Places to Visit in Europe
Zagreb skyline with St. Mark's Church and the towers of the Upper Town

Zagreb, Croatia

Zagreb is the kind of city that rewards the unhurried. It does not announce itself with the theatrical coastline of Dubrovnik or the island-hopping glamour of the Dalmatian coast — and that is precisely its strength. Croatia's capital unfolds instead along the slopes of Medvednica Mountain and the banks of the Sava River, a city of green horseshoe parks and yellow trams, of Austro-Hungarian façades painted in muted cream and ochre, of church towers that chime on the quarter-hour as they have for centuries. Walk through the Upper Town at dusk, when the gas lamps are lit by hand each evening — one of the last cities in Europe still doing so — and you begin to understand what Zagreb offers: not spectacle, but substance.

The city splits naturally into two halves. Gornji Grad — the Upper Town — is medieval Zagreb, a tangle of cobblestone streets and baroque churches perched on a hill linked to the lower city by a funicular that has been running for over 130 years and takes exactly 55 seconds to complete its journey. Donji Grad — the Lower Town — is the elegant, tree-lined quarter laid out in the nineteenth century, where Secessionist architecture meets café culture and the museums are among the finest in southeastern Europe. Connecting them is the longest pedestrian zone in the city, Bana Jelačića Square and its radiating streets, where Zagreb's two halves meet in a blur of coffee cups and conversation.

Nearly a million people live in the Zagreb metropolitan area, and the city carries that scale comfortably — large enough to have serious opera, three symphony orchestras, and a contemporary art museum that holds its own against any in Vienna or Budapest, but small enough that you can walk across the entire centre in under an hour. What surprises most visitors is the green space. The Lenuci Horseshoe — a chain of seven parks and squares designed in the 1880s — threads through the Lower Town like a green spine, and the Botanical Garden, tucked behind the main train station, is one of the most peaceful corners of any European capital. Zagreb is, by any measure, one of Europe's greenest cities.

This guide covers where to stay, where to eat, what to see, and how to make the most of three days in a city that genuinely improves the longer you spend in it.

Best Places to Stay

Zagreb's accommodation landscape has transformed dramatically over the past decade. Where once the options were limited to a handful of bland business hotels, the city now offers boutique properties in Austro-Hungarian townhouses, design-forward hostels with rooftop bars, and apartments in restored Art Nouveau buildings. The best areas to stay are the Upper Town for atmosphere, the Lower Town for convenience, and the streets around Martićeva for café culture.

Luxury

Hotel Esplanade is the grand dame of Zagreb hotels — a 1925 Art Deco landmark directly opposite the train station that has hosted everyone from Lawrence of Arabia to Queen Elizabeth II. The building alone is worth the price of admission: brass fittings, marble floors, chandeliers the size of small cars, and a lobby that feels like stepping into an intercontinental express novel. The rooms are generous and quietly opulent, the spa is excellent, and the restaurant, Le Premier, holds a Michelin recommendation. If you want the full Zagreb grand-hotel experience, this is it.

The Westin Zagreb occupies a commanding position on the edge of the Lenuci Horseshoe parks, its glass tower a fixture of the city skyline. The rooms are spacious and the views — particularly from the upper floors — stretch across the red rooftops of the Lower Town to the slopes of Medvednica. The hotel's indoor pool and fitness centre are among the best in the city, and its central location makes it an easy base for both business and leisure.

Mid-Range

Hotel Dubrovnik sits directly on Bana Jelačića Square — you step out of the front door and you are in the very centre of Zagreb. The building itself dates to 1929, and while the rooms have been thoroughly modernised, they retain a sense of old-world proportion. The rooftop terrace offers unexpectedly lovely views across the square and up toward the cathedral towers.

Studio Kairos is a boutique property on the edge of the Upper Town that punches well above its weight. Five individually designed rooms, each with a kitchenette, are arranged around a quiet courtyard — it feels more like staying in a cultured friend's townhouse than a hotel. The attention to detail is striking: curated bookshelves, local ceramics, and excellent coffee in every room.

