After spending 14 whole days in Split, it was high time for an escape.

So train tickets, bus tickets and an Airbnb were booked and on a rainy Friday morning, me and my six travel buddies were off to Zagreb, eager to trade ancient Roman arches for Baroque façades.

Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia, located about 400 km north of Split. Its inland location gives it a very different vibe from Dalmatia, full of central European influences that we didn’t see in Split. With over a million people living in the larger metropolitan area, it is also much more of a city than the smaller towns dotting the Dalmatian coast.

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In terms of public transportation, there are three main ways of traveling between Split and Zagreb. The fastest and most expensive would be by plane. Given the 45-50 min plane ride, you could even make it a day trip. Trains and buses both take around 6 hours and are usually around the same price. We snagged cheap train tickets on our way there. It was actually a pretty enjoyable journey, with scenic views for a good portion of it. We bussed back in the evening which is of course more cramped and felt longer…but doesn’t the trip back always feel longer?

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ITINERARY

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DAY 1

Our 8 am train had us arriving in Zagreb in the early afternoon. From the train station, the first challenge of the day was to find our Airbnb. The good news was that we’re in the same country, so we still had working phones and data plans. The bad news was that Google Maps sucks in Croatia so we were still on our own trying to make sense of the maps plastered on the tram stops to figure out how we could get where we needed.

But before we were even able to get out of the train station, we had our first “culture shock” so to speak. In all the train stations that I have encountered, big and small, whether in America, Taiwan, Japan, France, or the UK, there are several bridges and tunnels for travelers to navigate to and from their platform. Not in Croatia. Nope. After walking up and down the platform looking for a tunnel, we realized that everyone was casually physically crossing each train track with luggages in tow to get to the other side. So the first order of business for us was to climb into and out of several tracks before we could make our way to the station and therefore the city streets.

Our Airbnb apartment was about a kilometer uphill from the city center and up 4 flights of stairs. But it was totally worth it for the penthouse views we got. After spending plenty of time in our one room, eight bed hostel, this 2 bedroom apartment was a fresh and roomy relief.

After getting settled in, we made the most of what we had of the rest of the day by heading toward the spires we spotted from our Airbnb.

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ZAGREB CATHEDRAL

The spires of Zagreb Cathedral stand out in the city horizon from its location at the top of Kaptol in the upper town. First built in the 13th century, the gothic church is the tallest building in Croatia. The detail in the architecture is beautifully intricate, even if one of the spires was covered for construction. Not that I was surprised…it seems like every pretty architecture I see is under construction. 🙁

The square in front of the cathedral had plenty of visitors, but was far from crowded. That note rang true throughout our trip. I think the best part about Zagreb is that it feels very European, but it isn’t yet infested by tourists. There’s a lot of room to breathe.

After snapping our fair share of photos by the beautiful fountain and exterior of the church, we stepped inside. The space inside was grand yet humble. Unlike many cathedrals that feel very decorous and ornate, this one felt more approachable despite its size.

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BAN JELAČIĆ SQUARE

From Kaptol, we wandered over to the main square, Ban Jelačić Square, just a short walk away. That was the moment we felt it. After two weeks in Europe, we finally felt like we were in Europe. And we didn’t even have to leave the country.

The square was filled with people – mostly locals and some tourists. We could feel the buzz around us, surrounded by colorful architecture and a statue of Josip Jelačić, a celebrated military figure from the 19th century. I felt like a little girl in a big city, swept up by the excitement of the bustling atmosphere. Something very different from the slower pace of Split.

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We took a recommendation from a friend in Split and headed to Nokturno, a typical Croatian restaurant located in the city center that was pretty cheap. The menu had everything from pizza to risotto to “wok” dishes (which I’m assuming is anything that resembles Asian style stir fry..?). While it wasn’t anything outstanding, it was a good meal after a long day.

Not that the day is over. Our next order of business was Googling the “best ice cream in Zagreb.” After digging around a bit, we found it in the pedestrian area just south of the main square. Slastičarna Zagreb, which essentially just means “Zagreb ice cream parlor,” didn’t disappoint. They had a colorful spread of ice cream flavors as well as a selection of desserts on display as well. Silly as it sounds, this was a definite highlight of the trip. We would dream about this ice cream long after leaving Zagreb.

