23 Best Sights in Zagreb and Environs, Croatia

The Krapina Neanderthal Museum is located near Hušnjakovo Hill, the world-famous archaeological site of the Krapina Neanderthals, and its architecture evokes the habitat of these prehistoric people. Displays provide insight into who these early Neanderthals were, how they lived, and more broadly into the region's geology and history.

Today a historic site and home to part of the City Museum, Varaždin's main attraction is the massive Stari Grad (Old Town), which assumed its present form in the 16th century as a state-of-the-art defense fortification against the Turks, complete with moats, dikes, and bastions with low round defense towers connected by galleries with openings for firearms. In the ensuing centuries it was often reconstructed by the families that owned it; for more than three centuries, until its 1925 purchase by the city, it belonged to the Erdödy clan. From the 12th century up until 1925, the castle served as the seat of the county prefect. You enter through the 16th-century tower gatehouse, which has a wooden drawbridge, to arrive in the internal courtyard with three levels of arcaded galleries. Indoors, there's an extensive display of antique furniture, with pieces laid out in chronological order and each room representing a specific period. Even if you don't go inside, do take a stroll around the perimeter along the path that takes you between the outer wall and a ditch that used to be the moat.

Croatia's most visited castle took on its present neo-Gothic appearance during the mid-19th century, compliments of Juraj VI Drašković, whose family had already owned the castle for some 300 years and would go on to live there until 1944. There has been a building here since the 14th century. The inside is as spectacular as the outside, with the wood-paneled rooms—a Baroque room, a rococo room, a neoclassical room, and so on—filled with period furnishings and family portraits, giving you some idea of how the wealthy local aristocracy once lived. A restaurant, café, and souvenir shop occupy the less extravagant Ministry of Culture–owned building at the foot of the hill.

Built in 1773 and thoroughly relandscaped in 1905 by Herman Haller, a self-taught landscape architect who revolutionized traditional notions of what graveyards should look like, Varaždin's City Cemetery is as pleasant a place for a restful stroll as can be. Replete with flower beds and rows of tall cedars and linden trees flanking ornate memorials, all laid out in geometric patterns, the cemetery sublimely manifests Haller's conviction that each plot should be a "serene, hidden place only hinting at its true purpose, with no clue as to whether its occupant is rich or poor, since all are tended equally, surrounded by every kind of flower . . . producing perfect harmony for the visitor." Haller, who ran the cemetery from 1905 to 1946, is buried here in a rather conspicuous mausoleum. You can reach the cemetery by walking about 10 minutes east of the castle along Hallerova Aleja.

When you arrive here, the view from outside—with stretching vistas of the lush surrounding hills—is sure to stun you, but don't miss wandering around the interior of this impressive castle and learning about its past. Built in the late 15th or early 16th century, the castle had a turbulent history, including being home to nobles (such as the Ratkaj family), being abandoned, and being the site of the chilling legend of Veronika Desnička. The story goes that Veronika, a commoner, and Fridrik II, a count, fell in love, for which they were punished by his noble family. Fridrik is thought to have been locked in a tower in the castle, and Veronika immured in the walls (legend says you can still hear her voice calling out on windy nights). Today the castle hosts many musical, theater, and art events, including the annual Tabor Film Festival, which usually takes place over a week in July.

Varaždin's city museum is composed of multiple departments, including Archaeology, History, Ethnography, and more, and is housed in three buildings: the Culture and History Department in the Stari Grad (Old Town) fortress; the Gallery of Old and Contemporary Masters in Sermage Palace, and the Entomology Collection in Herzer Palace. The latter is one of the museum's highlights, with a fascinating presentation of some 50,000 different insect specimens.

Consecrated in 1650 on the site of a medieval predecessor, this pale yellow church has the highest tower in Varaždin, at almost 180 feet tall. In front is a statue of 10th-century Croatian bishop Grgur Ninski, a replica of the original, which is in Split; another such replica can be seen in Nin.

Housed in the striking 18th-century rococo Palača Sermage (Sermage Palace)—characterized by cinnamon-colored, black-framed geometric medallions decorating its facade and an impressive wrought-iron terrace—this gallery has a rich array of traditional paintings by Croatian and other European artists. It's part of the City Museum Varaždin.