Hostel Swanky — despite the name — is one of the best-designed budget accommodations in southeastern Europe. Private rooms with en-suite bathrooms, a rooftop terrace with views of the cathedral, and a location two minutes from the main square, all at prices that make neighbouring capitals weep.

Budget

Zagreb's hostel scene is excellent and inexpensive. Chillout Hostel Zagreb is a long-running favourite on the edge of the Upper Town, with dorm beds and private rooms in a characterful old building. Main Square Apartments offers simple, clean self-catering apartments right on the main square at prices that would barely cover a hostel bed in Vienna.

Best Places to Eat

Croatian cuisine does not have the international brand recognition of Italian or French cooking, and that is part of what makes eating in Zagreb such a pleasure. The food is rooted in the countryside — in the inland hills of Zagorje, the plains of Slavonia, and the coastal traditions that make their way north — and it is prepared with a directness and honesty that rewards attention. This is not a city of culinary theatrics. It is a city where the cooking is good because the ingredients are good and the people making them care.

Traditional Croatian

Vinodol has been serving classic Zagreb cuisine since 1937, and the interior — all carved wood, stained glass, and oil paintings — feels like walking into a Croatian grandmother's dining room, if that grandmother happened to have exceptional taste. The žgvaketzgwgwa (a sort of Croatian ratatouille with sausage), the štrukli (baked cheese dumplings), and the game stews are all outstanding. Come hungry and come early — the place fills up with locals who have been eating here for decades.

La Štruk is Zagreb's most celebrated štrukli restaurant, and for good reason. This single-dish specialist bakes and boils štrukli — the traditional Zagorje cheese pastry — in every conceivable variation: baked with cream, boiled in broth, sweet with walnuts and honey. The interior is small and convivial, the prices are modest, and the štrukli themselves are the best you will find anywhere in the city.

Mali Bar is a tiny, reservation-only restaurant in the Upper Town that serves a daily fixed menu of three courses for a set price. The menu changes daily and is always inspired by seasonal Croatian ingredients — wild asparagus in spring, truffles in autumn, fresh Adriatic fish whenever it can be brought in. It is one of those places that locals guard carefully and visitors stumble upon by accident.

Modern and International

Noa sits on the rooftop of the Importanne Centre, offering panoramic views of the city skyline alongside modern Croatian cooking that leans confidently into flavour without overcomplicating things. The tasting menu is excellent value and changes with the seasons.

Bistro Apoš is where Zagreb's creative class eats: a small, ever-changing menu built around excellent Croatian ingredients, natural wines, and a laid-back atmosphere that makes you want to stay all afternoon. The owners previously ran a Michelin-listed restaurant and have brought all that skill into a more accessible format.

Baltazar is a Lower Town institution — a bistro that has been serving reliably excellent food for years. The seasonal menu, the wine list (heavily Croatian, which is the whole point), and the attentive service make it a reliable choice for a proper dinner.

Street Food and Quick Bites

Dolac Market is the beating heart of Zagreb's food scene. The open-air upper level is a riot of seasonal produce — fresh figs, local honey, truffles, olive oil, and vegetables that taste like vegetables should taste. The covered lower level is the meat and dairy section, where you can buy sir i vrhnje (cottage cheese with cream) and kulen (spicy Slavonian sausage) from women who have been selling them since before Croatia's independence.

Kava Tava is the spot for excellent specialty coffee and the kind of relaxed brunch that has become a Zagreb weekend ritual — shakshuka, avocado toast, and pancakes that somehow transcend their Instagram-ready appearance.

Vincek has been Zagreb's favourite cake shop since 1937, and the queue outside on Saturday afternoons tells you everything you need to know. The cakes, pastries, and ice cream are all made on-site, and the prices have barely changed in living memory.

