Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is situated in the north of the country close to the Slovenian border. It has a population of approximately 800,000. Croatia is a member of the EU and the Euro is its currency.
I travelled to Zagreb on the overnight train from Zurich. The journey takes just under 14 hours. As well as Switzerland, the route takes you through Austria, Liechtenstein and Slovenia before entering Croatia.
I spent 7 days in Zagreb, which may seem like a lot to some tourists. I met several tourists who were spending 1-2 days there. I am glad I had so long as I feel I really got to know the city well.
Zagreb has 17 city districts and an interesting mix of modern and older buildings. It has two distinctive areas – the historic upper town and the 19th century lower town.
In 2020 an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the richter scale caused a significant amount of damage to many of Zagreb’s historical buildings. Scaffolding and cranes are visible across the skyline as the city continues its restoration works.
This post is how I recommend you spend 24 hours in Zagreb. In another post I will provide details on options for those electing to stay longer.
A Walking Tour
Like in most major cities you can arrange a Walking Tour with a local guide very easily in Zagreb. I booked one via “Get Your Guide” and paid €15 for a 2.5 hour tour starting at 10.00am. There are also free tours available and I met several tourists who recommended those also.
I elected to go on a small tour and we were a group of four plus our local guide. We met at the site of the Meteorological Column situated at the edge of Zrinjevac Park. Designed by the Meteorologist Adolf Holzer, the column is 130 years old. It records temperature, air pressure and humidity and is beautifully maintained (2 of its 4 sides are shown below).
A short walk then took us to the main square “Ban Jelacic”. Ban means governor/viceroy in Croatian. It was renamed after Josip Jelacic in 1848, a senior military official. A large imposing statue of him, on horseback – is situated right in the middle of the square.
I had walked across this square on numerous occasions in the previous three days. It was consistently busy. One side is a busy stop for the distinctive blue trams. The other side has a row of cafes and shops, in some beautiful colourful buildings. Do ensure you look up to admire the beautiful architecture. At the weekend some temporary stalls were erected for a trade fair. There are also lots of signs to the historic sites and it really seems that this square is the gateway to Zagreb.
Our guide told us that originally the statue faced North towards Hungary, presumably in an act of defiance to its previous ruler.
We then walked to the right hand corner and stopped to admire the bronze miniature replica of the city. Our guide was able to point out all the key buildings and monuments, some of which I had visited already.
At the top of a short flight of steps, stands an eye-catching bronze statue “Kumica Barica”, which was erected in 2006. This is one of several extremely distinctive statues I had passed and wondered the significance of. It’s a tall lady, with an apron tied around her waist and a fish basket on her head. Due to her proximity to the market, I had presumed she was a famous market stall holder. However, she isn’t dedicated to one person but to all the ladies i.e. “kumice” who have worked in the market over the years.
We then stood outside the imposing Cathedral of Zagreb. It’s dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. It was badly damaged in the 2020 Earthquake and there is lots of scaffolding covering its two huge towers. I was disappointed we couldn’t visit inside due to the construction work. Our guide had lots of interesting snippets I wouldn’t have learned without taking the tour. He pointed out the large cross, resting to the side, which wasn’t damaged during the earthquake. It’s hoped it can be put back on top, in the future. He also told us that the cathedral contains a huge chandelier which originally hung in a casino in Las Vegas. As I have been to Vegas several times and visited many of the opulent casinos, I found this quite amusing.
We then walked to Tkalcica street, a pedestrianised street containing a wide variety of restaurants, bars and cafes. I had frequented several so was anxious to hear if a local would eat here ! Our guide told us that originally a river flowed through the street and lots of businesses (ranging from Tanniers to Brothels) were on its banks. Another distinctive bronze statue of a female is on a small slip street. I now learnt it is “Marija Juric Zagorka”. She was the first female journalist in Croatia and a women’s right activist. She wrote more than 30 novels and established a newspaper that only employed females. This statute was erected in 1991 and a plaque containing her name is on a nearby bookshop. Unfortunately none of her novels have been translated into other languages which seems a shame since she was such a visionary.
As we walked along another street containing lots of shops, our guide informed us that “Cravats” originated in Croatia. He pointed out some shops and a small museum. I had thought cravats were French and made a mental note to research this further.
We then came to an area I had wondered about over the past few days as I passed through it. Just inside a small covered area is a shrine and to the corner are two wooden pews where people were always praying. You could light candles and place them also. Our guide informed us that this is called the “Stone Gate” and is considered a very important religious site in the city. It is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it was one of the few sites not to be damaged in the great fire of Zagreb in 1731. It took on much religious significance due to this. Again I made a mental note to learn more about this and to return later.
