Zagreb

Croatia's capital, known for the classic Stone Gate and colourful tiled roof of St Mark's Church in the Upper Town, the world-famous Museum of Broken Relationships, an Advent market repeatedly voted Europe's best, and Medvednica mountain just outside the city.

Zagreb is Croatia's capital and largest city, set at the southern foot of Medvednica mountain on the north bank of the Sava River. Its inland continental climate gives it a very different feel from the resort atmosphere of the coast. The city has three parts: the hilltop Upper Town (formed from the merger of the old towns of Gradec and Kaptol), with St Mark's Church, the Stone Gate, the cathedral and several museums; the Lower Town below, centred on Ban Jelačić Square, where Lenuci's green horseshoe of parks links the theatre, galleries and the botanical garden; and New Zagreb south of the Sava, a modern residential area. The city is very walkable – two days covers the main sights, with an extra day for Samobor, Medvednica or Trakošćan Castle. May–Sep is warm and pleasant, with open-air music in summer; in December the Advent market, repeatedly voted Europe's best Christmas market, is wonderfully lively. Getting there: Franjo Tuđman Airport is about 17 km from the city, and the airport bus takes about 30 minutes to the main bus station; trains and buses connect to Ljubljana, Vienna and Budapest, and the Plitvice Lakes are about 2 hours' drive away. The city has an extensive tram network. Note: Croatia uses the euro, and some buildings are still being restored after the 2020 earthquake.

Top sights

• St. Mark's Church – A Gothic church whose roof is patterned with colored tiles showing the coats of arms of Croatia and Zagreb. It is the postcard image of Zag…
• Zagreb Cathedral – One of the tallest buildings in Croatia. Its neo-Gothic twin spires are the landmark of Zagreb's skyline.
• Museum of Broken Relationships – Displays mementos of breakups donated by people around the world, each with a story attached. It was once named Europe's most creative muse…
• Dolac Market – A red-umbrella open-air market beside the main square. It is the 'stomach of the city,' where Zagreb residents shop for groceries and grab…
• Stone Gate – The only surviving medieval gate of Upper Town, where a Madonna icon that survived a great fire is enshrined, and a small chapel keeps cand…
• Ban Jelačić Square – Zagreb's central square, where the equestrian statue of Ban Jelačić and the Mančuševac fountain serve as the city's favorite meeting points.
• Tkalčićeva Street – A pedestrian street built on a filled-in river channel, lined with brightly painted old houses full of cafés and bars.
• Ilica – Zagreb's longest and busiest shopping street, stretching about 6 kilometers west from Ban Jelačić Square, with trams running down its cente…
• Mirogoj Cemetery – Often called one of Europe's most beautiful cemeteries, with arcades of Neo-Renaissance design covered in ivy that stretch for hundreds of…
• Lotrščak Tower & Zagreb Funicular – A 13th-century city defense tower that fires a cannon every day at noon, next to one of the world's shortest public funiculars.
• Strossmayer Promenade – A shaded viewing promenade along the southern edge of Upper Town, overlooking the rooftops of Lower Town, with summer concerts and food sta…
• Grič Tunnel – An air-raid tunnel dug into the hill beneath Upper Town during World War II, now a free pedestrian passage.
• Zagreb 360° – A circular observation deck on the top floor of the Ilica skyscraper beside Ban Jelačić Square, offering 360-degree views of Upper Town, th…
• Croatian Museum of Naïve Art – One of the world's earliest museums of naïve art, with reverse-glass paintings from the Hlebine school.
• Mimara Museum – A general art museum founded on the donations of collector Ante Topić Mimara, with collections ranging from ancient Egypt to European maste…
• Croatian National Theatre – A bright yellow Neo-Baroque theater completed in 1895, one of Zagreb's most photogenic buildings.
• Lenuci Horseshoe & Zrinjevac – Seven interconnected squares and parks forming a U-shaped band through Lower Town. Zrinjevac and the Art Pavilion are the main venues for t…
• Botanical Garden of Zagreb – An English-style garden at the southern end of the horseshoe of parks, with a water lily pond, a Japanese footbridge, and thousands of plan…
• Museum of Arts and Crafts – A museum of applied arts showcasing Croatian furniture, glass, clocks, and design from the Middle Ages to the present.
• Nikola Tesla Technical Museum – A technology museum named after Tesla, with his electrical demonstrations, a mine model, and a planetarium.
• Zagreb City Museum – A city history museum in a convent in Upper Town, using models and artifacts to tell the story of Zagreb's thousand-year history.
• Museum of Contemporary Art – A large contemporary art museum in New Zagreb, featuring Carsten Höller's slide installation that visitors can ride down.
• Maksimir Park – An English-style landscape park opened in 1794, with lakes, pavilions, and an oak forest, as well as the Zagreb Zoo.
• Lake Jarun – An artificial lake on the banks of the Sava River, known as "Zagreb's Sea," and popular in summer for swimming, boating, and nightclubs.
• Medvednica & Sljeme – A forested mountain range north of Zagreb. A new cable car takes you to Sljeme Peak, where you can hike, ski, and eat at mountain huts.
• Medvedgrad – A 13th-century castle on the southern slope of Medvednica, with walls offering views over all of Zagreb.
• Samobor – A Baroque town 20 kilometers west of Zagreb, famous for the custard cake "kremšnita" and its old riverside town.
• Trakošćan Castle – A fairy-tale white castle on a hill beside a forest lake, and Croatia's most popular castle day trip.
• Kumrovec Staro Selo Museum – The birthplace of Tito, a 19th-century Zagorje village preserved as an open-air folk museum.

Where to eat

• La Štruk – A štrukli specialty shop on Skalinska Street, serving only traditional Zagorje cheese rolls, both boiled and baked, wit…
• Noel – Awarded Zagreb's first Michelin star in 2019, with Chef Bruno Vokal returning in late 2025, offering a concise and crea…
• Vinodol – A long-standing Lower Town restaurant housed in a former horse-drawn tram stable, serving Croatian classics with a year…
• Konoba Didov San – A cozy tavern tucked behind St. Mark's Church in the Upper Town, specializing in Dalmatian Hinterland and Neretva Valle…
• Gostionica Ficlek – A cozy, home-style tavern at the foot of Dolac Market, serving traditional local dishes like turkey with mlinci and Zag…
• Pod Zidom Bistro – A Michelin-recommended modern bistro with ingredients mostly sourced from Dolac Market, offering around 100 wines, almo…

Itineraries

• Classic Croatia: Zagreb to Dubrovnik – A classic first-time route from the capital via Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, and Split to Hvar and Dubrovnik.
• Zagreb to Dubrovnik via Bosnia and Herzegovina – An in-depth, one-way self-drive route from inland Croatia through Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Adriatic Coast
• Slovenia & Northern Croatia – From Ljubljana to Zagreb, connecting the Lake District, Piran, Istria, and Plitvice Lakes.