General Information
Zagreb is a vibrant, walkable, and safe city. Even late at night, it is safe to walk around, which is handy since nightlife venues, such as bars, are often open until very late. (Why are they open late? To find out, you can read about the “party breaking” term that is commonly used in Croatia in this fun blog post).
Note that the main conference and workshops are in two different venues (see Venues for more information). The venues are a short 20-minute walk from each other. Moreover, there are tram stops really close to them, and tram #13 takes you back and forth (4 stops, around 15-20 minutes including walking).
Accomodation
While the main conference is in the Westin Hotel conference center, we do not have special room rates for attendees. Hence, each attendee should book accommodation as they see fit. Depending on your budget and preferences, options include hotels, hostels, and Airbnb.
Below are a few convenient hotels located near the venue.
Hotel Jägerhorn, an excellent 3* hotel in the strict Zagreb center, about a 15-minute walk to Hotel Westin
Hotel Dubrovnik, a 4* hotel in the strict Zagreb centre, located on the main square - “Trg Bana Jelačića”, about a 20-minute walk to Hotel Westin
Hotel Blue, a 4* hotel with reasonable prices, south of Zagreb center, about a 15-minute walk to Hotel Westin
Maistra City Vibes Zonar a modern 4* hotel, west of Zagreb center, about a 25-minute walk to Hotel Westin
Restaurants
We can recommend a few restaurants in the Zagreb center:
Restoran Vinodol - traditional and international dishes
Restoran Korčula - mostly traditional fish dishes
BioMania Zagreb - vegan & organic dishes
Gourmet Bar Basta - well-known for its pizzas
Public Transportation
Trams
Trams (and sometimes buses) are a convenient and cheap public transportation option for exploring the city. For more details, including how to purchase tickets, please see this link.
Taxi
Uber is available in Zagreb, and we recommend it as an easy and convenient way to get a taxi ride. There are many regular taxis as well; if using a regular taxi, you should make sure to ask about the rate/cost in advance before starting your ride. For regular taxis, about 30 EUR should be expected from the Airport to anywhere in the Zagreb center or vice versa.
Bikes
It is possible to rent a bike from several rental agencies, see, for example here In the last several years, there has been much improvement in bicycle lanes across the city. Still, for touring the strict Zagreb center and the old town, bikes are not recommended as there are almost no lanes and there are a lot of pedestrians around. So, the preferred method of transport around the center is by tram or on foot. For bike lanes throughout the city, please see this link
Arriving by Air
Flights should be made with the final destination listed as Zagreb International Airport (ZAG Franjo Tudman). This is the only international airport in Zagreb and is located about a 20-minute drive from Zagreb center (about 15 kilometers).
From the Zagreb Airport, there are several options to get to the city, including taxis, Uber, bus, or rent-a-car. Please see this link
The least expensive option is the bus, which will take you from the airport to the Zagreb Central Bus Station (Autobusni kolodvor Zagreb in Croatian: link) in about a 35-minute drive. The bus leaves every 30 minutes. You may take a taxi, Uber, or Tram to your destination from the Zagreb Central Bus Station.
Arriving by Train
If arriving by train, the main conference venue is just a short 20-minute walk from the main Zagreb train station (Glavni kolodvor in Croatian). Alternatively, there are trams too (#2, #4, #9) as well as taxis.
Things To Do and Experience
Experience Spica
Špica (pronounced as: shpizza) is a tradition in Zagreb, and other cities in Croatia, of slowly sipping coffee and people watching at or around the main square. Traditionally, one goes to špica on Saturday mornings, often after buying groceries at the local market (such as Dolac market next to the main square that is worth checking out), but really any nice sunny day after work or during lunch break works. Here is a longer read about špica in Zagreb
So, pick a nice day and go to the area around Zagreb’s main square to relax, have coffee and maybe a kremšnita (traditional dessert), and experience real Zagreb špica.
Walk around Upper Town
Zagreb Upper Town (Gornji grad) is the old part of the city situated on a hill above the main square (Trg Bana Josipa Jelacica). It offers beautiful views of the city, as well as numerous historical buildings and museums, such as Saint Mark’s church, Croatian parliament, Croatian Museum of Naive Art, etc.
Bakeries
Bakeries are everywhere in Zagreb. Apart from selling fresh bread, they typically also sell an assortment of fresh pastries, both sweet and savory. It is common for people in Zagreb to grab a quick breakfast or a late-night snack to-go from a local bakery.
Coffee
Cafes are everywhere in Zagreb, and many will open their patios in summer. While nowadays it is easy to get coffee to-go, traditionally, slowly enjoying coffee while relaxing, reading, or chatting with friends or colleagues is the way to go. This blog post nicely explains Croatian coffee culture, link here.
Hike up Sljeme
Sljeme is the local mountain you can see on the outskirts of Zagreb, and a favorite hiking and picnic area for locals. There is a cable car that goes to the top, which you can reach by tram (#14) and then a short bus ride. Or you can hike up and take that cable car down.
Food
Here is a good list of local dishes to try while in Zagreb, link here