The day before I was to leave Slovenia for Croatia, I was facing a dilemma. Thanks to scheduling issues, I’d had to book a bus that arrived in Zagreb in the late evening rather than mid-morning, meaning I’d only have a single full day in Croatia. This was obviously not optimal, as there is so much to see even in the northern region of the country where I’d be based during my visit. I reached out to the Facebook universe for help with this question: “If I only have one day in Croatia, should I spend it at the Plitvice Lakes, or just stay put and explore Zagreb?”
The answer from my Croatia-savvy friends was unanimous: Plitvice.
And honestly, I can see why. Plitvice is beautiful, and who doesn’t love a good waterfall, much less a sprawling park filled with them?
Yet, I have to say that I feel my friends did Zagreb a bit of a disservice. It’s not Budapest or Prague, but I really, really liked it.
Zagreb.
The Charms of Zagreb
I didn’t have much time to explore Zagreb—just a quick morning and late afternoon/evening following my trip to the Plitvice Lakes—so I’m hardly an expert after just walking around it for a few hours. Maybe I also benefited from the freedom of low expectations (one friend had told me Zagreb was her least favorite city in the Balkans). I wasn’t looking for much there. I just figured I’d see it, check the box and move on. But I was also curious as to whether Croatia’s capital had more to offer than I’d been led to believe.
And sure enough, it does.
Zagreb struck me as a quintessential Central European city, which is one of my favorite types of places in the world. As I’ve written before, I have a long-term love affair with Eastern Europe, and every time I step back into that part of the world, I remember what makes it so special.
Zagreb’s market.
Zagreb has all the things that Central Europe is famous for: old-world-style architecture, a beautiful town square, trams rolling through the streets, pastels popping everywhere, a fantastic market bulging with fresh fruits and vegetables, and of course, a surfeit of cafes. Pretty much all the things I love most about the region, in one small, compact, very walkable city which still retained a bit of a small-town feel.
(Sidenote: I also loved how relatively inexpensive Zagreb is. My luxurious (for me, anyway!) hotel right on the city’s main square cost only 85 euros per night; I was able to enjoy a fancy steak dinner for around 25 euros, and gelato cost about a dollar. So much good for so little cash!)
The Majesty (and Downside) of Plitvice
Of course, as much as I would have loved more time to enjoy Zagreb, I knew my trip to this part of Croatia wouldn’t be complete without seeing the majestic Plitvice Lakes, a sprawling national park which features both crashing waterfalls and glorious turquoise colored lakes as far as the eye can see. And Plitvice didn’t disappoint.
Except that it did, a little bit.
Don’t get me wrong, Plitvice Lakes and its waterfalls are BEAUTIFUL, and everyone who can should definitely see them. I can’t find anything to complain about in these views:
Except that it was crowded and full of tourists snapping selfies (hello, Thailand flashbacks); it was a bit confusing to navigate despite the trails being marked (I somehow wandered onto the path for a longer walk when I only had time for a shorter one, meaning I had to retrace my steps and double back to my starting point); and frankly, I just didn’t plan my time there very well. I was trying to do too much: take a bus two and a half hours down from Zagreb, see the park in 2-3 hours, then take the bus back up to Zagreb and still have an afternoon and evening free to wander the city. In retrospect, I should have probably planned to stay overnight at Plitvice to be able to devote an entire day to it without racing through it. I’m still very glad I saw what I did, but being less rushed would have likely led to a less stressful and more fun experience there.
The Bottom Line
Both Zagreb and Plitvice are well worth seeing when you’re visiting Croatia. Just make sure you budget enough time for each and don’t try to do too much in a single day. I’d say give Zagreb at least one full day (two if you can) and try to stay overnight at Plitvice to have a full day to explore the park. I really hope that someday I’ll be able to go back and do the same.
Croatia, you haven’t seen the last of me!