Read this if you're visiting Zagreb.

holycow
Traveller
1 comments

Posted 14 years ago

if you travel by train, first thing you'll see in zagreb will be the central station (glavni kolodvor). public transport in zagreb means trams so you might be interested in that (there are also buses but you probably won't be needing them). visit www.zet.hr for more information.
[if you travel by bus,take tram 6(črnomerec) or 2 (črnomerec) to the central station.it'll take 5 minutes or so]
you can leave your luggage in the central station lockers if you' re not staying in a hostel (btw,i haven't heard of many hostels in zagreb.i know there's Lika and Funk which are in the center). when you exit the central station you'll see the tram station immediately. you can go almost anywhere from it. if you want to go to Ban Jelačić square ( main Zagreb square ) hop on the tram number 6 (direction Črnomerec) or 13 (direction Žitnjak) and you'll be there in 5 minutes, but that's not really necessary because in 10 minutes you can be there by foot.just go straight ahead from the central station, pass the big park (Zrinjevac)(a good spot for resting) and continue walking for another 300 meters (or whatever lol) and you'll see it.
my suggestion is to focus on the square's upper left corner haha, looking from the central station. on Radićeva street (there's a pharmacy at the beginning of it,and a bakery which works at night most of the time) there's a small hostel and a cool pub called Pinta with cheap beer,and if you continue aaall the way up , you'll find yourselves at Kamenita vrata (Stone door,or something like that lol) where people pray and light candles. If you turn left at the very beginning of Radićeva to a really narrow street, and keep walking,you'll find yourselves in Gornji grad (the upper town) which is the old Zagreb center and veeery interesting place to explore by foot. Also, probably the best view of Zagreb you'll get is right there, in front of the Lotrščak tower (there's a canon in it and it strikes noon everyday). Another interesting street you can get to from the main square is Tkalčevićeva street which is the second street from the upper left corner of the square (hahah,i love my explaining...not). if you head there, you can also visit Dolac ,which is the main food/flower market in Zagreb (so if you see a bunch of ladies trying to sell you flowers you're on the right way,all you have to do next is climb the stairs), but go there in the morning ,i think there's nothing to see in the afternoon. If you 're not interested in Dolac,just pass the flower ladies ,head a bit left lol and continue walking. That's Tkalčevićeva street (called Tkalča), one of the nicest streets of zagreb, with a loooooot of cafes and pubs (i recommend Mali medo-they have their own beer which is great and cheap and the atmosphere there is...well..normal,and Portal which is a bit alternative and cheap,but also quite crowded,and if you're there try dark Velebitsko beer-less than 2 euros).

Another interesting street to go to is ILica.It's the longest street of zagreb with many stores. It's on the left side of the square (just follow the trams :)

you can also visit the lower left corner of the square. there you'll find Bogovićeva street where the fancy people hang out (cafes are more expensive),and at the end of it,there's Flower square (Cvjetni trg).

tram 9 (direction Ljubljanica) and tram 4 (direction Savski most) from the central station will take you : a) to the botanical garden (which is a regular garden, but it's free and nice, the station is called Botanički vrt) or b) you can continue with the tram 4 and go to Student Center (Studentski centar),on Savska street, where students eat for a really small amount of money (full menu for 1,5 euros). The problem is you'll need a student card, but if you ask someone nicely, i'm sure they'll lend it to you,especially if they see your huge backpacks lol (there are ALWAYS people asking for our cards so don't be ashamed:),and,yes,all the students in croatia speak english). just a trick on traveling cheap i wanted to share.. :)

If you're a fan of basketball you might be interested in visiting Dražen Petrović museum (famous Croatian basketball player). Just go to Studentski centar station, and it's just around the corner.
If you're a fan of museums, Zagreb is the town for you. You should probably google and find what you're interested in. The newest big musem in Zagreb is the Museum of modern art (entrance fee:4 euros,station: Muzej suvremene umjetnosti). It's located in the new part of Zagreb (Novi Zagreb). There's a shopping mall across the street,called Avenue mall, in case you want to do some shopping while you're there. Also, lake Bundek and its big park is just a bus station away. you can take tram 14 from the main square (takes about half an hour,maybe a bit longer) and then walk to Bundek or take any bus. i think it's the easiest way to get there if you're visiting zagreb for the first time, and this Museum-Avenue Mall-Bundek plan is good for doing different things on a small area without wasting much time,except for getting there.


When you exit the central station ,there's an underground shopping mall on the left called Importanne centre and there's a shop which is open 24/7 (that's really unusual in zagreb),but of course it's a bit expensive.
For food/drinks shop at Konzum,Billa,Diona,Union..whatever you stumble upon. Prices are ok. Cigarettes cost 2-3 euros. Alcoholic drinks...well there's everything. You can buy 3 liters of white wine for 6 euros (croats drink bambus (bamboo) which is red wine with coke and kombinacija(combination) which is white wine with coke.you should try it. cheap wine and cheap replicas of coke make a great combination.trust me:D).Also,2 liters of beer for 3 euros. Bottle of vodka 7 euros.
you can go to a bank,the central station or an exchange office to change money.they don't really tend to rip you off. there was also an exchange machine on the main square,i'm not sure if it's still there. it's,if it is,near Kraš store( Kraš=the biggest croatian chocolate factory,so while you're there,treat yourself,the chocolate is great).

i think i'll stop here lol. enjoy your stay!