Continuing our journey after some lovely and eventful days in Timisoara, Romania, our next stop brought us to Zagreb in Croatia. As far as capital cities concern, Zagreb has a manageable size for a capital to be which makes it easily walkable and perfect for a city break. Despite being the capital city of Croatia, Zagreb is often overlooked and deselected by tourists who rather prefer to visit the coastal areas in Croatia. However, there is definitely no need to skip this city which has remained at the forefront of history and culture in Croatia since medieval times. With its crooked streets and various museums this city is perfectly made for strolling since most of the attractions are all clustered in both the Upper and Lower Town area. You will definitely find enough things to do to keep yourself busy if you follow this guide about the top 10 Things to do in Zagreb.
1. The Upper Town - Gornji Grad
The oldest and at the same time most magical part of Zagreb is the Upper Town – Gornji Grad. The area is loosely defined as being north of the central square but also you won’t be in doubt when you enter the historic district as you will be finding yourself in a network of cobblestone streets, pretty medieval squares and wonderful, old buildings. Some of Zagreb’s most interesting attractions are located in the Upper Town such as Zagreb’s Cathedral, St. Mark’s Church, the Stone Gate, Dolac Market, Lotrscak Tower and much more, so you will be naturally finding yourself spending a large portion of your time here. The streets wind like a labyrinth and you might get lost but that is somehow part of the experience of wandering through this old district. This part of the town is filled with a lively café- and restaurant culture making it Zagreb’s most picturesque neighbourhood.
2. Zagreb Cathedral
As one of the city’s major sights, Zagreb’s Cathedral is a landmark in the Upper Town and the city in general with its towering spires which can be seen from almost anywhere in the town. One might even say it’s a landmark in Croatia being the tallest building in this country. Zagreb’s Cathedral has existed since the 11th century though what you see today doesn’t represent the original structure. The first Cathedral was damaged during the Tartar attack and a great fire in the 13th century. It was then severely damaged in 1880 by an earthquake so the Cathedral was restored in a Neo-Gothic style around the turn of the 20th century which is what you see today. Zagreb’s Cathedral was formerly known as St. Stephen’s Cathedral but has hence been dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and did therefore change its name into the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
3. St. Mark's Church
With its uniquely colourful tiled roof makes the St. Mark’s Church a real icon of Zagreb. Located in the Upper Town of Zagreb which is the historical district in this city naturally makes it one of the oldest buildings in Zagreb dating back to the 13th century. Due to a fire and a following devastating earthquake in 1880 there is now little left of the church’s original construction but for a couple of windows and its central doorway. St. Mark’s brightly patterned roof was constructed in 1880 after the earthquake destroyed most on which you can see the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia on the left side and the emblem of Zagreb on the right. The Gothic portal on the south side is the richest looking Gothic portal in Croatia. It consists of 15 sculptures in shallow niches which were sculpted in the 14th century. What makes this church even more interesting is the fact that it is hardly possible to explore the inside as it is only open at Mass. So you might want to set a timer if you want to explore more than just the outside.
4. Dolac Market
Being perfectly located in the heart of the city lays the Dolac Market, Zagreb’s bustling fruit and vegetable market – a must see when you visit Zagreb. This market has been the center for trading since the 1930’s when the city’s authorities set up a market space right in between the Upper and Lower Towns. The main part of the market is on an elevated square though it also has an indoor market on the lower street level where they sell meat and dairy products. This is a vibrant and colourful place where you can experience locally grown products from traders from all over Croatia and even locals come here to buy fresh food and local produce.
5. Lotrscak Tower
We are still in the Upper Town, still talking old buildings. This is one of the oldest standing buildings - the Lotrscak Tower was built into the defense walls as a fortified tower of the original 13th century settlement Gradec. It was a part of the southern gate and town defenses against the Turks, built in 1266. In commemoration of Zagreb’s victory over the Turks the famous Gric cannon fires every day exactly at noon which has become somewhat a tradition over the last hundred years. Today it is one of the last remaining fortifications and a monument of Zagreb. The tower is said to have closed every night at sunset, reputedly leaving those who were left outside the walls overnight in grave danger of being robbed. As the settlement was gradually integrated into the present-day Zagreb, the use of the tower changed over the centuries into a prison, a warehouse, a fire station and even a billiards club. Today, the five-story tower houses and art gallery but most people visit it climb the narrow stair up to the observation post to catch a glimpse of the spectacular view from its top.