This imposing landmark, one of Europe's oldest city halls, has been the seat of Varaždin's public administration since December 14, 1523. It was completely restored after the great fire of 1776. From May through October you can stop by on a Saturday morning between 11 and noon to watch the changing of the guard called Purgari ( www.varazdinska-garda.com), a 250-year-old tradition that lives on.

Near the spa town of Sveti Martin in the Varaždin region, Jakopić Winery is operated by brothers Martin and Branimir Jakopić, who offer superb dining as well as several kinds of tastings of wines from the lush vineyards near the border with Slovenia. The first wine here was produced in 1908, and the winery is especially renowned for its Pušipel, a notable white wine variety indigenous to Međimurje.

Built in the16th century, this tower is the only part of Varaždin's northern town wall that has been preserved. The wall formed part of the onetime city fortress, but most of it was razed in the early 19th century. It's from this spot that Ban Josip Jelačić (to whom Zagreb's main square is also dedicated) led 50,000 soldiers across the Drava in 1848, taking back Croatia's northernmost region of Međimurje from the Hungarian Kingdom. In 2022, during work on the tower, archaeological ruins of the ancient defense system around Varaždin were discovered.

On the southwest flank of Mt. Medvednica's summit proudly sits Medvedgrad Castle, Zagreb's guardian fortress and the inspiration for many legends. The original was built in the 13th century by Bishop Filip of Zagreb, but it was destroyed in an earthquake in 1590. Today, the renovated building houses an interactive family-friendly museum with exhibits on the castle's past as well as the surrounding nature; it's worth an hour or two of your time. You can also wander around the outside for free and take in great views of Zagreb. It's a one-hour trek to the fortress from the cable car, or you can reach it more directly by taking Bus 102 from Britanski Trg in central Zagreb (just off Ilica, a 20-minute walk west of Trg Bana Jelačića) to the Blue Church in Šestine and then hiking some 40 minutes uphill from there. Take trail No. 12, which is off the paved road past the church cemetery.

Consecrated to Varaždin's patron saint in 1761 on the site of an older church, this Baroque structure is more attractive on the outside than the inside. Note the false yet imposing white columns in the facade, the red-tiled conical steeple, and the sculpture at the foot of the steeple of a firefighting St. Florian pouring a bucket of water onto a church, presumably an allusion to the fire that devastated Varaždin in 1776.

Croatia's preeminent religious pilgrimage site is home to the Blessed Virgin of Bistrica, a black, wooden, 15th-century Gothic statue of the Holy Mother associated with miraculous powers (per legend, having survived the Turkish invasion and a subsequent fire) and set in the main altar. The church, which was proclaimed a Croatian shrine by the nation's parliament in 1715, was rebuilt in the neo-Renaissance style in the late 19th century; the shrine complex adjacent to the church was enlarged in time for a 1998 visit by Pope John Paul II. Behind the church is a huge amphitheater built for the pope's visit, and from there, you can climb up Kalvarija (Calvary Hill) to the Stations of the Cross, ornamented with sculptures by Croatian artists.

Follow in the footsteps of countless pilgrims by exploring Marija Bistrica's pathways, both in and outside of town. Marija Bistrica's surroundings (like much of Zagorje) are covered with beautiful hiking trails. Around the village, you'll find a number of interesting sights as you stroll. Check out more than 100 works at the grassroots-led sculpture park located close to Marija Bistrica's main square, visit the Hudek Gallery with art by academic sculptor Pavao Hudek, and see an exhibition on UNESCO-protected licitarstvo, the Croatian art of decorating gingerbread biscuits. If you see a souvenir stand, a licitarsko srce (Licitar heart) makes a great decoration or Christmas tree ornament, and there's no better place to purchase one than in the region where the craft developed.

Sljeme is a fantastic destination for hikers and mountain bikers alike (along with skiers in the winter), with more than 70 trails ranging in difficulty from easy and kid-friendly to challenging even for experts. Every Saturday and Sunday, the mountain gets busy as locals pour in to get their dose of greenery and outdoor activities. The peak of Mt. Medvednica is an ideal place for picnicking, but you may wish to save your appetite for dinner at one of the excellent restaurants (located in large mountain cabins) on the road home. Additional activities on Sljeme include Medvedgrad Castle, the Zrinski Mine (€3.30) that was mined for precious metals in the 16th and 17th centuries, and Veternica Cave (€5.30), once home to Neanderthals and today housing 18 bat species. Those wishing to overnight on Sljeme can choose from two hotels and 11 mountain lodges.

