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Croatia for Kids

Hello kids, and welcome to the Visit Croatia website! We are a travel website all about the wonderful country of Croatia. We are kind of like experts on Croatia! On this page about Croatia for kids, you can explore and learn more about Croatia.

Where is Croatia?

Croatia is in the continent of Europe, but more specifically, it is located in southeastern Europe. Sometimes you might hear it talked about being in Central Europe or Eastern Europe too. If you’re flying to Croatia from the UK, it’s about a 2 or 3 hour flight. That’s not long at all.

Here is Croatia in Europe:

Croatia for Kids - Map of Europe showing location of Croatia

Have you noticed its shape? It’s kind of funny, right? Sometimes people refer to it as looking like a croissant!

On this map, you can see some of Croatia’s many islands. The county is home to over 1,000 islands.

Croatia for Kids - Map of Croatia

The neighbouring countries of Croatia are Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The country also has a long coastline along the Adriatic Sea.

Just under 4 million people live in Croatia. That’s pretty small for a country. That’s fewer people than live in the whole of London, for example!

What is the Capital City of Croatia?

The capital city of Croatia is Zagreb. It’s a lovely city with lots to see and do. If you visit it, you might like to read our guide to Zagreb for Kids.

Other important cities in Croatia include Split, the largest city on the Croatian seaside, Rijeka, Dubrovnik, Zadar and Osijek.

What does the flag look like? And why?

Here is the Croatian flag:

Croatia for Kids - Croatian flag

It’s kind of unusual, right?

If you watch football, you will recognise the red and white checks! Croatian football kits are based on the Croatian flag.

Why does the flag look like that? The red and white shield is the coat of arms of Croatia. The little shields above it are (from left) an ancient coat of arms of Croatia; the coat of arms of Dubrovnik; the coat of arms of Dalmatia; the coat of arms of Istria; and the coat of arms of Slavonia. The last three are different regions of Croatia.

What language do they speak in Croatia?

They speak Croatian!

In truth, Croatian can be a bit of a tricky language to learn and some of the pronunciation and spelling is a bit difficult. If you would like to learn a little bit of it, take a look at our Croatian for Travellers section.

To get you started, here are a few phrases and words that you can use on your holiday:

CroatianEnglishHow to pronounce it
Dobro jutroGood morningdoh-broh you-tro
Dobar danGood daydoh-bar dan
Dobra večerGood eveningdoh-bra ve-chair
Laku noćGood nightla-ku notch
BokHi and byebock
HvalaThanksva-la with an ‘h’ sound
at the beginning!
MolimPleasemoh-leem
sladoledice creamsla-dough led
čokoladachocolatechock-o-lada
moreseamo-reh
bazenpoolbah-zen

What is Croatia famous for?

Here are some of the things Croatia is famous for:

Croatia for Kids - Croatia is famous for...

What are some of the famous sights of Croatia?

Top Ten Destinations in Croatia - Zagreb
St Mark’s Church in Zagreb
Top Sights in Croatia - Pula Arena
The Arena in Pula
A weekend break in Croatia - Dubrovnik
Dubrovnik Old Town
St James Cathedral in Sibenik

More info

Now that we’ve taught you a little bit about the country on our Croatia for Kids page, why not send your parents over to our Family Holidays in Croatia page to persuade them to take a holiday in the country?

(If you’re not already going, that is!)

Zagreb for Kids - Zagreb Zoo Sign

Zagreb Zoo – Visit Croatia Review

Zagreb Zoo is located in the very pleasant and tranquil Maksimir Park, in the east of the city of Zagreb. The Park and Zoo are just a short tram ride away from the main part of the city, and so very easy to reach no matter where you’re staying.

Combining a day out in this pretty park with a few hours in the Zoo is a great way to spend an afternoon in Zagreb, particularly if you have kids in tow! The Zoo is also astonishingly cheap compared to zoos in other European cities and is well run and maintained, with an interesting selection of animals.

Zagreb Zoo Sign

Covering an area of 17 acres, the zoo completed the first stage of a modernisation program in 2016. Zagreb Zoo is a member of the European and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a participant in the European Endangered Species Programme.

Getting to Zagreb Zoo

Trams 11 or 12 operate from the main square, Trg ban Jelacic, to the road just outside Maksimir Park. Trams 4 and 7 from elsewhere in the city and also stop near the park.

