2 Days in Zagreb: What to Do in the Capital of Croatia

Maybe you have noticed my absence from the blog since last Friday, but I was on the road again. My sister Jasmina, friend Selma and I visited Croatia's capital city Zagreb, and now we're back and have a new three-part travel series to show you.

We didn't spend that much time in Zagreb, only two days, but it was enough to see the major attractions the city has to offer. So come along with us and enjoy the sights.

On a side note: All of these images have been taken with my new lens from the L-Series of Canon lenses, which I announced previously. More on my new gear after this travel series has ended.

This is a multi-part travel series. Other parts include:
Part One: What to do in Zagreb
Part Two: Witch Hunt on the Stone Gate
Part Three: A Stroll through the City

click on the images for a bigger view

How to get to Zagreb

Zagreb is well connected with major European cities. Croatia's highway system is easy to navigate and gets you very fast to other cites. Zagreb is a major knot between Western Europe and Southeast Europe. Arrival by plane is also possible, through Zagreb Airport. which has flights coming in from Vienna, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dubai, Tel Aviv, and other important international cities. Croatia's train system is also very good, and in the center of the city you will find the Zagreb Train station, which is also connected to other European cites and tracks into their railway lines.

The Ban Jelacic Square

The center of Zagreb starts with the square of Ban Jelacic. It's a big meeting point, as well as a tram station. Something is always going on here and you won't find the place empty at any time of day. We arrived here just as the sun was setting. Since we came by car, we didn't use the trams, but rather parked our car in a very close-by parking garage for 5 kn/hour (which is around 80 cents/hour). The name of the parking garage is "Garaza Langov Trg" (adress: Trg Josipa Langa, Zagreb).

From the garage it's only 5 minutes walking distance to get to the square. We made good of the light of the sunset to take some photos here, but also hurried a bit, since there was one more sight I had to capture at this time of day.

Zagreb Cathedral

Another impressive and iconic sight of Zagreb, as well as a must-visit is the Zagreb Cathedral. Located in the part of the city called "Kaptol" it's very easy to reach from the Ban Jelacic Square (only 5 minute walk through the uphill streets, notrth). It's not only the tallest building in Croatia, but also the most monumental sacral building in Gothic style southeast of the Alps.

It was closed for visitors when we arrived (which was around 8 in the evening), but the impressive facade and square in front of it, made up for that.

The new lens I got, luckily goes wide so I could capture the scope of this place. It's very impressive to stand here and take in the intricacy of the design and beauty of the stonework.

On our way to Tkalciceva Street

In order to get from the cathedral to the prominent Tkalciceva street you will have to cross a small city park. Here you can take a rest from walking and enjoy the sunset.

The entrance to the Tkalciceva Street is marked by the Stairs of Bishop Duh, which was the first bishop in Zagreb. The stairs lead directly to the entrance of the colorful and busy street.

Tkalciceva Street

You can't miss these sights here. Small colorful houses are stacked on hills surrounding the walking lane that pierces them. Here you will find restaurants, cafes, bars, and lots and lots of tourists. But don't miss out just because of the crowds. It's a very photogenic street, so cute and yet very historical. The streets eventually leads back to the Ban Jelacic Square, from which our journey started.

We had dinner here in the restaurant called Nokturno, which had great food and great prices (in fact we were surprised at the affordable prices, since it's the main street of the capitol). You can go for desert to the Cookie Factory located a couple of steps away from this restaurant.

End of Part One

To be continued...

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