I always love the summer and I love it even more when I can go away and throughly explore a nation with a few weeks available to play with. After the successes of the time that I had in exploring Italy (if you missed this series of cities, Napoli, Rome, Florence and Venice were covered), I wanted to head back to the Mediterranean and discover a nation not too far away from my last destination, only the other side of the Adriatic Sea: Croatia.
This was a nation that I’d heard many great things about, whether it be the intriguing history about the place, the beautiful scenery that you can find on off throughout the nation but in particular, the national parks there or the quite crazy nightlife. This is a place that I was thoroughly excited to explore and get a thorough experience of.
Why I Headed To Zagreb
Providing a major hub for the nation to get in and out, Zagreb seemed like a sensible place for me to start my trip, that was anchored about the boat tour I had out of Split. Additionally to this, seeing the capital city of any nation seems like a good place to start. Another thing that drove this decision was the ability to travel through the nation en route to Split, being able to check out the spectacular Plitvice Lakes, which you can look forward to me writing about in the next blog.
What I Thought Of Zagreb
I was a little underwhelmed if I’m honest. I don’t know what I was expecting if I’m honest and thinking that I made the most of my time, without doing some of the extravagant stuff, I don’t know what I didn’t do here. Maybe I did miss a trick in what I did but it was just a place that wasn’t suited to me.
Should You Cover It?
Though this isn’t an automatic yes that I tend to give most places, I feel Zagreb is place for you if you want to dive into the historic side Croatia, with there being plenty on offer in that sense. For me it didn’t hit the spot overall. I’m glad to have said that I’d been there but that’s about it if I’m honest. There are a few experiences that I may have missed or know that I did, which I’ve included in my usual “Things I’ve Missed” section. Don’t solely rely upon my opinions here, be sure to read the blog, see what you think about what I’ve put and make your own decisions.
Day 1 – Monday, 7 Aug
A very early morning for me to be at the airport but definitely worth it and it was giving me that giddy, excited feeling that you tend to get. Flying from Heathrow, this meant boarding my coach at home just after midnight, allowing me to have a snooze before arriving, getting myself breakfast and enjoying the sunrise over the runways of one of the busiest airports in the world. In my eyes, what a great way to start a holiday! A spot of breakfast, a chilled out cup of tea and check in complete, it was time to jet off to my destination.
Upon landing, the first task was to collect my bag and get myself into the city centre. Now you may be wondering how does one get themselves from the airport to the the city centre. You have three options for you to take. The first one is get a taxi, which will cost roughly 180 kn (roughly £21, $28, €24) and takes around 30 minutes. The second option is to get the number 290 bus, taking around 35 minutes and costing you 4 kn (roughly £0.50, $0.63, €0.50) for a 30 minute ticket and then the final option is the shuttle bus, taking 40 minutes, costs 30 kn (roughly £3.50, $4.70, €4) however this is guaranteed to be there if there’s a late flight that comes in.
Feeling a little peckish once I’d checked into the hostel, I decided to take one of the recommendations from the receptionist on local places to head to. He pointed out Pivnica Medvedgrad Ilica, which served up your typical Croatian dishes at a reasonable price and the restaurant itself was a great location, with a pleasant indoor setting and large outdoor area. Taking a scan of the menu, I went for what you can see pictured to the side, which I admit from memory, sounded better on the menu than it was. I mean, it was reasonably priced, it filled me and I was ready to go exploring but overall, the meat was heavily salted and I didn’t particularly enjoy it but I’m not going to let bring me down.
Now for the hostel review! My accommodation for Zagreb was staying in the Swanky Mint hostel, located pretty much in the centre of city. Based on the busy Ilica Street, this was a perfectly placed hostel to get out and about. The hostel itself was an awesome find and was very reasonably priced, at €45.90 for two nights.
Inside you have a variety of rooms on offer for you, with the private rooms coming in the following variations:
- Single deluxe ensuite
- Double deluxe ensuite
- 3 bed deluxe ensuite
- 4 bed deluxe ensuite
- 4 bed apartment ensuite
- 4 bed deluxe apartment ensuite
And the dorms come in the following varieties:
- Mixed basic 8 bed
- Mixed standard 4 bed ensuite, standard 8 bed
- Mixed deluxe 4 bed, deluxe 5 bed ensuite, deluxe 9 bed ensuite, deluxe 11 bed ensuite
- Female deluxe 6 bed
Based on the history of this building being a factory, all of these rooms come with their own theme and style which definitely gives the hostel some character and embrace its history. The dorms are spacious, very comfy and a great place to rest and recuperate after a busy day of travelling. I didn’t go for an ensuite room but this was no issue at all, as the shared bathrooms were always clean, the facilities were great and I had no complaints at all.
Outside is where the biggest attractions of the hostel are outdoor area where you can order food and enjoy on the terrace, as you kick back and socialise with your fellow travellers. Then of course, there’s the swimming pool sitting at the top of the tiered decking, giving it prime location to get plenty of sun! From here, there are two additional areas, with the bar area backing on to the terrace and the additional out house that has the cooking area and a common room for you to chill out in.
This hostel is 100% recommended! The facilities are great, the rooms are comfy and the social aspect is tremendous! Of course, there’s the pool. Who doesn’t want a pool in the sun?
