The Best 1-Day Itinerary in Zagreb, Croatia
Last Updated: July 9, 2023
The first thing to know is that Zagreb is a great city to walk around in! Did you know Zagreb is also one of the smallest European capital cities? Zagreb is one of the few major cities we’ve visited where we never had to call an Uber. Plus, we love walking, as it allows us to take it slow and see the city’s best kept secrets.
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How long should you spend in Zagreb?
You can surely see the top sites of Zagreb within 1 day. However, if you want to take it slower and visit all the museums, then 2-3 days in Zagreb would be ideal. Plus, we found that doing a Zagreb walking tour was the best way to see the bulk of the sites without having to worry about mapping ourselves. There are plenty of great private guided tours in Zagreb, which fill you in on all the history and details of Zagreb’s fascinating architecture. If you’d rather see the city on your clock, keep reading below! Or like us, do both a tour and some individual exploring to really enhance your 1 day in Zagreb.
Zagreb 1-Day Trip Summary:
First, visit the Dolac Market
Don’t miss the Dolac Market. What’s the Dolac Market? It’s basically a massive farmers market where locals sell flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other snacks. This is a good opportunity to eat some unique fruits! (Note: Dolac Market is not to be confused with Lord Farquad’s kingdom of Duloc.)
Plus, the Dolac Market is known for having iconic red umbrellas that beautifully decorate the city square. The market is open air, so if you’re there in the summer, it’s nice to visit the Dolac Market in the morning so it’s not as hot or packed. Dolac Market is in a pretty centralized location, and from there you can easily walk to the Tunel Gric, the Funicular Railway, and St. Mark’s Church, which we’ll tell you about below.
Explore the underground Tunnel Grič
Zagreb’s Funicular Railway and the Tunnel Grič are easy to do back to back before you head to the iconic St. Mark’s church. Conveniently, Tunnel Grič is just a few minutes away from the Dolac Market.
Tunnel Grič is a pedestrian underground tunnel. You might feel like you’re sneaking away from danger as you walk in, and in a way that was sort of its original intention. Did you know Tunnel Grič was originally built in World War II as a bomb shelter? Anyway, it’s pretty big and has about 6 different exits. Additionally, if you’re looking for a restroom, there are 2 in there!
Ride Zagreb's tiny funicular railway
One of the exits of Tunnel Grič lets you out right at the base of Zagreb’s funicular railway (Uspinjača). But make sure you map yourself to the funicular before getting into the tunnel, as you might not get the best cell reception inside Tunnel Grič.
Zagreb’s funicular railway is cute, but the ride itself is short, lasting just about a minute. Zagreb’s funicular is actually one of the shortest funicular railways in the world. But thankfully it cost just under $1 to experience. And for the memories and the photos, the funicular was worth it!
Marvel at St. Mark's Church
St. Mark’s Church is a beaut. Built in the 13th Century, it is one of the oldest buildings in Zagreb. The roof is beautifully adorned with red, white, and blue tile, a representation of Zagreb’s coat of arms. Plus, if you want to take a look inside, they have weekly mass services you can attend at St. Mark’s Church.
Have a Croatian Lunch!
Again, given Zagreb’s small size, you’ll notice that many restaurants, coffee shops, and local stores all sort of exist in the same area. So we recommend stopping for a Croatian lunch in one of Zagreb’s many restaurants! We ended up grabbing a bite at Plac Kitchen & Grill, which had been recommended by our tour guide. This restaurant has shaded outdoor seating, delicious food, and plenty of local beers as well. I recommend trying their Croatian Ćevapi if you get a chance! Ćevapi is rolls of richly seasoned beef tucked into freshly baked pita. We also ended up trying a Croatian soda called Pipi, which reminded me of a Fanta.
Get dessert at the Chocolate Museum of Zagreb
The cherry on top to a good lunch is, of course, something sweet. So next we’d recommend a visit to the Chocolate Museum Zagreb (Muzej čokolade Zagreb). At this chocolate museum in Zagreb, you can indulge in (unlimited) chocolate samples while learning the history of chocolate both in Croatia and world wide.
The price of your ticket, which is just $10, includes a box of chocolates! Each chocolate in your box corresponds to some exhibit about the history of chocolate. As you walk through the decorated rooms, you’ll be instructed to eat 1 of the chocolates that coincide with the history. You’ll hear, see, and smell the evolution of the chocolate. As chocolate lovers, we have been to a fair number of chocolate museums in different countries, and the Chocolate Museum Zagreb may be our very favorite one!
How long to spend at Zagreb’s chocolate museum?
We spent 1.5 hours there, but if you want to read all the history, you could easily spend 2-4 hours in the Chocolate Museum Zagreb. The best part are the samples!
Other quirky museums in Zagreb
- The Museum of Broken Relationships
- Museum of Illusions
If you have more than 1 day in Zagreb, or if you really want to pack as many activities as possible in 1 day, we recommend Zagreb’s other unique museums. We checked out both the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Museum of Illusions. Each museum was mesmerizing in its own way, and we had a lot of fun spending about 1-2 hours in each of these museums.
Other ideas for your Zagreb trip
Planning a longer trip in Croatia? We recommend getting out of the city of Zagreb for a couple days and chasing waterfalls in Croatia. You can easily take day trips to multiple stunning waterfalls only a few hours’ drive from Zagreb.
And if you have a couple days more on your trip in Croatia, we highly recommend exploring the beautiful neighboring country of Slovenia, which is less than 1 hour’s drive from Zagreb. Learn how to spend 4-days in Slovenia, including a visit to the charming capital of Ljubljana. We also recommend a few hidden gem experiences in Slovenia. Slovenia was one of our favorite countries we’ve ever been to, so if you’re in Zagreb already, we really recommend popping over to Slovenia!