In a bucolic hilly setting near the Slovenian border, 15 km (9 miles) northwest of Čakovec, the village of Štrigova is best known as the largest producer of Međimurje wines. More than 20 wineries on a wine route through Štrigova and its surroundings offer tastings. It's also attractive for hiking and cycling routes (a lovely bike trail stretches from Međimurje to Hungary), the Mađerkin Breg viewpoint, the Church of St. Jerome, and three historic castles. A car or a bike is the preferred method of transport here, so that you can cruise the wine route and hit the highlights.

The first thing you're likely to notice about the Church of St. Jerome (Crkva Svetog Jeronima), which is perched on a hillside above the village center, is its yellow-and-white double steeple. Completed in 1749, the church is dedicated to the village's most famous son: St. Jerome (340–420), known for translating the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin. Note the painting of a bearded St. Jerome on the facade, framed by two little windows made to look like red hearts. The church is also noted for its wall and ceiling frescoes by Baroque artist Ivan Ranger the Baptist (1700–1753). The building is usually closed, but you can call the local tourist board to arrange a look inside.

Čakovec's main square, Trg Republike, is a pretty Baroque affair, with a major highlight being the Trgovački Kasino. It's odd that the key gathering place of the town's early-20th-century bourgeois class should have survived the Communist era intact, but here it has stood since 1903, wearing its Hungarian art nouveau style very much on its sleeve: red brick interspersed with a white stucco background, squares and circles across the bottom, and curved lines formed by the brickwork working their way to the top. Back in its heyday, this was more than a casino in the gambling sense of the word: besides a card room and a game parlor, it housed a ladies' salon, a reading room, and a dance hall. The building was mostly a trade-union headquarters in the post–World War II era, and its interior is still off-limits to the public. To explore a bit further, just off Trg Republike is Trg Kralja Tomislava, the town's major pedestrian shopping street.

This single-nave, pale-pink Baroque church with a particularly colorful late-Baroque altar was consecrated in 1712 by the Ursuline sisters, who came to Varaždin from Bratislava nine years earlier at the invitation of the Drašković family. Its charming, strikingly slender tower was added in 1726.

Enjoy the smells of fresh fruits and vegetables, plus the friendly clamor of locals negotiating the best prices, with a stop at the City Market, open from around 7 am to 2 pm. The open-air marketplace also features a number of bakeries and meat and fish stores.

The palace rivals City Hall (on nearby Trg Kralja Tomislava) in terms of sheer visual appeal, even if it is more than two centuries younger, what with its flamingo-pink facade and its location right across from the Franciscan Church. Opened in 1772, it boasted a late-Baroque pediment for four years only, until the fire of 1776 did away with that; the replacement was a triangular neoclassical one. Today regional authorities use the building, so the interior is generally off-limits to the public, but the outside is worth a look.

Set in the middle of a large shaded park right beside the main square is Čakovec's key landmark, the massive four-story Stari Grad Zrinskih. Built in an Italian-Renaissance style over the course of a century, beginning around 1550 by Nikola Šubic Zrinski, it was the Zrinski family nest until the late 17th century. The fortress's foremost present-day attraction, the Muzej Međimurja (Museum of Međimurje), can be reached through the courtyard. If you overlook the inconsistent availability of English-language text, you will be treated on this floor to an intriguing life-size look at a year in the life of a peasant family, from season to season, as you proceed through the rooms. Move up a floor for a chronological display of the region's history from the Stone Age to the recent past. Also on this floor are individual rooms dedicated to the Zrinski family, period furniture, displays of printing machinery, an old pharmacy, a fascinating collection of 19th- and 20th-century bric-a-brac, and, last but not least, a three-room gallery of impressive modern art by various painters.

Čakovec's key ecclesiastical landmark was built between 1707 and 1728 on the site of a wooden monastery that burned down in 1699. The bell tower was added in the 1750s. Inside is a late-Baroque altar decorated with elaborate statues; on the outside is a facade from the turn of the 20th century, when Hungary ruled the region, with reliefs of several great Hungarian kings from ages past.