12 Best Sights in Zagreb and Environs, Croatia

The Naïve school of painting dates back to the 1930s, and the museum features more than 1,900 works of peasant artists who were largely self-taught. The Naïve movement in Croatia began in the village of Hlebine in Koprivnica-Križevci County, and canvases by one of its founders, the highly esteemed Ivan Generalić (1914–1992), dominate here, though there are also paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints by other noted members of the movement, plus a section devoted to foreigners working along similar lines. The museum is on the second floor of the Raffay Palace.

The building dates from 1895, when it was designed by the Viennese firm Hellmer and Fellner as part of preparations for a state visit by Emperor Franz Josef. In front of the theater, set deep in a round concrete basin, is Ivan Meštrović's eerily lifelike sculpture Zdenac Života (Fountain of Life) from 1912, which depicts four naked couples writhing uncomfortably in each other's arms around a small pool of water while one lone likewise naked gentleman stares meditatively into the pool. The only way to see the impressive stately interior of the theater is to attend a performance from its impressive show repertoire. Don your best clothes as the locals do and enjoy.

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.

One of the largest floodplains in the Danubian basin, this unique ecological and cultural landscape of 20,506 acres along the Sava River was accorded park status in 1990 and is included on UNESCO's roster of World Heritage sites. It has numerous rare and endangered plant and animal species, from white-tailed eagles and saker falcons to otters and the Danube salmon—as well as storks, which are as easy to come by here as in Čigoč. Its 4,858 acres of pastureland are also home to Croatia's highest concentration of indigenous breeds of livestock. Traditional village architecture—in particular, houses made of oak—further contributes to the region's appeal. Three park offices (in Čigoč at Čigoč 26; Repušnica at Fumićeva 184; Krapje at Krapje 16) provide maps and information on where to go and what to see, and also issue park entrance passes. Prices vary with the package; some include boat rides. A car is the easiest way to access the park; if you're driving from Zagreb, exit the motorway at the pretty village of Popovača and take the road to the right through the villages of Potok and Stružec toward Sisak.

The first museum of its kind in the world displays objects connected to love stories that didn't work out. The entire exhibition is made up of personal belongings donated by people from around the world who endured a failed relationship, and each exhibit is accompanied by a brief text, explaining the connection between the object and the relationship. Subtly illustrating the tragicomedy that is love, it is now one of Zagreb's most visited museums, and the collection has toured numerous locations in Asia, Africa, the United States, and Europe. The museum's collection is ever-expanding, and exhibits change regularly (only 15% of the collection is displayed in a year), which keeps visitors coming back for new stories.

This 8,000-acre park is home to 16 beautiful emerald lakes connected by a series of cascading waterfalls, stretching 8 km (5 miles) through a valley flanked by high forested hills that are home to deer, bears, wolves, wild boar, and the Eurasian lynx. Thousands of years of sedimentation of calcium, magnesium carbonate, algae, and moss have yielded the natural barriers between the lakes. Since the process is ongoing, new barriers, curtains, stalactites, channels, and cascades are constantly forming and the existing ones are always changing. The deposited sedimentation, or tufa, also coats the beds and edges of the lakes, giving them their sparkling azure look.

Today a series of wooden bridges and waterside paths lead through the park. The only downside: because it's so lovely, the trails can get crowded from June through September. That said, there's no litter along the way—a testament to both respectful visitors and a conscientious park staff. There's also no camping, no bushwhacking, no picking plants, and absolutely no swimming. This is a place to look, to spend a day or two, but not to touch. It is, however, well worth the higher summer entrance fee and the lowered fees during the rest of the year. Plitvice Lakes is not just a summer but a year-round spectacle, with blooming flowers in the spring, sunset-color foliage in the fall, and magical-looking frozen waterfalls in the winter.

The park is right on the main highway (E71) from Zagreb to Split, and it's certainly worth the three-hour trip from the capital. There are three entrances just off the main road, about an hour's walk apart, creatively named Entrance 1, Entrance 2, and Auxiliary Entrance Flora. The park's pricey hotels are near Entrance 2, the first entrance you'll encounter if arriving by bus from the coast. However, Entrance 1—the first entrance if you arrive from Zagreb—is typically the start of most one-day excursions, if only because it's within a 20-minute walk of Veliki Slap, the 256-foot-high waterfall. Hiking the entire loop that winds its way around the lakes takes six to eight hours, but other hikes range from two to four hours. All involve a combination of hiking and being ferried across the larger of the park's lakes by national park service boats.

There are cafés near both entrances, but avoid them for anything but coffee, as the sandwiches and strudels don't offer the best value for your money. Instead, buy some of the huge heavenly strudels sold by locals at nearby stands, where great big blocks of homemade cheese, honey, and olive oil are also for sale. Within the lake grounds, there are more than 10 restaurants and bistros offering a mix of local and international cuisine.  At the boat landing near Entrance 2, you can rent gorgeous wooden rowboats for €13 per hour (capacity is four people) during the warm season.

Nestled among the regal buildings of the Croatian parliament, the original church building was erected in the 13th century and was once the parish church of Gradec. The Baroque bell tower was added in the 17th century, and the steeply pitched roof—decorated in brilliant multicolor tiles arranged to depict the coats of arms of Zagreb on the right and the Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia on the left—was added during reconstruction in the 19th century. It underwent another reconstruction in the first half of the 20th century. At that time, renowned painter Jozo Kljaković painted its walls, while the altar was decorated with works of famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović.  At the time of this writing, the church's interior was closed for renovation, but the exterior is well worth a look. 

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.

Dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to the kings St. Stephen and St. Ladislaus, this cathedral was built on the site of a former 12th-century cathedral destroyed by the Tatars in 1242. The present structure was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. The striking neo-Gothic facade was added by architect Hermann Bollé following the earthquake of 1880, its twin steeples being the identifying feature of the city's skyline. Behind the impressive main altar are crypts of Zagreb's archbishops and Croatian national heroes. The interior is imposing and inspires silent reflection. Don't neglect the north wall, which bears an inscription of the Ten Commandments in 12th-century Glagolitic script. The cathedral's face is ever-changing, as its towers are being reconstructed again following the earthquake that hit Zagreb in 2020.  At the time of this writing, the interior is closed for renovations.