Skip to content
MASA
A covered passage strung with fairy lights and giant gold ornament baubles, crowded with visitors at a Christmas market.
europe

ZagrebTravel Guide

Croatia4 stories

Croatia's inland capital swaps coastline for café culture: a gaslit Upper Town, a riotous daily market and Europe's shortest funicular ride between them.

Is Zagreb right for you?

When to come

Spring and early autumn; December for Advent

Around 28°C by day in July, 5°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a weekend here planned hour by hour.

Our editors pick it for a trip with children.

Zagreb is inGood with childrenEnough for a long weekendDeepest in Europe
When to go
January: around 5 degrees by day, -2 at night, 46 millimetres of rain, some rain.
February: around 8 degrees by day, -1 at night, 45 millimetres of rain, some rain.
March: around 13 degrees by day, 3 at night, 48 millimetres of rain, some rain.
April: around 18 degrees by day, 7 at night, 61 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
May: around 22 degrees by day, 11 at night, 77 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
June: around 26 degrees by day, 15 at night, 91 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
July: around 28 degrees by day, 16 at night, 80 millimetres of rain, wet.
August: around 28 degrees by day, 16 at night, 86 millimetres of rain, wet.
September: around 23 degrees by day, 12 at night, 104 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
October: around 17 degrees by day, 8 at night, 89 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
November: around 11 degrees by day, 3 at night, 87 millimetres of rain, wet.
December: around 5 degrees by day, -1 at night, 62 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

Spring and early autumn; December for Advent

Average daily highs, recorded at Zagreb Maksimir, 1991-2020 normals.

Where this comes from

Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service, DHMZ (en.wikipedia Zagreb weather box)

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
Plan itWhere to stay in Zagrebad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Zagreb

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Zagreb

St Mark's Church in Zagreb's Upper Town, its glazed tiled roof laid out as the coats of arms of Croatia and of the city
01
Itineraries

48 Hours in Zagreb: Cafés, Cannons and a Tiled Roof

Two well-paced days in Croatia's capital — the noon cannon, the Dolac market, the Museum of Broken Relationships and the espresso ritual locals treat as sacred.

Croatia · 3 min
Aerial view across the red-tiled rooftops of central Zagreb at dusk, with the city's modern towers on the horizon, Croatia
02
The List

The Essential Zagreb Bucket List, Ranked

A tiled roof, a market under red umbrellas, a cannon that still fires at noon and Europe's most beautiful cemetery — Croatia's capital, ranked by what actually earns your time.

Croatia · 2 min
Families walking the long tree-lined avenue through Maksimir Park in Zagreb on a summer day, a small dog off the leash, cast-iron lamp posts and benches under deep green canopy
03
Itineraries

Zagreb with Kids: A Family Day That Actually Works

A funicular that lasts a minute, a cannon at noon, a museum built on optical tricks and a park with a zoo in it — one Zagreb day paced for short legs.

Croatia · 2 min
A grand pale corner building in Zagreb's Lower Town in warm hazy light, its stone facade rising through arched windows and gabled dormers to a slender cupola
04
Stays

Boutique or Grand: Choosing Where to Stay in Zagreb

A 1925 Orient Express hotel, a chain of 19th-century townhouses and a hill town with almost no beds — how to pick your Zagreb base, neighbourhood by neighbourhood.

Croatia · 2 min
In pictures

Zagreb, framed

Zagreb's blue vintage Christmas tram crossing the tracks in the city centre, its crew dressed as Santas
Photo: Omar Tursić / Unsplash
Lower Town, Zagreb
Photo: Lukas / Unsplash
Zagreb rooftops and the cathedral spires seen from a green terrace
Photo: hadar elia / Unsplash
Lower Town, Zagreb
Photo: Devon MacKay / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Zagreb

See and do

Where to stay

Before you go

Practical essentials for Croatia

Money

Euro (EUR) — adopted on 1 January 2023, replacing the kuna

Language

Croatian; English is widely spoken in the cities and along the coast

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Intercity buses are the workhorse — more frequent and faster than the trains — and Jadrolinija ferries connect the coast to the islands.

Tipping

Around 10% in restaurants is customary but not obligatory; rounding up is perfectly normal.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink throughout the country, including Zagreb and Dubrovnik.

Driving

Right-hand side; a UK or EU photocard licence is valid for up to a year, so most visitors need no International Driving Permit.

Emergency

112 (general); 192 police, 194 ambulance, 193 fire, 195 sea rescue

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Keep exploring

More of Europe

The waterfront of Split seen from out on the Adriatic, the palm-lined Riva running along the cream stone facades of the old town with the grey Dalmatian mountains rising behind under a clear blue sky.
Split
Croatia
Dubrovnik's medieval sea walls and the round Bokar Fortress curving above a turquoise cove, with the terracotta roofs of the Old Town behind.
Dubrovnik
Croatia
The pink Franciscan Church of the Annunciation and the stone arches of the Triple Bridge over the green Ljubljanica river in central Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Slovenia
Bled island with its church on the turquoise water of the lake, the castle on its cliff and the Alps behind
Lake Bled
Slovenia
St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna against a blue sky, its zigzag-patterned glazed tile roof and Gothic south tower in full sun
Vienna
Austria
The red-brick neo-Gothic Molino Stucky on Giudecca in Venice, now a waterfront hotel, its clock and rooftop statuary crowning the facade above the lagoon and terrace tables
Venice
Italy
The green dome and columned portico of St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest closing the view down a pedestrian street of ochre apartment blocks, with people walking towards it in soft evening light
Budapest
Hungary
White horses harnessed to a fiaker carriage waiting on a Salzburg square in front of a baroque palace facade
Salzburg
Austria
A generous platter of charcoal-grilled meats — skewers, chicken wings, sausages and chops — served over flatbread with roasted peppers, potatoes and bowls of dipping sauces.
Belgrade
Serbia
Colorful houses along the Inn river in Innsbruck beneath the snow-capped Nordkette mountains
Innsbruck
Austria
The red-brick and white-stone arches of Verona's Ponte Pietra spanning the fast green Adige, with the dome and bell tower of San Giorgio in Braida rising among cypresses behind.
Verona
Italy
Mercato di Mezzo, Bologna
Bologna
Italy