Visiting
Day trips from Zagreb
Zagreb sits conveniently: lakes, castles, baroque towns and mountains are all one or two hours away. For half of these a car is far easier than the bus, but none of them are impossible without one.
Plitvice Lakes
The country's flagship national park and a UNESCO site: sixteen lakes linked by waterfalls, crossed on wooden walkways over the water. Needs an early start and a ticket bought in advance — summer entry runs on timed slots. Autumn is beautiful and quiet; in winter the park runs a reduced format, but the frozen cascades earn it.
Croatian Zagorje
Hills, vineyards and castles north of Zagreb. Trakošćan is the most postcard-perfect castle in the country, with a lake and parkland. Kumrovec is an open-air ethnographic village. Krapina has a Neanderthal museum that is unexpectedly modern and very good with children.
Samobor
A small town half an hour out, where people from Zagreb drive for kremšnite — custard slices. Beyond the dessert: an old centre, a stream, a ruined hilltop fortress and walking trails.
Varaždin
A baroque town and a former Croatian capital. Compact, elegant, with a fortress and a famous cemetery laid out as a park. One of the most agreeable small towns in the country.
Rastoke and Slunj
A village built on waterfalls, houses standing directly above the current with water running between their foundations. Often combined with Plitvice on the way.
Medvednica and Sljeme
The mountain directly above the city. Trails at various levels, views over Zagreb and the plain, and the Veternica cave. Technically still the city — you can get there on public transport.
Ljubljana
The Slovenian capital is closer than the Croatian coast. A compact, handsome centre, a river, a castle on the hill. Easy by bus or train.
The coast
The nearest sea is Kvarner: Rijeka, Opatija, the island of Krk via its bridge. Doable in a day but tight; much better with a night.
Getting there
Buses are the backbone of intercity travel. Zagreb's main bus station connects to practically everywhere, with dense timetables and comfortable coaches.
Trains are less frequent and slower, but on some routes (Varaždin, Ljubljana) they are convenient and cheaper.
A car is what you want for Zagorje and for combined routes like "Rastoke plus Plitvice in one day". Rental is available and the tolled motorways are good.
Organised tours from Zagreb exist for Plitvice and the main destinations — a reasonable option if you would rather not drive.
Related
Go with a guide
Half-day and full-day trips out of the city, routed to the season and the weather.