In just a few years, Croatia has become one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations. In 1999, soon after the tripartite war pitting Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina against each other, only 32,000 French people were going there as opposed to nearly 500,000 today… Although the Dalmatian coast remains a must with its jewels – Dubrovnik and the islands of Hvar, Brač and Korčula – the capital nonetheless remains full of charm with its Baroque old town riddled with alleys and stairs, its palaces, tramways, typical craftsmen and its ski resort, located less than 30 minutes from the city centre. Zagreb is an ideal starting point for travelling to Split on the coast (3hr20min by car), Budapest (3hr45min) or even Vienna (4hr10min). In two days, you can grasp the essence of the place and discover the sights near Sljeme, Medvedgrad and Samobor.

 

If you are flying to Zagreb, the journey from the airport to the city centre (approximately 25 minutes) will take you through the new town of Novi grad to the south, which certainly does not appeal for its innate charm, consisting mainly of large blocks of flats intersected by expressways… In reality, when one mentions Zagreb, one thinks above all of its two hills, Gradec and Kaptol, which, in the Middle Ages, housed two separate, rival towns (the episcopal one and the feudal one) both of them surrounded by walls intended to repel Mongolian and Turkish invasions. These two towns merged and now go by the name of “Upper Town” (Gornji grad). At the foot of this little Croatian Montmartre is the “Lower Town” (Donji grad), built in the 19th century by Viennese architect Hermann Bollé and fascinating for its large squares and its palaces of neo-Classical inspiration. If you are staying here, I recommend the Palace Hotel, set on the splendid Strossmayer Square in the Lower Town. Of Art Nouveau style, it was built in 1891 and is Zagreb’s first Belle Epoque hotel (147 euros for a double room).

Starting from the very busy Ban-Josip-Jelačić Square (named after the father of the Croatian nation), which is the heart of Zagreb and where trams travel to and fro incessantly, I recommend beginning your tour of the capital with a little walk through the Lower Town, nicknamed “horseshoe” on account of its U-shaped plan. As a first stop on your tour why not go for a coffee on the terrace of the Hotel Esplanade? In the 1920s-1930s, Orient Express passengers used to come here to eat and dance and today it is still the city’s most prestigious luxury hotel.

 

With its neo-Classical and neo-Renaissance palaces adorned with atlantes, caryatids and Venuses emerging from the waves, this monumental district expresses the energy of an era (1880-1900) which, on the eve of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, worshipped the idea of Progress. The Botanical Garden, Ethnographic Museum, Technical Museum and Mimara Museum (renowned for its collection of old masters such as Raphael, Velasquez, Rubens and Rembrandt) are of course worth a little visit. But the most beautiful part of Donji grad is still Marshal Tito Square, at the centre of which stands the Croatian National Theatre built in 1895. Here, I suggest contemplating “The Source of Life”, a bronze fountain created by sculptor Ivan Meštrović (1883-1962), Rodin’s favourite disciple!

The jewel of Zagreb is the district perched on Gradec hill, accessed via a funicular built in 1890 and located in Tomićeva Street or by taking the very steep wooden steps called “stube”.

 

Before heading up there, I strongly recommend taking a walk along Tkalčićeva Street, which separates the two hills of Gradec and Kaptol.

 

Once crossed by a stream coming from Medvedgrad mountain, this street served as a border between the two rival cities – episcopal and feudal – which were engaged in bloody combat as witnessed by the name of an adjacent alley, Krvavi most, which means “bloody bridge”!

 

Tkalčićeva is delightful in the morning, with its cafés and pretty houses with pastel-coloured façades lit up by the rays of the rising sun.

To come back to the district of Gradec, I recommend going there shortly before midday. As soon as you arrive at the top of the funicular, wait at the foot of Lotrščak Tower which is a vestige of the mediaeval fortifications. Every day, at midday, a town hall employee fires a resounding cannon shot that leaves an enormous cloud of powder hanging in the air… The view of Zagreb from the top of the tower is amazing.

 

With its Baroque churches and palaces, its gas street lamps, multicoloured roofs and promenade following the old ramparts, Gradec is a real film set that brings to mind the historic district of Malá Strana in Prague. Here, the capital’s oldest pharmacy stands near the oldest café (built in 1825 near Illyrian Square) and the seat of government. The StrossmayerPromenade mapped outon the site of the old ramparts is, for its part, a panoramic viewpoint of the entire Lower Town. Above all, it is impossible to stay in Zagreb without visiting the Croatian Museum of Naive Art, which is unlike any other in the world!

In Zagreb, you will find a happy combination of Slavonic and Mediterranean specialities (it is only 105 miles from the Adriatic Sea). Fish, risottos, pasta, game, fresh cheeses, mushrooms, lentil soups with chickpeas, Dalmatian raw ham, Slavonian dry-cured sausage, Istrian truffles, oysters from the Adriatic, marinaded beef with gnocchi, cepes omelette, fresh figs, small pepper biscuits and cream cakes (kremšnita) are standard fare in the good restaurants of the city. Zagreb also benefits from a climate that is favourable for the growing of organic plums and strawberries, which are truly delicious.

 

In the village of Samobor, which I have already mentioned, you can sample Bermet – a delicious, completely artisanal aperitif made with wine, absinthe and plants. The Filipec family who make it also produce an excellent mustard originating from Napoleon’s French soldiers, who brought Dijon mustard with them! Samobor is also renowned for its brandies, cherry trees, sausages, kremšnita and red hearts in gingerbread or wax, made by the legendary Franjo Oslaković (these hearts are given at Christmas or as a welcome gift: a real institution in Croatia!).

In any event, I recommend sampling at least once the traditional zagorski štrukli, which is today recognised as a “protected Croatian cultural asset”.

 

This fresh cow’s cheese pastry is boiled before being baked in the oven with cream, and is usually eaten as a starter.

 

Meat cooked under a “peka”, i.e. in an earthenware dish, with vegetables and potatoes, all heated over embers, is also a very simple, tasty dish.

 

To discover all these specialities, two restaurants seemed to stand out from the rest: one is the Dvorišće (mainly specialising in Adriatic cuisine) near Marshal Tito Square; the other is Pod grickim topom, which boasts an ideal panoramic terrace on Gradec hill (reckon on 25 to 35 euros for a meal at both places).