54 Best Sights in Zagreb and Environs, Croatia

In a huge gray building, this vast private collection, including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and rugs, was donated by Ante Topić Mimara (1898–1987), a Croatian who spent many years abroad where he made his fortune, supposedly as a merchant. On display are canvases attributed to such old masters as Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens, as well as more modern works by the likes of Manet, Degas, and Renoir and ancient artifacts including Egyptian glassware and Chinese porcelain.  At the time of this writing, the museum was closed but hopes to reopen by early 2025 after renovations. Check before you go.

Designed by architect Hermann Bollé and opened in 1872, Zagreb's most celebrated cemetery is set on a hillside north of downtown and features an imposing entrance: a long massive brick wall topped by a row of green cupolas. This parklike cemetery, marked by paths lined with horse chestnut trees and black marble graves, is the final resting place for those of many creeds, from Roman Catholic and Serbian Orthodox to Jewish and Muslim. This satisfying, if somber, outing can be had by catching Bus 106 or 226 on Kaptol, in front of the Zagreb Cathedral, and riding it about 10 minutes to the fifth stop, Arkade. On November 1, the cemetery is lit up by thousands of red candles for All Saints' Day, when people honor their relatives, as well as famous figures buried there such as Herman Bollé himself, renowned author August Šenoa (1838–1881), and basketball great Dražen Petrović (1964–1993).

Displaying works created since 1950 by Croatian and foreign artists, this museum is well worth a visit for anyone interested in modern art—the vast collection includes paintings, sculptures, graphic design, films, and videos. It lies outside the city center, south of the Sava River in Novi Zagreb. To get here, take Tram 6 (toward Sopot) or Tram 14 (toward Zapruđe) from the main square; journey time is approximately 30 minutes.

Zagreb is home to several unique first-in-the-world museums, including this exhibition featuring more than 50 real-life stories related to drunkenness, submitted by people from all over the world, along with associated objects. Each visitor has the chance to win a free ticket by hitting a bull's-eye dartboard while wearing beer goggles. Most exhibits are comical, but some are educational and others are cautionary tales. Beer or wine can be purchased at the entrance to enjoy as you stroll through.

In 2015, Roko Živković and Tomislav Pamuković founded this innovative museum of perception in Zagreb, and thanks to popular demand it has expanded to more than 40 locations in 25 countries across 4 continents. Including an antigravity room, mirror room, and many silly optical illusion exhibits, this museum will leave you laughing, curious about how visual perception works—and maybe even a bit dizzy. This is a fun visit for families as well.

Well worth a visit for anyone interested in urban design, this museum traces the city's most important historical, economic, political, social, and cultural events from medieval times to the present day. Exhibits include detailed scale models of how the city has evolved, as well as sections devoted to the old trade guilds, domestic life, and sacred art. The museum also hosts a range of cool temporary exhibits year-round.

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.

Zagreb's oldest pharmacy, K Crnom Orlu (meaning "to the black eagle") sits between the Stone Gate and St. Mark's Square. It dates back to 1355 and operates to this day, continuing to specialize in house-made tinctures. Local rumors say that pharmacist Nicolo Alighieri, great-grandson of Dante Alighieri, worked here while he lived in Zagreb.

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.

A fairy-tale village of water mills and waterfalls, this relatively little-known gem is known as the Mini Plitvice for good reason. Rastoke sits at the intersection of the mighty Korana River and the smaller sparkling Slunjčica. Some 23 waterfalls are nearby, the most famous of which are Buk, Hrvoje, and Vilina Kosa (Fairy's Hair), along with plenty of babbling rapids. The geological makeup of Rastoke's waterfalls is identical to those of Plitvice, just smaller in scale. Legend says this peaceful retreat is home to vile (fairies), who love to bathe in the Vilina Kosa waterfall. A handful of restaurants (for the best freshwater fish around, try Ambar in nearby Slunj) and charming rentable apartments and rooms await. There's also a 7½-km (4½-mile) walking trail (one-way). As Croatian writer Ratko Zvrko (1920–1998) implored, writing of Rastoke, "Here you should stay, and further don't be steered! Here, where life into streams is canalized, here, in this roar of wild waters you hear, lies peace for the soul and feast for the eyes!" The village is 105 km (65 miles) southwest of Zagreb and 33 km (21 miles) north of Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Located in a pretty streamside park by the square, this museum tells the story of the town's past. It sits in a manor in which members of the 19th-century Croatian National Revival once gathered and is also the spot where Ferdo Livadić's and Ljudevit Gaj's song "Croatia Has Not Yet Fallen" was first sung (this later became the anthem of the movement). The museum warrants a quick 20-minute walk-through, especially if you're a history buff; it tells the story of Samobor's past chronologically, across two floors, including a geological viewpoint, Roman times, the development of local crafts and the famous Samoborski Fašnik carnival, and 20th-century events.

A bit south of the town center—3 km (2 miles) to be exact, where the rivers Kupa and Sava meet—stands the once-mighty Sisak Fortress (built 1544–50), with one prominent bastion at each point of its triangular form. The fortress has a hugely significant past: it was here, on June 22, 1593, that the Habsburgs, in the company of Croats and Slovenes, pulled off a victory over Ottoman armies, a triumph that figured prominently in halting the Ottoman advance toward Zagreb and into Western Europe. The fortress's interior is closed due to earthquake damage (no reopening date at the time of this writing), but it's worth taking a look at the structure and going for a stroll on the green walkway that surrounds it.

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.

Situated within an industrial building, this museum is guaranteed to appeal to both children and adults interested in science. Try to visit in the afternoon on a weekday or in the late morning on the weekend, when a series of guided visits are offered. The highlight here is the demonstration of some of Nikola Tesla's inventions, scheduled weekdays at 3:30 pm and weekends at 11:30 am, but there's also the tour of a lifelike reconstruction of a coal mine at 3 pm on weekdays and 11 am on weekends. That's not to mention all the vehicles on display, as well as a fascinating historical exhibit of firefighting equipment with trucks, ladders, and hoses aplenty. The museum is in the Trešnjevka neighborhood.

This street was once a stream until it was built over, but few people know that the water still flows beneath it. Today Tkalčićeva is a charming well-maintained pedestrian zone lined with 19th-century town houses. Many of these have been converted into popular cafés, bars, and restaurants at street level, attracting a huge cross section of locals and tourists from morning until late at night.

At the center of this old part of town, accessible by any of several bridges over the moat, is the main square, Trg Bana Josipa Jelačića, one side of which, alas, has a great big empty building with some missing windows. At the center of this otherwise largely barren square is an old well dating to 1869; long filled in, it is ornamented with allegorical imagery.

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.