Zagreb in Two Days: Day 1

Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of Croatia – the newest member state of EU. This city is an excellent stopover for those traveling from Western/Central Europe to the Adriatic Sea, but also perfect weekend spot to escape from daily routine. We prepared for you two days guide in which every hour is filled with the best this city can offer. Watch & read carefully! ;)

10:00-11:30

Good morning! Since a busy day is in front of you, you need to start the day with good breakfast - Hemingway lounge bar is perfect spot for that. Nice ambient + fresh and tasty food.

11:30-13:30

Now it's time for sightseeing! The main city square is trg Bana Jelačića (Ban Jelačić square). Near the square is a high building with its top floor – Zagreb eye, where you can have an amazing view over the city. Ticket (around 3€) is valid for the whole day so you may see this panorama on both day and night. At Zagreb Eye check out the bar as well! 

The longest street in Zagreb is Ilica. It's a shopping area with all the typical shops you can find wherever you go in Europe. Pay attention to Kraš - the largest Croatian manufacturers of chocolate. Don't leave Zagreb without trying their well-known products: Bajadera, Dorina chocolate and Domaćica. At the end of the street, there is Britanski trg (British Square) with its open-air marketplace with fresh fruits, vegetables and other foods brought directly from farms. On Sunday mornings, there is very live and authentic antiques market. 

Cvjetni trg (Flower sqauare) is the most popular square among locals, where they are sipping coffees in no matter which hour. We love the interior and the coffee at Cafe de Paris. Flower square is connected to the Ban Jelačić square with the Oktogon passage. Beside the fact that this passage is full of shops, it is never crowded, because probably not a lot of people know about it.

Other three squares (with their beautiful parks) that you must visit are: trg maršala Tita (where the National theatre is located), trg Mažuranića and Marulićev trg. There is also amazing botanical garden that you can't miss!

13:30-15:00

After walking through the city centre, it's time for the museums. The Museum of Illusions is situated in Ilica. It is the private museum in the two floors house, where you can amuse yourself with funny pictures and other interesting things, like infinity room and anti-gravity room.

Another museum that you should visit is Mimara. This museum offers the rich collection of the European art from the early Middle Ages to the 20th century.

15:00-16:30

Lunch time! We know you are expecting something typical Croatian here (just wait for the next post :D), but what we recommend is Papa’s True American Bar. They have the best burgers in the city and delicious Oreo cake! The whole place is well decorated, like typical original dinners in the USA.

16:30-17:30

Coffee time! Next to Papa’s bar, there is Dezman Street, which is full of beautiful cafes. Check out Dezman bar for good cup of coffee or a dessert, but don't miss this street during the evening/night either.

17:30-19:00

Relaxing activity for the evening: exploring the parks in the city centre. There are (once again) three squares with amazing gardens: Trg Nikole Šubića Zrinskog, Trg Josip Juraj Strossmayer and Trg kralja Tomislava. Zrinjevac is quiet park with lovely fountains where there are a lot of different activities organized by the city during the festivals and holidays. We cannot decide in which season of the year it's the most beautiful! 

21:00- Midnight

It's time for wine tasting! The places we prefer are: Pod zidom and Basement. Instagram fanatics will be happy to hear that Pod zidom has official hashtags: #podzidom and #winelover! Wine bar Pod zidom has the moto 'Life is too short to drink bad wine'. We totally agree - and this place certainly knows what good wine is. This is the case of Basement too, since this place has very big offer of different wines, especially from various parts of Croatia and region.

At this point, after all these places, you would probably be heading back to your bed and preparing for your second day in Zagreb. Just wait to see what we planned for that day in the next post! ;)

A&J