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Zagreb, Croatia 11/11-30/2021 (#1)

Back in 2020, we visited Zagreb, but only for four days, and one of those was spent on the day trip to Plitvice National Park. So we didn’t really see much of Zagreb. [Click here to see our 2020 post on Zagreb]  

This time we spent twenty days here, time enough to fall in love with this remarkable city. Zagreb is not on the beautiful Adriatic Sea, and it’s not the tourist attraction that Rovinj, Split and Dubrovnik are, but it is vibrant, diverse and rich with its own culture, history, and character.   

Lesson Learned: To really appreciate a city, you need more than four days.  

Here's another look at the map of Croatia. Zagreb is the Capital and located in the northern part of Croatia.

Why do we love Zagreb?

  • Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, is a big city, with an urban area population over a million, about one fourth of the total population of Croatia. It’s big enough to offer a great variety of services, businesses and attractions.  
  • We love the large pedestrian areas, often lined with café/bars and restaurants. Although it’s a large city, it’s imminently walkable. Streets, and even courtyards, are lined with many independent little shops. A great place for shoppers.  
  • Croatians are friendly and helpful. Not all speak English, but many do, so we had little trouble communicating.  
  • Eating out is a treat, quite affordable, and with a great variety of fresh seafood, traditional Croatian dishes, and great diversity. We enjoyed traditional Croatian cooking most often, but we also had Indian, Italian, and Greek.  We didn’t make it to the Mexican and Chinese places. 
The main square at night -the tree is up in preparation for the opening of the Christmas markets - or Advent Zagreb.
Looking across the street at the main square, The square is named after and called Trg bana Josipa Jelacica square (Trg). There is a really big statue of Jelacica in the middle of the square. Trams were reliable and available on a regular basis at this square and throughout the City of Zagreb. A little further out of the city center commuters relied on buses.
On an evening walk through the city. You can see the steeples of the cathedral in the distance.
A small little pedestrian side street with seating for at least 5 restaurants. We had a meal on this little street 3 times. The outdoor booths are heated and blankets are provided. We would eat most of our meals outside in heated areas while in Zagreb.
One afternoon we were out walking and discovered this pedestrian street just lined with restaurants. We would return here many times also.
  • The Dolac is the biggest and best Farmers Market we’ve ever seen, offering all sorts of fresh produce, along with a large fish market, butcheries, and dairies.  
  • Throughout the city, green space is preserved in many parks around classical buildings housing museums, the National Theatre, and the university. The “Green Horseshoe” is a U-shaped system of seven broad, green squares in lower Zagreb.   
  • The medieval historic centers of the “Old Town” are the “upper town” of Gradec, (around the beautiful St. Mark’s Church and the Croatian government buildings), and the huge Cathedral area of Kaptol.  
  • We love the public transportation: An inexpensive Tram & Bus system makes it easy to get around town. For about 60 cents, you can ride most anywhere in town.  
As you walk up the steps to the Dolac (Farmers market) you are greeted by a bronze statue of a market woman bringing her goods to market. Even today, many of the market women wear a scarf.
The red umbrellas are a symbol of the Dolac market. The market is open every day of the week until 3 - although some of the vendors start packing up at 1, especially on Sundays. When we arrive in a new town one of the first things I do is search for the Farmers Market. This one is Zagreb is one of my favoirtes.
The "green horseshoe" has several park areas and many strolling paths. This is the big park that leads to the train station - the big building at the end.
Croatian National Theater - along the horsehoe
The Art Pavilion - along the horseshoe. This large museum, and many others in Zagreb, were closed because of damage from the two recent earthquakes - December 2019 and March 2020..
The museum of Arts and Crafts - along the horsehoe.
I never could discover what this building is, but it seemed so out of place between the older buildings next to it - one on each side. It was pretty cool looking, however.

Our Apartment: Our “Apartment with a View” was a great location, just down from the “Stone Gate that leads to St. Mark’s Church and the historic area of Gradec. Or we could walk just a few minutes down to Ban Jelacic square, the main square in the city. There is a café/bar next door with plenty of outdoor seating and an unusual statue of St. George having just killed the dragon. Just outside our place was a favorite spot for beggars and buskers. 

Our apartment is the one indicated on the yellow building. To the left of the little square with the statue of St. George is the road to the main square. To the right of Saint George is the gate to the upper city.
We were on a pedestrian-only street. If you lived on the street you had access to lower the post and drive in. The litle cafe to the right was right outside of our door.
I took this from our window. Almost every morning the man at the bottom (in front of the green door) would be asking for money. Almost every day the guy on the steps would be playing his guitar and singing. We could hear both from our appartment. One day saw the guy at the bottom walk up to the guy on the stairs and put some of his money into the jar of the singer. We saw the singer frequently around Zagreb so much that he recognized us and we would chat.
Right by our apartmetnt is the Stone Gate, the entrance into the Upper Town, and considered a shrine to the Virgin Mary, the Patron Saint of Zagreb. According to legend, there was a fire in 1731 that destroyed everything except the painting of the Virgin Mary. Now it hangs behind the iron grate. Believing that the painting holds miraculous powers, people come to the gate, light candles, pray and sit.

Why did many bar/restaurants stop serving food?  The folk song claims that there is always an Irish Pub in every city, and I’m inclined to believe it. We found one in Zagreb, just up from the Dolac, and went there anticipating a Guinness and some Pub Food.  But we were disappointed: no food at the Irish Pub. We asked why.  Restaurants were not allowed to serve food if they allowed smokers inside.  So they had to choose between serving food inside or serving drinks only to smokers (and non smokers) inside. This Irish Pub, like several other restaurants and cafes/bars, had stopped serving food indoors so that they could serve drinks to their smoking customers inside. Now we understand why many places served drinks but no food.  

Covid Impact: During our stay in Zagreb, the Croatian government implemented more restrictions, especially on those who were not vaccinated.  Although it’s not political the same way it is in America, many Croatians just don’t trust their government. Regular demonstration opposing these restrictions were held in Ban Jelacic Square, and hundreds of protesters walked from there, up past our apartment, on their way through the Stone Gate and up to St. Mark’s Square.   

This is our street at night. It is the main connection between the lower and upper towns and is also the road to the Parliament buildings. It was a little busier than usual this night because of a protest (one of many while we were there). Zagreb was enforcing stricter Covid laws starting the week arrived.

On the streets, many people wear masks, but many do not. In grocery stores, and indoor shopping stores, masks are required and nearly everyone complies.  

If you wanted to dine indoors, restaurants required proof of vaccination and ID, or a recent Covid test.  But many restaurants offered outside dining, with blankets and heaters, where no documentation is required.  We had no difficulty since we have recently acquired our booster shots and our EU Digital COVID Certificates in Split.  We enjoyed eating outdoors and often did, but there is a downside. All the smokers eat outside. And when they do, they smoke a lot, usually somewhere the breeze will bring their smoke directly into Evan’s breathing. Ugh! 

On this night the Croatian Futbol team was playing Russia for a spot in the next World Cup playooffs. People were sitting outside at the cafes all around town watching the game. We joined in the fun. Croatia beat Russia, 1-0.

We saw some amazing street art.

Gulliver's Travels on the side of a building in a small park.
An amazing painting on the side of the wall in another park