The capital of Croatia, Zagreb is home to many museums, art, green parks and historical sights. We passed through this city during our travels through central Europe as it’s super close to both Slovenia and Austria. Well, believe it or not, there are many things to see and do in this Croatian city! If you plan to spend one day in Zagreb, here are some ideas of what to do and see with photos from our last trip.
City Center
As with any big city, Zagreb’s downtown is packed with people, shops, cafes, and monuments. Walking around you will see many statues and stunning historic buildings, though some of them were undergoing renovations when we visited.
Which was unfortunate, but still, walking through the wide and the tiny streets felt fantastic and the atmosphere was very vibrant, but not hectic.
We roamed the streets for a few hours and grabbed lunch in a Thai place called Thai Thai Street Food. The curry was delicious and did what it was supposed to do – feed us and warm us up (it was chilly when we got there).
Museums
I was honestly surprised by how many museums Zagreb had to offer! And on so many different topics, some very eccentric, at least to me.
For example, some of the more popular museums to visit are The Museum of Broken Relationships and The Museum of Hangovers.
We visited and enjoyed the Museum of Chocolate, since we saw it on the way walking through the city center.
And if you’re into more classic museums the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum, the Ethnographic Museum or the Zagreb City Museum can be worth a visit for you.
Especially if it’s raining and you’d like to spend some hours learning about the culture of the country.
Tkalčićeva Street
I am not able to pronounce the name of this street, however, it is a lively car-free street packed with restaurants, bars, cafes and shops. The architecture is beautiful and while you’re exploring you can grab a coffee, dessert, enjoy lunch, and find many unique statues on the way.
What we didn’t know about Tkalčićeva Street while visiting was that up until World War 2 it used to be full of brothels, pretty much every house. So it was part of the red light district.
Zagreb Cathedral
This is probably the most popular building to see in Zagreb! You can find the Catholic cathedral walking up from Tkalčićeva street.
This cathedral is dedicated to the assumption of Mary and even though it was under construction when we visited, it was still impressive. Probably because of the beautiful golden Monument in front.
An interesting fact about this cathedral is that it’s the second tallest building in Croatia and one of the tallest churches in the world!
The Local Market
Unfortunately, when we made it – the local market, called Market Dolac, looked like this (holding tears).
However, I read that if you do make it there in the morning you’ll be able to experience the athmosphere and buy local products from the farmers living in the villages around Zagreb. Think fruits, vegetables, flowers, cheeses, fish, honey and even souvenirs. According to Google, the working hours are from 6:30am to 3pm, so if you’re in the area during that time, definitely go and visit.
If you have one day to spend in Zagreb, the church, Tkalčićeva Street and the market are very close together, so you can experience the city within a few hours.
Park
This was my favorite part of the trip to Zagreb, because I love nature. And Zagreb has a lot of it to offer. There’s actually a park right next to the market and the Cathedral, but we took the car and drove to Jarun Park.
This park is located in Jarun lake (formed by the Sava river) and is composed by many different islands all connected by bridges. It is a great place to go if you like being active – people were rowing, biking, jogging, doing group workouts, I think I even saw some horse riding in one part of the park.
We just walked and enjoyed looking at the beautiful views and the swans!
Try Some Local Pastries
So, the place we spent much of our time in Zagreb was a bakery called Dubravica (pekara Dubravica). It’s a local chain where you can try local breakfasts like zagorska bucnica as well as filled croissants, sandwiches or even grab a slice of pizza. We went twice and the food was fresh and tasty!
More to see
And that was it for our one day in Zagreb! I have some things on my list when I visit again, here are just a few that maybe you want to experience as well:
- Nikola Tesla Technical Museum
- Visit Maksimir Park
- See the Stone Gate
- Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb (I saw it from the car and it looked absolutely stunning!)
Whatever you choose to do, I hope you enjoy your next visit in Zagreb!