I used the rest of my afternoon to enjoy the Croatian sunshine and explore the basics of Zagreb, which had some great open green spaces and squares, with their statued centre pieces and surrounded by some impressive buildings.
The evening’s entertainment was to head out with some people from the hostel to check out the night life on offer in the Croatian capital on a bar crawl Alcatraz Bar Crawl. Knowing how good other major cities have been on this front and hearing good things from friends about the Croatian nightlife, I was excited to see what the night was going to bring. However, it wasn’t what it was all cracked up to be. Meeting the organisers in [insert square name], there was an underwhelming number of people in attendance and I must admit, the pace of the bar crawl and the places that we went to were a bit… flat if I’m honest. I don’t know If it was just the fact that we had gone out on the wrong night for the nightlife here but it just didn’t seem to hit the mark for me or the others.
Day 2 – Tuesday, 8 Aug
Day two of Zagreb and it was time to do what I live and die by when it comes to exploring a new city: free walking tour! If you’ve not had the pleasure yet of reading my other blogs, you won’t know that I love a good free walking tour. Why? They are a great way to get out into the city, to have an informative tour guide tell you everything that you need to know in usually a funny and charismatic way. The fact that they are free means that the guide that you’re with will make sure you have the best time on the tour to earn their wage through the tips that they collect at the end.
The first stop of the tour was to check out the midday cannon shot at the Lotrščak Tower. This is something that’s been happening in the city since 1877 and is now a tradition that they stick to and is a sight for many tourists to check out. This isn’t the only attraction that’s up here, as the location provides some panoramic views of the city.
The next stop on the tour was a square that had variety of murals in honour famous people who have come from Croatia or what is now modern day Croatia. The two main people famed here are Nikola Tesla, Penkala (the man who invent mechanical pencils, fountain pens and a few other well known things) and a couple of geniuses to have come from this land. Little did I know but found out as I walked around was that Zagreb had a very big street art scene, with plenty of large and amazing pieces located around the city, like the one in the carousel below, along with the few mentioned before.
Another interesting highlight was the shrine that’s housed in the Stone Gate. Why is this interesting? This gate houses a painting of the Mother of God, which miraculously remained undamaged after a fire destroyed all the surrounding houses. Now it is a chapel and is a huge religious landmark for the people of Zagreb.
The main theme throughout the tour was the history of Croatia and how war has been something common through the nation’s history, as well as how it was part of Yugoslavia and the relationships it had with the now neighbouring independent nations. This means that many of the statues that are scattered throughout the city are figures that the nation hold dear for usually a reason associated to these themes. On the whole, as much as it was nice to get out and about in the city through this walking tour, I found this tour a little underwhelming. I think looking back, though it was nice to experience Zagreb, it just wasn’t a city that I particularly resonated with.
Prior to heading back to the hostel, I took a bit of an impromptu wander and ended up at the botanical gardens of the city. A lovely location to just stroll around in the summer sunshine.
The day was finished off in a picturesque way. Stood in the middle of city, is the Zagreb 360º Observation Deck, allowing you to pay 60 kn (roughly £7, $9.50, €8) to head up in an elevator to the height of 182m which provides you with some tremendous panoramic views across the city, which are only emphasised by the golden hour from the sunsetting to the west. Definitely worth the money I spent and would highly recommend it.
Day 3 – Wednesday, 9 Aug
And just like that, my time here was over and I was moving on to the next place of Split but first, there was a spot on the way that I simple had to check out: Plitvice Lakes. I’d seen many photos of this wonderful looking place and I would be stupid to not explore it. However, that story will be told in the next blog post of this series as I discover everything about Croatia that’s worth discovering.
So as I packed up and checked out fo the hostel, I was excited for what the day had in store for me. As I head to the coach station and boarded, it was next stop: Plitvice Lakes national park.
Things That I Missed
As always, there were things that I missed out on doing here due to either time or budget. After doing some research and racking my memory from the things that I saw on offer, this is the list of things that I feel that I missed out on:
- Underground base – One thing that really caught my eye and I wish I had the time to check out was the underground military base. This was something sounds absolutely amazing to do and I really regret not being able to check this out on one fo the paid tours.
- Grič Tunnel – Underneath Zagreb, there is a 350m long tunnel that was initially built for World War Two. Now, it is a place for some weird and wonderful displays during advent in Zagreb.
- Museums – There are plenty of museums detailing the history of the city, the nation and its frayed relationship with its neighbours. One of the most touted is the Museum of Broken Relationships, which is exactly as you would expect it to be.
With that, I wrap up this blog. I hope it was an informative read about Zagreb, gave you a few ideas of what is on offer here and wetted you appetite for a prospective trip this country. Don’t worry though, things do improve from here and so you’ll have to be sure to check out the other blogs in the series of Croatia. They certainly won’t disappoint you.
As always, either click one of the posts that are suggested around this page or get back to the top of the page and click on the categories that interest you and either read more about the places that I’ve been to, the fitness endeavours I’ve taken on and things that have influenced my lifestyle. Alongside this, you’ll be able to hit the social media links below, follow me on the various platforms and you’ll bne of the first to hear about when I post my new blog posts!
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