Zagreb’s centre is divided into an Upper Town (Gornji grad) and Lower Town (Donji grad). The Upper Town is a delightfully quaint and sleepy area. Fittingly, it’s the seat of the Croatian Parliament, and conveniently also the ecclesiastical centre. The Lower Town is the commercial heart of Zagreb, where most shops and many businesses can be found.

A real-estate squeeze has led many larger companies to relocate south of the railway line, where there’s much sprucing up of existing properties and building of new ones happening right now. Vukovarska and Slavonska Avenues run parallel east to west, Radnicka and Savska streets cross them perpendicularly. Clustered around these are most of the new office developments, plus a number of embassies and government ministries. Another popular site for company headquarters is at Buzin, near the airport. Most of Zagreb’s hypermarkets and shopping centres are in these newer, outlying areas.

South of the River Sava is Novi Zagreb (New Zagreb), a sprawling neighbourhood of residential tower blocks and the home of the Zagreb Trade Fair grounds (Zagrebacki Velesajam).

GETTING AROUND

Although it’s not exactly glamorous, travel by tram can be an effective way of avoiding a long wait in a traffic jam. Tickets cost 6.50 Kn at news kiosks and transport terminals or 8 Kn from the driver, and are valid for a 90-minute journey in one direction, including changes. Day tickets are a good deal at 18 Kn. Tickets must be stamped in the machine on board—failure to do so may result in an embarrassing altercation with an inspector, resulting in a fine.

A journey from the exhibition grounds south of the river to the city centre takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Night trams run approximately every 45 minutes. Outlying neighbourhoods and suburbs are covered by frequent and efficient city bus services. The same tickets are valid as for trams, and one ticket can be used for a combined bus and tram journey. See www.zet.hr for bus and tram lines and timetables. The last bus usually leaves at around 11pm.

Taxis wait outside major hotels and the main bus and train stations. Other taxi ranks are on the street behind Gradska kavana on the main square, and on the corner of Ljudevita Gaja and Teslina. To order a cab, Tel: 970, 668 2505 or 668 2585. Taxis cost about the same as black cabs in London, which means there’s rarely a shortage of them. The starting rate is 19 Kn, then 7 Kn per kilometre and 3 Kn per item of luggage. A surcharge of 20% is added at night (10pm-5am), on Sundays and public holidays.

SHOPPING

The Lower Town commercial district is the main shopping centre, which spreads east and west from the main square along Ilica and Vlaska streets, as well as south towards the main railway station. Alongside some familiar names from other European capitals, you’ll also find a good range of local boutiques. On the main square, the Varteks City Centre Mueller department store has a luxurious selection of goods of all kinds. Its older neighbour Nama is useful, cheaper but somewhat shabby.

Just north of the main square is the Dolac marketplace. Up the steps is the open-air fruit and vegetable section, and a newly renovated fish market which is excellent. Downstairs are the meat and dairy sections. The market closes at 2pm. Radiceva and Tkalciceva streets leading north from Dolac are lovely cobbled streets lined with the ateliers and boutiques of Croatian designers—often with lovely and unique fashions—and other clothing stores. There are also antique shops, cafés and restaurants. You may be surprised at the sheer number of shoe shops here. There were once tanneries in this area, and you’ll still see workshops where you can have a pair hand-made.

Walk further and you’ll come to the pleasant shopping mall Centar Kaptol, a good place to pick up luxury brands and essential if you just can’t live without Marks & Spencer. Other shopping malls are Importanne Galerija at Iblerov trg; Importanne Centar in the passage under the railway station, and the King Cross shopping centre at Jankomir, at the western exit from the city.

GIFTS TO BUY

Sadly, until Croatia joins the EU, some of the finest gifts you could take back home are off limits: ie meats and cheeses. Be sure to treat yourself to some prsut (cured ham) or artisan kulen (spicy paprika salami) while you’re here. But there’s nothing to stop you taking some wine home for your nearest and dearest. Zagreb county and other inland regions have some lovely whites, Istria has excellent quality wines of all colours, and as you head to the deep south, you’re looking at heavy reds.

