Flying to Zagreb soon and planning your Croatia trip? Don't forget to get yourself a local sim card in Croatia. Slow overseas data roaming packages or high roaming costs can ruin your trip. This is your guide for buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport on arrival with where to buy a sim card, up to date prices as per October 2022, my recommendation, a YouTube video of my arrival and even information about European sim cards and e-sim cards for Croatia.
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, 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 advice. Bookmark this website!
Interested in what is the best Croatia sim card for tourists in 2022? Then click on this link for a comparison of all the available prepaid sim cards in Croatia compared to what you can get at Zagreb Airport.
My recommendation
Traveltomtom recommends buying an A1 prepaid sim card at Zagreb Airport. However, the best prepaid sim card in Croatia is T-Mobile, but they don't sell them at Zagreb Airport.
We also recommend looking into travel sim cards. Check out our review and comparison of the best international sim cards for traveling in 2022. These sim cards can be ordered online and get shipped to your home address before your trip.
When swapping sim cards and changing phone numbers is not your thing then you want an e-sim card for Croatia, trust me!
E-sim card for Croatia
The easiest way to stay connected when traveling abroad in 2022 is an e-sim card. No more visiting a store, no more swapping sim cards, you can all arrange it online in just a couple clicks. 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 or find more info.
You can also still order physical sim cards for Croatia online. You can get 10 GB data for 1 month in Europe for $30 USD. Click here to see all the online Croatia sim card deals online.
Croatia sim cards and traveling in Europe
Although Croatia is an EU country and roaming charges don’t apply for Europe, always ask if you can use your data abroad when buying a Croatia sim card. In case Croatia is your first stop on your Europe trip I have bad news for you...
Croatia sim cards for tourists do often NOT included free roaming in the EU. Are you traveling all over Europe then you want to look into my article about the best sim cards for traveling in Europe in 2022. Want to know more about free EU data roaming then check out my guide for buying a sim card in Europe in 2022.
Zagreb Airport
ZAG Airport is a new and beautiful airport and super easy to navigate. There aren't that many intercontinental flights that arrive here, most of them 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 Croatia 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 store is called Tisak and this is where you can buy a prepaid sim card for Croatia.
In case the Tisak shop in the Arrival Hall is closed or sold out head upstairs with the escalators on our right and you will end up in the Departure Hall where you will see another Tisak Media shop that sells the exact same products.
Prices Croatia sim cards Zagreb Airport in 2022
There are only two Croatia prepaid sim cards for sale at Zagreb Airport: TELE2 and A1. Unfortunately you can not buy a T-Mobile prepaid sim card at Zagreb Airport, as it is the best prepaid sim card for Croatia in 2022.
TELEMACH Croatia prepaid sim card
- 20 GB data + 200 minutes - valid 1 month = 75 HRK ($10 USD)
- UNLIMITED data - valid for 1 month = 80 HRK ($11 USD)
All of the TELEMACH credit 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 prepaid sim card
- Unlimited data + 70 minutes - valid 7 days = 80 HRK ($11 USD)
All of the TELE2 credit is only valid in Croatia and NOT in the EU. NO free EU roaming available.
Best Croatia sim card Zagreb Airport in 2022
As there are only two sim cards for Croatia available at Zagreb Airport it is not hard to find the best one for tourists. But it all comes down how long you will stay in Croatia for:
- Staying just for 1 week or less then: A1 is the best prepaid sim card at Zagreb Airport.
- Staying longer than 7 days: TELE2 is the best prepaid sim card for Croatia at Zagreb Airport.
Check out my vlog about my arrival and buying a sim card at Zagreb Airport below.
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Best 4G/5G network in Croatia in 2022
There is also T-Mobile Croatia, but you can't buy a T-Mobile sim card at Zagreb Airport. Unfortunately! Because T-Mobile has by far the best 4G/5G network in Croatia. For road trips and island hopping trips T-Mobile is the best prepaid sim card for Croatia in 2022. Check for more info my complete guide in the link.
Buy a Croatia sim card online
If you are traveling onwards to Europe, your prepaid Croatia sim card is useless as they do NOT include FREE EU data roaming, and you will need to buy another one again in the next country. But don't worry there are Europe sim cards that cover all of the European Union. Check out the following deals:
1. Orange Holiday ZEN - $29.90
- 8 GB data
- Unlimited calls in Europe
- 30 minutes worldwide
- Unlimited sms in Europe
- 200 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
2. Three PAYG AIO15 - $29.90
- 10 GB data
- Unlimited calls within Europe
- Unlimited sms within Europe
- Valid 30 days
3. Three PAYG AIO20 - $39.90
- 12 GB data
- Unlimited calls within Europe
- Unlimited sms within Europe
- Valid 30 days
4. Orange Holiday Europe - $49.90
- 20 GB data
- Unlimited calls in Europe
- 120 minutes worldwide
- Unlimited sms in Europe
- 1,000 sms worldwide
- Valid 14 days
The above sim cards are pre-activated and will be shipped to your home address before your trip. Click here to order one of the above European sim card deals directly online. Another reminder that you can also order an e-sim card for Croatia online.
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 8 Kuna ($1,10). 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 30 Kuna ($4) 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 October 2022 I have visited more than 140 countries, so still a long way to go.
Enjoy your trip to Croatia!
