• Morning: Dolac Market
• Lunch: Stari Fijaker
• Afternoon: Zagreb City Museum
• Drink: Dezman bar
• Evening: Museum of Broken Relationships
• Dinner: Pod Zidom
Day two
• Morning: Technical Museum Nikola Tesla
• Lunch: Ficlek
• Afternoon: Maksimir Park
• Drink: Program bar
• Evening: The Beertija
• Dinner: Zinfandel’s
The Technical Museum Nikola Tesla showcases engineering feats of the 19th and 20th centuries
ALAMY
What to do
• Work up an appetite at Dolac Market, the daily food market, open from 6.30am, behind Ban Jelacic Square. Once you’ve checked out the local and seasonal produce displayed under red umbrellas, head into the indoor markets: one for seafood and another showcasing meat, bread and, in their own huge room, cheese and other dairy produce. Smoked cheese is the best buy here — a hefty chunk only costs a couple of euros.
• Wander up to Zagreb’s cobbled upper town to see the pastel-coloured baroque townhouses and the colourful tiled roof of St Mark’s Church. Look out for buzzing Tkalciceva Street crammed with bars and restaurants. Then put all this history into context at Zagreb City Museum, which offers a crash course on the city’s past. Scale models of the upper town will please anyone who loves relief maps and you can stroll along re-creations of 19th-century shopping streets (£4; mgz.hr).
• The Museum of Broken Relationships has become a fixture in Zagreb’s cultural line-up since it opened in 2010. Its poignant and often wry exhibits about love and heartbreak are refreshed from time to time, with a seemingly endless supply of symbolic objects. Its café will cheer you up (£6; brokenships.com).
• Unleash your inner science geek at the Technical Museum Nikola Tesla, which showcases technical and engineering feats of the 19th and 20th centuries. Walk into the huge hall filled with every vintage form of transport imaginable, including spacecraft. It’s hard not to feel like a kid again (£3.50; tmnt.hr).
• Take the tram from Ban Jelacic Square to Zagreb’s oldest park, Maksimir, and stroll around 780 acres of landscaped gardens and lakes. Small children will want to see the meerkats and monkeys at Zagreb Zoo (£3.50; zoo.hr) or you might spot Dinamo Zagreb footballers training — their stadium is across the street.
• The Beertija is more than just part of Zagreb’s booming craft beer scene. Behind wrought-iron railings lies a rock’n’roll sculpture garden celebrating the greats. While you’re sipping a Croatian or Belgian ale, check out sculptures of Nick Cave, Joe Strummer, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, John Lennon and the Ramones, among others (from £3; beertija.com).
Maksimir is Zagreb’s oldest park
ALAMY
Where to eat and drinkStari Fijaker
For a taste of old Zagreb, fill up on traditional dishes under Stari Fijaker’s vaulted ceilings. Stuffed cabbage rolls (sarma), schnitzel, venison stew, stuffed peppers — pure comfort food in delightfully old-fashioned surroundings. Book ahead for Saturday lunchtimes, when Zagrebians come out in full force (mains from £9; starifijaker.hr).
Dezman
The smart Dezman bar and bistro is on the increasingly trendy Dezmanova Street that links the upper and lower towns. Choose from the coolly funky interior or sheltered terrace for creative cocktails, Mediterranean dishes with a hint of fusion or coffee and cakes (cocktails from £8; dezman.hr).
Pod Zidom relies on the local market for its ingredients
DAMIRA KOVA
Pod Zidom
Flying the flag for Zagreb’s growing upmarket bistro scene, Pod Zidom relies on its neighbour, Dolac Market, for its ingredients. The menu changes with the seasons, but you won’t want to turn down the slow-cooked beef cheeks if they’re on (mains from £19; podzidom.hr).
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Ficlek
Northern Croatian classics with a strong Austro-Hungarian flavour are served in a cheery modern interior and sunny outdoor terrace near Dolac Market. Fill up on homemade pasta with bacon and cabbage, chicken schnitzel or roast turkey with mlinci pasta (mains from £7.50; instagram.com/gostionica_ficlek).
Northern Croatian classics with a strong Austro-Hungarian flavour are served at Ficlek
Program
Eclectic, wacky … These words don’t even begin to describe the boudoir-like Program bar, with its collection of chairs hanging from the ceiling. It is on what is probably Zagreb’s hippest street, Marticeva, surrounded by boutique bakeries, funky bars and concept stores. Drop by for coffee and inexpensive beers, wines and cocktails (from £3; instagram.com/program_bar).
Zinfandel’s
The main restaurant at the Esplanade Zagreb is as classy as the hotel itself. In a glittering art deco dining room the chef Ana Grgic Tomic brings a delicate touch to smoked mussels in a crab bisque and, a standout dish, whole sea bass baked in sea salt (mains from £36; zinfandels.hr).
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Where to stayCasablanca Zagreb
Friendly family-run B&B
The architect sisters Zrinka and Jelena Korzinek run a stylish B&B in their grandmother’s old house a few minutes’ walk from Marticeva Street. Its ten rooms have understated contemporary design — lots of blond wood and warm colours. The star attraction is the delightful courtyard garden, with big comfy sofas surrounded by greenery, plus an outdoor sauna. You can rent bikes, and the sisters have plenty of tips about what to do (B&B doubles from £95; casablancazagreb.com).
Hotel Jägerhorn
Hotel Jägerhorn was built in 1827
Historic central base
Zagreb’s oldest hotel (built in 1827) is in a superb location, minutes from Ban Jelacic Square and the adorable 66m funicular that chugs between the upper and lower towns. Its 18 traditional rooms and suites have plush fabrics in soothingly deep colours. The Café Jägerhorn is especially appealing, in a garden courtyard with a gate that leads directly to the zigzagging footpath to the top of the upper town (room-only doubles from £120; hotel-jagerhorn.hr).
Esplanade Zagreb Hotel
Esplanade Zagreb Hotel exudes art deco glam
LEVEL52
Old-world sophistication
Built for the Orient Express in 1925, Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, near the railway station, exudes art deco glam. Its marble and gold opulence is matched by impeccable and unobtrusive service. The luxurious feeling extends to the 208 rooms, some of which look out onto the restaurant terrace. The health club includes a gym, treatment rooms and sauna. Besides Zinfandel’s, you can eat at the less formal Le Bistro and have a drink at the elegant Esplanade 1925 bar (room-only doubles from £156; esplanade.hr).
Getting there
Fly direct with British Airways and Croatia Airlines (Heathrow) or Ryanair (Stansted). Regular shuttle buses between the airport and Zagreb central bus station cost about £7 and take 40 minutes; taxis cost about £25.
Getting around
The centre is walkable, but if you want to take the tram, single tickets start at 70p and daily tickets are £3.40. The 24-hour Zagreb Card (£17; zagrebcard.com) gives you free public transport and admission to certain museums.
Mary Novakovich was a guest of the Croatian National Tourist Board (croatia.hr; infozagreb.hr)
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Publish date : 2024-06-11 07:00:00
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