25 Wonderful Things to Do in Zagreb, Croatia

In this article, you will find all the best things to do in Zagreb (Croatia) – a vibrant and beautiful city in the Balkans – as well as practical information about visiting Zagreb that will help you plan your trip to this amazing place.

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Zagreb (Croatia), together with Ljubljana (Slovenia), was the first city I’ve ever visited in the Balkans, some twenty years ago.

Back then I didn’t know much about things to do in Zagreb and I remember how pleasantly surprised I was – the grand architecture from the Habsburg times and the city’s vibe made me fell for the place right away. I felt this must be one of the best hidden gems in Europe back then.

Since then I was lucky to visit Zagreb many more times. It was either a short stop during my travels (like my flight to New Zealand was from there) or a city break destination itself when I could enjoy Zagreb attractions.

The city became much more popular too, Zagreb tourism is booming, bringing to the Croatian capital many tourists who wanted to see more than just the popular places to visit in Croatia.

But no matter how many times I’ve been to Zagreb, I always like returning there to enjoy the city. I have my favorite streets, cafes, bookstores, or museums that I always visit and Zagreb simply feels right to me. It’s one of those places where I just like being in.

It’s about time I share with you my favorite things to do in Zagreb and show you what an interesting and beautiful city this is. I really hope this Zagreb guide will inspire you to visit the city and push you to plan your own Zagreb trip.

Why visit Zagreb

Zagreb, the largest city and the capital of Croatia, is often overlooked by tourists who choose more popular seaside destinations in the country and don’t really know what to do in Zagreb. But the city is well worth a visit and the number of great Zagreb tourist attractions might be really surprising.

The capital of Croatia can enchant with beautiful and impressive architecture, great museums, and many more Zagreb must see places, including alternative spots. This is one of the best places to learn about Croatia and its history.

And if you have more time in your Croatia itinerary, you can base yourself in Zagreb and go for some great day trips from there!

You can read more about reasons to visit Zagreb here.

How many days for visiting Zagreb?

You can spend one day in Zagreb, get a taste of the city and focus on Zagreb sightseeing in the Lower and Upper Town.

But I believe Zagreb deserves more of your time as it gets better and better with each hour spent there. During my last trip to Zagreb, I spent five days there and I still left with a heavy heart, missing some of my favorite places.

I think the optimal time for visiting Zagreb is two days and then add more days if you want to go for day trips from Zagreb.

How to get to Zagreb

Zagreb is very well connected with many European countries (not to mention domestic destinations) so getting there shouldn’t be a problem.

The local airport is located some 20 km from the center, the bus journey takes around 30-40 minutes to the central bus station, the ticket costs 8€. Buses run every half an hour between 06:00 and 20:00, the bus stop is on the right when leaving the airport. You might also pre-book transfer directly to your accommodation – click here for details.

The main train station is located at the edge of the Lower Town, some 10 minutes walking to the main square – Trg bana Josipa Jelačića. You can get to Zagreb by train from Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland or Serbia, there are also connections within Croatia.

The central bus station is some 15 minutes walking east from the train station. If you come from another destination in Croatia you will most likely arrive in Zagreb by bus. To get to the center you need to take the tram from the bus station.

How to get around Zagreb

Most of Zagreb attractions are located in the central part of the city and can be easily visited on foot.

If you need to get to more distant places, like Mirogoj cemetery or Museum of Contemporary Art, you will need to use public transport. This, fortunately, works really well in Zagreb. You can use trams or buses, the ticket can be bought at the kiosk – there are plenty of them around Zagreb.

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Would you like to take on your trip the ad-free PDF version of this guide? You can purchase it, together with the offline map, by clicking here or on the photo below.

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Things to do in Zagreb

And now, let’s talk about what to see in Zagreb! You will really be surprised how many attractions in Zagreb you can find!

Here are the best things to do in Zagreb, in no particular order.

Admire the beautiful architecture of the Lower Town

The Lower Town is the heart of Zagreb and the most beautiful area of the city that you simply can’t miss. It was created at the end of the 19th century below the more famous Upper Town.

I personally prefer the Lower Town with its rows of wide streets that are lined with the grand townhouses from the time when Zagreb was part of the Habsburg Empire. You can easily feel like you are in other important cities of Austria-Hungary as these buildings and style is the same as in Lviv, Przemysl, Brno, Cluj Napoca, Novi Sad, Timisoara and many more places in Central Europe.

Lower Town is such a perfect area to wander and admire all the beauty around – some of the houses are so rich in art-nouveau details it’s hard to take your eyes out of them.

The most beautiful part of the Lower Town is between the main train station and Trg bana Josipa Jelačića, where you can find some lovely green spaces too (they were part of the smart urban planning back in the times). When you are there be sure to visit the Art Pavilion too as the interior is really stunning, a perfect example of how the buildings of the public use were designed at the turn of the 19th and 20th century.

The Lower Town is the business, shopping, and cultural center of Zagreb and you will find plenty of shops, cafes, or museums there however the biggest highlight of this area is the architecture. This is one of the places to visit in Zagreb you simply can’t miss.

Wander around the Upper Town

The Upper Town is where you will find the majority of attractions in Zagreb. This is the oldest part of the city, dating back to the 11th century and is so much different than the Lower Town. Instead of grand townhouses, you will find here smaller houses, cobbled streets, and winding lanes.

Wandering aimlessly around here is a pure pleasure – it’s so easy to fall in love with this area and you might randomly find here so many charming corners. You can easily forget here that you are in a busy capital – the traffic is limited, the place is rarely overcrowded (although it is popular among tourists) and life seems to go by slowly.

Before you start a proper Zagreb sightseeing here, be sure to spend some time just feeling the vibe of the place.

Ride one of the shortest funiculars in the world

The funicular, one of Zagreb highlights, connects the Upper and Lower Town and is among the shortest ones in the world – it covers a distance of only 66 meters and the ride takes exactly 64 seconds. This is actually the oldest mode of public transport in Zagreb as the funicular was opened in 1890, a year before the horse-drawn tram.

The funicular is open every day between 6:30 am and 10 pm and runs every 10 minutes. The ticket is less than 1€ but other public transport tickets can be used too.

If you don’t want to ride the funicular there are stairs next to it so you can still see its original construction.

Update: until mid-2026 the funicular is undergoing a maintenance.

Visit the Cathedral

The cathedral is probably the most popular of Zagreb landmarks and one of the must things to