Zagreb region

Zagreb and Continental Croatia are the great forgotten of classic Croatian trips, almost always sacrificed in favour of the Adriatic coast. This is a mistake — for the historic capital of the country and its continental hinterland compose a totally different experience, more Mitteleuropean than Mediterranean, and offer some of the most surprising discoveries in Croatia: refined urban life, remarkable Austro-Hungarian heritage, deep forests inhabited by bears and lynx, and one of the most magical Christmas markets in Europe.

Zagreb, capital and largest city of the country with 800,000 inhabitants, is articulated on two distinct levels whose duality is the very soul of the city. The Upper Town (Gornji grad), historic cradle on the hill, retains its medieval atmosphere with the cathedral (recently restored after the 2020 earthquake), Saint Mark's church and its iconic polychrome roof, the Lotrščak tower (midday cannon that resonates daily) and the Uspinjača funicular (one of the shortest in the world, 66 m). The Lower Town (Donji grad), planned at the end of the nineteenth century according to the Austro-Hungarian U-shaped green model (Lenuci's 'horseshoe'), aligns its great eclectic palaces, its museums (Mimara, Museum of Modern Art, Archaeological Museum) and its neo-baroque national theatre. At the heart of the city, the Dolac Market — the 'belly of Zagreb' — unfolds its red umbrellas daily and remains the locals' meeting point for fruit, vegetables, cheeses and flowers.

The city has cultivated for fifteen years a vibrant contemporary scene: Museum of Broken Relationships (unique concept in the world gathering symbolic objects of romantic breakups), new contemporary art institutions, café-restaurant scene in full effervescence in the Tkalčićeva and Martićeva neighbourhoods. And every winter, from 30 November to 7 January, Advent in Zagreb transforms the capital into one of the most enchanting Christmas markets in Europe — voted three consecutive years (2016, 2017, 2018) best Christmas market on the continent.

Beyond the capital, Continental Croatia is a vast and varied territory. Samobor, 25 km west, is a charming small baroque town renowned for its cremschnitte (cream millefeuilles) and its hiking trails to the Žumberak natural park. The Risnjak National Park, further west in the mountainous region of Gorski Kotar, protects primary beech and fir forests inhabited by brown bears and lynx — one of the most preserved wildernesses in Central Europe. To the north, the castles of Croatian Zagorje (Trakošćan, Veliki Tabor) deploy a romantic atmosphere in undulating countryside. To the east finally, Slavonia — vast plain between the Drava and Sava — is the country's agricultural granary, with its traditional villages (Đakovo, Slavonski Brod), its Pannonian cuisine (paprika, čvarci, kulen), and the baroque city of Osijek.