Book Olympic Air Flights to Zagreb

Sightseeing in Zagreb

Take the scenic railway and go up to the beautiful Gornji Grad (Upper Town), the oldest part of Zagreb, where you can stroll along the cobbled lanes of its medieval quarters, which lie over the two hills of Kaptol and Gradec. Here you will find lovely galleries and bars that have tables outside in the summertime, as well as the city’s most important historical monuments. Note also the pretty gas lanterns which, even today, are lit by hand by a lamplighter every night!

The main attractions in the Upper Town are the imposing neo-Gothic Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary, the much-photographed St Mark’s Church with its colourful tiled roof, the Parliament and the Presidential Palace, the fairy-tale Lotrščak Tower and the mythical Stone Gate with the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, to which the faithful from all over the world constantly pray.

In the Donji Grad (Lower Town), which begins at the bustling central Ban Jelačιć square, you will find most of the museums of Zagreb, while Ilica Street is the best place to go shopping. Here you can observe the historical relationship of Zagreb with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which is very apparent, especially in the large buildings from the 19th century, which remind one of Vienna, such as the famous Croatian National Theatre.

Zagreb also has some amazing parks, the most important being Maksimir Park, with lakes, pavilions, sculptures and idyllic routes. It is the largest and most beautiful park in Zagreb, a historical monument of landscape gardening. Opened in 1794, it had the first public promenade in Southeast Europe. Address: Maksimirski perivoj bb, 10000 Zagreb.

Feel the pulse of the city in the colourful open-air Dolac Farmers Market, which is open daily. Here you can also see the bronze statue of Kumica Barica, dedicated to the hardworking women farmers of Croatia.

Take a short tram ride to the medieval Medvedgrad Castle on Mt Medvednica for wonderful views over the city or continue to the beautiful artificial Lake Jarun, where you can go swimming and sailing.

The museums of Zagreb

Mirogoj is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Europe and an open-air art gallery, with grand arches, vaulted gates and sculptures. It was designed in 1876 by the important German architect Hermann Bollé.
Address: Aleja Hermanna Bollea 27, 1000 Zagreb.

In 2009 the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) opened in Zagreb, dedicated to the avant-garde art movements of Croatia.
Address: Avenija Dubrovnik 17, 10000 Zagreb, www.msu.hr

In the Mimara Museum, housed in a neo-Renaissance building from 1883, you can see Zagreb’s largest art collection, donated by the private collector Ante Topić “Mimara”. Among the thousands of exhibits, there are rare antiquities from ancient Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Rome, as well as great works of European painting by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Goya, Manet, Renoir and others.
Address: Rooseveltov trg 5, www.mimara.hr

The Archaeological Museum houses the famous exhibit of the Zagreb mummy. This is a female mummy that was transferred from in the mid-19th century Egypt to Vienna and then from there to Zagreb. Its impressive linen wrapping, 3.40 metres long, has the longest Etruscan text in the world written on it and is known as the Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis (The Linen Book of Zagreb).
Address: 19 Nikola Subic Zrinski Square, 10000 Zagreb, www.amz.hr

The award-winning Museum of Broken Relationships is worth visiting simply because of its uniqueness. It tells stories of separation and lost loves, through an interesting collection of mementoes and the written testimonies of former couples.
Address: Ćirilometodska 2, 10000 Zagreb, www.brokenships.com

Food and entertainment

The local cuisine of Zagreb is mainly influenced by Austro-Hungarian flavours and is heavily meat-based. Some of the classic delicacies include:

Zagorje Štrukli, a type of cheese pie made of phyllo pastry and with a filling of cottage cheese, sour cream and eggs, which comes in a number of variations, roasted or boiled, salty or sweet.

The famous Zagreb steak (Zagrebački odrezak), with a ham and cheese filling and covered in breadcrumbs.

Try ajngemahtec (chicken soup with dumplings and vegetables), Purica s mlincima (roast turkey with traditional noodles) and the famous handmade sausages of the region, češnjovke (garlic sausages) and krvavice (blood sausages).

For dessert, sample the traditional sweets of Štrukli, kremšnita (a kind of custard pie), bučnica (strudel with pumpkin and cream) and knedle (potato dumplings with a plum or apricot filling). Also try paprenjak, with biscuit, honey and black pepper.

The morning custom of the locals to meet for coffee in the centre is known as Špica. People meet in the pedestrianised Bogovićeva and Preradovićev Streets and in Cvjetni Square, next to the flower market.

In the evenings, take a stroll along the cobbled pedestrianised Tkalčićeva Street, with its beautifully restored 19th-century buildings, full of lovely bars.

The city’s nightlife in the summer is concentrated around the shores of Lake Jarun, known as the “Sea of Zagreb”, with its flourishing clubbing culture.

Shopping in Zagreb

In Zagreb’s main shopping district along Ilica Street you can discover up-and-coming young Croatian designers.

In the lanes and courtyards around Ilica, Radićeva and Tkalčićeva Streets you can find shops selling local handicrafts as well as the boutiques of local designers.

Shops and boutiques selling jewellery can be found in the area around Ban Jelačić Square.

For fresh products, visit one of the city’s open-air markets, such as Dolac Market, also known as “the belly of Zagreb” and open every day.

If you love bric-a-brac then take a trip to the Flea and Antique Market which is held on Sundays in Britanac Square, for a wide variety of ornaments, old books and collector’s items.

Fans of vintage items should check out the Hrelić Flea Market held every Wednesday and Sunday.

Croatia is considered the homeland of the tie and so it’s appropriate to visit one of the shops that sells the famous Croatian ties, such as Kroata Cravata, a temple to the tie, with ties and scarves made of the best silk.

Getting from the airport to the city

Zagreb International Airport (ZAG) is located 10 kilometres southeast of the centre of Zagreb. The most reliable way to get to the city centre is to take the shuttle bus that connects the airport directly with Zagreb central bus station. Shuttle buses depart daily every 30 minutes, from 04:30 to 23:30. The journey time is around half an hour. It is recommended that you purchase your tickets online at https://voznired.akz.hr/VozniRed.aspx?lang=en

A very cheap but very time-consuming choice is regional bus 290 (ZET Electric Bus), which connects the airport with the city centre. It departs every 35 minutes and makes a total of 20 stops. The buses run from Monday to Saturday, between 04:20 – 00:15 and on Sundays from 05:20 to 00:15.

The taxi ride from the airport to the centre of Zagreb takes around 25 minutes.

The capital of Croatia, still unexplored by mass tourism, is a verdant city, with a vibrant artistic life, a relaxed atmosphere and a dynamic urban culture throughout the year. Book your tickets to Zagreb at the Olympic Air site and discover one of the top emerging city-break destinations in the Balkans.