12 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- Valid 30 days
4. Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 20 GB data
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe
- 120 minutes worldwide
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
Click here to directly order one of the above international sim cards for traveling in Croatia or see more offers and information. These pre-activated sim cards will be shipped to your home address before your trip. Personally I would recommend the last two options above: Three or Orange.
Also another reminder that you can also order an e-sim card for Croatia online or click on the link for more info.
I hope all the above tips for buying a sim card in Croatia were helpful for your upcoming trip. Let me know if you have any more questions and I am more than happy to help you out, also with Croatia travel tips.
Curious what it looks like trying to visit every country in the world? Go check out my Instagram account @traveltomtom and follow along. As of July 2022 I have visited more than 135 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Croatia!
Some links in this article about the best Croatia sim card are affiliate links. If you buy any of the products after using the outgoing links I’ll earn a small commission. Don’t worry this is at no extra cost to you, but I have the duty to inform you. Thank you for your understanding!
