Best Zagreb Things to Do in a Day 2023

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Greetings Internet Stranger and welcome to the best Zagreb things to do in a day! Zagreb, Croatia begins with Z, which is definitely the most mysterious letter.

And that’s fitting because Zagreb is full of quirk, mystery, smoke, hidden tunnels, legends, and Angelina Jolie. It’s also a fairly mysterious city because it doesn’t get nearly as many tourists as Dubrovnik, even though Zagreb is the capital of Croatia.

Don’t believe me yet that Zagreb is a mysterious place worth exploring? Follow me for the best Zagreb things to do in a day and you will soon learn of the hidden secrets of Croatia’s capital city…

Zagreb things to do in a day

Where to Stay

There’s only one hotel I can recommend for your Zagreb things to do in a day and that’s the Hotel Jagerhorn. It has an insanely convenient location near both Ban Jelacic Square and some of the best views in all Zagreb. Plus the hotel is one of the most glamorous in the city because it is the oldest hotel left in Zagreb. Yet the prices are still totally reasonable. Really, what more could you ask for?

If you’re excited to book your stay at the Hotel Jagerhorn, just click here.

And if you’d rather explore great deals on tons of other hotels in Zagreb, I’ve got you covered here! This search engine will help you find the perfect place to stay for your Zagreb things to do in a day. With hundreds of options to choose from, I’m sure you’ll find something for your schedule and budget.

Zagreb things to do in a day

Morning: Museum of Broken Relationships

I promised that Zagreb was mysterious, and what could be more mysterious than the mysteries of the human heart? That’s why I suggest starting your Zagreb things to do in a day at the Museum of Broken Relationships.

If you’ve ever had a broken heart, and who among has not, you’ll be enthralled by the objects here left over from past relationships. Some will make you laugh and others will make you cry–but there’s chocolate at the gift shop to soothe your tears. And by the end of your Zagreb things to do in a day, I hope this museum will teach you to look at a failed relationship in a different way. I know it did for me.

You can buy your ticket to this great museum here.

The objects in the museum change regularly so I can’t promise what you will see when you’re there. But I can share with you…

Three Fun (???) Facts: Museum of Broken Relationships

1) What’s the Most Awful Story in the Museum?

I was pretty depressed about the story behind this sea turtle pendant. It looks so pretty and sweet, but the tale behind the turtle is an old and miserable one. A married guy gave it to his girlfriend and told her he specially thought of her when he saw it. Of course it turns out he had given an identical pendant to…his other girlfriend.

Why do men like this always have a wife and two girlfriends? I bet he had ten girlfriends and they’re all around the world just walking about with sea turtle pendants like this. Now I hate men and love AND sea turtles. Thanks, Museum of Broken Relationships! And we are just getting started.

2) What’s the Funniest Story in the Museum?

Perhaps it’s cruel to laugh at another’s heartache. If so, let’s be cruel together as I regale you with the story of this lamp…this sexy, sexy lamp. Now, you wouldn’t think the sight of this lamp would end a relationship, but you’d be wrong…dead wrong.

A German lady owned this lamp and loved both it and her boyfriend. Yet you should never give your heart to a man and or to a lamp, as my grandmother once told me.

All seemed well in this relationship, until one day, this unfortunate Frau found some Internet “naughty films” starring her boyfriend, another lady, and this lamp…meaning he must have made the films after they got together, since the lamp belonged to her.

I choose to believe this lamp is sentient and figured out a way to let its beloved owner was a cheating bastard. It’s like the movie Christine, only with a German lamp instead of a car. Pleasant nightmares!

3) What’s the Craziest Story in the Museum?

You’ll have your own pick when you go on your own Zagreb things to do in a day, but my vote goes to the story of a woman whose ex-wife became obsessed with Guiding Light fanfiction and dumped her for a fellow Guiding Light fanatic, leaving the dumped woman alone to care for her dying mother.

The artifact isn’t actually from the relationship itself–it’s a DVD the dumpee made to process her feelings. I feel like I would have a lot of feelings to process if I ever got dumped for Guiding Light fanfiction, but that’s just me.

The moral of this museum is that relationships are terrible. Let’s all die alone, with only our sentient lamps for company.

