Being Black in Croatia | Afro Review
Can I be honest with you for a sec?
As you could probably already tell, I’m huge on traveling. I’ve been to 17 different countries in the last year alone.
But Croatia? I had no idea where I was supposed to find that country on a map, let alone know what to expect.
So as you can imagine, ya boy was surprised when I found out that Croatia has some of the most beautiful landscapes you could expect in Europe.
Lofty mountains, crystal blue pebble beaches, majestic waterfalls, and countless islands.
That wasn’t even the biggest surprise! It was actually the warmth of the people (and it was my favorite part of the trip!).
Being Black in Croatia definitely had a unique flavor to it. People weren’t expecting to see a kid like me out there.
We spent 9 days in Croatia road tripping from Zagreb to Dubrovnik— In that time, I took note of the country’s demographics, safety, costs, entertainment options, and a few other aspects just for you!
Taking all those into account, Croatia received 4.5 out of 5 Fros on the Fro Rating Scale!
Keep reading to get all the details of how I came up with that score!
PEOPLE & CITY DEMOGRAPHICS - 5 FROS
PEOPLE & CITY DEMOGRAPHICS - 5 FROS
My numero uno favorite aspect of Croatia, hands down, was the personality of the people.
In all of my European travels, Croatians have been the easiest locals to talk to, specifically in Zagreb.
Before arriving, I had literally no expectations on what Croatia’s social culture was like.
When we were planning the trip, I was just wondering…
“Are people shy or bold?”
“Are they direct or indirect?”
“Is they racist or nah?”
I’m not gonna lie, during our travels, I did get a whole lot of hardcore stares.
Nothing sinister, just stares of curiosity which I’m already used to at this point. But even my friends— white American and Indian— both noted several times that most of the stares were directed at me specifically.
Which also ain’t nothing new.
These stares weren’t as intense as the ones I got in India.
But once conversations started popping off, I realized that Croatians were some of the more open-minded and conversational people that I’ve met in Europe.
This caught me a little off guard because all of this was during COVID, so I’d expected people to be more reserved and guarded towards us newcomers and tourists.
BUT also because of COVID, and my being American, people were super skeptical about how I traveled there.
The trick is….. I live in the Netherlands 🙂
Check out my post on Travel During COVID where I talk more about what the state of travel has been like in Europe during these hectic times.
COVID in America came up a lot during my convos with Croatians. But another American illness was brought up just as much as the virus.
Racism!
BEING BLACK IN CROATIA
BEING BLACK IN CROATIA
I was in Croatia during the peak of the protests around the world after the George Floyd murder by American police.
And everybody was watching! Not only watching— people all over the world were emboldened to fight racism and police brutality in their own countries.
Alright, so I’ve got a story time just for this:
We were at a Sunday morning antique market in Zagreb when I stopped in on a handmade quilts stall.
I started chatting with an older Croatian dude (about 60 years old) and my nationality was brought up.
We agreed that America is on fire right now. I completely agreed even though I can never tell if people are talking about COVID or racism anymore.
Anyways, this guy almost had a freudian slip.
He said “I hate what’s going on in America! It’s terrible what they’re doing to nig……. to black people! I stand with you. America must go down!”
He was so close to slipping and saying niggers or negroes, and caught himself halfway through the word. For what it’s worth, I appreciated that he cared enough to modify it before blurting it out.
It’s clear that if I wasn’t Black then he would have no issue saying that. I’m sure that’s how he typically refers to Black people.
And unpopular opinion: this wouldn’t make him a bad person.
I try to stay aware of the fact that every country has a different history with racial relations and Croatians have a very different one than America.
Either way, he was socially aware enough to change up mid-word, even though I may be the first Black American he’s spoken to in months.
I know that because there were very few Black people in Croatia. So few that my friend would point them out every time she saw one.
But overall, I respected his message and sign of solidarity. An American revolution is far past due for sure.
Treatment & Service - 4 Fros
We honestly ate at like four Michelin star restaurants so I can’t even genuinely talk on service. Of course, you get treated top-notch when you’re pitching out $100 for a meal.
But whenever we made unplanned stops at random restaurants, we also got treated well. Way better than in the Netherlands at least.
Europe has a reputation of having pretty shitty restaurant service because tips aren’t a major part of waiters’ income.
But, Croatia had good service and being there as a foreigner probably only made it better, because they know tourists are there to spend that money.
I’ll just say, they weren’t as good as Italy, but they were better than most European countries.
Aside from restaurants, there is not much noteworthy about the treatment I received from Croatian establishments.
I feel like I got treated as everyone else and that’s all a kid can ask for.
