Old Town Zagreb,15 Top Must See Attractions

Easy to use, the Ultimate Walking Tour, Map & Zagreb
Travel Guide

The Complete Attractions Guide to explore:

Layover at Zagreb airport in Croatia? Head to Upper town
(Gornji Grad) and explore using this tourist attractions map of Old Town Zagreb, Croatia

Medieval Zagreb consisted on two hilltop settlements of Gradec on the western slope and Kaptol on the eastern slope with a valley below. The two hilltop settlements were connected via a bridge over Medveščak creek known as bloody bridge. Gradec is protected by four gates of which only one survives today: the all-important Stone Gate. The two hilltop settlements merged in the 17th century and today we know these as Upper Town. With the merger, the valley below become the Lower Town of Zagreb, with a bustling trading center around the main square Ban Josip Jelačić.  The bridge separating the two hilltop settlements has been paved over and is called Kravi Most Street, the river still runs below the street.

Each area has its own distinct character: Upper town with its winding narrow streets is a stawrk contrast to the wide boulevards and parks of Zagreb’s more modern lower town.  Lower Town Zagreb is well known for its greenery, parks and gardens. An urban planner named Lenuci created a number of squares and a park in Lower Town around the main railway station. This area is in Lower Town Zagreb and is called the Lenuci Horseshoe or the Green Horseshoe. A self guided tour of this area can be found HERE.

Lower and Upper Town (Old Town Zagreb) are connected by:

  • Zagreb Funicular is a popular attraction, it runs between the base of Lotrščak Tower and Tomic street (in Lower Town Zagreb). Lotrščak Tower is in Upper Town (Old Town Zagreb) which is item J. below
  • Walking uphill from Lower Town to Old Town Zagreb via Radićeva Street (Item G. in the list Below)
  • Taking the stairs (called Zakmardijeve stube=stairs). Access to the she stairs are from two separate locations:
    • next to the funicular and
    • at one end of the Strossmayer Promenade (at the eastern end of Stroomayer).
  • Accessing the underground Grič tunnels, the entrance is at the other end of the Strossmayer Promenade (at the western end)
  • Please note that the terms “Upper Town Zagreb” and” Old Town Zagreb” refer to the same area.

The Ultimate self guided walking route of Upper Town, Old Town Zagreb Attractions:

The Zagreb Old Town map below will guide you on a self guided walking tour of the two districts of Upper Town and its associated attractions: Kaptol and Gradec via the bloody bridge (Kravi Most Street). Input the destination to the attractions into a google map of Old Town Zagreb for your very own delightful self guided walking tour with favored attractions. Along the way stop and spend time at favorite local cafe’s, quaint little stores or markets and then continue on with your self guided tour.

The tourist attractions (A-J) can be input as destinations into Old Town Zagreb google maps if you want to follow along on your phone or you can printout the PDF map or download the INTERACTIVE Old Town Zagreb map. If you follow the destination (each destination is a popular attraction) in the alphabetical order listed, it will take you on a specific walking route of Zagreb’s Old Town attractions (identified in green on the map) and walking route (identified in blue on the map). To access these must see attractions, destination, and .pdf, click on the button below:

Click here to access the INTERACTIVE MAP of Upper Town (Old Town) Zagreb

Zagreb upper town map
Map of walking route for attractions listed below. Click on the button below to download the map to Zagreb Upper Town attractions

Click here to access the PDF of Zagreb Croatia’s ULTIMATE walking map of MUST SEE attractions of Old Town Zagreb for download

A. Ban Josip Jelačić Square

We will start the self guided tour from Zagreb’s main square at the iconic statue of Josip Jelačić. Josip Jelačić statue is an attraction, a guidepost for locals and a historic monument.

Ban Jelačić was a Croatian hero who defeated the Hungarians in 1848 . The statue was first placed there in 1866 and was originally setup facing Hungary however it was removed in 1947 when Yugoslavia was reformed.

During the Yugoslavia breakup of 1990 the statue was put back in the square but this time it was facing the other way. In the square you can also find a Manduševac fountain.

Dolac Market

Use the Zagreb google map above to make your way from the square to Zagreb’s vibrant and colorful Dolac market attraction. A popular tourist attraction as well as a local favorite

The Dolac market is located behind the main Ban Josip Jelačić Square. You can easily identify the market by its numerous red umbrellas and vendor stands. It sells flowers, cheese, fresh fruit, veggies, preserves and honey, oils and even some handicrafts. The market has been operating since 1926 and it is a foodies paradise run by Zagreb locals, don’t miss the ladies selling cheese!

