Hello from Croatia! This was another fantastic stop on our crazy backpacking through Europe adventure in the summer of 2019! I have to admit though, we only were able to spend a day in Zagreb and didn’t have time to get down to the Split/Dubrovnik areas. I know, I know we might’ve missed the best parts of Croatia’s beaches and of course beautiful Plitvice Lakes, but due to time restraints we had to settle for just Zagreb on this trip!
Alright, well now that I’ve got that off my chest, let me show you some of the beautiful things Zagreb has to offer!
St. Mark’s Church:
St. Mark’s Church: This church is probably the most iconic building in Zagreb because of its unique roof, representing the coat of arms of Croatia. As you can see in my photo, this is a highly photographed place! Find a good time of day to go and visit.
Near here is also a plaque of Nikola Tesla if you’re interested in reading about his time spent living in Zagreb. According to my rough Google Translate app it says:
“I consider it my duty to help the city of Zagreb as a native son of my country in every way with the advice and rank” he said in this building May 24th 1892.
Tesla approached the city council to build a power plant near Plitvice Lakes but it was apparently rejected.
Gric Tunnel:
After dinner, we wandered through the upper town area and found the historic Gric Tunnel. This tunnel system was used in WWII as a bomb shelter for Zagreb’s citizens. Being the crazy history buff that I am, I knew this was a stop for me!
King Tomislav Square:
This square was right across from the train station, so it marked our starting and ending point! The building pictured is a beautiful art gallery. Although we didn’t tour the art gallery itself, we did enjoy walking through the gorgeous gardens and fountain while waiting for our train.
Definitely make sure you take a walk around these beautiful grounds during your visit!
Walk around the city!
Sometimes my favorite parts of traveling are just meandering through a city’s various districts. I won’t take the time to highlight all of these spots, but do yourself a favor and just start walking around Zagreb! We stumbled upon a charming children’s puppet show, so you never know what you might come across!
Museum of Broken Relationships:
I know a lot of people make this a stop on your Zagreb “to do” list, but neither my husband nor I was very interested so we skipped past this. However, I’ve heard it’s pretty quirky! If that’s your thing make sure to check out while you’re in town!
Strukli at “La Struk”:
My husband’s favorite part of our trips is always the food, so I felt like it was necessary for me to also highlight an amazing, authentic restaurant that we visited while in Zagreb. I had read on Trip Advisor about a neat place called La Struk, which was only about a 5 min. walk from St. Mark’s Church, so we chose to try it out. Due to a busy dinner time, we actually walked through the restaurant to a back garden area. It was so quaint and characteristically European. I was glad we actually weren’t able to sit in the main restaurant area!
La Struk gave us a beautiful taste of a typical Croatian dish known as “Strukli”. We both opted to sample a baked cheese one and just like the menu said, it took 20 min. and came out piping hot! It was absolutely fantastic, even in the August heat. And it was CHEAP! Like less than $5 USD.
There you go! Some of our stops while visiting Zagreb! Have you toured Croatia? I’m itching to return and visit Plitvice Lakes and the southern portions of the country now.
If I go to Zagreb again, I will also try to take a tour of the city. I think that Chris and I probably missed some really interesting things that a local guide could’ve pointed us to. But we live and learn right?! 🙂
Where we stayed:
Dots Hostel: This was a great hostel! We paid about $60 USD for a private room with a private bathroom, but you of course can opt for the cheaper bunk options. They also seemed to have lots of great day trip options to Plitvice Lakes and other spots that I wish we could’ve taken advantage of.
Where we ate:
La Struk: You can read my full review above, but if you’re in Zagreb for dinner make a stop here!