Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, and although you might be tempted to escape to the seaside, give this city the attention it deserves!
Gorgeous buildings, fantastic food, and many activities are going on – you won’t regret coming here.
1. Explore Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelačić Square has been the city’s main square since the 17th century. Today, it’s framed by beautiful buildings of different architectural styles and cut in two by tram tracks.
As you probably already figured out, it’s named after Josip Jelačić von Bužim, a prominent local politician and military figure of the 19th century. You can spot his equestrian statue and Manduševac fountain always surrounded by kids; during our visit, they had a large screen with Euro 24 live translations. Don’t miss the flower and arts and crafts market there too!
2. Admire Zagreb cathedral from aside
Let’s admire the Zagreb cathedral, one of the tallest churches in the world, from the outside. This gothic beauty sits on the Kaptol and is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to kings Saint Stephen and Saint Ladislaus.
The original cathedral of the 13th century (the earliest church on this site dates to the 11th century) was grounded by Tatars and collapsed in the 17th century; then came the earthquake of 1880 – after that, it was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style by Hermann Bollé – and then the one of 2020 when the spires got damaged.
Sadly, it still hasn’t recovered from those recent events: you can see it only from far away; the towers are in scaffolding, – but you can see some precious statues and art pieces in the Zagreb museum.
At the Kaptol by the cathedral, you can find the Archbishop’s palace and the Virgin Mary column.
3. See the roof of the Church of St. Mark
The Church of St. Mark is probably the most beautiful church in the whole city! It was founded in the 13th century and then massively reconstructed in the 14th century.
Unfortunately, you cannot visit it, it’s all closed off, and policemen guard the barrier around it. The church was heavily damaged due to the earthquake in 2020, and shortly after that, the 2020 Zagreb shooting took place on this square. The church has been closed ever since, and the public access to the square is still limited,
The church’s most famous feature is visible from the outside: its roof, which has colourful tiles and two coats of arms: the Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonic and Dalmatia, and Zagreb City.
4. Walk along the pond of Zagreb Botanical Garden
The Zagreb Botanical Garden is a fantastic piece of greenery not far from the Zagreb historic centre. Botanical gardens are part of the Faculty of Science.
It was founded by Antun Heinz and opened in 1891. A great selection of all sorts of plants is presented here, including plants indigenous to Croatia. There are also some greenhouses, but they were closed to the public during our visit. The famous watercolours series Lopiči depicting water lilies by Slava Raškaj was painted here!
5. Have a look at the Esplanade hotel
Nearby, there’s a historical Esplanade hotel. It was built for the passengers arriving by Orient Express in 1925 (yes, the famous train connecting Paris and Istanbul and the one that inspired Agatha Christie!)
6. Visit Lotrščak Tower at noon
Every day at noon, you can watch the Grič cannon firing from the upper window of the historical 13th-century Lotrščak Tower (it’s really loud, and I don’t recommend watching it from the tower itself). You can also climb the Lotrščak Tower and see this panorama from it.
The tradition of firing a cannon is over a century old. The legend says that in the 15th century when the Ottomans planned to attack the city, the cannonball from the tower flew all the way to the Turk camp and hit … a rooster. The Ottomans were impressed by that and decided not to carry on an attack. So, the firing of a cannon today commemorates these events.
7. Ride Zagreb funicular
The most entertaining way to get to the Upper town (Gornji grad) from the Lower town (Donji grad) is to ride the Zagreb funicular! It opened to the public in 1890. Zagreb funicular is one of the shortest funiculars in the world – it’s only 66 metres long.
The ride takes about a minute, and the funicular runs pretty often, adapting the timetable to the number of passengers.
8. Learn something new at Zagreb city museum
The Zagreb City Museum is also located in the upper town and is a must-visit for anyone who wants to better understand Croatia and Zagreb itself.
It was founded in 1907 by the Brethren of the Croatian Dragon Society. It covers Zagreb’s history from the prehistoric period (some excavations took place right under the Museum itself) till the late 20th century.
You can also see here the original sculptures from the Zagreb cathedral (sadly, it’s also under renovation after the earthquake four years ago).
You can also visit the Historical water well (which is under restoration right now).
9. Walk through the Stone gate
The stone gate is the only surviving gate (out of four main gates) of the fortifications around the Upper city: it dates to the 13th century! But that’s not just a gate like a hole in the wall – if you walk closer, you can spot lots of plaques saying ‘Hvala Ti’, meaning ‘Thank You’.
People are praying here to the Virgin Mary – there is a small shrine with an image of God’s Mother of the Stony Gate. The chapel containing this icon was burnt down in 1731, but the image has ‘miraculously’ survived.
10. Have fun at Nikola Tesla Technical Museum
The Nikola Tesla Technical Museum opened to the public in 1963 (it was formerly known as the Technical Museum) and is one of the most visited museums in Croatia. Tesla was Serbian, but he was born in Smiljan, part of the Austrian empire, and now in Croatia.
