48 hours: Zagreb

Published on 09/07/2012 00:00

A quick tour of the Croatian capital

Friday, 2pm Check into the Hotel Dubrovnik (Rooms from £80, www.hotel-dubrovnik.hr), bang on the city’s main square, Trg Bana Jelacica. This four-star hotel boasts free wi-fi and tables outside where you can try a heart-starting bijela kava (latte).

3pm Take the funicular to the cobbled Upper Town, where the remarkable tiled roof St Mark’s Church awaits. The brilliant new Museum of Broken Relationships (irilometodska 2, tel: [phone]) is an intriguing stop.

8pm Both Croatian food and wines are seriously underrated. Find out why at Vinodol (Teslina 10, tel: [phone]).

10pm The locals love to pose and the place to strut is on historic Tkalciceva. Dozens of cafes line this pedestrianised strip, with Cica (Tkalciceva 18) a bohemian haunt with charmingly distressed décor.

Saturday, 9am Head for the delightful city market, Dolac. Old ladies sell their fresh cheese and fruit in a scene as far from EU hegemony as you can imagine.

1pm Explore The Horseshoe, the green lung of parks that sweeps around the Lower Town, which is also dotted with more museums and galleries, with cafes on hand for lunch.

3pm Croatia invented the tie (the word cravat comes from a French take on Croat) and you can stock up on fine silky ones at Croata (Kaptol 13, tel: [phone]).

9pm Arguably the finest restaurant in town is Zinfandel’s (Mihanoviceva 1, tel: [phone]) at the stately Regent Esplanade. New Croatian cuisine is on offer on a menu bursting with creativity, not to mention stunning Croatian wines.

Sunday, 10am Spend the morning like the locals – chilling in a café, this time on the ever popular Flower Square.

Robin McKelvie

THE FACTS Return flights to Zagreb from London Gatwick with easyJet (www.easyjet.com) are available from £70 return. Connections with easyJet to Gatwick are available from Edinburgh and Glasgow.