Entry

Tickets for the Zoo cost just 30 Kunas for adults, and 10 Kunas for children.

The Zoo is open 365 days of the year so, weather permitting, you can enjoy it any time of year! Do note that the Zoo has different opening hours at different times of the year – obviously, longer in spring/summer and shorter autumn/winter. For example, the zoo closes at 4pm November to January inclusive, whilst it stays open until 8pm May to August. The ticket office closes about a hour before the zoo does, so make sure you make it in time to buy a ticket.

Large scale map at Zagreb Zoo
A map of the grounds, soon after entry. We are visitor number 79 that day!

What to See and Do in Zagreb Zoo

You can explore and visit the animals in the Zoo taking a largely circular route past the many exhibits. Soon after you enter you’ll walk over a bridge to get to the main part of the zoo, passing by flamingos, storks and a funny collection of capybaras.

Zagreb Zoo - lynx
Can you spot the lynx? (in the middle of the picture, to the left)

On to the main part and there’s an insectarium and lemur island and an often snoozing but beautiful lynx. The Australian section – and its wallabies – follows before you make your way over to the European brown bear enclosure.

Zebras and tapirs follow, then pygmy hippos and some very interesting exhibits in the Twilight Zone (nocturnal animals) and Tropical House buildings, including assorted reptiles and crocodiles!

Zagreb Zoo - Zebras
Zebras in a nice open enclosure
Crocodiles in Zagreb Zoo
Crocodiles in the Tropical House

The Monkey Pavillion and its chimpanzees brings you to the zoo’s restaurant, right next to the playful sea lions. Swing by the wolves before heading into the petting zoo where you can indeed stroke some of the animals such as goats.

Next you’ll see bison and camels and a large enclosed aviary before coming to probably the premier exhibit – the gorgeous lions. Nearby is also a very cute and playful red panda that is definitely worth watching for a bit!

Zagreb Zoo - Lions
The lion enclosure
Lion and lioness in Zagreb Zoo

Playgrounds

As you wind your way around, you’ll also encounter a decent number of children’s play areas which – depending on the age of your child – may delight them more than the animals!

Talks and Animals Feedings

Some days of the weeks see talks and public animal feedings take place for a number of animals in the zoo. You can see the timetable of this here, or check when entering the zoo.

Historical sights in Zagreb Zoo

The Zoo first opened in 1925 so there are a number of older structures dotted about – including a small tower (which you can climb up) just after the main entrance.

Eating in Zagreb Zoo

There is a restaurant on site called “Kod morskog lava” (which means “By the sea lion”…for the restaurant is indeed next to the sea lion enclosure. The restaurant serves traditional continental Croatian fare – think soups, Schnitzel-type meats with accompanying veg side dishes and tasty desserts.

There is also a very reasonably priced kids menu; for about 30-40 Kunas there are different ‘packages’ which contain a main, a side (usually chips) and a drink. (The more expensive ones also include a dessert.)

There are also numerous snack carts dotted around Zagreb Zoo from which you can grab a snack (ice cream, no doubt, for the kids!) or a drink.

Kod morskog lava restaurant
The sea lion enclosure (they’re in there, somewhere!) next to Kod morskog lava restaurant

Shopping

There is a cute little gift shop located not too far from the entrance that has a nice range of animal-themed gifts – soft toys, books, jewellery and other assorted knick knacks. Any kids in your group will probably find it hard to resist the soft toys…

Our verdict

Zagreb Zoo is definitely a wonderful way to spend a few hours in this city, whether you’re an animal lover or if you’re visiting with kids. The Zoo isn’t particularly big, but that’s perhaps best as some larger zoos can be quite exhausting to visit or are a full day experience. There are are also very modern facilities and amenities (toilets!) that add to the whole experience.

All the exhibits in the zoo are very interesting, and most of the animals seem well kept indeed – it certainly looks like a considerable amount of money has been invested in the zoo, and the recent modernisation programme has really helped.

I did think the sea lions’ enclosure was a little on the small side, however, and unfortunately it looked like the chimpanzees had learnt to sit, arms outstretched, begging for food from passers-by – I did hope that the ‘no feeding’ signs could be enforced a bit better.

But, all in all, I’d definitely recommend visiting Zagreb Zoo!

More information

Full details on visiting the zoo can be found on the official website.