Croatia in Photos: Zagreb

If you follow my social media channels, you might recall that I have found myself gallivanting around beautiful Croatia to experience not once but twice in the past couple years. My most recent visit was focused on finding the benefits of visiting the European Union’s most recent addition in the off season, in the fall.

The journey was hosted by the Croatian Tourism board and I was fortunate enough to be selected as one of 5 bloggers to explore, photograph, film and write about our adventure. Before carrying on with this post, open up my video of a day in Zagreb so you can watch it after.

Boy, oh boy, I was in good company. For one week I travelled to a number of cities, towns and national parks with Chris and Tawny of ‘Captain and Clark‘, Megan Eileen of ‘Bohemian Trails‘ & Kirsten Alana of ‘Aviators and a Camera‘.

I wanted to share some photos of our first stop, the capital city: Zagreb. Located in the country’s north, it is a bustling city full of culture, history and entertainment. Regardless of jet-lag, we took it by storm.

The first stop of our day in Zagreb was at this beautiful park. When I visited the city a year before, this was one of my favourite spots. From the gazebo in the middle to the benches along the walkways, it’s the perfect spot to sit and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city.

From the park we began our walk through the city first, coming to the biggest, most popular square of Zagreb, Ban Jelačić Square. A market was being held in the square so there were people everywhere. As the streetcars passed by you could feel the energy and vibrancy of this city.

This is easily one of my favourite photos of my time in Croatia. Towering above of the many squares we visited, this golden statue stands so beautifully with the perfect blue sky as it’s backdrop.

Anyone who knows me well will tell you I am a sucker for a good market. This weekly market offered everything from fruits and vegetables to home supplies and wicker. Though we didn’t have a ton of time to spend here (there’s lots to see in Zagreb), I so enjoyed wandering through the stalls and admiring the locals buying their goods for the week.

 

When you are travelling with 5 professional travellers, you better bet we’re going to be curious about our itinerary. Our guide gave us a lay of the land and showed us our route through Zagreb. Although we wouldn’t be able to see everything, naturally, he had a plan that would get us to as many of the best highlights as possible.

 

 

One of the most common things to do in Zagrab is to sit in a cafe along a busy street, watch the people go by and of course, have them watch you too. We stopped by a popular cafe, grabbed some coffees and cappuccinos, and did some people watching. With the autumn sun shining down on us, it was the perfect midday break for our Zagreb exploration.

Something about this stairwell stood out to me. As we walked through the streets and alleys, we were constantly happening on new sights, always wondering what was around the next corner.

 

Zagreb is an old city and the streets and architecture tell the story of this city’s past and history. So many of the buildings showed signs of Zagreb’s past and our guide happily shared with us the tales of days gone by.

How can you not love these guys?! Walking around the city in their traditional wear, they were constantly being stopped for photographs, us included.

 

I must have taken a thousand pictures of St. Mark’s Church. It is truly stunning. The intricate design of the roof makes it stand out as one of the most unique pieces of architecture I have seen and possibly my favourite in Zagreb.

Switching things up from the incredible history of Zagreb and Croatia, we made a stop at the Museum of Broken Relationships. Here we walked through a collection of works that share the stories of relationships that ended for a variety of different reasons. From death, to betrayal, to growing apart, many of the stories here were heartbreaking.

 

Each of the exhibits in the museum presented a item that represented the story, along with a name and description written by a member of the relationship. Though there were moments we were laughing, I will admit to a few striking a chord, instantly bringing me to tears. I have never experienced a museum like this before and would recommend it to anyone who visits Zagreb.

 

As the day came to an end, our minds and memory cards were full! As we made out way back to our hotel rooms that looked in on Ban Jelačić Square, this was the final site of the day – a perfect rainbow at sunset. Zagreb had showed us it’s best and it was time to rest up for our next day of adventures.

I hope you enjoyed the first instalment of this Croatia photo series. Again, hop on over to my day in Zagreb video to see the movement and hear the sounds of this city. There’s also some good laughs too.

A very special thank you to Zagreb Tourism and Croatia Tourism for hosting myself and my fellow travel bloggers in your beautiful home. Be sure to check out their sites as you plan your own trip to this marvellous destination.