Advantages: Elegant architecture, plenty of green spaces, lots of museums, good food Disadvantages: Not so good for people with mobility problems
A couple of weeks ago, to celebrate the auspicious occasion of my mother's birthday, we took my parents to Zagreb for the day. Of course, we set out from Slovenia so it wasn't the enormous undertaking that sounds. The Croatian capital is well worth a stay of at least a couple of days, but it also makes an excellent day trip and is a viable destination from the holiday resorts of Croatian Istria, the coastal towns and other places in Slovenia, Venice and Trieste in northern Italy and the Plitvice Lakes in northern Croatia. I wouldn't recommend it as a day trip for people staying further south in Croatia as distances take longer to cover in this part of Europe. The train to Split (as far south as you can travel by train in Croatia) is an overnight one and you may have a few hours to kill before it departs, fortunately the station is ...
Advantages: Fascinating, colourful, might get to sample some Croatian foods, shop for a picnic Disadvantages: Can't buy some things if you're in a hotel
Dolac is Zagreb?s very colourful central fresh produce market. It is situated in the area just behind Trg Bana Jelacic and you can access it though a small lane where you see the flower market start. The market was opened in 1930, having been built on the site of a slum clearance; it was agreed by the city's bigwigs that the houses there were not a fitting sight for visitors to a capital city and so they were duly demolished. I was delighted to read that in his speech at the opening of the market, the mayor of Zagreb Dr. Stjepan Srkulj said "?During my visit to Holland this year, ladies and gentlemen, I can honestly say that I did not see a market that was as nice as this...? - and, you know, it is rather special.
Beyond the flower market you can either climb the stone steps to the market proper or go into the main indoor section ...
Advantages: Not hard to find, good craft market, useful transport hub, impressive buildings Disadvantages: Expensive cafes, ugly advertising hoardings
Zagreb?s main square "Trg Bana Jelacica" (a "trg" - pronounced "turg" - is a square, often a marketplace)is the vibrant heart of the Croatian capital and it?s a fine place in the Austro-Hungarian tradition, not dissimilar to squares you might find in cities like Vienna. It?s pretty hard to miss the square because it serves a number of functions; it?s a major hub for tram services, it is an ideal and convenient place to meet people, it contains a couple of important monuments and it?s close to a number of important and popular attractions, and it effectively forms the buffer between old town and nineteenth century Zagreb. Throw in that it is where you?ll find the main tourist information office and you can see why it?s almost impossible to miss.
If you arrive in the square from the direction of the train station, do take care as you ...