Don’t forget to buy your ticket in advance right here!

24 Hour Treasure: Zagreb Breakfast

Before your tour, you’re going to want to have lunch on our Zagreb things to do in a day, so stop at Otto & Frank for their amazing Zagreb breakfast. (Yes, it’s called Zagreb breakfast, but you can definitely eat it at lunch. The Croatian Mealtime Police will not stop you.) This feast is a crunchy bread topped with cheese and meat and salad and a SURPRISE on top.

(OK, fine. The surprise is an egg.) But as you will see when you eat the Zagreb breakfast, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to tell it is an egg at first bite.

Zagreb things to do in a day

Afternoon: Zagreb Walking Tour

Now that we’ve seen one of the stranger museums out there, how would you like to explore even more of the hidden wonders of Zagreb? Then join me on a walking tour of the best hidden gems in Zagreb!

On this tour, we’ll learn about how Zagreb has the smallest….in the world, as well as the … all the way from Las Vegas! Want to fill in the blanks?

Check rates and availability for this tour right here!

Then let’s hurry off to find…

Approximately Top 5: Zagreb things to do in a day

1) FUNICULEE FUNICULA!

Zagreb has two main parts: a lower part and an upper part. The upper part is more scenic and historic, so you’ll almost definitely spend more time here during your Zagreb things to do in a day. It’s a pretty short walk from the Lower to the Upper, but if you’re not into stairs or just want a cool cultural experience, then take the funicular!

This is the world’s smallest funicular so I’m pretty sure you get to be in the Guinness Book of World Records if you ride it. It was created at the end of the 19th century by an Austrian businessman.

But it was not successful because it takes one minute to ride the funicular up and only three minutes to walk the same distance, which you can do for free. Plus originally the car kept breaking down. But now you can ride it for funsies as many times as you want, which I think is worth the money. (PS. The ride is not expensive.)

2) St Mark’s Church

Now we are in the upper part of Zagreb, aka the pretty part. The first building you have to check out is St Mark’s Church. This is sometimes called the most iconic building in the city because of the tile patterns on top.

Our guide, whom I shall call Goran, said that the checkerboard is a symbol of Croatia because in the Middle Ages a Croatian king got captured by the Venetians and had to win a game of checkers for his liberty.

Did he win? I think it’s pretty clear that he did, Internet Stranger, or else the Venetians would be putting checkerboards on everything. European history has changed so much over the last thousand years. Nowadays I assume if you were captured by the Venetian army, they’d just overcharge you for a gondola ride.

I will not tell you what the rest of the symbols stand for! You have to take the tour to find out!

3) Tunel Gric

One of the coolest secrets in Zagreb is the Tunel Gric. This was a bomb shelter during World War II and eventually it fell into disrepair and got gross and creepy.

But more recently it was renovated and turned into a fun walkway for pedestrians. Do you need a guide to find your way through these tunnels without getting lost? That’s really up to you and your own judgement of your spelunking abilities.

The Tunel exits into an art park, which Goran said used to be a sad drug park. But now it has become a popular place for street art and graffiti. “Art is the best drug, kids,” I said to some small Croatian children standing nearby. This seemed to frighten them, but I’m not sure why.

4) Snack Time!

It’s been long enough since our Zagreb Breakfast, so it’s time for a snack (not included on the tour)! This hand pie in my hand looks kind of like burek, but it isn’t. Here’s what I have written down in my notes, “It sounds like strudel but it isn’t”.

So I’ve come to the conclusion that this is a delightful and toothsome dish known as strukli. It’s dough stuffed with cheese, and it’s not stuffed pizza crust, so you know it’s got to be good.

But just in case I’m wrong, you can try going around Zagreb and asking for “not strudel” and see what that gets you.

5) Cathedral of the Assumption

The cathedral itself is quite beautiful and contains a multitude of secrets. The sweetest is that a bishop, who is interred in the cathedral, saved Jewish citizens during World War II by hiding their names on lists of residents of the city. As a person of Eastern European Jewish ancestry, I’m always very grateful to anyone who didn’t just go along with the Nazis.