The covered portion of the market is off to the side and includes butchers, fishmongers, bakeries and cafes. The rest of the bustling Dolac market is open and spread out on two levels. There is a staircase that connects the lower level to the upper level of the market. At the top of the stairs, you will find a statue of a pheasant woman, this statue is the monument Kumica. This monument is at the top left stairway in the upper level of Dolac market

The upper level of the market is also the location of Zagreb’s main flower market

Ban Josip Jelacic Square, Main Square, Lower Town Zagreb croatia
Ban Josip Jelacic Square, Main Square, Lower Town Zagreb
Diego Delso, delso.photo

B. Kuminca – spomenik, Statue in Dolac Market

Kumica - spomenik in Dolac Market
Bronze statue of Kumica Barica
Palauenc05

Erected in 2006, the Statue of Kumina Barica is a symbol of the pheasant women who would walk from their rural family homes with a kerchief tied around their heads and a basket on top. They would head for the Dolac market to sell their fresh fruits, vegetables and dairy everyday

From the monument of Kuminca, use the google maps above to walk to the next attraction ie: towards the Memorijalni stan Marije Jurić Zagorke. This attraction is the memorial apartment of Marija Juric Zagorka. Input this attraction into your google Old Town Zagreb map so that it will guide you to the attraction

C. Memorijalni stan Marije Jurić Zagorke

Marije Jurić Zagorke was the first female Croatian journalist and writer. She reported on political events and actively participated in political struggles, eventually published a book. From the memorial apartments of Maria Zagorke, while continuing to use using the Old Town Zagreb google maps, walk towards the next tourist attraction. This is the Holy Mary Monument. You will see both the Holy Mary monument and Zagreb Cathedral. You have now entered the district of Kaptol in Upper Town

D. Holy Mary Monument and Zagreb Cathedral

The Holy Mary monument is a prominent attraction. It has four gold plated angels on the top representing Faith, Hope, Innocence and Humility. These were designed by Anoton von Ferkorn however the fountain itself was designed by Herman Bolle

Behind the Holy Mary monument is the gothic style famous Zagreb Cathedral and is characteristics of Old Town Zagreb architecture. Cathedral is the tallest building in Croatia with spires that are iconic landmarks visible from most parts of the city at a popular tourist attraction

Old Town Zagreb Cathedral was protected by fortified walls and associated watch towers. They were built in the in the 15th century and 17th century to protect cathedral from destruction. Later the walls were removed so the cathedral could be seen from the street

If you have a little time, walk around the Cathedral to the back and explore Park Ribnak with its scenic landscape and meandering pathways

Holy Mary Monument & Zagreb Cathedral Zagreb Croatia
Holy Mary Monument & Zagreb Cathedral
Rangan Datta Wiki  

The cathedral is free and open every day from  10 a.m. – 5 p.m. AND 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sundays and holidays

Park Ribnak

Located behind the Cathedral in Old Town Zagreb you will find a beautiful Ribnak park. Ribnak park was originally the site of the Bishop’s pond. Today you will find walking paths, exotic flowers, sculptures that make up the park. This is a favorite with locals, you will find them in the park relaxing and basking in the golden rays

From Park Ribnak, head back down towards Zagreb’s Dolac market place. From there head back up to the medieval hilltop settlement of Gradec in Old Town Zagreb

Follow Old Town Zagreb google maps to input the next tourist attraction in Old Town Zagreb, the Statue of Petrica Kerempuh

E. Statue of Petrica Kerempuh

Petrica Kerempuh is a literary character whose name translated means “Peter The Belly,” this statue is located in Petrica Kerempuh’s square, a few meters from the Zagrebs main Dolac market and on Opatovina ul.(street)

Walk down Opatovina ul. to the next street which is Skalinksk ul. Turn into Skalinska ul., Here you will find a photogenic street with historic architecture and a quaint look. This is your instagram moment! If you stand at the bottom of the street, you will get a fabulous view of Old Town Zagreb Cathedral in all its glory.