In the city centre, the Zitnjak grocery on the corner of Ljudevita Gaja and Teslina streets is a handy place to pick up good wine. Head to the back of the shop where you’ll see steps leading to the cellar. Vivat i partneri at Prisavlje 2, near the river, is also excellent.

A more pungent gift is a bottle of good rakija—the generic term for Croatian fire-waters, which can be made from any fruits and flavoured with herbs or honey. Don’t bother with mass-produced versions in supermarkets, ask for advice in a wine merchants or delicatessen.

A couple of excellent specialist shops are Zigante tartufi (Rotunda Centre, Jurisiceva 19) selling Istrian truffle products and a selection of rakijas, and Bakina kuca (Granny’s House) at Strossmayerov trg 7. The latter also does great rakija, plus olive oil, preserves and cosmetics. Everything is hand-made in Croatia from natural ingredients.

For the sweet-toothed, you could pop into any of the Kras shops in the centre of town, where you can buy gift-wrapped sweets and chocolates. Bajadera is a local classic—a soft sweet made of chocolate and hazelnut-flavoured layers—while griotte are excellent chocolate cherry liqueurs.

Non-perishable souvenirs include textiles. Keep an eye out in the souvenir shops around the main square, or take a look at the back of the fruit market for cheerful tablecloths with heart designs. Look out for the red, heart-shaped ornaments emblazoned with flowers and imaginative slogans such as 'Zagreb’. These are called Licitarsko srce, traditional to the Zagreb region, and are meant to be a token of love. Although they’re purportedly made of gingerbread, they’re not usually edible. Paprenjak, on the other hand, are biscuits marketed as both traditional and edible. Although the second point is debatable, the packaging is rather lovely.

On Dolac Market you’ll see rows of red umbrellas with stripy border designs. This cheerful design originates from the village of Sestine on Zagreb’s northern boundary. If you’d like one to brighten up rainy days, you should go for the original hand-made ones in the Cerovecki umbrella shop in the passage at Ilica 50. Take your credit card.

THINGS TO DO

Zagreb’s centre is small, and an afternoon’s walk can take in places dating back to medieval times as well as some fine Austro-Hungarian architecture. Don’t miss the Upper Town, sleepy Kaptol or the Zrinjevac park. Dolac Market is an excellent place to browse, drink in some local atmosphere, and buy local delicacies to sample.

While discerning visitors may find the displays in some museums rather pedestrian, many are very useful if you want to find out more about Zagreb and Croatia. The Mimara (Rooseveltov trg 5, www.mimara.hr) is in a spectacular building and has the largest collection. The Archaeological Museum will help you to get to know some of the treasures of the Dalmatian coast. You can see remains dating back to the Early Christian, Roman and Venetian periods.

Croatia’s most famous sculptor, Ivan Mestrovic, lived in an apartment at Mletacka 8 in the Upper Town, where his studio gives a good sense of the power of his work. You could follow that with a tour of the art pavilion of the Croatian Society of Arts, which he designed. Of the many art galleries here, Klovicevi dvori is the most important. It’s housed in a lovely old palace in the Upper Town (Jezuitski trg 4, www.galerijaklovic.hr).

Another worthwhile Upper Town sight is the Museum of the City of Zagreb (Opaticka 20, www.mdc.hr/mgz), which has interactive displays that help you understand the city’s past and present. While you’re there, don’t miss the chance to wander through the Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata). It’s one of Zagreb’s most attractive and atmospheric spots. The Virgin Mary is said to have appeared there after a terrible fire in 1731, and it has remained a Marian shrine ever since.

It’s really worth getting a breath of fresh air in the hills above Zagreb if you have the chance. The Mirogoj cemetery is in that area, and is unusually valuable. Its layout was designed by Herman Bollé, and the colonnades topped by copper cupolas and covered with vines hide a wealth of fascinating gravestones of Zagreb’s famous and not-so-famous deceased. Bus number 105 from Kaptol takes you to Mirogoj in about 10 minutes.