Safety - 4.5 Fros
We always felt very safe in Croatia. We road tripped and spent time in Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik.
We hiked through a few national parks, did some island hopping and drove ATVs through the mountains.
We stopped at random restaurants and rest stops in the middle of nowhere and never even slightly felt out of place or unsafe. Not even when we were cliff diving with strangers into the Adriatic sea.
We didn’t feel out of place during any excursions.
We spent a couple nights out drinking and bar hopping in Zagreb and Split, and people were always extremely friendly.
We even made a few friends to potentially meet up with later, which is one of the best parts of travel, don’t ya agree?
Cost to Visit - 4.5 Fros
The financial side is definitely an advantage to visiting Croatia. You can have a super budget vacation in the Mediterranean if you’re shooting for it.
Croatia’s currency is the kuna, and one Euro is about 7.50 kunas.
And at non-fancy restaurants, you can get a solid and authentic Croatian meal for 70 – 100 kunas. About 10 bucks more or less. INCLUDING an appetizer!
We definitely didn’t have a budget vacation and balled out at several restaurants.
But do as I say, not as I do.
Tourist attractions were pretty normally priced though. We did a Game of Thrones tour (a lot of GOT was shot in Dubrovnik) and it was about 25 bucks per person.
Which I suppose for a Targarian is a steal!
Most other attractions like the Museum of Broken Relationships and the City Wall tour were about the same price too! And honestly, that’s good compared to what some other touristy places might charge.
Food - 3.5 Fros
The food in Croatia is decent, but not mind blowing (in my own humble opinion). Seafood is the name of the game there and they do it well.
I had several dishes that hit just right, but I had a handful of underwhelming meals too.
Black risotto was the most unique dish that I enjoyed. It has a very distinct and bold flavor to it that I can’t say I’ve had before.
We went to Restaurant 360 which stands on the city walls in Dubrovnik with a beautiful view of the city. It is, of course, a Michelin star spot.
We coughed up a pretty penny, but we got about 7 or 8 courses that were super tiny in portion, and by the end we were stuffed.
I have to say the dishes there were amazing. Explosions of flavor in my mouth hole with every bite. They describe each dish in detail before you eat it, which you could say is helpful… but it gets a little annoying by the 5th dish.
Truthfully though, I expect to enjoy a fancy restaurant like that. But aside from the fancy restaurants, the food was satisfactory.
Weather - 3.5 Fros
We went to Croatia in July and… it was blazing!!
Some people tan, but ya boy chargrills. And by the end of that trip I was roasted from that Mediterranean sun.
But that’s what you expect from a coastal summer vacation!
This also depends on what part of Croatia you’re in though.
Zagreb is further north and gets to freezing temperatures in the winter. And Dubrovnik in the south is blazing in the summer, but relatively mild in the winter.
It never gets too cold in the southern Mediterranean which makes parts of Croatia a good destination year round.
Transportation - 4.5 Fros
We rented a car for our road trip through Croatia, but I wish we hadn’t because all of the cities that we visited were extremely walkable.
Zagreb uses a lot of trams which is the main mode of transportation, and they’re cheap to ride. But I ended up opting to stroll the cities by foot.
Whenever we got sick of walking we’d call an uber and they were always super reliable and cheap. There are also many taxis still patrolling the streets of Dubrovnik.
Pro-tip: Unless you want a vacation deep in the mountains, I recommend staying close to the city centers so you can just walk everywhere you want to go. Everything you’ll need will be within walking distance.
Overall - 4.5 Fros
Considering the city’s demographics, safety, cost to visit, service, transportation, and weather, Croatia got an amazing 4.5 out of 5 Fros on the Fro Rating Scale!
Croatia is a geographically and demographically beautiful nation that I can’t wait to visit again. There’s so much there to see that I didn’t get the chance to explore this time around.
I recommend visiting Croatia to anybody!
It’s also a great country to visit solo. I know from experience because all of my couple of solo missions in Croatia always ended with me having a new friend.
The nature in this country is incredible from the lofty mountains to the cliffside beaches and countless islands.
If you need any more motivation to visit, peep my Croatia travel video where we wander through the country hitting all the most incredible and mesmerizing spots.
Being black is a truly unique experience for every single person and it can’t be captured by just one person’s experience abroad.
We’re an extremely diverse group of people with distinct looks and personalities. If you’ve been to Croatia then you have your own story to tell, and you deserve to tell it.
What was your experience being black in Croatia like? If you’ve been, let me know in the comments section.
And while you’re at it, you can check out the rest of my Afro Reviews here!
Ya boi,
Zekarias