Top Attractions

Gornji Grad — The Upper Town

The Upper Town is Zagreb's soul. Connected to the Lower Town by the funicular — one of the shortest public transport rides in the world at 66 metres — it is a neighbourhood of cobblestone streets, gas lamps, and church spires that feels untouched by the century unfolding below it.

St. Mark's Church is the iconic image of Zagreb, its tiled roof bearing the medieval coats of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia on one side and the emblem of Zagreb on the other. The colourful roof dates to 1880, but the church itself is far older, its Gothic arches and Romanesque windows bearing witness to eight centuries of Croatian history. The surrounding St. Mark's Square is home to the Croatian Parliament, the Constitutional Court, and the Banski Dvori (the former presidential palace), making this small square the symbolic heart of the Croatian state.

The Stone Gate (Kamenita Vrata) is the best-preserved gateway into the old fortified town and one of Zagreb's most beloved sites. Inside the gate, a painting of the Virgin Mary that survived a devastating fire in 1731 is venerated as a miracle, and the small chapel is always filled with locals lighting candles and offering quiet prayers. It is a profoundly atmospheric space — the sort of place that makes you lower your voice without thinking about it.

The Lotrščak Tower stands at the southern edge of the Upper Town, its 13th-century walls offering panoramic views across the entire city. Every day at noon, a cannon is fired from the tower — a tradition dating back to 1877 — and if you are standing nearby when it goes off, it will startle you thoroughly. The viewing gallery at the top provides one of the finest cityscapes in southeastern Europe.

Strossmayer Promenade runs along the southern edge of the Upper Town, offering a shaded walk with views across the Lower Town and, on clear days, all the way to the slopes of Medvednica Mountain. In summer, the promenade hosts open-air concerts, art installations, and café tables that spill out onto the walkway — it is one of Zagreb's most romantic spots at sunset.

Donji Grad — The Lower Town

The Lower Town is where Zagreb's Austro-Hungarian heritage is most visible — grand boulevards, Secessionist façades, and the Lenuci Horseshoe of green parks that gives the district its distinctive character.

The Museum of Broken Relationships is Zagreb's most famous museum and one of the most original cultural institutions in Europe. Founded by a couple who broke up and decided to exhibit the objects that remained from their relationship, it has grown into a global phenomenon — a collection of donated objects, each accompanied by a story written by its donor, that explores the universal experience of love and loss. It is funny, moving, surprising, and deeply human. Do not skip it.

The Croatian Museum of Naive Art holds the world's finest collection of naive art — works by self-taught artists, many of them Croatian, who created paintings and sculptures of extraordinary skill and emotional directness. The museum is small but powerful, and the works on display — particularly those by Ivan Generalić and Ivan Rabuzin — have a dreamlike quality that stays with you long after you leave.

Zagreb Cathedral dominates the city skyline with its twin neo-Gothic spires, recently restored after damage in the 2020 earthquake. The interior is spacious and solemn, with Renaissance stalls, baroque altars, and a sense of scale that reminds you this was once the largest church in the Kingdom of Hungary-Croatia.

Mirogoj Cemetery

Mirogoj is not merely a cemetery — it is one of the most beautiful burial grounds in Europe. Designed in 1876 by the architect Hermann Bollé, its long arcades of neo-Renaissance arches, covered in ivy, create a corridor of extraordinary dignity and peace. The tombs and monuments reflect every strand of Croatian history — Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, and Muslim graves stand side by side, which is why Mirogoj's full name translates as "the place of peace." Come in autumn, when the ivy turns red and gold, and the effect is almost unbearably beautiful.

Dolac Market

Zagreb's open-air market has operated on the same site between the Upper and Lower Towns since 1930. The upper level is a canopy of red umbrellas sheltering stalls groaning with seasonal produce — white truffles from Istria in autumn, wild asparagus in spring, fresh figs and cherries in summer, and mushrooms from the Zagorje hills year-round. The lower level is a covered hall for meat, fish, and dairy. Arrive before 9 a.m. for the best selection and the full theatrical experience of Zagreb's grandmothers negotiating prices.

