Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Zagreb’ Category

Zagreb should soon attract more visitors as Easyjet has announced new routes to Croatia’s capital. Starting November 1, the low-cost carrier will fly four times weekly from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and will fly five times weekly from London Gatwick to Zagreb.

Germanwings, Wizz Air and Norwegian are other budget airlines that fly to Zagreb and Croatia Airlines, the country’s national airline also handles the routes from London and Paris but Easyjet’s entrance into the market should help drive down fares. That may not be good for Croatia Airlines which is already losing money but it will be good for Zagreb tourism and other sectors of the Croatian economy.

Just to recap, Easyjet already flies from Rome, Milan, Geneva, Paris Orly, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Liverpool and Berlin to Dubrovnik and from Split to Rome, Milan, Geneva, Basel, Paris, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Bristol, Amsterdam and Berlin.

See more on cheap flights to Zagreb and cheap flights to Croatia.

The gay and lesbian community in Croatia is preparing for the annual Pride Parade to be held on June 19 in Zagreb. The theme of this year’s parade is “Freedom of sexual expression and diversity of sexual practice”. Although there is certainly a lot of the latter in Croatia, the “freedom” part of the theme is a long way from being achieved. For historical and religious reasons, Croatia has long clung to rigid definitions of sexual identity which has disadvantaged the LGBT community. Discrimination is rampant and violent attacks on gays are not rare.

The Pride Parade has taken place yearly since 2002 and often draws angry and hateful crowds. This year may be no exception, particularly since a proposed constitutional change will protect sexual orientation. Introduced under pressure from the EU to bring Croatia’s human rights legislation into line with European standards, the proposed change has already provoked a public outcry.

The Pride Parade is the culmination of “Zagreb Pride” a series of local events celebrating LGBT identity and agitating for political change. This year’s schedule includes a roundtable with government representatives to discuss the proposed constitutional change. Despite this year’s slogan, “Croatia can swallow this”, it’s not at all clear that it can.

See more on Zagreb Pride and on gay travel in Croatia.

Taxis in Zagreb are among the most expensive in Europe; the meter drops at 19 kuna (almost 3 euros). That should change soon.

Taxi Cammeo has long operated in Rijeka, offering a five km trip for only 20 kuna, and now the company plans to move in on the Zagreb market.

“How can this work?” say irate taxi drivers in Zagreb. They claim that there are already too many taxis for too few people. True, but maybe that’s because Zagreb taxis are TOO EXPENSIVE for the average Croatian!

The company faced substantial hurdles in entering the protected Zagreb market but finally succeeded in overcoming opposition. On October 1 the new taxi fleet will be navigating Zagreb streets.

See more on Zagreb transport.

I don’t know about you but I find it reassuring to be able to hit the tourist office as soon as I arrive in my destination. Maps, hotel bookings, general orientation: there’s always plenty of enlightenment to be found in a tourist office.

Now flight-born visitors to Zagreb can enjoy the same convenience. The Zagreb tourist office has just opened a branch at Zagreb Airport. The working hours are:
Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; Sat and Sun 10am-4pm

The tourist office publishes several helpful brochures and also distributes a free street map of Zagreb.

It’s been a long time in the making, but finally “The Beautiful and the Damned” is ready to begin filming. Keira Knightly will play wildwoman Zelda Fitzgerald in this pic based on F Scott Fitzgerald’s life. Rumours are that Leonardo di Caprio will play F Scott.

Croatians are excited that portions of the film will be shot in Zagreb and Opatija. Were the Fitzgeralds ever in Croatia? Dear readers, I don’t think so. So I wonder which European cities Zagreb and Opatija will represent? My bet is Paris and Nice. The Fitzgeralds did spend a fair amount of time boozing it up in Paris and also spent some time on the Cote d’Azur. Opatija is often called “Croatia’s Nice” for the dramatic coastal scenery. Architecturally, the towns aren’t dissimilar as Opatija’s architecture dates from the late 19th-century Austrians who took the waters there while Nice was a seaside favorite of 19th-century Brits who left a strong architectural imprint. Getting Zagreb to pass as Paris could be tougher. With clever camera angles and lighting, I suppose that certain streets in Zagreb’s medieval Upper Town could suggest Paris’ Left Bank.

Shooting is scheduled to begin this spring and should shed a well-deserved spotlight on two of Croatia’s most underrated destinations: Zagreb and Opatija.