Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia, a relaxed Central European city of about 770,000 people where Habsburg-era streets, a medieval hilltop Upper Town, and a lively cafe culture sit side by side. It is known for the Museum of Broken Relationships, the Dolac market, the Tkalčićeva street terraces, Mirogoj cemetery, and one of Europe's best-loved Advent festivals.
- Public
- ZET trams and buses cover the whole city on one cheap time-based ticket; the Upper Town funicular and a dense tram grid make central Zagreb easy without a car
- Taxi
- Uber, Bolt and local apps such as Cammeo and Eko Taxi are inexpensive by Western European standards and work well from the airport and at night
- Rental
- Not needed in the city (pedestrianised core and paid parking zones I to III); useful only for day trips to Plitvice, Samobor, Zagorje castles or the Slovenian border
- Walking
- The Lower Town, Upper Town (Gornji grad) and Tkalciceva street are compact and flat enough to cover on foot in a day
Transport at a glance
- Public
- 4/5
- Taxi
- 4/5
- Rental
- 2/5
- Walking
- 5/5
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Zagreb is a compact capital where the historic core can be walked and the rest is served by the ZET tram and bus network, the Uspinjaca funicular and cheap ride-hailing. The airport (ZAG) is 17 km south-east of the centre, linked by Pleso Prijevoz coaches and ZET bus 290. The main railway station (Glavni kolodvor) and the main bus station (Autobusni kolodvor) are on the edge of the Lower Town and are the hubs for onward travel to Ljubljana, Vienna, Budapest, Split, Rijeka and Plitvice. A car is unnecessary inside the city.
Airports
Franjo Tudjman Airport Zagreb
Ljubljana Joze Pucnik Airport
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
Buy ZET tickets in the mojZET app or at Tisak newsstands and validate paper tickets on board; a 60-minute ticket (about EUR 0.93 / USD 1.07) allows unlimited transfers within the hour
The ZET day ticket (about EUR 4 / USD 4.60) pays for itself after about four rides and also covers the night network
The Uspinjaca funicular between Tomiceva street and Strossmayer promenade costs about EUR 0.70 (USD 0.81) each way and takes under a minute; the Zagreb Card includes it
From the airport, the Pleso Prijevoz coach (about EUR 8 / USD 9.20) runs to the main bus station; ZET bus 290 is the cheaper but slower option
Trams 6 and 13 run past the bus station and tram 6 also serves the Lower Town to Ban Jelacic Square; trams 11 and 12 cross the city east to west. Check the ZET app for current line routes
Night trams 31 to 34 run after about 23:30 when day trams stop, with a slightly higher night fare
Check train and bus timetables the day before: Croatian rail (HZPP) services are slow and sparse on some routes, and buses to the coast are faster than trains
Taxis and ride-hailing add a surcharge at the airport; fixed-price airport transfers can be pre-booked online