Zagreb Travel Guide

Getting There By Air

Zagreb Airport (ZAG)
Tel: (01) 626 5222.
Website: www.zagreb-airport.hr

Zagreb airport lies at Pleso, 17km (10.5 miles) from the city center.

Airport facilities include three bars, a restaurant, a duty-free shop, a bank, post office, and car hire companies. There is also a Business-Class Lounge with satellite TV, international newspapers, a card phone, a fax machine and photocopier. Pleso Prijevoz (tel: (01) 633 1982; website: www.plesoprijevoz.hr) operates a regular shuttle bus between the airport and the city center. Taxi services are also available.

Getting There By Road

Traffic in Zagreb drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18. In built-up areas the speed limit is generally 50kph (30mph), outside built-up areas 90kph (56mph), 110kph (68mph) on expressways and 130kph (80mph) on motorways. An International Driving License and a minimum of third-party insurance are required to drive in Croatia. The Hrvatski Autoklub is the main automobile association in Croatia (tel: (01) 464 0800; www.hak.hr).

Emergency breakdown services
Hrvatski Autoklub (tel: 987).

Routes to the city
The A1 motorway runs from Split to Zagreb, finally providing a fast, direct route from Dalmatia to the capital; work on an extension to Dubrovnik is underway. At present, only sections have been finished and the final completion date (currently expected to be sometime between 2011 and 2012) has repeatedly been pushed back. Other motorways running to Zagreb include the A2 from Maribor in Slovenia; the A3, which connects the Slovenian capital Ljubljana with the Serbian capital Belgrade, passing through Zagreb en route; the A4 from Budapest in Hungary; and the A6 from Rijeka on the Croatian coast.

Driving times to the city
From Split – 3 hours 30 minutes; Rijeka - 2 hours; Maribor – 1 hour; Ljubljana – 2 hours 30 minutes; Budapest – 3 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services
The main bus station in Zagreb is located 20 minutes' walk from the main square at Avenija Marina Držića. Countless long-distance bus services run to destinations throughout the country including Rijeka, Split, Dubrovnik and Osijek. Operators include Croatia Bus (tel: (01) 235 2333; www.croatiabus.hr). International services include daily coaches to Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. In addition, Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8181, in the UK only; www.eurolines.com) operates a weekly coach service from London Victoria to Zagreb.

Getting There By Rail

Zagreb's main station, Glavni Kolodvor, lies at Trg Kralja Tomislava 12, just a 10-minute walk from the main square.

Rail Services
There are several trains per day connecting Zagreb with the major cities of Rijeka, Osijek and Split, plus regular local services from towns in the surrounding region. Daily international services arrive from Ljubljana, Venice, Budapest, Munich, Vienna and Belgrade. For international services call (01) 378 2532.

Rail Operators
The Croatian railway service is run by Hrvatske Željeznice (HZ) (tel: 0603 33444; www.hznet.hr).

Connections
From Rijeka – 4 hours; Osijek – 5 hours; Split – 6 hours. From Ljubljana – 2 hours 30 minutes; Venice – 7 hours; Budapest – 6 hours 30 minutes; Munich – 8 hours 30 minutes; Vienna – 5 hours 30 minutes; Belgrade – 6 hours 30 minutes.

Getting Around in Zagreb, Croatia

Public Transport

Zagreb is served by an extensive network of buses and trams which are operated by Zagreb Municipal Transit System (ZET) (tel: 0800 200 060, in Croatia only; www.zet.hr). The city center is compact and manageable on foot, but to reach the outlying suburbs, public transport is necessary. Regular bus and tram services operate through the day; at night, services are few and far between. Tickets, which are valid for 90 minutes and should be validated upon boarding, can be bought either from a kiosk or, at a slightly higher price, from the driver. A one-day ticket is also available, while the Zagreb Card pass offers 24 or 72 hours of unlimited travel on city public transport.

Taxis

It is possible to order a Radio Taxi (tel: 970). Alternatively, there are taxi ranks in front of the train and bus stations, near the main square and in front of the larger hotels.

Driving in the City

Zagreb is quite easy to drive around – the roads are wide and parking is ample and cheap. Street parking is relatively easy to find, though spaces can be harder to find in the after-work rush hour (1700-1900). Watch out for trams.

Car Hire

Budget (tel: (01) 455 4936; www.budget.hr); Dollar and Thrifty (tel: (01) 483 6466; www.subrosa.hr); Hertz (tel: (01) 484 6777; www.hertz.hr) and Sixt (tel: (01) 639 6020; www.e-sixt.com) all have offices in Zagreb.

Bicycle Hire

Very few people choose to ride bikes in the center of Zagreb, as the nicest part, Gornji Grad, is very steep and cobbled. Bicycle hire is available from the Eurobike Center, Martićeva 11 (tel: (01) 461 9778).