Entry 18: Zoo and Zagreb

Last full day in Zagreb started with a nice hot breakfast at Jagerhorn and then a tram ride to Maksimir park which is also the location of the Zagreb zoo.

The zoo was clearly being upgraded so the entry cost of 20HRK was very reasonable …$4 each. We saw some amazing animals such as the Mara (a sort of walking rabbit) and a multitude of very colourful poison frogs.

The ape enclosure and the sea lion pool were very small, dirty and a bit depressing yet we think they have funds to improve these. Also because of the cold winter, some animals can only be seen in enclosed buildings.

It was great to see red pandas in the trees above just like you would see koalas in Australia. Michele was a bit anxious when the sleeping male lion was only a few metres away behind a sheet of glass. She did not want him to awaken.


We do recommend a visit to this zoo, using tram route 11, especially after the upgrades are complete. All up because of the time of year we probably shared the whole zoo with maybe 20 other visitors.

Coming back to Centar we wandered around trying to find a restaurant for lunch. That’s when we stumbled upon another impressive cathedral, Zagrebačka.

We stopped into the Ristoran Kathedral for lunch but it was one of those places that has too many dishes on the menu, with photos, which we should have known would be substandard with mediocre food and no wifi. Oh well, the dark beer was still good!

After lunch we did more sight seeing and found that there is a lot to see in this city and it is all easily accessed by foot. It was the longest we have been without wifi on this trip so we had to find a cafe to have another beer and connect to the world.

We walked to the upper town using the stairs directly behind the Jagerhorn rather than catching the funicular again. At the top of these stairs was the most amazing little outdoor bar connected to a restaurant which overlooked the city of Zagreb. We drank vodka while we marvelled at the vista around us as the sun set. Stunning!

Although we loved the Stari Fijaker we needed to find somewhere else for dinner. We walked for nearly an hour to find somewhere that we were happy to have dinner. There are a lot of places that offer western or Asian food but we wanted table service with local cuisine. We took a punt with a traditional pub and were pleasantly surprised.

Not only were the food and drinks great but the price was very cheap. This would be a nice place for lunch too! It seemed to be well patronised by locals (always a good sign). They actually brew their own beer!