Museum of Contemporary Art

Located in Novi Zagreb, across the Sava River, the Muzej suvremene umjetnosti is one of the largest museums in southeastern Europe. Its collection spans Croatian and international art from the 1950s to the present, with particular strengths in conceptual art, video, and installation. The building itself — a vast, angular structure designed by the architecture firm 3LHD — is worth the trip. Do not miss the permanent installation by Mladen Stilinović, "Artist at Work," a banner that reads exactly that, hanging in a gallery where nothing else happens — a perfect distillation of the museum's playful, questioning spirit.

3-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Upper Town and Historic Centre

Start at Bana Jelačića Square — the main square, where the equestrian statue of Ban Josip Jelačić has watched over Zagreb since 1866. Grab a coffee at Cogito Coffee on Tkalčićeva, then walk up to the Stone Gate and through the medieval streets of the Upper Town to St. Mark's Church. Admire the famous roof, then continue along Strossmayer Promenade for views across the city. Take the funicular down — or walk, if you prefer the stairs — and have lunch at Vinodol for traditional Croatian cooking. In the afternoon, visit Dolac Market (if you did not go in the morning), then explore Tkalčićeva ulica — Zagreb's café and bar street, where the late-afternoon aperitivo culture is in full swing. Dinner at Bistro Apoš or Baltazar.

Day 2: Museums and Green Spaces

Begin at the Museum of Broken Relationships — go early, before the crowds. Then walk through the Lenuci Horseshoe parks, stopping at the Art Pavilion if there is an exhibition that catches your eye. Have lunch at Kava Tava for a relaxed brunch, then visit the Croatian Museum of Naive Art — it is small, but the quality is extraordinary. Spend the late afternoon in the Botanical Garden, which is free, beautiful, and almost entirely free of tourists. In the evening, head to Tkalciceva for drinks and people-watching, then dinner at Mali Bar (reserve well in advance).

Day 3: Mirogoj, Medvednica, or Day Trip

Morning at Mirogoj Cemetery — arrive when it opens for the most atmospheric experience. The walk from the city centre takes about 25 minutes through pleasant residential streets, or you can take tram 7 or 8. After Mirogoj, you have a choice: if the weather is fine, take the bus or cable car up Medvednica Mountain for hiking and views across the entire Zagreb region; if you prefer a day trip, the train to Samobor (30 minutes) takes you to a picture-perfect Baroque town famous for its kremšnita (custard slice) and Bermet wine. Return to Zagreb for a farewell dinner at Noa, watching the sun set over the city from the rooftop.

Getting Around

Zagreb is a walker's city. The entire historic centre — Upper Town, Lower Town, and the main commercial districts — is within easy walking distance, and the best way to experience the city is on foot. For longer distances, the tram network is extensive, efficient, and inexpensive.

Trams are the backbone of Zagreb's public transport. A single ticket costs €0.93 (purchased from the driver) or €0.53 (from a kiosk or ZET app) and is valid for 90 minutes across the entire network. A daily pass costs €3.18. The trams run from approximately 4:00 a.m. to midnight, with night trams on key routes.

The funicular connects the Lower Town to the Upper Town in 55 seconds and costs the same as a tram ticket. It runs every 10 minutes from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Taxis and ride-hailing — Bolt and Uber both operate in Zagreb, and prices are reasonable by European standards. A ride across the city centre typically costs €4–6.

Bicycles — Zagreb has a growing network of bike lanes, and the Nextbike bike-sharing system has stations throughout the city. The flat terrain of the Lower Town makes cycling easy, though the climb to the Upper Town is better attempted on foot or by funicular.

To and from the airport — Zagreb Airport (Franjo Tuđman) is 17 km southeast of the city centre. The Pleso Prijevoz shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes and takes approximately 35 minutes to the main bus station, from where trams connect to the city centre. A taxi costs approximately €25–30.

Practical Tips

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