Visiting

Zagreb in two days

A plan you can follow literally or treat as a frame. Everything is within walking distance except two excursions, each about half an hour by tram.

Day one: the centre and the hill

  1. Morning · Dolac and the main square

    Start at the market while it is alive: Dolac opens early and quietens by lunchtime. From there drop down to Ban Jelačić Square, the point everything in this city is measured from.

  2. Late morning · the Upper Town

    Go up by funicular or on the steps. The Stone Gate, St Mark's, the narrow streets of Gradec. Be at Lotrščak Tower by noon — the cannon fires at twelve exactly.

  3. Lunch · Tkalčićeva, or off it

    Tkalčićeva is the obvious lunch street and therefore the most touristed. For something cheaper and more honest, walk a couple of blocks towards Vlaška or Mesnička.

  4. Afternoon · a museum, by mood

    The Museum of Broken Relationships for something unexpected. Mimara or the Museum of Arts and Crafts for the classics. The Grič tunnel if it is hot.

  5. Evening · the Green Horseshoe and dinner

    Walk Zrinjevac and the Lower Town parks at sunset — their best hour. Dinner in the Lower Town too.

Day two: green space and views

  1. Morning · Mirogoj

    Half an hour by bus from the centre. Arcades, domes, quiet. Come early while it is empty — the place asks to be taken slowly.

  2. Late morning · Maksimir

    A large park with lakes, and a zoo if you want one. A good place to simply walk without a programme.

  3. Lunch · a neighbourhood, not the centre

    Try eating outside the centre: Trešnjevka or the streets around Maksimir will give you a truer sense of the city and its prices.

  4. Afternoon · pick by weather

    Clear: go up Sljeme — the view over the city and the plain beyond repays the climb. Overcast: Jarun or Bundek and a walk by the water. Rain: the Lower Town museums.

  5. Evening · špica, if it is Saturday

    If your second day falls on a Saturday, start earlier: be in the centre by midday to watch the coffee ritual. It is worth rearranging the whole plan for.

If you have a third day

The sensible move is to leave the city. Plitvice Lakes need a full day and an early start. Samobor, Zagorje or Varaždin fit into half a day or a day and show you a completely different Croatia — rural, castle-dotted, unhurried.

More in the day trips section.

Related

Walk it with a guide

The same route, with the stories and the context, and without needing to look at your phone.

Tours