You can find a large section here about fire engines, machines powered by water, electricity and solar energy, machinery and public transport, planetarium and even the mines! There’s also a room where you can see Tesla’s experiments with electricity reenacted, but unfortunately, it was out of hours during our visit.
11. Cross Tunnel Grič
A quick walk along Tunnel Grič is a must for every tourist! It was built during WWII to serve as a shelter and was used similarly later in the ’90s during the Croatian War for independence.
Apart from those two periods, it wasn’t really in use. However, it was renovated in 2016 and has now become one of Zagreb’s most unusual tourist attractions. And believe me, it was the best spot to be during a heatwave!
12. Explore the Museum of Broken Relationships
If you’re interested in more modern and unusual museums, try the Museum of Broken Relationships then! This Museum showcases exhibits of all sorts that became symbols of relationships that didn’t work out: plastic Godzillas, an old Nokia phone, a plastic piglet, and so on and on.
Every object is accompanied by an unfortunate love story – and exhibits, as well as confessions, are retrieved from all over the world! All the items are donated – the Museum even started as a travelling collection before being established in a building in the upper town (now it has an extension in Los Angeles, too)
13. Buy fruits at Dolac market
Dolac Market, just off Ban Jelačić Square, is a market where you can buy all sorts of fresh local produce: veggies, fruits, herbs, fish, flowers, arts and crafts and even souvenirs.
Make sure you come as early as possible (before noon) and not on Sunday!
14. Hunt for planets from 9 views
A super fun hunting activity in Zagreb? Yes, please! When you’re in Zagreb, you can learn some astronomy thanks to Project 9 Views, a solar system model on the city streets!
Plaques with all the planets (plus Pluto, a former planet) and the sun are installed in different locations throughout the city. The most exciting part is that the relative scale of the planets and the distance between them are all correct from a scientific point of view! The Grounded sun was created by Ivan Kožarić in the 1970s, and later, all the planets were added in 2004 by Davor Preis. We’ve been doing it for all three days in Zagreb (still deliberately missing three sites because they’re too far away from the city centre).
We found the sun (currently, the site around it is under reconstruction, but you can still see it in the giant box), Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars (all those are located in the historical city centre), and Jupiter—this one sits on the hill quite centrally, too. We’ll probably come back for Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto next time. Anyway, please see the list of addresses for all of them.
- Sun – Bogovićeva street 1B
- Mercury – 3 Margaretska Street
- Venus – 3 Ban Jelačić Square
- Earth – 9 Varšavska Street
- Mars – 21 Tkalčićeva Street
- Jupiter – 71 Voćarska Street
- Saturn – 1 Račićeva Street
- Uranus – 9 Siget
- Neptune – 17 Kozari
- Pluto – underpass of Bologne Alley (it was installed while Pluto was still considered a planet)
15. Don’t miss Oktogon
Next is the Oktogon gallery, a hidden gem just steps away from the main square of Zagreb.
This is a passageway through the former First Croatian Savings Bank, now lined with shops. It was designed by architect Josip Vancaš at the turn of the 20th century and took its name after this atrium of octagonal shape. Come here to admire the stained glass roof and the wonderful combination of floor tiles!
16. Spot Church of Saint Francis of Assisi
A quick stop at the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Zagreb (just a stone’s throw away from the cathedral) dates back to the 13th century. Actually, the legend says that Saint Francis of Assisi visited Zagreb, and there was a monastery dedicated to him on this site. By the way, the Treaty of Zadar in the 14th century was signed here!
The church was also damaged by the earthquakes and was massively rebuilt after the damage 1880 caused it. Come inside to see the stained glass and the high altar.
17. Ride a train from Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor
Zagreb Glavni Kolodvor is the central train station of Zagreb, located close to the Esplanade Hotel.
It must’ve been a gorgeous building back in the days of its full glory, and now it requires some financial investment for reconstruction. We took a train here to Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.
18. Count the statues around Zagreb
Zagreb is full of unique sculptures honouring its heritage and notable people who lived in Croatia – let me show you a few!
First of all, there is a series of 13 sitting sculptures – Josip Belušić, Ruđer Bošković, Marin Getaldić, Nikola Šubić Zrinski, Ivan Meštrović, Andrija Mohorovičić, Slavoljub Penkala, Dražen Petrović, Marko Polo (yes, I even had to Google that – some people believe that he was born not in Venice, but on the Island of Korčula, in Croatia), Nikola Tesla, Milka Trnina, Faust Vrančić, Ivan Vučetić – usually around some cafeteria in downtown Zagreb, – you can join them and to read about them by scanning a QR-code!
Moreover, the statue of “Kumica Barica, ” depicting an old woman holding a basket on her head, stands on the Doloc market. Maria Jurić Zagork, a famous Croatian writer, walks along Tkalčićeva ulica, and Antun Gustav Matoš, the poet and writer, sits on a bench in the Upper city.
