Zagreb
Restaurants and bars, museums and galleries, clubs, music, shopping and more...
PHOTOS: Zagreb residents reclaim their city
Friday marks the start of another weekend of relative freedom. Liberated by the relaxed rules for social distancing, our new normal provides us with another opportunity to appreciate some of the many things we once took for granted. The ability to congregate, socialise and to interact - not so long ago perhaps less appreciated than our handy mobile phone apps - are now rightly valued as never before. And nowhere is this re-evaluation of freedoms more visible than downtown Zagreb, on the Square of the Croatian Republic, just outside the Croatian National Theatre. © Marc Rowlands © David Bakarić © David Bakarić © David Bakarić Since guidelines changed, this grandiose focal point in the heart of the Croatian capital has been the site of a new youth phenomenon. What was formerly a spot for a small number of students has become the de facto meeting place for the city's young residents. The small alternative cabal has grown to embrace every type of peer group imaginable; sports students, football fans, young patriots, LGBT teens and devout Christians sit beside punks, rockers, bohemian musicians and ravers. Everyone gets along. There are no special seats, no VIP room that the privileged can pay for. They sit on the floor, some dance, they play cards, drums, guitars and violins. Most of all, they smile, enjoy and talk above the sound of several small, competing soundsystems. © Marc Rowlands © David Bakarić © David Bakarić © David Bakarić
Another drive-in cinema pops up in Zagreb
As reported in Time Out Croatia's news story of last week, drive-in cinemas seem to be making a comeback in Zagreb. Now, Croatia's cinema giants CineStar have also decided to enter the 'arena'. Well, actually, not so much enter as leave. The largest cinema chain in Croatia, CineStar has 23 multiplexes around the country and one of the most popular is in the Arena Centar shopping mall, located to the west of Zagreb city centre. With the indoor cinema currently unable to open, CineStar have decided to move its operations outside the complex and into the Arena Park area for a drive-in cinema. The CineStar pop-up drive-in will run between May 21 and June 14, showing films every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All films start at 21.30 and entrance is 120 kuna per car. The entrance fee includes two free bags of popcorn and two free drinks. © Warner Bros Films in the CineStar Arena Park pop-up programme include the latest Star Wars movie 'The Rise of Skywalker', Matthew McConaughey in Guy Ritchie's 'The Gentlemen', 'Joker' starring Joaquin Phoenix (pictured), Ang Lee's latest movie '21 Bridges' starring Will Smith and the Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery 'Knives Out'. Also being shown in the series are Sam Mendes' harrowing First World War movie '1917', the latest John Wick film with Keanu Reeves, Captain Marvel, the latest Mission: Impossible movie starring Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford in 'The Call of the Wild', Luc Besson's latest, 'Anna' and the inventive dark come
VIDEO: The little-known winemakers of beautiful Zagreb County
Despite its reputation as the land of 1000 islands, brilliant beaches and crystal-clear seas, the most-visited tourist destination in Croatia is Zagreb. Yet few who come to the capital city venture beyond its suburbs and into beautiful Zagreb County which surrounds.Zagreb is famous for having some of the best hotels, restaurants and bars in the country. While dining in a Michelin-recommended eaterie or a 5-star hotel, visitors are guided round the homegrown wine menu by Croatia's greatest sommeliers. You might already know about the rich red wines of south Dalmatia and the sophisticated white wines of Istria and Slavonia, but it usually takes the recommendation of a true expert to discover the wines of Zagreb County. This new video by Zagreb County Tourist Board serves as a brilliant introduction to the wines, the landscape and the welcome you can find there. Pop a cork at any celebration in Croatia and, if you know anything about wines, the bottle you've just opened comes from Zagreb county. There is simply no argument that this continental part of the country makes the best sparkling wines. Not only that, but it is also in this region that you'll find some of the best preservation of traditional winemaking techniques - avoidance of harmful pesticides and a reliance on organic methods. Some of Croatia's unique grape varieties, such as škrlet, Portugizca plešivice and kraljevine zeline, are also best preserved here.Zagreb County is one of the best d
