The city is divided into three parts: the thousand-year old upper town (Gornji grad) which contains the Presidential Palace, the historic church of St. Mark's, the Croatian parliament, and museums and galleries which are all set in cobbled streets lit by gas lamps; the 19th century lower town (Dolnji grad) with its shops, restaurants, cafes, theatres, parks; and the modern post-war (WWII) part of Zagreb (Novi Zagreb) which is full of high-rise buildings and basically has nothing to offer to tourists.

Zagreb is called a city of museums as there are more of them per square foot than any other city in the world. But this doesn't mean that there is nothing else for you to do if you aren't a history buff. One of the many pleasures that the Zagrebcani (the people of Zagreb) enjoy is sitting in one of the numerous cafes watching the world go by. In the evening, you can visit one of the many restaurants, sampling a delicious Croatian dish, and finish the day in the one of the bars or clubs. Whatever you choose to do, you are guaranteed to have a good time!

Getting around

If you arrive by plane, Pleso airport is about 20km from the heart of Zagreb. You can take a taxi (about £20/$30), but a much better option would be to take the inexpensive bus which takes you to the main bus station in central Zagreb. Buses leave every half an hour outside the terminal, and tickets can be bought from the bus driver. Once you arrive at the bus station, you can flag down a taxi to take you to your accommodation or use a tram to complete your journey. Almost all visitors are puzzled how to obtain tickets for trams as they are not sold on-board: walk to the first newspaper kiosk and ask for a "tramvajska karta" which are sold singly or in packs of ten. Once you board the tram, you must remember to validate your card in the machines.

When sightseeing, head for Trg Bana Jelacica, which is the main square in the city. From here you are within walking distance of all the major attractions. The main tourist office is at no. 11 in the square.

Things to see

From Trg Bana Jelacica (named after the Croatian hero and viceroy who defeated the Hungarians in an uprising in 1848 - his monument is in the square) turn right and into the first street on the left to see the twin neo-Gothic spires of St. Stephen's Cathedral, built in 1899. The baroque Archbishops' Palace is attached to the cathedral. Nearby is the colourful Dolac market, the main market in Zagreb, which is definitely worth visiting. You can have an inexpensive meal in one of the fast-food kiosks close by.

Walk along Tkalciceva Ulica towards the upper town and you will come to the 13th century Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata) with a painting of the Virgin Mary which miraculously escaped the great fire of 1731 and is a place of pilgrimage. Explore the Upper Town which includes Banski Dvori (the Presidential Palace) with its colourful guards, Sabor (the parliament), St. Mark's Church (with the works of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's most famous sculptor) and note its beautifully tiled roof. There are also several museums and galleries nearby. See Lotrscak Tower (Kula) before returning to the hustle and bustle of modern Zagreb either via the pedestrian walkway or the hundred-year-old funicular railway (uspinjaca).

In the lower town do your shopping in the main shopping street Ilica or visit one of the more prominent museums or galleries, like the Strossmayer Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Ethnographic Museum and the famous Mimara museum (Rooseveltov trg 5) which, with almost 4,000 priceless objects, is one of the finest art galleries in Europe.