When sightseeing, it's a good idea to first head for Trg Bana Jelacica, the main square in the city. From here you are within walking distance of all the major attractions. (Furthermore, the main tourist office is at no. 11 in the square! Head here to pick up useful leaflets, brochures and maps.)

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.