8 Best Nightlife in Zagreb and Environs, Croatia

A trendy vintage bar in an industrial space (a former dry cleaning and textile dye factory) with exposed brick and lofty ceilings, this bar has outdoor seating on a beautiful terrace covered in lights, as well as a pool section in summer. Parties and music events are common here, the on-site hostel is rarely empty, and the adjacent restaurant (SOI) offers delicious Asian fusion fare to edge out Varionica craft beers, available in the bar.

With a lively combination of Zagreb students, partiers, and people looking for a chill night out, plus great drinks on the cheaper side and good music (usually rock), this bar can be a bit of a tight squeeze but is a favorite among both locals and visitors seeking to make friends in the city.

A chilled out coffee-and-cocktails café during the day, Aquarius becomes one of Zagreb's top clubs for dancing, especially for disco and techno music, by night. Works on display from local artists and designers complement the musical program. The club overlooks the beach at Malo Jezero, the smaller of the two interconnected lakes comprising Lake Jarun, 5 km (3 miles) from the city center.

At night the bar vibes turn up at this café-cum-wine-bar and bistro, and you can often enjoy live stand-up (in English), as well as soul, rock, blues, and jazz performers. During the morning and afternoon, there's coffee sipping and people-watching. This popular split-level venue also has a lively summer terrace.

Croatian nightclubs are known for their lack of curfew, but this dance mecca takes that to the next level, bringing the party, and then the after-party, and then the after-after-party. The former warehouse factory sits on Radnička Street, about 15 minutes by car from the main square. The decor of exposed walls, graffiti, and pipe-lined ceilings testifies to its past. Four floors have different music, from rock and funk to rap and EDM. It's only open Friday and Saturday, and may close in summer.

International sports fans of all kinds flock to this English-style pub, and its decor—such as a mirror behind the brass bar, pharmacy-related sepia photographs and vintage ads crowding the walls, and dark wood everywhere—perfectly matches the smoky atmosphere. (As at other bars and cafés in Croatia, indoor smoking is allowed.) Other than sports screenings, the pub regularly hosts acoustic rock bands and quiz nights.

Although in good weather practically all the patrons are seated out front (a prime position for people-watching on Tkalčićeva), inside is an English-style pub whose walls, on the upper floor, are decorated with memorabilia associated with different novels by Charles Dickens. It's a run-of-the-mill pub where the cool decor and prime location can outshine the rather basic menu options and service.

On Saturday, stop by this café, which draws in young party-lovers for dancing and DJ tunes below vaulted ceilings covered with LED lights. During the day, it's a peaceful café, ideal for enjoying coffee or beer on the outdoor terrace.