We spent our second full morning in Croatia on a walking tour of Zagreb, booked through Tripadvisor. Our guide, Karlo, made the experience more interesting than it might’ve otherwise been. He wove together stories, photos, and personal anecdotes on his iPad, which gave some context to what we were seeing. The group was just us – so it was like a private tour.
We started in Zrinjevac Park, where we happened to catch a fun bit of old-school tradition: a worker came by to change out the paper log inside a 19th-century meteorological column. It’s one of those small things you wouldn’t notice on your own, and a reminder of how some pieces of history quietly persist.
Stops Along the Way
The tour took about 2.5 hours and included quick stops at many of Zagreb’s central landmarks. Here’s a brief overview:
- Zrinjevac Park – A shaded park surrounded by Austro-Hungarian buildings
- Ban Jelačić Square – The city’s central square, where trams and pedestrians intersect
- Zagreb Cathedral – Still under heavy construction from the 2020 earthquake, like much of the city
- Dolac Market – A busy local market that’s been around for decades
- Tkalčićeva Street – A narrow street full of cafés, bars, and people-watching. We ate some delicious Strukli here for lunch after the tour.
- Krvavi Most – A short bridge with a name that hints at its violent history
- Grič Tunnel – A World War II-era tunnel now used by locals as a shortcut
- Funicular Railway – The shortest funicular in the world, closed during our visit
- Upper Town (Gornji Grad) – Includes St. Mark’s Church and panoramic views over the lower city
- Petrinjska Gate – One of the original entrances into the Upper Town
Much of Zagreb is still undergoing post-earthquake restoration, so scaffolding and cranes were part of the backdrop. The funicular was closed for maintenance, so we walked up to the Upper Town instead.
Final Thoughts
Zagreb isn’t packed with big-ticket sights, but its city center is compact and easy to explore. This walking tour helped us get oriented and learn a bit about the history and quirks of the place. If you have a morning or afternoon to spare before heading to other parts of Croatia, it’s a low-effort way to check off the city’s main highlights.
In the next post, we head across the border for a quick day trip to Slovenia.
Sure! Here’s a shorter, cleaner version of that section with the referral incentive included:
Travel Tip: Save on Tours with a Capital One Credit Card
Before booking any tours on Tripadvisor or Viator, check the Capital One Shopping portal. You can often get 10% or more cash back just by clicking through from your account. Usually we pick Viator or Tripadvisor just based on which one gives us the most cash back.
We did this for our Zagreb walking tour and saved a decent bit without any extra effort.
We also used Expedia through Capital One to book our Hotel. However, beware of defaulting to using referral links for Expedia, Booking.com, and other travel aggregator sites. More on that in a future blog post.
If you don’t have a Capital One Venture card yet, you can apply here and get 75,000 bonus miles (worth $750 toward travel) after meeting the spending requirement.