Exploring Croatia's largest city and Capital in the continental region...
When we headed for Croatia, we decided to make Zagreb our temporary home for the month of April to explore the whole country. We would go on to travel the whole country from the north region and work our way south. We instantly fell in love with Zagreb and Croatia in general but not so much because of the sights, but because how cool and welcoming the Croatian people were. Not very many people speak english in Croatia, there is just enough people who speak it, but at times we had trouble communicating, even in the capital. But Croatians wether they spoke english or not, where some of the nicest people we have came across during our travels, which makes the experience in a foreign country that much better.
Zagreb is home to the famous twin-spired Gothic Cathedral of Zagreb which sits near the city center square of Ban Jelačić, a really cool city square to just hang out and people watch. Once in the square you can't miss the Dolac farmers market which runs from the square up some stairs to an even bigger main market area. There are beautiful parks within a few blocks and museums, the historic city center is filled with so much life and colors that surround you in any direction you venture into. You can spend most of your day here, especially if you head to llica street, which is filled with nothing but name brand shopping stores, salons and boutique shops that run for about a half mile.
From the center city about a quarter mile away north of the Cathedral of Zagreb is Tkalčićeva Street, a very cute street closed to motorized vehicles and mostly all pedestrians and bicycles, filled with outdoor cafes, bars and restaurants. You can also find the statue of Marija Jurić, a popular site and a famous historic statue, of the famous writer and the first female journalist in Croatia. This was probably one of our favorite spots to hang out at and just relax and enjoy some beers and chill amongst the Croatian people. You can even cruise through with your bicycle, which we would do daily as we traveled with our bikes when we visited Croatia and I need to mention they even have some of the best bike lanes in Zagreb, just perfect to explore the city.
A few blocks away from the city square you can head up to Gornji-Grad, which is considered the uptown area of the historic city square, where you can find the 13th-century St. Mark’s Church, a beautiful church with a colorfully tiled roof and other historic sights. The Gornji Grad–Medveščak (Translates to upper town) is where you can get the best views for awesome sights and pictures of the old historic center.
There is a cool Tunnel called the Grič Tunnel that connects Mesnička and Radićeva streets and just recently opened to the public in 2016. It was originally built in 1943 for a Word War II air-raid shelter. At 350m-long, the tunnel is now used to connect you to different parts of the old city. The tunnel is even used to host art events and at times even lit up with colored lights and even live music, definitely cool to check out when in Zagreb.
Croatia's capital is a city where we just felt comfortable and at home, not sure if it was the locals cool hospitality or maybe the cool bike lanes in the city, or maybe it was the water in their Ožujsko beers, one of the locals favorite beer in Croatia which for about $1.20 USD gets you a pretty good cold 22oz beer, which was our fav as well! Not sure if I will ever be able to pay more then $2 for a beer when I get back to the states! But what ever it was, Croatia in general is where we have made the most life long friends through out our travels! Love Croatia, it's culture, it's wine, it's beer and most of all, the people!
A tip on a incredible wine spot...
If you ever in Zagreb and want some incredible wines, meats and cheeses in an underground vault under a church, check out Wine Bar Bornstein just up the road from the Zagreb Cathedral. For more info and pics, check out our "Drinks blog" on this wine bar. Just a awesome spot for some Croatian wines.