Use google maps to proceed to next tourist destination in Old Town Zagreb. The next destination is a restaurant called called Nokturno located on Skalinsk ul

Statue of Petrica Kerempuh, Dolac
Statue of Petrica Kerempuh, Croatian literary character Suradnik13

F. Guest House Nokturno on Skalinksk ul.

Skalinksk ul street
Skalinksk ul (Street)Alistair Young

On Skalinsk ul you will find two popular restaurants:

  • Noktorno which used as a guide post and is also a very popular restaurant. It is a tourist lunch stop for many visitors to Zagreb
  • La Struk – Another popular restaurant on this street that offers a Croatian favorite pastry filled with a variety of ingredients including cottage cheese, eggs, cream, called Strukli – not to be missed

From Noktorno, input Kravata as the next destination. Kravata is a popular store Kravata in Old Town Zagreb. Google maps will lead you down the short street Skalinksk ul which will end at Tkalciceva ul. Google maps will then guide you to turn left onto Tkalciceva Street (ul. Ivana Tkalčića)

Tkalciceva Street (ul. Ivana Tkalčića) is an extremely well liked and favored foodie pedestrian street complete with outdoor cafes and restaurants. You may want to mark this spot and come back here for lunch or dinner. Two favored restaurants are Otto & Frank and Mimice.

This area was once used as Zagreb’s “red light district” in the 19th century where “ladies of the night” used to wait for their customers.

While heading towards Kravata – google maps will guide you from the crowd-pleasing Tkalciceva Street and instruct you to turn right onto Krvavi Most Street, you are still in Old Town Zagreb.

Zagreb’s Krvavi Most Street

  • Krvavi Most Street is a famous attraction with a checkered and violent history. This street was actually a bridge in medieval times that separated the two hilltop settlements of Kaptol (where you just came from) and Gradec (where we are going), both part of today’s Old Town Zagreb. Confrontations between the two settlements culminated at this bridge giving it the name of bloody bridge . Bloody bridge was paved over in 1898 and the river beneath the bridge, the Medveščak creek, now runs underneath the street

Continue on Krvavi Most Street to the end of the street and turn right onto Radićeva Street. Radićeva Street is a steep climb to the Gradec district . On the way up the hill, you will see the store Kravata on your left which we used as a guidepost / destination to get there. Instead of using the funicular to get from Lower Town Zagreb to Upper Town Zagreb we will climb this steep hill

G. KRAVATA

Originally a Croatian invention, the cravat or neck tie stems from the 17th century. This was a time when Croatian soldiers went to France to join the Thirty years’ War. The soldiers wore their traditional outfit with tied coloured scarves around the neck. This Croatian “cravat” become a decorative garment replacing the uncomfortable lace collar the french were wearing

Walking up Radićeva Street in Zagreb Old Town, you will notice that the streets are packed with small stores, selling souvenirs and a lot of cute items. If you’re on a look for some souvenirs, this is the place to shop!

Follow google maps from Kravata to the next attraction, the Stone Gate. The walk to the Stone gate walk is uphill, continuing uphill on Radićeva Street and it will lead you to the Stone Gate

H. Stone Gate, Majke Božje od Kamenitih vrata

Zagreb Walking Tour Stone Gate
Stone Gate Jorge Láscar from Australia

Zagreb’s historic stone gate is one of four gates that protected the medieval hilltop settlement of Gradec. It is the only one that survived and is a popular tourist attraction and well visited by the locals. The stone gate is more than just a gate. It is a gate, a street and a monument. In the passageway of the Stone Gate , you will find a small chapel with a picture of the Madonna of the Stone Gate, the city’s patron. Locals and tourists alike often pray here, offer thanks and lighting candles. Many believers pray to the Madonna. These same believers have said that their prayers were answered. To mark the occasion, the believers have placed metal plaques on the walls

Once you are finished looking around, follow google maps to the next attraction in Old Town Zagreb. The next attraction is St. Marks Church

I. Zagreb’s St Marks Church and Square in Old Town Zagreb

St Marks Square is also known as the birthplace of radio Croatia

On the evening of May 15, 1926 in the upper town at St. Mark’s square 9, the first Croatian female speaker Božena Begović, donned headphones from the radio room and proclaimed “Hello, Hello, Radio Zagreb here!” . These famous words spoken from Old Town Zagreb brought Croatia into a new technical era

St Marks Square Zagreb Croatia
St Marks Square Zagreb Croatia Ex13

Saint Mark’s Cathedral, located on the square with the same name a famous church with its colourful roof displaying two emblems. The church dates back to the 13th century, however the tiled roof was constructed in 1880. The emblem of the left side is the medieval coat of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia and Slavonia, while the one on the right side, is the emblem of Zagreb. The square is amazingly beautiful and you could spend a lot of time exploring this area of Upper Town Zagreb

From St Marks square, use Zagreb google maps above, to input the next attraction: Lotrščak Tower in Upper Town

J. Lotrščak Tower

Known as Kula Lotrščak in Croatian, the tower was built in the 13th Century to guard the southern gate of the Gradec town wall in Old Town Zagreb. Rumor has it that the cannon was fired from the tower in the 16th century saving the Croatians from a Turkish invasion

