Zagreb

Zagreb is Croatia's capital (810,000 inhabitants, 1.2 million for the metropolitan area) — under-the-radar, too often overlooked by travellers heading straight down to the Adriatic coast. That's a mistake. Inland, at the foot of the Medvednica massif, Zagreb is a genuine Mitteleuropean capital — comparable to Ljubljana, Bratislava or Budapest in its atmosphere, architecture and café culture — that deserves at least 2 nights on any serious Croatian itinerary.

The city splits into two historic parts. The Upper Town (Gornji Grad), perched on two hills (Gradec and Kaptol), forms the medieval heart. Here you find St Stephen's Cathedral (13th century, twin neo-Gothic spires 108 metres tall — Croatia's tallest), the Dolac market (open-air food market, one of Europe's most colourful, open since 1930), St Mark's Church (its tiled roof forming the arms of Zagreb and of the Croatian-Slavonian-Dalmatian kingdom), the Palace of the Bans (seat of the Croatian government), the Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata, the only surviving medieval gate, housing a shrine to the Virgin), the Uspinjača funicular (1893, one of the world's shortest — 66 metres in 64 seconds) linking the lower and upper towns, and the Museum of Broken Relationships — an original concept created in 2010, now a global phenomenon, gathering objects from separated couples with their personal stories.

The Lower Town (Donji Grad) deploys its Austro-Hungarian urbanism from the late 19th century. It's the work of architect Milan Lenuci, who designed "Lenuci's Green Horseshoe" — a succession of eight squares and parks linking the central station to the city heart, lined with palaces, museums, the opera house and King Tomislav Square with its emblematic equestrian statue. Ban Jelačić Square (Trg bana Jelačića), at the foot of the Upper Town, is the central hub: transport, terraces, urban life. Nearby, the Croatian National Theatre (1895, neo-Baroque opera), the Mimara Museum (private collection donated to the city, from the Middle Ages to the 20th century), the Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum and the Strossmayer Gallery of old masters.

Since 2016, Zagreb has exploded onto the tourism scene thanks to its Christmas market (Advent in Zagreb), voted Europe's best Christmas market three years running (2016, 2017, 2018) by European Best Destinations. From late November to early January, the city centre transforms into a winter fairyland with wooden chalets, mulled wine (kuhano vino) on every corner, concerts, skating rinks, light installations and an atmosphere unlike anywhere else in Central Europe. Advent has become a major reason to visit Zagreb in December.