You could follow this with a trip to Mount Medvednica, perhaps rewarding yourself for the two-hour stroll to the top with a big lunch of traditional comfort food in one of the restaurants at the top of the peak. Or you could simply take the cable car up and enjoy the view. A return ticket costs 17 Kn. Take tram number 14 (or 8 on weekdays) to Mihaljevac, then take the number 15 to Dolje. If it’s snowing, take your ski suit. You can hire equipment at the top and the slopes are good for a day’s fun.

EXCURSIONS

One of the most touted sights in Croatia, the Plitvice lakes are indeed breathtaking. The chain of naturally created lakes are of an almost unnatural aquamarine colour. On a hot day, walking under thundering waterfalls is superbly refreshing. The park has been well laid out with natural wooden gangways leading you over the water and through lush forest. The only drawback is that when the weather’s fine, you have to contend with crowds. Plitvice is worth visiting at any time of year. It looks different every day and every moment has its own magic. The information office is at Trg kralja Tomislava 19 (Tel: 461 3586/ 492 2274/ 487 0111, www.np-plitvicka-jezera.hr).

A close neighbour of Zagreb, Samobor has a beautiful little main square in Gothic and baroque styles. It’s a lovely place to go for a walk and enjoy a slice of warm kremsnite, a local variation on a vanilla slice. The rolling countryside around the town is great for walking, and you’ll easily come across one of the many excellent restaurants in the area. Contact the Samobor Tourist Association, Trg kralja Tomislava 5, Samobor (Tel: 336 0044, www.pp-zumberak-samoborsko-gorje.hr). Winemaking was for generations purely for home consumption in the Zagreb region, but in the past few years it has been evolving into a business, and Zagreb county wines have been earning a good reputation. The wine-growing regions are at Mount Plesivice near Jastrebarsko (southwest of Zagreb) and around the town of Sveti Ivan Zelina to the northeast. Although you’re no more than half an hour’s drive away from the city, it feels like another world. The deeply indented hillsides are spectacular, and in the villages time seems to have stood still. Take the opportunity to try Kraljevina Zelina, a refreshing summer white, or Portugizac, a soft red that best accompanies autumnal dishes such as roast goose and chestnuts. Both are varieties unique to the region. For more information on the best wine routes, contact the Zagreb County Tourist Board, Petra Preradovica 42 (Tel: 487 3665, www. tzzz.hr).

Zagorje means 'behind the mountain’, and this region is indeed hidden just behind Mount Medvednica, north of Zagreb. In its pleasant towns and villages a warm welcome and a big plate of central European comfort food await you. In amongst the rolling hills are hidden castles such as Trakoscan, probably Croatia’s loveliest (www.mdc.hr/ trakoscan). History fans may be interested to visit Kumrovec, the birthplace of one Josip Broz 'Tito’ (http://mdc.hr/ kumrovec). His monument has survived his reputation in Croatia, and you can visit the cottage he was born in as well as an open-air ethnographic museum.

TOURIST TRAPS

If Zagreb suffers from anything, it’s under-exploiting and under-appreciating its treasures, not over-hyping them. Prices for visiting the sights are very low, so it’s hard to complain about being overcharged. Unlike busier tourist cities, there is no real risk of being ripped off by unscrupulous waiters. Taxis are a rip-off anyway, so the driver needn’t bother overcharging you.

If you have a complaint about the fare, make sure you get a receipt and speak to the call centre. The only thing to beware of is pickpockets in crowded places. As you would anywhere, always keep your valuables close by you.

CONVENTION CENTRES

Zagreb’s vast exhibition grounds are known as Zagrebacki Velesajam, or the Zagreb Fair (Avenija Dubrovnik 15, Tel: 650 3111, Fax: 655 0619, Email: zagvel@zv. hr, www.zv.hr). The Autumn and Spring Fairs, which exhibit just about everything you can—or can’t—think of, have been an institution for years, filling the city’s hotels and roads with visitors. More than 30 fairs take place over the course of a year. The centre is in Novi Zagreb, just south of the river, and the complex includes a congress centre with 22 halls and seating for 2,200. The closest hotels are The Westin Zagreb (tel: 489 2000, www.westin.com/zagreb) which itself has the most extensive conference facilities of all hotels in Zagreb as well as an excellent new gym and wellness centre, and the Hotel I (tel: 614 1222, www.hotel-i.hr).