Prague and Budapest are the most popular cities in Central Europe for foreign visitors. But these two now have a competitor in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia - which, let us reassure you, is a dazzling place.

The city is divided into three parts: the thousand-year old Gornji grad (upper town) which contains the Presidential Palace, the historic church of St. Mark's, the Croatian parliament, and museums and galleries which are all set in cobbled streets lit by gas lamps; the 19th century Donji grad (lower town) with its shops, restaurants, cafes, theatres, parks; and the modern post-war (WWII) Novi Zagreb (new Zagreb) which is full of high-rise buildings and basically has nothing to offer tourists.

Zagreb is called a city of museums as there are more of them per square foot than any other city in the world. But this doesn't mean that there is nothing else for you to do if you aren't a history buff. One of the many pleasures that the Zagrebcani (the people of Zagreb) enjoy is sitting in one of the numerous cafes watching the world go by. In the evening, you can visit one of the many restaurants, sampling a delicious Croatian dish, and finish the day in the one of the bars or clubs. Whatever you choose to do, you are guaranteed to have a good time!

Getting around
If you arrive by plane, Zagreb Pleso Airport is about 20km from the heart of Zagreb. You can take a taxi (about £20/$38/€29), but a much better option would be to take the inexpensive Croatia Airlines bus which takes you to the main bus station in central Zagreb. Buses leave every half an hour outside the airport terminal, and tickets, costing 30 Kunas (£3/$5.50/€4.50), can be bought from the bus driver. Once you arrive at the bus station, you can flag down a taxi to take you to your accommodation or use a tram to complete your journey.

Almost all visitors are puzzled as to how to obtain tickets for trams as they are not sold on-board: walk to the first newspaper kiosk and ask for a "tramvajska karta" (tram ticket) which are sold singly or in packs of ten. Once you board the tram, you must remember to validate your card in the machines.

When sightseeing, head for Trg Bana Jelacica, the main square in the city. From here you are within walking distance of all the major attractions. The main tourist office is at no. 11 in the square.

Things to see
From Trg Bana Jelacica (named after the Croatian hero and viceroy who defeated the Hungarians in an uprising in 1848 - his monument is in the square) turn right and into the first street on the left to see the twin neo-Gothic spires of St. Stephen's Cathedral, built in 1899. The baroque Archbishops' Palace is attached to the cathedral. Nearby is the colourful Dolac market, the main market in Zagreb, which is definitely worth visiting. You can have an inexpensive meal in one of the fast-food kiosks close by. Walk along Tkalciceva Ulica towards the upper town and you will come to the 13th century Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata) with a painting of the Virgin Mary which miraculously escaped the great fire of 1731 and is a place of pilgrimage.

Explore the Upper Town which includes Banski Dvori (the Presidential Palace) with its colourful guards, Sabor (the parliament), and St. Mark's Church (with the works of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's most famous sculptor) and note its beautifully tiled roof. There are also several museums and galleries nearby. See Lotrscak Kula (tower) before returning to the hustle and bustle of modern Zagreb either via the pedestrian walkway or the hundred-year-old uspinjaca (funicular railway). The good citizens of Zagreb are reminded of the time at midday when a gun is fired from the Tower (someone told us that there is a similar ceremony in Edinburgh, only that it occurs at 1 o'clock?!).

In the lower town, you can do your shopping in the main shopping street Ilica or visit one of the more prominent museums or galleries, like the Strossmayer Gallery, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Ethnographic Museum and the famous Mimara museum (Rooseveltov trg 5) which, with almost 4,000 priceless objects, is one of the finest art galleries in Europe.

Places to stay
There are very few cheap places to stay in Zagreb. For younger people, the best bet is Omladinski ("Youth") Hotel at Petrinjska Ulica 77 (Tel: (+385) 1 484 12 961), near the main railway station. A bed in a dormitory is about £12-17/$22-30 per person and a double room is about £16-23/$30-41. There is also the newer Ravnice Youth Hostel (1 Ravnice 38d, tel: (+385) 1 233 23 25), which has 30 beds. A bed costs €15 per night (approx. £10/$15 per night).

In the summer Zagreb university student dorms are used as accommodation for visitors. The best one is Cvijetno Naselje in southern Zagreb which charges £20/$32 for a single room with private bath.

See our Accommodation in Zagreb section for details of hotels in Zagreb.

Travel to Zagreb
Bond Tours have city breaks from the UK
Croatia Airlines have daily flights from London Heathrow to Zagreb
Wizz Air have daily flights from London Luton
German Wings have flights from Cologne/Bonn - transfer from London Stansted, Edinburgh or Dublin

Information about Zagreb
Zagreb Tourist Board has plenty of useful info
Restaurants in Zagreb
Interactive city map of Zagreb
Zagreb Live webcam
Why not stop at Algoritam (Gajeva 1, just off the Trg Bana Jelacica -  the main square), an English language book store?
University of Zagreb - Founded in 1699