The Grič cannon is fired from the tower everyday at noon to remember this event. You can climb the old watchtower that houses the Grič cannon for a spectacular panoramic view of Old Town Zagreb. Below the tower, on the promenade, it is a popular selfie spot with a awe-inspiring view of the city

Upper Town Zagreb, also known as Old Town Zagreb is connected to Lower Town by the worlds shorted funicular making it a favorite tourist attraction

  • The funicular can be accessed by taking the stairs (stube) and it will take you to Lower Town for €1 or you can walk down the stairs (Stube) to Lower Town Zagreb for free
  • Before descending the stairs to the funicular, the Strossmayer Promenade offers stunning panoramic views of the Lower Town.
  • One end of the promenade (western) will lead you to the Mesnička entrance of the Grič underground tunnels. The other end of the promenade (eastern) will lead you to a set of stairs (Zakmardijeve stube) back to Lower Town.
  • The promenade is bisected by the Lotrščak Tower. During the summer there are free events along the promenade. The event are grouped and referred to as “Summer at the Stross” and are held at the promenade

Lostrcak Tower, Funicular at base of tower
Lostrcak Tower SpeedyGonsales

Museum of Broken Relationships

Zagreb Walking Tour Museum of Broken Relationships entrance
Museum of Broken Relationships
Prosopee

A quirky museum in Old Town Zagreb, it has an interesting display of items people have sent. These items represent the essence of their broken relationship. The items have a special meaning which senders explain in an accompanying note also on display. Humorous, hopeful and tragic, its an unusual museum and a well liked attraction. The museum accepts submissions, feel free to send in your story!

Next to the Museum of Broken Relationships is Saint Catherine’s Cathedral

Zagrebs Saint Catherine’s Cathedral

The Church was built by the Jesuits in the 17th century over the spot where the original 14th century Dominican Church stood. The church has experienced several restorations due to fires and an earthquake in 1880

The Monastery next to the church is now the Dvori art gallery. (The building with the white umbrellas in the image, is the Museum of Broken Relationships)

To the right of Saint Catherine of Alexander’s Church is a small passageway leading you to the Panoramic view point of Zagreb City

Zagreb Walking Tour St Catherine's Cathedral
St Catherines Cathedral
Modzzak

Panoramic View-Point of Zagreb City

There is a spectacular view of downtown behind St Catherine’s Church, the Zagreb Cathedral with its two Gothic spires that are clearly visible from this viewpoint. It’s a great spot for a picture of the cathedral and surrounding city. The Strossmayer Promenade and the Zakmardijeve stube/stairs located along the promenade will take you back to Lower Town Zagreb. The staircase can be accessed from the viewpoint

Ban Josip Jelačić Square

Input the destination Ban Josip Jelačić Square into Old Town Zagreb google maps to go back to the main square. You can also do this by heading back to the funicular or taking the Zakmardi stube/stairs nearby

Airport Transfers

For Additional Croatia Travel Guides, Tourist Maps and Airport Transfer:

