Flying to Zagreb soon and planning your Croatia trip? Don't let slow overseas data roaming plans or high roaming charges ruin your Croatia holiday. Buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport is easy, getting an e-sim card for Croatia even easier. This is a complete guide for buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport on arrival. Find out where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per August 2023, my recommendation, a YouTube video of my arrival, the best e-sim cards for Croatia, information about European sim cards and international sim cards for Croatia and more.
Being connected to the internet is part of our lives these days and therefore the first thing I do when arriving to a new country is buying a local prepaid sim card. As I am aiming to travel to every country in the world I already wrote more than 200 sim card guide from all over the world: Milan Airport, Geneva Airport, Venice Airport, Budapest Airport, New York JFK Airport, Istanbul Airport, Dubai Airport, London Heathrow, but also countries like: Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Thailand, Malaysia, Egypt, South Africa and so on.
So if you are planning your next adventure abroad come check out Traveltomtom for the latest prepaid sim card and e-sim card advice for your destination. Bookmark this website!
Interested in what is the best Croatia sim card for tourists in 2023? Then click on this link for a comparison of the best prepaid and e-sim cards for Croatia.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying an T-Mobile prepaid sim card at Zagreb Airport. It is very easy, but keep in mind that EU roaming is NOT included and sim cards are only valid in Croatia.
Are you traveling to more countries on your trip to Europe? Check out our review and comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling in 2023. These sim cards can be ordered online and get shipped to your home address before your trip or get the e-sim card option.
When swapping sim cards and changing phone numbers is not your thing then you want to order an e-sim card for Croatia. You can also find amazing e-sim cards for traveling in Europe on the internet. Check my list of the best ones for 2023 in the link.
Best e-sim cards for Croatia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling to Zagreb in 2023 is an e-sim card. No more visiting a sim card store and no more swapping sim cards! You can arrange everything online in just a couple clicks. Order an e-sim card for Croatia, receive a QR code, scan it, follow the steps and be connected in just 2 minutes.
Check out the following e-sim card deals for Croatia:
- 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 a Croatia e-sim card online.
The above e-sim cards for Croatia from Cronet are data-only and calling and texting is not supported. The Cronet e-sim cards operate on the 4G/5G network of Telemach Croatia.
If you are looking for e-sim cards that support calls and sms AND support EU roaming then have a look at international e-sim cards for traveling to Croatia. The following esim cards are valid all over Europe and many more countries:
- 10 GB data + $2 calling credit for 30 days = $24.90 USD
- 8 GB data + unlimited calls & sms for 14 days = $29.90 USD
- 20 GB data + unlimited calls & sms for 14 days = $49.90 USD
Click here to order an international e-sim card for traveling to Croatia.
Make sure your phone is e-sim compatible before ordering an e-sim card for Croatia. Also if your phone is locked an e-sim card won't work on your phone either. To make sure your phone is unlocked contact your mobile internet provider in your home country.
You can also order physical prepaid sim cards for Croatia on the internet, especially for those that have a phone that is not e-sim compatible. You can get 10 GB data for 1 month for traveling in Europe for less than $30 USD. Click here to see all the online international prepaid sim cards for Croatia.
Croatia sim cards and traveling in Europe
Although Croatia is an EU country and officially part of Schengen since January 2023 there is no free EU roaming included in Croatia prepaid sim cards for tourists. Data is only valid in Croatia and that is a bummer for people traveling onwards in Europe. In case Croatia is your first stop on your Europe trip this is bad news, but don't worry.
Are you traveling around Europe then look into my guide for the best sim cards for traveling in Europe in 2023. If you want to know more about free EU data roaming then check out my guide for buying a local prepaid sim card on arrival in Europe in 2023.
Zagreb Airport
Zagreb Airport ZAG is a new and beautiful airport and super easy to navigate. There aren't that many intercontinental flights that arrive here, most of the arriving flights come from within Europe. The airport is very small and there is only one Arrival Hall.
Getting lost at Zagreb International Airport (ZAG) is impossible!
Where to buy a sim card at Zagreb Airport
When you walk out of arrivals you will see that everything is very easy going at Zagreb Airport and there are only some car rental booths, a Nero coffee shop, an exchange office, an information center and a little convenience store. The convenience store is called Tisak and this is where you can buy prepaid sim cards for traveling in Croatia.