OKTOGON & ILICA

Thoroughly exhausted by the time the sun set, I opted to shop and wander a bit before calling it an early night.

With ice cream cones in hand, we wandered over to Petar Preradović Square (also known as the Flower Square). From there, we spotted a pretty building that had a gallery-tunnel thing inside. It reminded me of les passages couverts in Paris: beautiful historical covered shopping arcades nestled within the façades of modern-day streets. Inside, we found Oktogon. Oktogon consists of two covered passages connected by an octogonal atrium with a beautiful glass ceiling that looked like a humble version of Galeries Lafayette.

The pedestrian area, central square and surrounding streets (namely the main street Ilica) is the center of shopping in Zagreb, with international fashion brands sprinkled among bustling cafés, restaurants and bars. Oktogon connected Petar Preradović Square to Ilica.

DAY 2

“Good morning, Zagreb!” we exuberantly shouted at the view from our Airbnb penthouse. (We got into the habit of jokingly saying “Good morning, Split” when we set out for the city center each day, which was usually well past noon…but we were all so excited that we actually made it out of our Airbnb in the morning!)

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Saturday was a beautiful sunny day in Zagreb. After some last minute research, we took off to explore for the day with a rough itinerary.

DOLAC MARKET

Our first stop was to Dolac Market, an open market right above Ban Jelačić Square. While most of the vendors in the square are selling fruits and vegetables, we were there to pick up some souvenirs.

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ST MARK’S CHURCH

I love when you travel and randomly meet really really nice strangers. Back when I visited Boston in late March, Amy and I were having a hard time orienting ourselves while making our way to our Airbnb in Cambridge. A lady came over to us to ask if she could help give us directions. Coming from a city where people tend to be more closed off (probably for the best…), it’s always refreshing to see humans going out of their way to help other humans.

After getting our souvenirs in the market, we struggled to find our way to the famous St. Mark’s Church. The road that Google Maps told us to take was closed off for construction so we asked a young local walking by if she could give us directions for a detour. She wasn’t sure, but (I think) an old lady overheard and the two of them led the way, walking us, seven lost travelers, to our destination.

I (being the obnoxious Angeleno of the group) couldn’t get over how much the quiet streets and pristine façades made me feel like I was walking through the back lot of a studio.

I evidently didn’t do my research at all because I went in to all of this thinking that the prettiest coolest must-see church in Zagreb was the cathedral. Boy oh boy was I wrong. I’m almost glad I didn’t Google Image the crap out of Zagreb because my first glimpse of St. Mark’s Church was jaw-dropping. I remember repeatedly commenting that it looked fake. Because how could this be real? How could those tiles shine so vibrantly? How did I not know about this before?

STROSSMARTRE

Another thing I love about traveling is how when you wander, the day just seems to assemble itself to an itinerary. After staring at St. Mark’s for a while, we set out to look for a mysterious “high place with locks on the fence” that Kelly saw on the Internet. While shopping the night before, we saw a funicular-like thing and thought that it might be at the top. Little did we know, we were at the top. And all it took was a straight walk down the street and we were there.

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Strossmartre is an elevated park with panoramic views of the city below. The path is well-shaded by big trees and lined by benches. It’s a beautiful place to escape from the more crowded part of town below.

Over on the eastern part of the promenade, there is a beautiful view of Kaptol, including the cathedral and Dolac. And on the fences were the locks we had been searching for.

We took one of the many stair paths down and headed back toward the pedestrian area to look for a quick lunch. We ended up at what seemed like a popular pekara (bakery) chain in Zagreb: Pekara Dubravica. Like basically every other bakery in Croatia, they had a variety of sandwiches, pizzas by the slice, burek, and sweet pastries. I opted for burek: a flaky pastry filled with cheese (something similar to feta). We sat out on the street among many many pigeons and had lunch.

And just because it was close by…we got ice cream again at Slastičarna Zagreb.

LENUCI HORSEHOE

After picking up some Split friends at the central square, we took a walk around the many parks that make a horseshoe-shape under the city center. We started at Park Zrinjevac and made our way to Park Josipa Jurja Strossmayera. There, they had live music, food trucks, and plenty of chairs and tables for people to lounge with a drink. It seemed like most of the people there were locals or at least Croatian. Families, young friends, dogs, and children lingered in the park despite the increasingly cloudy skies.

