Majority of travelers that visit Zagreb and that have intention to use it as a starting point during their travel in Croatia, do not take their time to visit the north of the country. Yet, I hear time and again from those who actually do make the effort to visit it, how amazing is that part of Croatia, and that they will recommend it to all their friends and relatives. So why you should consider visiting Northern Croatia? First of all it is a large part that encompass three counties (Varaždin county, Međimurje county, and the Krapina-Zagorje county). The landscape in the north consists of hills and mounts, covered with lush vegetation, vineyards, and in between them are large and small valleys of meadows, agricultural fields, and forests. Driving through this region you will see old houses made of natural material, and the entire environment will make you feel as if you passed through some kind of a crack in time. Furthermore if you stop somewhere in such area and start walking through one of its many meadows and forests, do not be surprised if you see a deer or some other harmless forest animal that will be curious about your visit. In the region of North Croatia you could take a break in one of the local restaurants and have a thorough local experience, as often such restaurants are family based located inside a house where the host family lives, and often time the meal would be prepared by the ‘gramma’ of the family or someone of the same position who has a long history in cooking local traditional food. This experience provides an insight to cultural explorers into personality and mentality of the people of the Northern Croatia and, if you are good observer of a human nature
Majority of travelers that visit Zagreb and that have intention to use it as a starting point during their travel in Croatia, do not take their time to visit the north of the country. Yet, I hear time and again from those who actually do make the effort to visit it, how amazing is that part of Croatia, and that they will recommend it to all their friends and relatives.
So why you should consider visiting Northern Croatia?
First of all it is a large part that encompass three counties (Varaždin county, Međimurje county, and the Krapina-Zagorje county). The landscape in the north consists of hills and mounts, covered with lush vegetation, vineyards, and in between them are large and small valleys of meadows, agricultural fields, and forests. Driving through this region you will see old houses made of natural material, and the entire environment will make you feel as if you passed through some kind of a crack in time. Furthermore if you stop somewhere in such area and start walking through one of its many meadows and forests, do not be surprised if you see a deer or some other harmless forest animal that will be curious about your visit.
Do you sometimes have enough of chaotic and rushed environment of many places that, albeit beautiful, are crowded with tourists? I know exactly how you feel. This is the reason why so many people search for a place which is of equal beauty, but not as touristy, or almost completely (or even fully) secluded. Even though Croatia is a small country, you will always be able to find vast amount of peaceful places to spend an hour or two, a few days, or even a week. As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon that European tourists who come to Croatia with their cars, see a beautiful environment, mostly as they travel to their holiday destination on the coast, and decide to stop there. Once there and look more into it, they recognize its beauty and calm, and change their primary destination to the one which they have just discovered. One of such example is a Swedish family who was fascinated by the Mreznica river close to Karlovac, and have decided to spend their holiday there. But there are many more hidden places in nature where you can relax, reflect, and recuperate your strength. In fact, every region of Croatia has certain natural characteristics that add to the overall beauty of the country: thick mountain forests and mountain meadows, flat and gentle sloped grass covered hills, hundreds of Mediterranean islands with their pine trees scent and the sea that dissolves any worry. Then there is a region coved with hills where the Alps start, with little towns that sits on top of many of them. And finally there are Dinaric Alps, the Velebit villages that remind of some far distant time that can evoke both perfect relaxation away from society, as well as sharpen the faculties of the mind.
Do you sometimes have enough of chaotic and rushed environment of many places that, albeit beautiful, are crowded with tourists? I know exactly how you feel. This is the reason why so many people search for a place which is of equal beauty, but not as touristy, or almost completely (or even fully) secluded. Even though Croatia is a small country, you will always be able to find vast amount of peaceful places to spend an hour or two, a few days, or even a week. As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon that European tourists who come to Croatia with their cars, see a beautiful environment, mostly as they travel to their holiday destination on the coast, and decide to stop there. Once there and look more into it, they recognize its beauty and calm, and change their primary destination to the one which they have just discovered. One of such example is a Swedish family who was fascinated by the Mreznica river close to Karlovac, and have decided to spend their holiday there.
But there are many more hidden places in nature where you can relax, reflect, and recuperate your strength. In fact, every region of Croatia has certain natural characteristics that add to the overall beauty of the country: thick mountain forests and mountain meadows, flat and gentle sloped grass covered hills, hundreds of Mediterranean islands with their pine trees scent and the sea that dissolves any worry. Then there is a region coved with hills where the Alps start, with little towns that sits on top of many of them. And finally there are Dinaric Alps, the Velebit villages that remind of some far distant time that can evoke both perfect relaxation away from society, as well as sharpen the faculties of the mind.
In short, there are many of such hidden spots in Croatia – beautiful gems that only locals can take you to, where you would feel fully recharged and inspired. These are the places where I like to go to.
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is definitely a city that stands out due to its uniqueness and all that is to see there. Often time when I guide visitors, they are stunned by its beauty. In a surprised manner they are telling me: "We have not expected this at all!". Certainly there is a special feel to the city, and the layout of its historical center, the pedestrian zones, the calmness and cleanliness, all of that leave a deep impression on visitors. I am not surprised anymore when they tell me, "we will definitely come back!". I like to guide walking tours (as well as by using public transport) of both downtown Zagreb and its wider area, so to bring visitors closer to the core of the city, to its history, culture, art, and the everyday living of the people of Zagreb. By doing this, visitors start to feel Zagreb in themselves, rather than just quickly passing through its streets. There is much to see in the area of historical center of Zagreb. Normally we start our tour from the Josip Jelacic square, which is also the main square of Zagreb, or even better, from King Tomislav square, situated next to the railway station. As we start our walk Northwards we go back in time, to the 19th century, when Lower Town was being built and when dozens of palaces arose, ornamenting the city with its beautiful shapes and facades, that tell us so much about the culture of the time. As we pass by some important buildings in the area we travel further back in time, discovering more about the history of Croatia and how the culture was shaped into what it is today. We observe the life flowing, and people going about their everyday bussiness. We see the
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, is definitely a city that stands out due to its uniqueness and all that is to see there. Often time when I guide visitors, they are stunned by its beauty. In a surprised manner they are telling me: “We have not expected this at all!”. Certainly there is a special feel to the city, and the layout of its historical center, the pedestrian zones, the calmness and cleanliness, all of that leave a deep impression on visitors. I am not surprised anymore when they tell me, “we will definitely come back!”.
I like to guide walking tours (as well as by using public transport) of both downtown Zagreb and its wider area, so to bring visitors closer to the core of the city, to its history, culture, art, and the everyday living of the people of Zagreb. By doing this, visitors start to feel Zagreb in themselves, rather than just quickly passing through its streets.
There is much to see in the area of historical center of Zagreb. Normally we start our tour from the Josip Jelacic square, which is also the main square of Zagreb, or even better, from King Tomislav square, situated next to the railway station. As we start our walk Northwards we go back in time, to the 19th century, when Lower Town was being built and when dozens of palaces arose, ornamenting the city with its beautiful shapes and facades, that tell us so much about the culture of the time. As we pass by some important buildings in the area we travel further back in time, discovering more about the history of Croatia and how the culture was shaped into what it is today. We observe the life flowing, and people going about their everyday bussiness. We see the past merged with the present.
