For couples · Zagreb · Croatia
Romantic things to do in Zagreb
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Myriam Thyes, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Zagreb is a gentle, unhurried city for couples: gas-lit lanes in the Upper Town, long coffees on café terraces and Advent evenings with mulled wine under the lights. Couples tend to stay in Gornji Grad (Upper Town).
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 2
- Area for couples
- Gornji Grad (Upper Town)
- Best months
- May–June and September–October
Romantic ideas
1.Sunset on Strossmayer Promenade
Watch the sun go down over the Lower Town roofs from the old walls, then dine in the Upper Town.
2.The gas-lamp lighting
At dusk, lamplighters still light the Upper Town's gas street lamps by hand.
3.Museum of Broken Relationships
An unusual, moving visit that sparks conversation for the rest of the evening.
4.Advent evening
Share mulled wine and fritule among the lights of Zrinjevac and the Upper Town in December.
5.Zagorje castles
Drive to Trakošćan for a lakeside walk and a long lunch at a country inn.
Sights couples love
Museum · Gornji Grad (Upper Town)
Museum of Broken Relationships
Allow time to read the stories; it is small but takes longer than you expect.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Rainy day
- Couples
- Art
Viewpoint · Gornji Grad (Upper Town)
Strossmayer Promenade
Come at sunset with a drink from the summer bar, or in December when it becomes one of the most atmospheric Advent locations.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- After dark
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for couples, quiet stays and culture
Gornji Grad (Upper Town)
The Upper Town, the old royal free town of Gradec, has cobbled lanes lined with Baroque palaces, the Croatian Parliament and government buildings around St Mark's Square, and small museums. Its gas street lamps are still lit by hand each evening. It is quiet at night and a few minutes by funicular or stairs from Ilica and Ban Jelačić Square.
- Good
- Historic and peaceful; City views from the promenade; Walkable to everything
- Watch out
- Few hotels, mostly apartments; Steep cobbled streets
- Nearby
- St Mark's Church, Stone Gate, Museum of Broken Relationships, Strossmayer Promenade
Romantic day trips
- Plitvice Lakes National Park (About 2–2.5 hours by bus or car) — Croatia's best-known national park has 16 terraced lakes linked by waterfalls and wooden boardwalks, listed by UNESCO since 1979.
- Varaždin (About 1–1.5 hours by car, bus or train) — Croatia's Baroque former capital has a moated castle, palaces and an elegant cemetery with sculpted hedges.
- Trakošćan Castle (About 1.5 hours by car) — A romantic hilltop castle above a lake in the Zagorje hills, with furnished rooms and a lakeside walking path.
- Ljubljana (About 2–2.5 hours by bus or train) — Slovenia's compact capital has a car-free old town on the Ljubljanica river, Plečnik's bridges and a hilltop castle.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Štrukli, Zagreb schnitzel and Turkey with mlinci. Smoking is allowed on many café terraces.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Zagreb romantic?
Zagreb is a gentle, unhurried city for couples: gas-lit lanes in the Upper Town, long coffees on café terraces and Advent evenings with mulled wine under the lights.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Zagreb?
Sunset on Strossmayer Promenade: Watch the sun go down over the Lower Town roofs from the old walls, then dine in the Upper Town.
+Where should couples stay in Zagreb?
Gornji Grad (Upper Town): Medieval hilltop of gas lamps, government palaces and St Mark's Square.