Soon we found ourselves back by the train station. And the beautiful yellow building facing the pink train station is the Art Pavilion. We didn’t know it at the time. But that didn’t stop us from taking several selfies there.

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BOTANICAL GARDENS

Probably not the best idea on a dreary afternoon, but we were in the area so we stopped by the botanical gardens. Let’s just say it was far from the prettiest garden I’ve encountered. Needlessto say we didn’t spend much time there.

Making our way back up the other side of the horseshoe, we walked past the Croatian State Archives and the Academy of Dramatic Arts on the way to the National Theatre.

A quick beer in the quaint streets up near Kaptol before dinner.

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We took dinner recommendations from New York Times. Stari Fijaker is a short walk away from the main square. Decorated with vintage carriages, the historic restaurant continues to serve up traditional northern Croatian food and remains family run. One of the favorite things I ate on this trip was the bread and cheese dip. I think I ate so much that I wasn’t even able to finish the actual entree I ordered.

DAY 3

Our last day was more of a half day. We had to catch a bus in the late afternoon and the weather was pretty rainy so we took it easy. On the itinerary? Brunch and broken relationships.

We felt like pancakes so TimeOut directed us to Kava Tava, a café in the British Square which would probably be a lot more crowded and enjoyable on a sunny day, given that it was outdoor.

That being said, it was a good (& photogenic) brunch.

MUSEUM OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS

One of the few things I had heard of before coming to Zagreb was this bizarre museum which collected various things that represented broken relationships. It sounded depressing and artsy aka right up my alley, but also it didn’t feel like something I would visit while traveling to a city for the first time…more like a pop up exhibition I would hit up on a weekend in LA. But it was a rainy day and the museum did have great reviews so we decided to give it a chance.

And I’m so glad we did. The collection of random objects and short stories (in Croatian and English) that accompanied them were actually really enlightening. Little snippets of life that felt real. It was like Humans of New York except less…positive? Not all of the stories were depressing. Some were sad. Some were full of anger. Some were even funny. And the relationships represented weren’t just dating couples breaking up like I expected. They represented broken relationships through a long marriage, broken families through death or abandonment. Some were sudden break ups. Others were long diseased relationships. Some stories were just a couple sentences long. Others were painfully detailed. Some posed questions. Others had their questions answered.

But all in all, it felt like the people who donated these snippets of their lives also healed a little bit by removing these objects from their personal possessions or by sharing their stories, even anonymously. There were relationships represented from all around the world. The small museum had a lot to offer. It ended up being the surprising highlight of our trip.

For the most part I held it together as I read each story. Some were really messed up. Some were mildly disturbing. And then I got to the room with family relationships. And that’s when I lost it. There was a daughter’s story about her mother and a colorful dress to remember her by. Someone donated a mother’s suicide note to her family.

My favorite entry was this one. Because it made me laugh, something that I wasn’t expecting to happen in a Museum of Broken Relationships. “How are you going to toast anything now?”

They also have an excellent gift shop. Notice the “I hope your ass gets bigger” chocolate.

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And a cozy cafe.

PS: they opened one in LA.

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After the museum, we headed back to the Airbnb to pack up. Picked up snacks at the grocery store (everything else seemed to be closed since it was International Worker’s Day), and headed to the bus station for the long ride back.

I don’t think any of us had high expectations (or any expectations for that matter) for Zagreb. It’s a city that I, as the token geographically challenged American, never even heard about before coming to Croatia, especially because most tourists head directly to the coast. Not that I have been to other central European or Balkan cities but I think this one is pretty underrated. It still feels authentic and slightly off the beaten path. It isn’t driven by tourism yet so as a visitor, I felt like the locals shared their city with us and we borrowed the lifestyle for a few days. The city has a lot to offer, historically, culturally. But it also feels like a city that is lived in and full of life in a way that I don’t get in Dalmatia. I hope to return in the future to explore more of this city and I highly recommend any travelers to add this to Eurotrip lists.

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Oh yeah, and this trip was also the first time I tried to vlog. I still cringe a little.