Region in Croatia
Zagreb region
- Best time to go
- Apr, May, June, Sept, Oct
- Part of
- Croatia
Croatia's capital and the green countryside around it make an easy first or last stop on any trip.
The City of Zagreb has the Habsburg-era streets, museums, markets and cafés, while Zagreb County wraps around it with the forested Medvednica mountain, the old town of Samobor and the vineyards of Plešivica and Zelina. Further west, the Žumberak hills along the Slovenian border are quiet walking country. Everything is within about an hour of the city centre.
Things to do
Don't miss in Zagreb region
- Explore Zagreb's Upper Town, from St Mark's Church with its tiled roof to the Lotrščak Tower, where a cannon is fired every day at noon.
- Hike or ride the cable car up to Sljeme, the top of Medvednica, the mountain on the city's northern edge.
- Walk up to the ruins of Medvedgrad, a medieval fortress on the southern slopes of Medvednica with views over Zagreb.
- Eat a kremšnita, the custard cream cake, on the main square in Samobor.
- Taste sparkling wines and young Portugizac at family wineries along the Plešivica wine road near Jastrebarsko.
- Try Kraljevščina, the local white wine, in the cellars of the Zelina wine road around Sveti Ivan Zelina.
- Hike the quiet hills and villages of the Žumberak-Samobor Highlands Nature Park on the Slovenian border.
Getting there
How to get to Zagreb region
Zagreb Airport (ZAG) is about 15 km south-east of the city centre near Velika Gorica, with a shuttle bus to the main bus station. Zagreb is the hub of Croatia's motorways: the A1 heads south to Split in about four hours, the A6 reaches Rijeka in about two hours, and the A3 runs west to the Slovenian border near Bregana and east towards Slavonia. Ljubljana is about two hours away by car. Buses link the city with Samobor, Jastrebarsko and Sveti Ivan Zelina, but for the wine roads and the Žumberak hills you will want a car.