But everyone’s favorite secret about the cathedral is the provenance of the chandeliers. They actually used to belong to a Las Vegas casino and were donated to the cathedral. That’s wild! From Sin City to the Blessed Mother! Zagreb Cathedral, I give you this slogan for free.

24 Hour Tip

Those are all the secrets I can share with you for now. You’ll have to book the tour for yourself if you want to find out more!

Check rates and availability for this tour right here!

Zagreb things to do in a day

Evening: Dinner at Bistro Apetit

Croatia is really a country that knows how to do fine dining, so I encourage you to dive into all the classy joints you can find when you’re in town. Bistro Apetit is one of the best restaurants in Zagreb, and its chef apprenticed at Noma in Copenhagen, so you know he knows his stuff. My waiter told me that the chef, Marin Rendic, had cooked for Angelina Jolie.

There isn’t really a menu. As with many fine dining restaurants, you order a certain number of courses and chef prepares what he will. I recommend you get the seven course menu because that way you get to eat the most. That’s just science. Dive into the culinary adventure with me!

I always like a tasting menu to start out light and refreshing, so I was super content with this seafood with citrus and caviar. The salty caviar was the perfect pairing with the sweet seafood and sweet-sour citrus.

After a light course, we want a rich one, so let’s try steak tartare made with ribeye. Steak tartare is made with raw meat, so only the very best quality meat will do. But that’s what makes it so delicious–that you can really taste the flawless beast. I think it’s the best possible way to respect the animal that gave its life so you could eat it.

This next course was a perfectly summery lobster with apricots. I don’t think there could be any more summery combo than lobster and stone fruit. This dish tasted like a fine August day in Maine.

This beauty is the house signature dish, cuttlefish ragu. At least my waiter told me it was the signature, but it’s possible he was making it all up.

I mean, I can’t even verify his statements on Wikipedia or anything. I don’t always enjoy cuttlefish because it can be tough, but this was as tender and soothing as a James Ingram ballad.

I’m a big believer that the final main course of a tasting menu should be simple, so the quality of the ingredients can shine through. This duck with crunchy root vegetables fit the bill perfectly. Also any meal where you get to have caviar, lobster, AND duck, is a very good thing.

Our first dessert was probably the most technically impressive because they made this mint ice cream right in front of you at the table by using the MAGIC of liquid nitrogen.

This tasted like I was being punched by mint in the face. Like Mint Mike Tyson was just going to town on me and possibly even biting my ear. But I mint this as a compliment.

Of course just one liquid nitrogen dessert isn’t enough for any reasonable person. That’s why we have this lemon and rosemary “souffle”. But the liquid nitrogen here is used to create a fabulous cloud of rosemary scent that wafts about your head while you eat your lemon dessert.

I can see why Angelina Jolie liked this chef. I bet she looks really great dressed in a cloud of rosemary.

Zagreb things to do in a day

Tools For Travel

• A portable cell charger so that your phone won’t die a miserable death during your Zagreb things to do in a day
• The best international travel adapter because if you’re American like I am, you’ll need one to be able to plug in electronics during your Zagreb things to do in a day
• I always get good advice from Lonely Planet’s guide to Croatia, including Zagreb. They divide the guide into sections by region, which is very helpful.
• The most reliable travel umbrella that is small enough to fit in my purse, but strong enough to stand up to powerful winds
• These great TSA approved clear toiletries bags, so I can always keep spare toothpaste and travel sized toiletries in any carry-on.
• My book Get Lost, that I wrote myself with all my best travel tips. This book will show you how travel can take you on a journey of self-discovery.

That’s a Perfect Zagreb things to do in a day

What would you do with the best Zagreb things to do in a day? Are you ready to start booking your hotel in Zagreb right away? Do you have anything to donate to the Museum of Broken Relationships, even if it’s not as cool as a sentient sex lamp? And would you trust Angelina Jolie’s advice on restaurants? Please email me at stellajane@aroundtheworldin24hours.com and let me know!

Note: If you want to know how I put my travel itineraries together, just click here. Keep in mind that while each article is about how to spend 24 hours in a place, that doesn’t mean you should ONLY try the Zagreb things to do in a day.

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