The old parts of Zagreb used to be at war with each other, now both have combined to bring you a magical medieval maze of alleys and buildings stacked full of cafes, bars and craft shops. For more art make your way to Strossmayer Setaliste for a fabulous outdoor art scene including painters, musicians and performers. The show there lasts as long as the summer weather.
Finally, take a drive in your hire car to the Archaeological Museum and gaze upon the Zagreb Mummy which was wrapped in reams of Etruscan writing whose meaning still remains a mystery.
Zagreb Mini Guide
Zagreb is the capital of Croatia and more than a million people live there in the north of the country. Zagreb is a very trendy and fashionable city which is buzzing with energy and a far cry from the laid back life at the Dalmatian coast.
It is split into the upper and lower towns which are the heart of the city and there is plenty for tourists to see and do there. The upper town is known as Gornji grad while the lower town is called Donji grad.
Zagreb is certainly a very sophisticated city and it has many museums showcasing important artworks. Among these are the Muzej Mimara which has a massive collection of art by the Flemish masters as well as a whole host of other paintings including some by the British painters Turner and Gainsborough.
If you want to get out of the city for a while try heading to Medvegrad where a fortress was built on a mountain overlooking Zagreb. You can get to Zagreb from most of the motorways in Croatia, even though the roads work on a toll system in Croatia (always keep some Euros or Kuna on you in cash).
If you are coming from Istria or Rejika the road to take is the A6 before it becomes the A1. Coming from Slovenia, the A3 is the road that gets you into Croatia. You can bypass Slovenia though if you come from Italy. Just take the SS21 as it goes through Trieste. From there the A1 goes north to Zagreb, the A7 goes south to Rijeka and the A6 goes east to Bosiljevo.
The A2 takes you there across Europe from Vienna, from Budapest on the A4 and on the A3 highway from places such as Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia.
If you are flying into Zagreb then Croatian Airlines will take you there from almost anywhere else in Europe including Amsterdam, London, Paris and Tel Aviv to name but a few. Meanwhile the Turkish airways Thy does flights to Istanbul and Austrian Airlines goes to Vienna, Czech Airlines goes to Prague and MALEV goes to Budapest. Low cost carriers using Zagreb Airport include Wizzair and Aeroflot. Alternatively you can take easyJet or Ryanair flights to airports surrounding Zagreb such as Rijeka and Ljubljana, pick up your Rhino car, and drive the rest of the way.
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