Zagreb and the Upper Town

Zagreb, the Croatian capital, is often skipped by visitors racing to the coast, but it is a relaxed, cultured and genuinely likeable city that rewards a day or two. Its historic heart is the Upper Town, or Gornji Grad, a hilltop of cobbled medieval streets reached on foot or by a tiny, steep funicular, one of the shortest public railways in the world, where the church of St Mark wears a famously colourful tiled roof bearing coats of arms, and gas lamps are still lit by hand at dusk. Below spreads the nineteenth-century Lower Town, a grid of grand Austro-Hungarian buildings, leafy squares and a green horseshoe of parks and galleries. Zagreb has a strong café culture, a lively central market at Dolac, and an outsized collection of museums, from the moving Museum of Broken Relationships to fine art. In December it is famous for one of Europe's most celebrated Christmas markets, when the whole centre fills with lights and stalls.

Highlights

• St Mark's Church - the medieval church with its colourful tiled coat-of-arms roof.
• The funicular and Upper Town - the steep little railway up to the cobbled hilltop streets.
• Dolac Market - the bustling central produce market below the cathedral.
• The Lower Town museums - from fine art to the Museum of Broken Relationships.

When to go

Spring and autumn are mild and pleasant for wandering; summer is warm and quieter as locals head to the coast, and December brings the celebrated Advent Christmas market. The city is walkable year-round. Cafés spill onto the streets in the warmer months, part of the local ritual.

Practical notes

Zagreb is a real working capital rather than a coastal showpiece, so those expecting Adriatic glamour should adjust expectations; its pleasures are cafés, museums and atmosphere rather than big sights, and the centre is compact enough to see in a day or two. Many visitors treat it only as an airport stopover, which sells it short. Some museums keep limited hours, so check ahead.

Nearby

The Plitvice Lakes are a couple of hours south; the Zagorje region's castles and spa towns lie to the north.