Zagreb didn’t fall under our ‘top places to see’ category, nor could it be found on our ‘might be interesting’ list. Instead it was relegated to ‘stop over’ on our way to the Croatian island of Pag.

What we thought would be a sleepy old town was, in fact, a small but beautiful city.

Zagreb park at night.

The city of Zagreb has all of the quintessential elements of a European city: picturesque surroundings of mountains, forests and a river; town square with attractive buildings and a daily market where people sell their fresh produce.

We happened to arrive in Croatia on the eve of their ascension to the European Union, which meant that there were festivities and celebrations on July 1st. It was clear that the city’s usual rhythms were interrupted as there were roads blocked off and barely a car to be seen!

We spent an afternoon on a bike tour of Zagreb where our guide, Alida, was able to show us around both the old town and New Zagreb. Like always, we are amazed at the history that surrounds the places we have visited.

Roof tiles showing the national symbols of Croatia, located in the parliament square.