One Day in Zagreb Croatia Layover Guide

We recently had a layover of less than 12 hours in Zagreb. Fortunately, Zagreb airport (ZAG) makes it easy to enjoy one day in Zagreb, even on a budget.

This post will cover Zagreb sightseeing options, public transportation for long airport layovers at ZAG, and our own Zagreb 1 Day Itinerary (which we did mid-December).

The drive into town typically takes less than half an hour, depending on traffic. If you have only a 4 – 6 hour layover, Uber is probably the wisest choice. If you have more time, the Croatia Airlines bus is the most economical.

You don’t need to be flying Croatia Airlines to take the bus. The ride typically takes about 30 minutes. At the airport, you’ll find the bus outside Arrivals on the ground level, toward the right side of the parking lot if your back is to the airport.

The bus costs 40 kuna for a same day round trip (otherwise, it’s 30 hrk per person each way). Tickets can be purchased from the bus driver in cash when you board the bus.

The bus makes short stops as requested on its way to the main bus station in Zagreb. When we went, the bus waited until 8am to depart, and it was about 90% full. There was road construction which set us back an extra 15 or 20 minutes. So we arrived at the final stop around 9am. The final destination is the main bus station, Autobusni Kolodvor, in central Zagreb.

There is no luggage storage in Zagreb airport, however, there is luggage storage at the bus station. From the point where the Croatia Airlines bus drops you off, you’ll need to go inside the bus station on the ground floor, near platform 106. The “Cloak Room” is open from 6am to 10pm. They charge 6 hrk per hour per piece for regular luggage or backpack. You will need to present a photo ID or passport to leave your items, then pay in cash when you return with your ticket.

From the bus station, you can walk into the city center, take another local bus, or get on a tram. Even though it was cold, we opted to walk the one mile from the bus station into the heart of Zagreb. 

Our Zagreb One Day Itinerary on a Budget

Our default “thing to do” in any town is simply walk around. So our Zagreb sightseeing was completely free and on foot!

From the bus station to Josipa Jurja Strossmayera Park, the walk is flat. The park is long from North to South, so we walked all the way through it heading North. This led us to the central plaza, Ban Josip Jelačić Square. (You can also arrive via tram 31 from the bus station.)

From the central square, you can continue up a small hill from the East end, heading North to the Zagreb Cathedral. Or from the West end of the square, head North to the outdoor market. A bit further Northwest is the St. Mark Church gate (Crkva svetog Marka) with a covered shrine to the Virgin Mary. Just a block or tow West of the shrine is the iconic St. Mark’s Church itself, with its colorful tile roof depicting medieval coats of arms.

The Strossmayerovo Promenade from the upper town overlooks the rooftops below. Following the promenade to either end and then down should let you off near one of the entrances to Tunel Grič. The tunnel was built as a bomb shelter in 1943, but now serves as an underground promenade. (When we went, it was creatively decorated for Advent!)

For food, we enjoyed some local treats from the Advent festival booths (highly recommend the fresh fritule donuts with nutella). We were in the mood for kebabs, and the centrally located Kebab House Rubelj did not let us down.

More of What to Do in Zagreb

There are plenty more great shops, museums, and parks which you can explore on foot in the town center.

Other Zagreb attractions include: Tkalciceva Street, Lotrscak tower, Stone gate (Kamenita vrata), the Museum of Broken Relationships, Stross promenade, the Mestrovic Atelier, Cvjetni Trg (Flower’s Square), and the Klovicevi Dvori gallery.