19. Admire the Republic of Croatia Square
The Republic of Croatia Square is one of the main squares of Zagreb and is one of its prettiest indeed. First of all, in the heart of it, there is a small park with the Croatian National Theatre built here in 1895 (even Franz Joseph I, Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Croatia was part of at that time, participated in its opening).
The Museum of Arts and Crafts building, dating to 1880, is on this square as well, with a gorgeous modern building of the Academy of Music by its side. There is also a sculpture made by Ivan Meštrović here – see below.
20. Learn about Ivan Meštrović
Ivan Meštrović is a true Croatian icon. He was one of the most prominent Croatian/ Yugoslav architects and sculptors of his time, and he created many objects both in the city and around the world (if you remember me showing you Pobednik/Victor in Belgrade, now Serbia, it was also his creation). There are a number of his works you still can find in Zagreb, such as “Seljaci” or Peasants relief on the Ban Jelačić Square, large statue of Nikola Tesla, and the Well of Life on Republic of Croatia Square in Zagreb.
We were planning to visit the Meštrović Atelier in the upper city, where many of his words are displayed. However, it seems that this Museum has been closed for renovation since 2022 (as well as many other buildings in the area, after the earthquake and the shooting on the St Mark square; however, I don’t know the reasons behind the temporal closure).
21. Pop into the Cathedral of the Transfiguration
The Cathedral of the Transfiguration, or Zagreb Orthodox Cathedral, is a beautiful Serbian Orthodox Cathedral dating from 1865 to 1866.
It’s located on Petar Preradović Square in Zagreb on the site of the older St. Marguerite church and was created by one of the most famous local architects of that time, Franjo Klein. After the earthquake in 2020, it’s still partly covered in scaffolding; however, you can visit and admire its inner frescoes as well.
22. Admire the Co-cathedral of St. Cyril and Methodius
The Greek Catholic Co-cathedral of St. Cyril and Methodius, dating to the late 19th century, is another gem of the Upper town. It stands on the grounds of an older Greek church dedicated to Basil the Great that dated to 1681 and was burnt to the ground in 1766.
You have probably noticed how beautiful the exterior of this religious building is – that’s because it was designed by Hermann Bollé, the man behind the Zagreb Cathedral, the Museum of Arts and Crafts and the Mirogoj Cemetery.
23. Listen to some music at Zrinjevac
Zrinjevac, or officially Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square and Park, is a lovely green area in the very centre of Zagreb surrounded by other landmarks, including the Supreme Court of the Republic of Croatia, the Archaeological Museum, and Strossmayer Gallery of Old Masters.
There are a couple of fountains and a bandstand where you can listen to some music, examine the meteorological column built in 1884 by Adolf Holzer and enjoy the greenery and blooming hydrangeas!
24. Watch people on the streets
Croatians are so lively, and every now and then, we notice people doing fun activities on the streets for the public or just for themselves!
Just to name a few, we spotted a group of people leisurely playing a march by the Esplanade Hotel, another group of people dressed up in national costumes, and people dressed in historical costumes of the late 19th century, I presume.
25. Try local food
Zagreb is a fabulous destination for all food lovers, but let me mention just a few places and dishes you simply can’t miss. Melt cafe is perfect for ice cream lovers and for having a little snack like a bowl or a sandwich.
Don’t fly home without trying štruklji (I’d literally live on those for days, mixing savoury ones with sweet ones). La štruk is probably the best option to start with, and if you like this dish, you can find it in almost every cafe.
The knedles were definitely another highlight of our visit – find Ferdinand Knedle cafe a minute away from the stone gate! Didov San in the Upper City serves great local desserts such as Imotski Cake with almonds and Roźata, a Croatian kind of crema Catalana, – and yes, they have štruklji, too.
For meat-eaters, I’d recommend sitting on the terrace of The Bull and trying the variety of local meats.
Pod zidom Bistro, added to the Michelin guide, is another must visit place – they use seasonal produce to create their masterpieces.
Where to stay in Zagreb
We stayed in the Art’Otel in Zagreb, and there were good and bad sides to our stay.
First of all, the interior of the hotel was fantastic: minimalistic and modern, with a spa, living plants, and pieces of art everywhere. Attention to detail is indeed on the flick. Our room had two ceiling windows, a luxurious sizeable round bed with a round blanket and round pillows and a gorgeous bathroom. The location of the hotel is another unmissable bonus as it’s only a minute away from the main square.
The receptionists were accommodative and friendly. However, there was clearly a problem with breakfasts, with 4 out of 5 waiters there were straightforwardly rude (like imagine asking about a toast you ordered for breakfast after waiting for 45 minutes for it and getting a reply – no, you’re not getting it because the kitchen has run out of ingredients; and not a word of apology).
However, I must note that we met with this attitude a lot in Zagreb. Overall, I’d say our experience in Art’Otel was balanced.
You might like my other posts about Europe.
Hope you liked my new blog,
Yours,
Anna