Museums · Zagreb · Croatia
4 best museums in Zagreb
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0
Quick answer
Start with Museum of Broken Relationships, Technical Museum Nikola Tesla and Museum of Contemporary Art. Together the 4 picks below take roughly 6–6 hours across 4 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 4
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 6–6 hours
- Areas
- Gornji Grad (Upper Town), Trešnjevka and Novi Zagreb
Museums in Zagreb
Museum · Gornji Grad (Upper Town)
1.Museum of Broken Relationships
Founded by two Zagreb artists after their own break-up, the museum displays everyday objects donated by people around the world, each with a short story of a relationship that ended.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Rainy day
- Couples
- Art
Museum · Trešnjevka
2.Technical Museum Nikola Tesla
A large hangar-like museum packed with old trams, aircraft, fire engines and cars, a replica mine and a demonstration room devoted to the inventor Nikola Tesla, who was born in Croatia.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Gallery · Novi Zagreb
3.Museum of Contemporary Art
Croatia's largest modern museum building, opened in 2009 in Novi Zagreb, displays Croatian and international art from the 1950s onwards.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Architecture
Museum · Donji Grad (Lower Town)
4.Museum of Illusions
The original Museum of Illusions, opened on Ilica in 2015 before the concept spread worldwide, is a small, hands-on collection of optical illusions, tilted rooms and puzzles.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Gornji Grad (Upper Town) | Museum of Broken Relationships | 1 hour |
| Trešnjevka | Technical Museum Nikola Tesla | 2 hours |
| Novi Zagreb | Museum of Contemporary Art | 1.5–2 hours |
| Donji Grad (Lower Town) | Museum of Illusions | 1 hour |
Booking and timing
Of these 4, 2 low cost, 2 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Technical Museum Nikola Tesla; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 2 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Gornji Grad (Upper Town) and Trešnjevka): Museum of Broken Relationships → Technical Museum Nikola Tesla, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Novi Zagreb and Donji Grad (Lower Town)): Museum of Contemporary Art → Museum of Illusions, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 9 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold and quiet, with low hotel prices and carnival celebrations in some neighbourhoods and nearby towns.
- January: highs of 4°C (39°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. The coldest month, often grey and foggy with occasional snow; Advent ends in early January and the city goes quiet.
- August: highs of 28°C (82°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. The quietest month in the city, with many locals on holiday; some restaurants close for a week or two.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Gornji Grad (Upper Town) — Medieval hilltop of gas lamps, government palaces and St Mark's Square
- Donji Grad (Lower Town) — Grand Habsburg squares, the Green Horseshoe parks and the main station
- Trešnjevka — Residential district with a big local market and good-value apartments
- Novi Zagreb — Socialist-era districts south of the Sava with modern art and big parks
More of Zagreb
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Zagreb?
Museum of Broken Relationships. Founded by two Zagreb artists after their own break-up, the museum displays everyday objects donated by people around the world, each with a short story of a relationship that ended.