Croatia is packed with well-known family destinations, from Plitvice Lakes and Hvar to Split and Dubrovnik, but Zagreb with kids was one of the biggest surprises of our trip. It was the starting point for our family trip to Croatia, and while we originally saw it mainly as a convenient place to begin, we quickly found there were plenty of worthwhile things to do in Zagreb as a family.
With colourful markets, pedestrian streets, historic squares and plenty of places to stop along the way, Zagreb was easy to explore with our young kids. Most of the sights we wanted to see were close enough together that we could spend the day walking through the city at a comfortable pace, with parks and open spaces giving the kids plenty of breaks from sightseeing.
We enjoyed Zagreb enough that it made our list of favourite family-friendly cities in Europe. In this post, we share the places we visited during our day in Zagreb with kids, along with our walking route, where we stayed and a few practical tips to help you plan your own visit.
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9 Things to do in Zagreb with Kids
We set out on our full day in Zagreb with kids with a Step-by-step walking tour booklet in my back pocket. We enjoyed every stop along our self-guided walking tour and can share the following 9 fun things to do with kids in Zagreb:
1. King Tomislav Square
Our first stop on our self-guided walking tour of Zagreb with kids was King Tomislav Square. This beautiful Zagreb square sits in the southeast corner of the Green Horseshoe, a series of parks arranged in the rough shape of a horseshoe.
We arrived at King Tomislav Square with our kids shortly after 7:30 am and practically had the place to ourselves. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the flowers were in bloom and the fountain was flowing.
King Tomislav Square was a beautiful start to our day in Zagreb with kids.
2. Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
From there, we continued north up the Green Horseshoe to Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square. Wow, what a pretty square!
Home to rows of towering trees, fountains and flower gardens, and a classy gazebo at its heart, Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square is a beautiful Zagreb park. In fact, it was our favorite square we visited during our walking tour of Zagreb with kids.
3. Zagreb Cathedral
Continuing north on our walking tour of Zagreb with kids, we entered the Upper Town in Ban Jelacic, the commercial heart of the city. Our next stop was the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is a beautiful neo-gothic church.
Adding an extra level of interest is the fact the Zagreb Cathedral is surrounded by defensive walls, which were built in the 1500’s to protect the Cathedral against the threat from the Ottoman Turks.
We visited Zagreb with our kids on a Sunday and we didn’t feel we were dressed appropriately, so we didn’t go inside.
Note: Zagreb Cathedral suffered significant damage in the 2020 earthquake and has undergone extensive restoration work.
4. Dolac Market
A few blocks later, we arrived at Dolac Market, Zagreb’s most famous open-air market. The first few stalls sold tourist trinkets, so we initially wondered if Dolac Market would be all that interesting. Then we reached the main market, which was busy with colourful fruit and vegetable stalls.
Our kids always love exploring markets and looking at the fun displays, so we spent some time walking through. The vendors at local markets are always so kind and friendly to kids, and Dolac Market in Zagreb was no different. The vibrant Dolac Market was one of our kids favourite things to do in Zagreb.
5. Tkalčićeva Street
Next up was a walk along Tkalčićeva Street, one of the most colourful streets in Zagreb. This pedestrian street is lined with colourful buildings, cafés and restaurant patios, and stopping for a coffee here is one of the most popular things to do in Zagreb. It was an easy, enjoyable place to explore with the kids while making our way through the city.
Our kids loved having the freedom to explore the pedestrian-only street, so they were a little bit crazy on Tkalčićeva Street. We decided that our two hyper kids wouldn’t sit still long enough for us to sit and enjoy a cappuccino, so we kept on walking.
6. St. Mark’s Church
Continuing our self-guided walking tour of Zagreb with our kids, we climbed a series of stairs to the Stone Gate, the only remaining Zagreb Old Town gate, on our way to St. Mark’s Square.
The roof tiles on St. Mark’s Church are so bright, colorful and amazing that even our kids noticed (and they never care about architecture). Seeing the colourful roof of St. Mark’s Church is one of our must-see sights in Zagreb.
