So much life
Written: Jul 15 '04 (Updated Jul 16 '04)
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Pros: Lots to see
English-speaking
Great public transportation
Good food
Good wine!
Cons: People still a little unfriendly but they are working on it
The Bottom Line: Go, learn and enjoy. It is another culture that is emerging out of strife and the city has amazing history.
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| likeprancer's Full Review: Zagreb |
Zagreb was quite a gem and completely unexpected. As one of our honeymoon destinations it was certainly one of our favorites - even beat out Split! We stayed at Hotel Dubrovnik and the Sheraton and we really liked Hotel Dubrovnik, for the money. Hotel Dubrovnik was very modern and the day staff were very polite and accommodating. The evening staff seemed a little more 'old school' and gave less warm reception. The view from the hotel overlooked the centar of town and all the umbrella'd tables on the square. The breakfast you get with the hotel rate was quite good.
There were so many things to see and do in Zagreb and I admit we missed a lot (there were two holidays and a Sunday the week we were there) but we saw a lot too. The Ethnographic museum is located in a 'newer' area of town that is a sort of museum campus. The Ethnographic museum was pretty small and we got through it in about 30 minutes. It was only about four rooms of the ethnic clothing people of the various regions of Croatia wore. It was very nice to see that history but wish there could have been more. The downstairs of the museum had about two rooms of the ethnographic history of other regions. The exhibit was, by no means, exhaustive.
We also went to the Croatian History Museum (near St. Mark's Church and Parliament). This museum has rotating exhibits, no permanent ones. It was about three rooms of the history of the Stone Masons at the time we went. It was interesting insofar as I was not aware of what the Stone Masons really were in history but the exhibit was lacking (especially since it was not a free exhibit).
St. Stephen's Cathedral is certainly worth a visit. The cathedral inspires awe. They are in the process of restoring the cathedral (again) but it does not take away from the experience once within the doors. I recommend getting a little booklet that outlines the history of the church as it made everything make a lot more sense.
We had the opportunity of meeting up with some people from Zagreb who my husband knew. One of them grew up and still lives in Zagreb and he provided a wealth of information about the city that the guidebooks did not really spell out. We got a walking tour of the city that explained everything we had been looking at - including the knowledge that there is a tunnel under a part of the city, near Kapitol, that was used in WWII to take secret shelter from troops going through the city. We also saw the tower with the cannon that fires at noon, near the funicular.
There are a couple internet cafes in Zagreb. We used VIP cafe and found it to be the most user friendly. We also saw a movie at one of the theaters (Gric). The theater left a little to be desired, as the roof was leaking in the actual theater, but we enjoyed viewing "Troy" in English with Croatian subtitles.
We took the opportunity to ride on a few of the electric trams traveling to different areas of the city - it was a great way to experience less touristy events. We purchased the Zagreb card to make is less difficult for us to figure out paying for public transport and some of the museums. It was more simple but too costly for what we got from the card. Riding the public transport is fairly inexpensive (and no one checks for a ticket). We also rented a car in Zagreb to drive to the Coast and throughout Croatia. The rental process was fairly simple as we went with Budget. The rate was about twice as much as we'd pay in the US but we got our money's worth. The problem with the rental is that we incurred a small scrape on our car and they would not let us return it until we got a police report. That was a little bit of a hassle but we got the car returned without further incident. Driving around Zagreb was no problem as it was not much more congested than Chicago, maybe less even. The only difficulty we faced was the lack of obvious road signs and we had no key to interpret the traffic signs. Getting around was a little difficult because maps have abbreviated street names, but not obvious abbreviations, so it took us some time to get used to figuring out which street matched the map. The train station was a little seedy, as people seemed to be watching us closely but as long as you are smart it is not a big deal. We managed just fine with all the public and private transport but it is important to have your wits about you and pay attention to what and who is around you.
There were tons of shoe shops, ice cream shops and bars, so if you are in need of any of the former you will be set in Zagreb! We had a hard time finding restaurants but we managed to come upon a couple. Vinodol, which is around the corner from Hotel Dubrovnik, had traditional Croatian food.
The people there were relatively friendly and the food was really good, though the bread tasted a little 'soapy' - we could not figure out what that was about. One night we had Postup wine and it was absolutely wonderful. Even my new husband, who does not like wine, enjoyed the Postup. It is a dry wine with a lot of flavor and still some sweet traces. We also ate at Piccolo Mondo, a part of the Hotel Dubrovnik. Piccolo Mondo had Italian cuisine, which was fantastic. The salad was a little lame but the rest more than made up for that. Even the butter for the bread was very good as it was infused with some delightful flavoring of some sort. I had two pasta dishes (on two separate occasions) which were both perfect. The vegetable lasagna I had for lunch one day was amazing. And the table wine I had there and at every restaurant we went to was satisfying. We also tried a restaurant directly across from St. Stephen's Cathedral but we would not recommend it, as the food was mediocre. Another restaurant we went to on our last day was called Dubravkin Put. This establishment was amazing and if you want fine dining this is where to go. It is a new restaurant set in a very wooded area just north of Zagreb. Out Zagreb friends drove us there so I am not sure how far away from city Centar it is. We had some wonderful Croatian wine, again bread with butter infused with some flavor and I had the sea bass. My husband had what he said was the best dessert on our whole trip - Profiteroles with ice cream (he ordered a second). There is nothing bad to say about our experience at Dubravkin Put but if you want a 'traditional' experience you would not get it at this place.
We found that most people are happier to speak English rather than have us butcher their language in most of Croatia. Compared to Budapest, people seemed more put off that we were trying to speak Croatian. The warmth of Croatia could have been turned up a notch but when you remember that you are invading their culture you know not to take it too personally. I found most of the people helped us get what we need, just not always with a smile. Split was much less friendly than Zagreb but we tended to keep to ourselves more by the time we got to Zagreb. I guess I am trying to say that this is not a tourist friendly area just yet but you won't get run out with a pitchfork either.
Do not expect to get through Croatia inexpensively if you want to experience their nice hotels and good food. The rural establishments are a little cheaper but we did not find much savings in going to this country. Zagreb seemed to cost about as much as home for meals and entertainment and such.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
likeprancer
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Member: Jen
Location: Monroe, LA USA
Reviews written: 29
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
35yo, Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Public Speaker/Educator. Traveler; technology user; passionate about customer service.
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