Heading east from Ljubljana, Slovenia we stayed a couple nights in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. We didn’t really have any expectations about the city but we found it a very walkable place with a lot of interesting sights.

We stayed at an Air BnB close to the train station so we walked from there towards downtown Zagreb. While there were a number of derelict buildings in the area, there was also a long wall of graffiti that had a number of creative pieces on it.

We went from the train station towards the downtown core. It only took about 30 minutes and we passed some sights along the way.

Near the downtown core was a large market area that had everything, especially fruits and vegetables. All the fruit stands really brought out the bees in the late summertime!

From the market we could see Zagreb Cathedral looming overhead, so we headed over to take a look.

Originally over 900 years old and restored in the 19th century, the cathedral is the tallest building in Zagreb and visible from most places in the city.

We then made our way higher to the upper town where the parliament buildings are located. On the way up we went through the stone gate, one of four surrounding the oldest part of town and one of the best preserved monuments in Zagreb.

Inside was a religious painting that survived a massive fire in 1731. It was subsequently used as the centrepiece of a tiny chapel that has been in use there since that time. You literally walk under the gate, pass the chapel and you are outside again. It was quite a unique place.

Onward we went to the main area where the Croatian government buildings including offices, courts and parliament were located. Unlike many parliaments this was quite compact and open for visitors outside, although entry was not allowed inside most of the government buildings.

Close to the parliament buildings was another church. St. Catherine’s church is baroque in design and was built in 1632. A lookout to the right of the old church gave us one of the best spots for a view of the city.

We headed down from the old town as we made our way back to the newer part of downtown.

Before heading back to our place we stopped at a microbrewery downtown. It wasn’t easy finding the entrance, but once we went inside there was a huge beer garden in the back. It was a nice end to a long day of walking.