Zagreb gets drive-in cinema
With the reopening today of cafés and bars across Croatia, another much-missed option for getting out of the house will shortly return to the country's capital, Zagreb. This weekend, the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum will host a drive-in spectacle with movies and a music programme. From Friday to Sunday, film fans will have the opportunity to recapture the iconic feel of the 1950's by watching movies from their cars. The programme kicks off on Friday with 'Zagreb Equinox' by Svebor Mihael Jelić, a hit from last year's Pula Film Festival about Zagreb's alternative. This will be followed by a performance by local band Ljetno Kino. On Saturday, the main event is Nebojša Slijepčević's 'Gangster Of Love' (2013) about a matchmaker from Imotski. Finally, on Sunday, 2013's 'Vis-à-Vis' by Nevio Marasović, a story about the relationship between the director and an actor on the set of Marasović's 2018 movie 'Comic Sans'. © Chris Boswell Alongside the main titles, in true old-school fashion, each evening will also screen a short, opening film. These are comprised of selected works from young directors of the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art. Drive-in cinema programmes have recently returned to Germany and are an inventive response to social distancing directives. Although the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum programme is due to last only for the weekend, there are separate plans to hold another drive-in experience in a car park on Zagreb's Radnička street. This proposed 'Drive-IN Fest'
Zagreb's Lisinski Concert Hall begins 24/7 outdoor music programme
Concert goers may not currently be able to go and watch their favourite performers, but Zagreb's renowned Lisinski Concert Hall believes that doesn't mean we have to go without their music. From today, the venue started serenading neighbouring streets with a new soundtrack. The music will be played 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until performances at the venue resume.Lisinski Concert Hall has been hosting concerts of every musical genre for almost 50 years. Well known for showcasing world-standard classical music and ballet, they have also welcomed international stars of rock, jazz and pop music. The new musical programme - which can be heard coming from Lisinski's sound system all around the hall, on Vukovarska and Trg Stjepan Radić - is comprised of past guests to the venue, such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Pat Metheny Group and the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. © Borislav Marinic
The best of Zagreb
The 100 best Zagreb restaurants
This ultimate guide to Zagreb restaurants covers it all: from splash-out fine dining to street food, bistros and east-west fusion. Our critics are constantly on the look-out for brilliant new restaurants (which we visit anonymously, of course) to bring you this list of our favourite tables in town. A few words on the selection criteria: our choice doesn't reflect only the expensive, upmarket restaurants that Zagreb has to offer. We're looking for originality over exclusivity; value for money over fancy frippery. Our pick is a mix of daring, cool, cosy and downright tasty eateries to satisfy every spectrum of diner. Dobar tek! RECOMMENDED: our guide to restaurants in Croatia.
Essential Zagreb attractions
Zagreb attractions number plenty of stately icons among their ranks, owing to the city's status as a former Habsburg hub and capital of a new nation. Towering cathedrals, a venerable zoo and a stately cemetery all provide plenty of things to do in Zagreb. Our experts pick out the best.
Zagreb's best restaurants and cafés
The best cake shops in Zagreb
When it comes to sweet treats, Zagreb really takes the cake. Croatians love to indulge their sweet tooth and as a result, you'll find plenty of excellent cake shops and patisseries spread across the capital. From old school bakeries serving traditional treats to smart new patisseries selling exotic creations, we've tracked down the best cake shops in Zagreb. RECOMMENDED: The best cafés and coffee shops in Zagreb.
Zagreb inspiration
Zagreb's best art house and independent cinemas
Offering diverse and well thought-out movies, independent cinemas can be the place to catch up on some of the best films made around the world or the place to introduce a friend or date to one of your most cherished old classics. Luckily, Zagreb has a crop of art house cinemas showing the best of world and independent movies - with many screened in English. Here's where to find them. RECOMMENDED: The best film festivals in Croatia.
