One night in Zagreb

We drove the longest part of our trip on the first day all the way to Zagreb. 4 countries in one day. From Germany to Austria to Slovenia and finally over the border to Croatia. We wanted to cross the border on Friday because lots of tourists and traffic jams are expected on Saturday due to the summer holiday. We caught some traffic jams and we took some breaks so we arrived to Zagreb after being 8 hours on the road. I practiced my Croatian on the way there so the time was not lost. 😉

We booked a deluxe room at Hotel Dubrovnik the day before. It was very spontaneous and we got very lucky to still find a room at this hotel. We arrived at 5 pm, parked the car and after a bit of search found the hotel as well. It is located directly on the main square and our room is overlooking the square as well. It couldn’t get more perfect than this for our 10-year anniversary.

Tip: book a room through the website www.hotel-dubrovnik.hr and earn additional benefits like late cancellation until 18 o’clock, late checkout until 16 o’clock, free parking and many more. Valid for reservations made through the web site only.

After a short break, we headed out in search for some food. Plac had some good review and it was nearby which was very important because we were so hungry. It took a while till we found the place but it was worth it. This place serves some very interesting burgers with black and red buns but we decided to have the cevapi in that delicious warm bread, served with onions. It was to die for.

We went on a walk in the city center afterwards. It is so full with life during the evening in the main square and in the cafes and bars on the streets. I loved it and I finally felt like I completely disconnected from everything else and that I am officially on vacation.

We woke up early on the next morning thanks to a very persistent hotel guest calling our room by accident. We went for a breakfast at the hotel restaurant, which is the American Steak & Grill during the day and in the evening. It was pretty crowded during breakfast time around 9 am but the food was delicious. They serve also Croatian specialties like börek filled with cheese and spinach or strukli, which I had for the first time and loved it.

After breakfast, the weather was gorgeous so I grabbed my DSLR camera and we went out for another walk in the city center. The weather was much better than yesterday afternoon so it was a good opportunity to take some nicer pictures. We went on the farmer’s market and it was a long time since I’ve seen fruits, vegetables and cheeses from actual farmers. There are not many markets like this left around the world, due to all the big grocery stores everywhere that took over the markets. I remember as I was small that we went every weekend to the farmer’s market to buy everything fresh and the fruits and veggies had such a delicious taste and the cheese can’t even be compared to what we can find now in the stores.

We visited not only the lower part this time but also the upper part with the most beautiful view of the city from the top and the square where the parliament is located.

We returned to the hotel to pack and get ready to hit the road to our final destination. It was just our luck that our room is directly on the square as we heard drums outside and we looked out on the square to see this special ceremony. A perfect ending to a perfect visit to beautiful Zagreb. 🙂

All the pictures are here.