We then walked to the most distinctive building in Zagreb, and probably the whole of Croatia – St. Marks Church. This is the building with the coat of arms and the flag of Croatia in ceramic tiles on the roof. Our guide again had some good information to share including the importance of the pine martin to Croatian culture. I had noticed it was on the €1 coin so was intrigued to hear more about this. He also pointed out the use of each of the other buildings in the square including the parliament building. He had a very interesting story about voting in Croatia and he gave us his opinion on the current political state of Croatia. St. Marks is also currently being renovated so you can’t enter it. The temporary cabins also ruin the view !
We then walked to the Nicola Tesla building. One of the other tourists asked what Tesla’s connection to Croatia is. She had been to museums in other countries claiming him. Our guide was very quick to confirm he was born in Croatia and told us a little bit about him. We were then outside the Greek Catholic Church and after our guide told us a little bit about that we went inside. It has no altar, seats or pews. This is one of the few churches which wasn’t damaged in the Earthquake of 2020. It has a beautiful chandelier and I doubt this one ever hung in a casino !
It was now approaching noon and we were expertly shepherded by our guide to a great vantage point to see and hear the cannon go off from the `’Lotrscak Tower”. This daily ritual dates back to 1877 and was originally used to inform vendors of the time of day. This was certainly one of the highlights of the morning. It is very loud and created lots of excitement among the small crowd which had gathered. I decided I would return and climb the tower and see the cannon closer. You can see it peering out of the left hand window below.
After a short walk down some steps, parallel to the Funicular, our guide told us a little bit about it. It’s currently closed as the terminal is being renovated. Its 66m journey is the shortest cable funicular ride in any city. It used to leave every 10 minutes and the journey cost 66c and of course it’s coloured the distinctive Croatian blue. Our guide was very nostalgic about the funicular which was lovely to hear.
We then walked to one of Zagreb’s underground tunnels. The network of tunnels dates back to WW1 and was used as an air raid shelter then. The “Gric Tunnel”, we walked through, is 350m long and is now used as a shortcut by the locals. Our guide told us the historical facts and also some pop culture i.e. raves with more than 2k people have been held in this one. While he said most of Zagreb is extremely safe to walk around, he told us to avoid some of the other tunnels which are not as well maintained.
We then walked a few minutes back to the main square and our tour was almost over. Our guide finished by recommending some local restaurants and encouraged us to try “Stukli”, a local specialty. He finished up by recommending some of his favourite museums and attractions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the morning and highly recommend a tour (either a paid or free one). The opportunity to meet and learn from a local guide is always a privilege. It was a lesson to me as while I had walked around Zagreb for 3 days I had missed some key sites and underestimated the importance of others. All in all this was a great morning and with a small tip – extremely good value.
I then had lunch – “Stukli” of course, with the other solo traveller in a restaurant our guide recommended. I would have passed this particular restaurant and certainly not known about the picturesque courtyard, without him telling us. Stukli is associated with the north of Croatia. While several types (sweet and savoury) were available in this restaurant, I had the traditional one. It’s a soft dough made from soft cheese, flour and milk. This one was baked in the oven and was really delicious.
Zagreb City Museum
While I went to eleven museums during my time in Zagreb, I am going to describe two in this post. Along with the walking tour – this is how I recommend you spend 24 hours in Zagreb.
A fifteen minute walk across the city will take you to the Zagreb City Museum. The entrance fee is €7. They don’t have a cloakroom but the extremely friendly clerk told me I could leave my rather bulky jacket with her, if I wanted to. I took her up on that as I was happy not to carry it.
The first exhibition was unexpected as it contained lots of photographs of graffiti by artists in several European cities. Some were in black and white and others in colour. All the artists were photographed with their work.
There was also a series of coloured photographs. My favourite was an amazing one of two New York City Policemen in a heavily graffitied subway carriage with a young lady. It was probably taken in the 1980’s and is really an amazing capture.
You then walk downstairs and come to an area explaining the excavation works which took place in the 1990’s. They located artefacts dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages. Extremely informative signs are in English and Croatian and are in chronological order. In just a few minutes you learn a lot of historical facts and see some great pictures. Several artefacts including fishing nets, beads and jewellery are showcased.
You then walk through an underground room. I was glad there were very few people in the museum as I was able to walk across the small wooden bridge, which crisscrosses the room, alone. The stone walls have been well preserved and a large red rock structure is displayed in the corner (image 1 below). It really wouldn’t have looked out of place in a desert in Arizona or Utah.