  • Dubrovnik
    • Dubrovnik Game of Thrones and Old Town Self Guided Tour – Follow the Map and Guide to visit the film locations for Game of Thrones, beaches and churches. The self guided tour will take you a full day if you also visit the beaches. Use the map and attractions guide to visit the attractions of Old Town Dubrovnik and the locations of the Games of Thrones Scenes. The map has picture of the sites and how they looked for the film scenes.  The walking tour will take you ½ a day. If you visit Lokrum island and spend time at the beach/monastery/fort on the island, this will take you another ½ day to full day. Lokrum Island is the location of the City of Qarth in GoT and is a 10 min water taxi ride from the Dubrovnik Port
    • Dubrovnik Day Trips. Spend a day at each of the villages of Ston and Cavtat a short distance from Dubrovnik. Cavtat is a charming village that was invaded by the Slavs. The inhabitants fled and were the original settlers of Dubrovnik. Visit the historical beaches and spend time on the beach or hike the Ronald Brown Pathway.  Ston is a small village on a hill surrounded by a 7 km wall that is second in size to the Great Wall of China. It is famous for its defensive walls, its salt “mines” and its oyster bays. The oysters from Ston are well renowned
  • Zagreb
    • Upper Town, Old Town Zagreb – 15 must see attractions of Old Town Zagreb. Walk the attractions of Upper Town Zagreb, the self-guided walking tour will take you to the various attractions in ½ a day. You may want to explore some of these attractions in greater depth such as the Museum of Broken Relationships or climb the Lotrščak Tower. In that case the self guided tour will take more than half a day
    • Zagreb Lower Town, Lenuci Horseshoe – Visit the 7 Squares and Botanical gardens in the shape of a horseshoe, including the under ground 31,000 sq meter shopping mall. A ½ day tour of the U-shaped system of 7 parks and Zagreb botanical gardens. The Lenuci horseshoe in Lower Town Zagreb is a short walking distance from Zagreb’s main Ban Jelačić Square and facing the main train station Glavni Kolodvor. The Square include pavilions, theater, museums, state archives and an underground mall amongst its many historical buildings dotted throughout the horseshoe
    • Walking tour Zagreb Lower town and Grič Tunnels – A 2 hour tour of the tunnels under Zagreb old town; they were built as shelter during the war and are now used by the locals to cross Old Town or to go between upper town and lower town. Not only are they a short cut, they are cool in the summer and a welcome relief from the searing sun. Explore the old world war tunnels and visit the sights of lower town
    • Unique and Fun things to do in Zagreb – Explore activities and places to visit such as Jarun Lake, the Antiques Fair or discover current events in Zagreb
  • Split
    • Old Town Split and Marjan Hill – Explore the Old Town Square, then head over to Marjan Hill. This self guided tour can take a whole day as the walking portion of the tour will guide you to attractions in the Old Town and then on to Marjan Hill. This part of the tour will take ½ a day. The tour will end at the beach where you can spend the rest of the day, take the local bus back or walk along the promenade back to Old Town
    • Split, Salona ancient Roman Ruins – On the outskirts of Split, don’t miss the roman ruins of Salona, the birthplace of Emperor Diocletian. Step outside of the Old Town of Split and visit the nearby city of Solin (which is the ancient city of Salona, Diocletian’s birthplace). Then continue onto the town of Trogir. This self guided tour has instructions for local buses to take you on a route for a full day trip from Split to Salona (stop in Salona, then continue onto Trojir. Then catch the local bus back to Split
    • Trogir, UNESCO World Heritage Site – This attraction is often overlooked. It is a charming, authentic village, a heritage city where the Old Town is on an Island. It is an easy bus ride from Split to Trogir, with a stopover in Salona (Solin)
    • Split, Diocletian’s Palace – Not to be missed, the10 must see attractions in the palace to stop and take pictures. The Palace tour is a ½ day self-guided tour through the palace that will end at the market which you can explore
  • Zadar
    • Zadar Western Half – The old town is located on an island; explore the attractions on the westerns side of the island in this  ½ day self guided walking tour.  Attractions include popular attractions such as the Sea Organ, Greetings to the Sun and the Roman Forum / Ruins
    • Zadar Eastern Half – Take a ½ day to visit the churches, parks and other attractions on the eastern side of Zadar Island. Visit the fish markets and green markets for fresh food and explore the cobblestone alleyways for a touch of ambiance and potential souvenir shopping
    • Zadar islands – The Zadar Archipelago has around a 100 islands off its coast, many of them uninhabited. Visit all or any of the 9 popular islands in this map and use the attractions guide to the islands. You can rent a boat rent a boat with or without a captain, get a water taxi, take the ferry/ to visit the islands and swim in the Adriatic or anchor at hidden beach/cove
  • Island Visit
  • Croatia Islands – Rent or hire a boat to visit the 9 popular islands off the mainland. Visit 1 or 2 or all 9 islands for a fabulous day out to sea
  • Hvar Island
    • Hvar old town attractions and Španjola fortress (Fortica) – Use the self guided tour map and attractions to visit the popular sites in Hvar Old Town. The tour will take ½ a day to the major attractions in Hvar Town, including climbing to the Spanjola fortress that has been protecting Hvar for hundreds of years. However it could be longer if you want to spend time visiting the museums or spending an afternoon enjoying the magnificent views from the Fortress
    • Hvar Island driving tour – Take the local bus, rent a car / scooter for the day to visit the numerous attractions on the island.  This can take two days as there is a lot to see and do. It includes: wine tasting, visiting a cave monastery high on the hills, quaint fishing villages, popular beaches, hidden coves and harbours A great tour that will take you across the island
    • Hvar Islands and Lavendar Fields Tour – You can rent a boat (with or without a captain) and visit the islands off Hvar Island. The Pakleni Islands are an archipelago of 20 islands off the coat of Hvar. They are known for beautiful beaches, charming village towns and secluded coves.  You can take the bus to visit the abandoned villages of Velo Grabjle and Malo Grabjle,. It is a short bus ride or scooter/car trip from Hvar Town. Explore the fields of lavender and Olive Grove farms
  • Getting around Croatia – Information on Croatian buses and ferries