In case the Tisak shop in the Arrival Hall is closed or sold out head upstairs with the escalators and you will end up in the Departure Hall where you will see another Tisak Media shop that sells the exact same products.
If you want to know what it looks like arriving at Zagreb Airport and buying a sim card, then check out my vlog below.
Prices Croatia sim cards Zagreb Airport in 2023
In previous years they only used to sell Telemach and A1 prepaid sim cards at Zagreb Airport, but T-Mobile finally joined. And you can buy prepaid sim cards from all 3 mobile internet providers at Zagreb Airport. Luckily, because in my article about the best sim cards for traveling in Croatia in 2023 Traveltomtom rated T-Mobile as the best sim card for Croatia.
Prices for prepaid sim cards at Zagreb Airport are the same as in all of Croatia. No tourist prices, so it does not matter if you buy your sim card for Croatia in an official sim card shop in the city center of Zagreb or in the convenience store at Zagreb Airport.
The difference is that when buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport you will need to fix the settings yourself, but with most phones the sim cards are plug and play. There is obviously much more service in an official retail store of one of the internet providers.
Prices and info below are updated in August 2023. Prices are in Euros: $1 USD = €0.91 EUR and €1 EUR = $1.10 USD.
Telemach Croatia
- 10 GB data + 200 minutes + €1.33 credit for 30 days = €9.95 EUR
- Unlimited data for 10 days = €9.95 EUR
The Telemach prepaid sim card is only valid in Croatia and NOT in the EU. There is NO free EU roaming with the above Croatia prepaid sim cards
A1 Croatia
- Unlimited data + 100 minutes for 10 days = €10 EUR
All of the Telemach credit is only valid in Croatia and NOT in the EU. NO free EU roaming available.
T-Mobile Croatia
- Unlimited data for 10 days = €11.49 EUR
Same for T-Mobile prepaid sim cards: data valid only in Croatia. No free EU data roaming included.
Best sim card at Zagreb Airport in 2023
The conclusion for buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport is the same as my conclusion for the best sim card for Croatia. Prices are more or less the same, the big difference is the mobile data network coverage. As T-Mobile has by far the best 4G/5G network in Croatia it is regarded the best sim card for Croatia and thus for Zagreb. See for more info my article about buying a sim card for Croatia in 2023.
Order a sim card for Croatia online
If you are traveling onwards to Europe, your prepaid Croatia sim card is useless as they do NOT include free EU data roaming. You will need to buy another sim card in the next country. But don't worry there are also international prepaid sim cards for Europe that cover all of the European Union.
Check out the following sim cards for traveling in Croatia and Europe:
Three Data Pack 10 GB - $24.90
- 10 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe and UK
- Valid 30 days
Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 20 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- Unlimited calls/sms in Europe and UK
- 120 minutes worldwide
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
Three PAYG MBB 12 GB - $59.90
- 12 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- Valid for 1 year
Three PAYG MBB 24 GB - $79.90
- 12 GB data in all of Europe and UK
- Valid for 2 years
The above international prepaid sim cards are pre-activated and will be shipped to your home address before your trip.
Click here to order an international prepaid sim card for Europe directly online.
Personally, before using e-sim cards I used the Orange Holiday Europe sim card for tourists a lot and it always worked perfectly.
Also another reminder that you can arrange everything online by simply ordering an e-sim card for Zagreb. Order a Croatia data-only e-sim card through this link or get yourself an international e-sim card including calls for all of Europe.
How to get from Zagreb Airport to Zagreb city center
Apart from an expensive taxi you can also take the bus to Zagreb from ZAG airport. There are two different busses, a local one and a direct tourist bus. The local bus leaves every 35 minutes from the main street, about 3 minutes walk away from the airport and costs €1 EUR. It is cheap but takes a while to get into the city and only drives till Kvaternikov Square. There is also Uber and Bolt in Zagreb.
More convenient is the direct tourist bus that leaves every 30 minutes just outside the arrivals hall. This bus costs €4 EUR and goes directly to the central bus station in Zagreb.
I hope all the above tips for buying a sim card for traveling in Croatia at Zagreb Airport were helpful. In case you have any additional questions please leave me a comment below 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 August 2023 I have visited more than 155 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Zagreb!