Visiting Zagreb: Showcasing Croatia’s Lesser-Known Personality

When most people think of Croatia, they think of its beautiful coastline and crystal clear waters. Many people visit the country to get some sun and have a relaxing getaway near the water, which is nowhere near the country’s capital, Zagreb. So why would you be visiting Zagreb? There are many reasons why this capital completes Croatia’s story, which is not fully told by its coast.

Given it’s geography and upside-down “U” shape, Croatia actually has two separate ‘personalities.’ One half of the country is a a beautiful rocky island-dotted coastline with a warm mediterranean climate, seen on many Pinterest posts and travel topics.

The other half tells quite a different story. Zagreb is farther north, more inland, and surrounded by hills and forest. It is part of a region of Croatia that is much more comparable to other Eastern European countries than with its coastal counterpart

After being in Dalmatia, Croatia’s coast, for over a month, I thought it was time to explore some other parts of the country when I got my week off. I took a six hour bus from Split to visit Zagreb, and was quite surprised by just how different it was.

First Differences from Dalmatia While Visiting Zagreb

The first thing that impressed me as I walked from the bus station to my AirBnb apartment was the intricate and colorful street art along a long wall just outside of the city. The only ‘street art’ I have seen in Dalmatia is a sort of messy graffiti, but this was really amazing art.

From an actual sculpture of an ear protruding from the wall, to a strangely beautiful portrait of lungs that were also a face, to a psychedelic representation of a colorful city, I was really blown away by this art.

Zagreb Architecture

The city center was also, as I expected, nothing like Dalmatia at all. Unlike pretty much all of Dalmatia, Zagreb didn’t have a bell tower and wasn’t built pretty much entirely of white stone. This city had more of a similarity to Eastern Europe, which really makes geographical sense. I realized that as I was visiting Zagreb, I was actually quite far from the coast and actually closer to Hungary, Slovenia, and Austria. The architecture reflected this, as well!

The city had deep red tiled roofs in pointed and cone shapes, and towers with bauble – shapes on the top that are reminiscent of what I would imagine to be Russia or Budapest. (I can’t think of a good word to describe these roofs – look at the photos below!)

All Sorts of Zagreb Museums

Zagreb has a lot of interesting museums, but the one that stood out most to me is called the Museum of Broken Relationships. In its description, it stated that the end of a lot of things are celebrated – like graduating from school, marriages to a new family, and funerals, to name a few. But, no one ever does anything to denote the end of a relationship: an event which has a profound emotional impact but is never talked about, appreciated, or done anything about really.

This museum has collected over the years tons of items that people have donated after broken relationships. These are items that these people didn’t want to throw away because of their sentimental value, but didn’t exactly want to keep either. The items in the museum all had a story associated with them to ‘celebrate’ their broken relationships. The tag line outside the museum cafe said it all… “We have beer as cold as your ex’s heart!”

Visiting Zagreb Old Town

Zagreb has its ‘old town’ on the top of what is pretty much the only hill in the city. It’s all cobblestone and really has a medieval feel. The main entrance is at an old bell tower that used to ring each night. This ring would let all the workers in the surrounding fields know that the city doors were about to close for the night, signifying that it was time for them to come back inside. But now, of course, as Zagreb is the biggest city in Croatia, there are no fields surrounding the city!

Now they fire a cannon out of this bell tower each day at noon, for no reason other than to let everyone know it is twelve o clock! Zagreb’s old town was founded in Medieval times and has a beautiful view over the rest of the city. This is true especially from a little hilltop street knows as Strossmayer that is lit with fairy lights and has live music each night in the summer.

The Zagreb Main Square

In what is called the ‘lower city’, or the main square of town, you can find some of the best things to do in Zagreb. You will find some great shopping, Zagreb’s main little cobblestone street full of outdoor restaurant terraces and cafes, and the huge cathedral that is a landmark of the city. The main street comes alive at night, with live music or dj’s playing music from every completely full and bustling outdoor terrace.

It is my belief that Croatians wait out the hot weather during the days and all come out to enjoy themselves at cafes much later at night! One thing that Zagreb did have in common with the Dalmatian coast is the fact that the locals really only come outside after 9pm. All over the city is Zagreb’s symbol – a castle with wide open doors, which symbolizes the hospitality of the city and that it will open its doors to any visitor who wishes to come.

This is one of my first Croatia posts, but I have since written over ten thousand words all about Croatia. for links to all these posts, check out my bigger guide to all the best places to visit in Croatia to start.

If you are planning on visiting Istria, check out Motovun, Croatia.

Other Quick Croatia Links:

Day Trips from Split– Split Things to Do – Dubrovnik Things to Do – Hvar Things to Do/Eat – Vis Things to Do/Eat – Korcula Things to Do/Eat – Zadar Things to Do/Eat/Drink – Mljet Things to Do/See – and more!