Zagreb
Advent Zagreb, Upper Town, Café Culture, Museums, Dolac Market, Festivals, Parks and Gardens, Austro-Hungarian Architecture
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is a relaxed and elegant city of Austro-Hungarian boulevards, leafy parks and lively squares, set between the Sava River and the slopes of Medvednica mountain. It is a city best enjoyed slowly, over coffee on a terrace, in its markets and in its many museums.
The historic Upper Town, reached by one of the world's shortest funiculars, is home to the colourful tiled roof of St Mark's Church, gas-lit lanes and the Lotrščak Tower, from which a cannon is fired every day at noon. Below it, the Lower Town is laid out around a horseshoe of parks and grand buildings.
Zagreb is busy with events all year, from summer concerts to the Festival of Lights, and it comes alive in winter with Advent Zagreb, its award-winning Christmas market, which spreads festive stalls, concerts and lights across the city centre from late November to early January.
Top Reasons to Visit Zagreb
1. Advent Zagreb
Voted Europe's best Christmas market three years in a row, Advent Zagreb fills squares, parks and courtyards with food stalls, mulled wine, ice skating and live music.
2. The Upper Town
Ride the funicular to the Upper Town to see St Mark's Church, the Stone Gate and the views from the Strossmayer Promenade, then hear the noon cannon from the Lotrščak Tower.
3. Café Culture and Dolac Market
Join locals for the Saturday morning coffee ritual known as špica, browse the red umbrellas of Dolac Market and spend an evening along the bars of Tkalčićeva street.
4. Museums
Visit the Museum of Broken Relationships, a uniquely moving collection of everyday objects, as well as the Mimara Museum and the Croatian Museum of Naive Art.
5. Mirogoj and the Parks
Mirogoj is one of Europe's most beautiful cemeteries, with arcades and domes framed by greenery. Maksimir Park and the Lower Town's Green Horseshoe offer peaceful walks.
6. Medvednica Mountain
Escape to the forests of Medvednica Nature Park on the city's edge for hiking, the medieval fortress of Medvedgrad and views over Zagreb.
