City in Slavonia
Osijek
- Best time to go
- Apr, May, June, Sept, Oct
- Part of
- Slavonia
Osijek is the largest city in eastern Croatia, a green and easy-going place on the right bank of the Drava.
Its heart is Tvrđa, an 18th-century Habsburg fortress town of baroque streets that is now full of cafés, bars and students. A long riverside promenade, wide avenues of Art Nouveau facades and a tall neo-Gothic co-cathedral make it pleasant to explore on foot or by bike. It is also the natural base for Kopački rit, the Baranja wine villages and day trips around Slavonia.
Things to do
Don't miss in Osijek
- Wander through Tvrđa and stop at the Holy Trinity plague column on its main square.
- Look up at the neo-Gothic Co-cathedral of St Peter and St Paul, whose red-brick tower is one of the tallest in Croatia.
- Walk or cycle the promenade along the Drava and cross the pedestrian suspension bridge to the beaches and parks on the far bank.
- Admire the Art Nouveau facades along European Avenue (Europska avenija) between the centre and Tvrđa.
- Take a boat trip through Kopački rit Nature Park, about 10 km north-east of the city, where the Drava meets the Danube and the floods attract huge numbers of birds.
- Visit Osijek Zoo on the left bank of the Drava, the largest zoo in Croatia.
- Eat fiš paprikaš or čobanac, the spicy Slavonian stews, and try kulen, the paprika sausage the region is known for.
Where to stay
Pick your neighbourhood
Tvrđa
history lovers and evening drinkers who want cobbled squares, baroque buildings and bars on the doorstep; can be loud at weekends
Centre (Gornji grad)
first-time visitors who want to walk to the co-cathedral, the main square and the Drava promenade
Along the Drava
walkers, runners and cyclists who like river views and quick access to the promenade and the pedestrian bridge
Bilje
nature lovers who want to be close to Kopački rit, with village guesthouses about 10 km from the city
Baranja wine villages
couples and food lovers who want a farm stay near the wine cellars of Zmajevac and Suza; you will need a car
Tours and getting around
Day trips from Osijek
The most popular trip from Osijek is to Kopački rit, where the park runs boat and walking tours from its visitor centre near Bilje. Wine tours head into Baranja for tastings in the hillside cellars of Zmajevac and Suza, and many combine this with a lunch of river fish. Vukovar and Đakovo are each under an hour away and make easy half-day or full-day trips.
You can manage the city itself on foot, by tram and by bike; Osijek is flat and has plenty of cycle paths, and bikes are a lovely way to reach Kopački rit and Bilje. For Baranja, Vukovar, Ilok or Đakovo, a car gives you the most freedom, although buses cover the main towns. There is no need for a scooter or boat here.
Getting there
How to get to Osijek
Osijek Airport (OSI) is about 20 km south-east of the city, but its schedule is small and changes often, so many visitors fly into Zagreb, Budapest or Belgrade instead. By car, Osijek is about three hours from Zagreb on the A3 and then the A5 motorway, and about three hours from Budapest. Trains and buses connect Osijek with Zagreb, and buses run to Vukovar, Đakovo and the Baranja villages. Within the city, the tram line runs between the centre and Tvrđa, and parking is easier than on the coast, though the centre uses paid zones.