← Plitvice Lakes Marathon·3 nights

Zagreb: Upper Town, Dolac and the Broken Relationships

Three nights in Croatia's capital, with a funicular to the Upper Town, a daily produce market and a museum of broken relationships.

Duration3 nights
TransitArriva coach from the park, about 2 hours 30 minutes to Zagreb bus station
DepartsPlitvice Lakes National Park (Mukinje)

After the Plitvice Lakes Marathon: Zagreb

The Route: Mukinje → Zagreb (3 nights) → Zagreb Airport Logistics: One Arriva coach from the park to the bus station (about 2 hours 30 minutes), then trams and walking in the city, and an airport coach to finish. Marathon Month: June Duration: 3 nights

Mukinje ──(Arriva coach, about 2 hrs 30)──> Zagreb bus station
                                                    │
        Zagreb Airport (ZAG) ◄──(35-40 mins airport coach)

The Plitvice Lakes Marathon is run in early June from Mukinje inside the national park, so the way home is the same road as everyone else's: north to Zagreb. Taking the coach on Monday and staying three nights turns the transfer into a city break.

June in Zagreb: warm, with long days, and a good time to sit outside. Thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon.

The Arriva coach from Plitvice to Zagreb takes about 2 hours 30 minutes and arrives at the bus station, from which the centre is a short tram ride. Check the timetable at arriva.com.hr and buy a ticket for a departure after your hotel checkout.

Night One: Settle In

Spend the arrival afternoon doing very little. Zagreb's Lower Town is flat. Dolac market, Zagreb's main produce market, sits behind the main square, and the stalls change with the season. The covered fish and dairy sections are cool and shaded, which helps on a warm day.

The Upper Town is reachable by the funicular, a short ride of about 66 m that saves a stair climb entirely and is worth riding for its own sake. Check the current fare at the station.

Hotel Dubrovnik, at Ljudevita Gaja 1, is right on the Lower Town's edge and a few minutes from the square. A second option is the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, beside the main railway station. The bus station is a tram ride away.

Nights Two and Three: Museums and Pavements

The Museum of Broken Relationships, at Sv. Ćirila i Metoda 2 in the Upper Town, holds objects donated by people from around the world, each with a short text describing the end of a relationship. Entry is €9 for an adult. From 1 June to 30 September it is open daily from 09:00 to 22:00, and in winter it closes at 21:00. Allow an hour.

Tkalčićeva Street runs along a covered-over stream bed and is lined with cafés. It is paved and almost level, which suits legs that still dislike inclines.

Getting to Zagreb Airport (ZAG)

The airport coach from Zagreb bus station takes 35 to 40 minutes. Check the current timetable at the airport's website and leave margin for a Monday-morning or Friday-evening crowd.