Upper Town (Gornji Grad), Zagreb

The capital of Croatia is an excellent city to spend a couple of days in however if you want to get a flavour of the city it is small and compact enough to get a feel for the place on a day trip however my advice would be to spend at least one night in this beautiful city. It reminded me at times of Bruges with regards to size and the number of pretty little squares and fine buildings. There is a thriving cafe culture in Zagreb and with the sun streaming down it is a romantic location making it ideal for couples. The other big plus is that from what I could see it has been saved from the abhorrent hordes of stag and hen parties that have blighted other beautiful eastern European cities. Much of the historic attractions described in this review can be found in the Upper Town part of the city hence the choice of categiory.

We flew in on Croatian Airlines who provide a basic but regular service between London and Zagreb, as it was a late evening arrival we hopped into a cab and paid 420kn to our hotel, once in the city we found that we had no need to make use of what appeared to be an excellent public transport system with lots of trams as we were able to walk everywhere that we wanted to go. Most of the trams seem to pass near the main train station which was our point of exit to continue our trip in Croatia and also around the central square which is known as Trg Josipa Jelacica.

What I loved most about Zagreb was the ease of getting around, many of the main sites are crammed into the centre of the city and there are restrictions on the number of vehicles allowed into the city which makes it really easy to get around, you just have to watch for the numerous trams that move around the city. There is lots to see and also lots of great outdoor cafes to sit and watch the world go by while you enjoy some quality coffee and cakes and the other great thing is that as Croatia is not in the EU you are not suffering from the strong euro and the £ still has good buying power against the Kuna making it an affordable location.

There are a number of green areas in the city, one majestic example of this is a series of three squares running up from the main train station, dotted around Trg Strossmayerov, Trg Zrinjevac and Trg Tomislava there are some fine fountains and sculptures and this is a lovely area to sit out in the shade and read a book, lots of couples also take advantage of the area to enjoy romantic walks and public displays of affection which is so un-British unless we are full of alcohol.

Trg Josipa Jelacica is the heart of the city and a good point to orientate yourself, it is not exactly large or grand however it does have a couple of neat sculptures in it however walking to the north and up some steps you will find yourself in the Dolac fruit and vegetable market which is a large bustling feast of colour, it is a great place to get a feel for the locals as it is still very much a local market despite the fact that some of the stalls cater for the tourist trade as well, but you get to hear the local dialect being spoken and it is a good place to pick up some fresh fruit for later. Walking up through some narrow streets you then enter into Kaptol Square which is located in the medieval Upper Town, it is surrounded by some great examples of 17th century architecture and is dominated by the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary which with a name like that means you get rather large postcards of it.

It was a shame that part of one of the two spires was encased in scaffolding but apparently some form of restoration work is a fairly permanent feature, at least according to a Croatian student we got chatting to over coffee, anyway inside it is an impressive cathedral with some wonderful frescoes and a calming atmosphere inside despite the hordes of tourists.

Another place to visit is St Marks Church , you walk up through Stone Gate which is an impressive structure in itself and then come upon Markov Trg. St Mark’s has a wonderfully colourful tile roof with the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slovenia on the left and that of Zagreb on the right. It is an impressive bright splash of colour amongst all of the stone, for some reason it was closed when we visited so we did not get to see inside, also in the square is the Croatian parliament (sabor) so expect to see lots of armed guards around as well.

Two other places that I would recommend visiting are the Lotrscak Tower from which you get a lovely view of the city, admission was 10kn and this 13th century tower has some winding steps but the climb is worth it to get some beautiful views of the city and the surrounding hills. Finally to get a feel for Croatian art the Croatian Museum of Naive Art is worth a visit, apparently this art form was in vogue during the 1960’s and 70’s around the world, it is a small museum but packed with many pictures and sculptures and is well worth a couple of hours of your time.

I must say that I loved Zagreb; I found it to be a clean and friendly place to visit. Eating out was very affordable, one lunch we ate al fresco in a city centre square and for four of us including wine the bill was around the £35 mark which was great value as the food was plentiful and good value, the cuisine in Croatia is not exactly exciting however you can enjoy some excellent fish dishes and meat is a stable part of the diet. It was a little harder to cater for vegetarians however most restaurants had pasta dishes that were appropriate, one evening I had an excellent seafood risotto which was under £5 for the course and was probably the best seafood risotto I have ever had.

There are a range of places to stay in Zagreb to suit all budgets however it pays to book in advance during the peak seasons. I must say I loved the city, it was so nice to walk around although be aware that it is on a hill so there are some inclines to navigate including a lovely walk through a park with artists displaying their paintings, alternatively there is a funicular if you want to avoid the steep walk.

I found Zagreb to be quite a young person town, there were lots of students in the city which was echoed by the couple of students we spoke to, and it is also an affordable capital city to visit and one that I found to be fascinating and very relaxing. It is highly recommended by me but reluctantly so as if too many people go it will get spoilt.

Thanks for reading and rating my review.