The next few rooms I went into contained the following:
- Detailed information about Croatia’s links to the Austro / Hungarian Empire
- Detailed information about Croatia’s links to the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church
- Impact of the Ottoman Empire on Croatia
- Statues and pictures from the Zagreb Cathedral – image 1 below
- Overview of when “blue” became the official colour of Croatia in the 19th century. The history of the city’s coat of arms and the design of the National flag – image 2 below
- Lots of information about the various religious orders who played important roles in Croatia’s history including The Jesuits, The Poor Clares and The Capuchins. Many of these were responsible for bringing literature to Croatia and they maintained large libraries
- The History of printing and its impact on education and culture
- History of archery in Croatia – image 3 below
- Details of the Marian Cult and the role of the gentry in Zagreb
- An area explained how important Ban Josip Jelacic was to the city
- Lots of information about when the Trams were implemented, when streets were first illuminated and when Zagreb was electrified
- How the “Green-horseshoe” evolved – this is an area bordered by parks and squares in Zagreb
- History of the Theatre and the Opera House
- Impact of WW2 and Socialism on Zagreb
- Details about the Animation industry in Zagreb and the films shown at Cannes over the years
- Details about when the Republic of Croatia was established on the 30th May 1990
- A display of old boxes, packaging and containers used for common household products
I thoroughly enjoyed visiting this museum and learnt a lot of historical facts about Croatia. I spent just under 2 hours here and suggest you try and allocate that amount of time also.
Museum of Lost Tales
I had read a lot about the different types of museums in Zagreb. Some are quirky and not related to Zagreb or Croatia. However, for the purpose of a 24 hour itinerary I suggest you visit the “Museum of Lost Tales”.
It’s open until 10pm each day so you have ample time to visit it. It’s situated at number 26 “Illica”, the longest street in Zagreb.
The entrance fee costs €12.00 plus €3.00 for the audio guide. While this may seem expensive when you see the amount of exhibits you will understand why it’s priced as such. I do think you need the audio guide. While there are signs everywhere, they are very detailed. Also, some are positioned high on the walls and some low down. So for convenience having the guide is essential. You point it at the sign and the description of the item is available.
The museum is all about Croatian folklore, myths and legends. Now it’s not for the fainthearted. I met a tourist who told me that while she really admired the exhibits she couldn’t stay long as found some very disturbing. I was there for about 90 minutes and I only listened to explanations for half of the exhibits. They are very condensed and this is a museum that you need to visit at a quiet time, if at all possible. There were two other solo visitors when I was there and we managed to position ourselves at different places in the rooms so we could all have a comfortable experience.
I am not even going to attempt to explain any of the exhibits and will instead just share some photographs. I am not sure they do the exhibits justice so I highly recommend you visit this yourself. It’s really quite a unique museum and the exhibits are fantastic.
The collection was compiled by a local artist Zdenko Basic and it only opened in 2024.
Food, Drink, Cafes etc
I was amazed at how many ethnic restaurants there are in Zagreb. But if you only have 24 hours you should visit a traditional Croatian one. However if you have more time, you have a host of others to try from Indian to Sri Lankan to Italian to Greek etc.
Croatia has a well established wine industry and you can purchase a great glass for as little as €4.00. They also have a great beer culture and you will find lots of unique bars offering local specialities.
If you are a smoker you will love Zagreb. I am not and really don’t like it. When I had googled the policy it said that there is no smoking indoors but this isn’t the case. It seems that cafes and bars that don’t serve food allow smoking indoors. The locals, even in the cold weather, love to sit outside. Lots of restaurants have seating in the streets and squares. Lights and heating lamps are everywhere and blankets are usually provided. As people smoke in these areas, they are not comfortable for non-smokers when crowded. I do like to “people watch” especially when visiting a new city. I managed to find less crowded areas on several occasions where I spent time over a coffee or a glass of wine as I watched the natives go about their business.
A lot of places preferred or only accepted cash so this is a city you need to bring cash with you. Waiters usually requested payment when delivering beverages. Meals were paid for at the table or at the counter. Tips are not mandatory but are appreciated for good service.
Final Thoughts
I have been to lots of European cities over the past few years and Zagreb is now one of my favourites. It’s also a city I hope to revisit. Overall I think it’s cheaper than other capital cities and I loved that everything is so accessible. It’s very easy to walk around and you can cover a lot of ground in a short time. The transport system is fantastic also and a ticket for a 30 minute tram ride costs 53c.
There are lots of hotels, hostels and short-term rental apartments in the city center. I highly recommend you stay as close to the main square as you can, especially if you visit for a short time. The main train station “Glavni Kolodvor” is a 15 minute walk from the Ban Jelacic Square. The airport is 15km from the square and a taxi should take about thirty minutes without traffic.
The “piece de resistance” for me as a solo female traveller is that Zagreb is extremely safe. You feel safe at all times of the day and night. I saw no signs of anti-social behaviour, there is a visible police presence and people just go about their business. That to me is extremely special and one of the many reasons I’ll be returning.
I’ll have additional posts available soon on lots more things to see and do in Zagreb and also a great day trip to a Croatian National Park !