6. Botanical Garden
If you need a change from the Upper Town buildings and museums, take a break in one of Zagreb’s lovely parks. There are several noteworthy parks in Zagreb but I will above all recommend you to visit the Botanical Garden, this is the perfect place for a break or a retreat from the busy tourist life. The garden was founded in 1890 and has until today gathered 10.000 species of plants distributed over an area of 5 hectares. The garden was designed in an English landscape style but also features as a contrast a symmetrical French-style garden in the western part, Croatia’s native plants in the Rock Gardens, ponds and exotic plants in a total of 14 greenhouses. This is truly a relief from the bustling city style and a peaceful and quite place to sooth the soul.
7. Mirogoj Cemetery
It might seem odd to count a cemetery into the list of an attraction in Zagreb but the Mirogoj Cemetery is in fact known as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in whole Europe. Besides being a cemetery it functions as well as a park, so I think this makes it seem less odd and more excusable to go while knowing that this is no ordinary graveyard. The cemetery was laid out in 1876 fronted by a majestic 500 meter long neo-Renaissance arcade which makes it look more like a fortress than a cemetery. Situated on the slopes of the Medvednica Mountain creates a dramatic backdrop. Strolling through the cemetery you can find a series of mausoleums and chapels, landscaped gardens and monumental statues.
8. Museum of Illusions
As much as we enjoy traditional attractions such as cathedrals, churches and museums, we also like to engage in something more refreshing every once in a while. This is how we discovered the Museum of Illusions in Zagreb. This is a fun activity and somehow reviving compared to the other attractions in Zagreb. Things definitely do not appear as they should and while interacting with the different activities in this museum kind of gives you this ‘aha’ experience. It’s a fine balance between perception and deception and an adventure of visual and sensual stimuli. If you bring some extra time when you visit Zagreb this is definitely a fun activity to do.
9. Escape Room
After traveling through Eastern Europe for several weeks we had already inhaled plenty of culture during our trip to all the other cities by seeing a lot of architecture like cathedrals, buildings, churches and other monumental structures. When we came to Zagreb we had somehow reached the point where we got tired of it. We did see the most influential buildings like the cathedral and St. Mark’s Church in Zagreb but we also needed to do something completely else – that’s how we came up with the idea of trying an Escape Room for the very first time. It was just the two of us and none had tried it before. It’s needless to say that we failed and had to be guided at the end to solve the mystery. But it was fun! And I think you should all try it when you go to Zagreb. The story of the game in Enigmarium Escape Room was equally relevant considering that we are in Zagreb. You are being taken back in time when people believed in witches. The pretty and successful woman Barica was accused of witchcraft, mostly due to the fact that she as a beautiful, smart and an independent woman had turned down many wealthy suitors which hurt their ego. Eventually the public notary Lack Salej accused her of witchcraft. It was of course our task to save her from the stake. This famous story even inspired Marija Zagorka to write a novel about her in ‘the Witch of Gric’.
10. Plitvice National Park
Never ever have I seen anything like this exceptional beautiful nature as the one in the Plitvice National Park in Croatia. Being so captivating beautiful it is no wonder that this is the most popular tourist attraction in the whole country; it has even been granted the UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. The Plitvice National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Croatia and how lucky we are that it happens to be fairly close to Zagreb; you basically just jump on board of a bus and some hours later you arrive at the park. Already back in 1949 this area was proclaimed Croatia’s first national park and has grown and been expanded ever since now covering an area of around 300 km2. The beauty of this park lies in its sixteen lakes and several smaller lakes which are interconnected by a series of waterfalls surrounded by forest vegetation populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and birds. With easy walking trails and seven routes to choose between this is simply the place for everyone.
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