Zagreb
 

We are world travelers (35 and 55 countries between husband and I). We are doing a 4 day weekend in Zagreb (from Dubai). Can I get a rec on hotels, 100-200 USD, quiet yet close to city center, good sized rooms, beds. Will be my husband and 12 year old daughter with me. Anything must see there? And is it recommended to go to Slovenia for a day trip, or just stick to Zagreb?

I stayed here last October. It's a short walk from the city centre, on convenient tram routes, and very reasonably priced.

http://www.hotel-jadran.com.hr/en

Zagreb itself won't take more than 2 days of your time, if that. A short bus ride out to Samobor one afternoon is very pleasant, and a chance to sample local delicacies such as ‘Cesjovske’ (sausage) with Samoborska mustard and 'Kremsnitsa' (custard cake).

If you rent a car for the day you can also visit Veliki Tabor, a wonderful medieval castle, and then lunch at http://www.gresna-gorica.com/ though I believe there are organised day trips from Zagreb.

http://www.veliki-tabor.hr/en/

Sorry, but I can't offer any advice or otherwise about Slovenia.

Depending on your interests, I can imagine a trip to Zagreb filling all your time, or only part of it. Do you need to decide whether to go to Slovenia now, or can you play it by ear? Ljubljana is certainly charming and easily reached from Zagreb.

I agree that Veliki Tabor would make a good day trip from Zagreb, although I, personally, would opt for taking public transportation to Ljubljana or Varaždin and/or Čakovec instead. it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience.

Enjoy!

We stayed here a couple of years ago and liked it:
http://www.hotel-jagerhorn.hr/en/

Very centrally located. We had a double, but there are suites that can accommodate a family and may be in your budget range.

I stayed at the Westin Zagreb in 2009 - walkable to the center but also there are trams that will take you directly to the center. I spent a night in Samobor - nice little town - in May.

Like Julia, I didn't find that Zagreb needed that much time. A half a day there was plenty for me. I loved Ljubljana, Slovenia, though - easy bus or train ride from Zagreb, though it might be a very long day trip. I've been to Ljubljana three times now. It's a charming little city - not much to see but more appealing to me than Zagreb.

If you want to see something besides a town, consider a trip to nearby Plitvice Lakes National Park, about two hours south of Zagreb. Plitvice is a unique park full of waterfalls and big beautiful lakes full of fish. You can see it in 5-6 hours but requires a bit of walking. You can't take a train to Plitvice, though - either a bus or a guided tour from Zagreb or rent a car.

Yes we can play it by ear. Thanks for the suggestions. I was hoping it would be worth it to take the train to Slovenia, and it sounds like it would be. Thanks for the hotel suggestions, we will check those out :)

We enjoyed staying at the Regent Esplanade in Zagreb in 2009. We took the funicular to the Upper Town, which we also enjoyed.

Plitvice Park is lovely and well worth a visit, I think.

Byrd

The Plitvice Lakes National Park is, IMO, the single most un-missable of Croatia's many splendors. Not only are the lakes connected by travertine waterfall formations, each lake has unique microbiota, and as a result, the lakes are different colors. I believe that the best way to see that is to make a single, long loop through the park -- something on the order of 6 hours or more (including time for the boat that connects the lower and upper lakes). Depending on what time of year you are going, and whether you prefer to try to avoid masses of tourists by starting early or after they get started, it could make for a VERY long day, especially if you are relying on public transportation. Visiting this magnificent park might make more sense with an overnight stay. Just my opinion.