Zagreb, Croatia

We arrived in Zagreb at 2 pm local time after our overnight flight. Many guide books recommend you skip Zagreb, but we didn’t feel that way. It’s not as impressive as many of the other cities we visited on our trip, but spending 2 days at the beginning of the trip as we were getting acclimated worked well for us.

Upon our arrival, we exchanged money (1 USD is approximately 5 Kuna) and spent 30 Kuna (HKR) for a bus ticket to the bus terminal downtown.  It cost 10 Kuna for the No. 6 tram that goes along the park (known as Tig) Bana Jelacica in the Lower Town and past the Palace Hotel where we were staying. There was an English speaking representative at the information desk at the airport, and when we arrived at the bus station, several people speaking English immediately approached us and asked if they could help. Everyone, especially in Croatia, was so friendly and wanted to make sure we were enjoying our visit in their country. We got to our hotel from the airport in about an hour. The old European style Palace hotel is one of the oldest hotels in Zagreb having been built in 1907. Many tour groups stay there as it is centrally located and all the major sights are in easy walking distance. Their complementary buffet breakfast was excellent.

In the park across from our hotel were lots of little tents selling delicious desserts.  Zagreb was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and is close enough to the borders of Austria and Hungary to have been influenced by their wonderful pastries. We stopped at various tents, sampled the local sweets, and tasted a local blueberry wine which we bought for 76 HKR.

The pedestrian zone, Ban Josip Jelbacia, is the major square of the city and separates Lower Town from Upper Town. We picked up a map from the tourist bureau in the square and walked the Lower Town area. This area, with parks extending from Ban Josip Jelbacia to the Train Station, is filled with buildings displaying Baroque facades and statues.  Some of the most impressive statues are St George Slaying the Dragon at Marshall Tito Square and the Wheel of Life in front of the Croatian National Theater. Although there are numerous museums in Zagreb, we focused on the outdoors.

Upper Town, the older section of the city, was originally two medieval settlements separated by a small stream. Over time the steam was filled in with cobblestones to create the main thoroughfare, Tkalcicva ulica. In Kaptol Square is the principal landmark of Zagreb, the Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary. Although the original Cathedral was built in the 1300’s, most of the current structure dates from the 1880’s reconstruction following a devastating earthquake.  Outside the Cathedral, there are remnants from the walls built in the 1300’s which date back to the battles with the Turks.  In addition to the winding streets filled with shops and restaurants, Upper Town houses the Parliament Building and St Mark’s Church, easily recognized by its checkered roof.

The morning open-air Dolac market, with its red Sestine umbrellas, was the best morning market in all the countries we traveled through on this trip, so it should not be missed if you stay in Zagreb.

Our favorite restaurant was Pod Grickim Topom located at the top of the funicular. The restaurant seats 30 outside and 20 inside, so you definitely need to make a reservation for inside seating if the weather is cool. The daily menu, written on a black board, offers classic Croatian and international dishes. Every dish we had was excellent and by all means, try the local dish of Strukli (cheese in pastry) – yum.

Excerpt from my article,  A self-drive tour of Croatia plus a cruise along the Dalmation Coast, published in the August, 2015 issue of International Travel News.