7. Catherine’s Square
A few blocks south of St. Mark’s Church we found ourselves in Catherine’s Square, where we enjoyed a nice view of the Zagreb Lower Town from the deck right next to the upper funicular station.
It felt good to already be in Upper Town without much physical effort and without needing to take the funicular.
We walked down the path next to the funicular tracks to return to the Lower Town. We walked on Jurisiceva, Zagreb’s main commercial street for a few blocks, before turning off to Petar Preradovic Square. Zagreb has so many beautiful squares, and this was another one we enjoyed.
8. Croatian National Theatre
Our day in Zagreb was flying by, and we soon arrived back at the Green Horseshoe, this time at the square surrounding the Croatian National Theatre.
We finished our Zagreb walking tour a few blocks south in Marulic Square, in the south-west corner of the Green Horseshoe, home to the Croatian State Archives, which sounds boring, but it is a very nice building.
We walked approximately 3.7 miles (6 km) on our self-guided walking tour of Zagreb with kids. It wasn’t overly hard, with only one long set of stairs to contend with. Our 2- and 4-year-old kids were able to walk nearly all of it.
9. Mirogoj Cemetery
Having seen most of central Zagreb’s sights, we went a little further afield in the afternoon. We hopped on a local bus outside of the Zagreb Cathedral and 10 minutes later we arrived at Mirogoj, Zagreb’s main cemetery.
Yup, a cemetery with kids. But Mirogoj is no ordinary cemetery, in fact Mirogoj is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in all of Europe.
What attracted us to Mirogoj with our kids was not just the impressive architecture and the interesting, historical gravestones, but the trees. It was 29°C (84°F) that afternoon and the Mirogoj cemetery is home to rows upon rows of mature, towering trees, providing lots of shade.
Visiting Croatia with two small kids, we wanted to make sure they stayed out of the powerful midday sun as much as possible. We had a very enjoyable walk through the beautiful cemetery grounds and we would add Mirogoj to our list of must-see places in Zagreb, with kids or without.
Kid-Friendly Zagreb Tours
A fun and easy way to see most of the sights we visited in Zagreb with kids is to hire a guide for a 2.5 hour private walking tour. Alternatively, a four-hour walking & driving tour of Zagreb will allow you to see more, including the beautiful Mirogoj cemetery.
Where to Stay in Zagreb with Kids
Central Zagreb is the best place to stay in Zagreb with kids. It’s where the best restaurants, shopping and the majority of the things to do in Zagreb with kids are located.
We rented a three-bedroom condo about 10 minutes walk from Old Town Zagreb. We chose to stay at a vacation home rental as we enjoy the family-friendly amenities like separate bedrooms, a kitchen and laundry facilities. Plus, its location just outside Zagreb’s Old Town made it more affordable.
There are plenty of family-friendly vacation rentals in Zagreb on VRBO.
If hotels are more your style, we use Booking because its Top Picks for Families filter makes it easy to find family-friendly hotels in Zagreb.
Getting from Zagreb Airport to the City with Kids
Zagreb Airport is about 16–17 km from central Zagreb. When traveling with kids, it’s often difficult to find a way to get your kids safely from the airport to the hotel without car seats. Taxis and Ubers will not have car seats and taking an airport bus with kids is often very inconvenient.
If you are landing in Zagreb after a long flight and want the easy way into town, we recommend getting a private transfer with the Welcome Pickups service. We have used Welcome Pickups often while travelling through Europe with kids. We appreciate how our driver meets us at the airport and we can easily pre-book car seats. All this for about the same price as a normal taxi or Uber.
Is Zagreb With Kids Worth It?
We really enjoyed our one day visit to Zagreb with kids. We were really impressed with the city’s charm, sights and history. We’re glad we decided to stop in Zagreb on our European family holiday. We probably wouldn’t recommend much longer than one day in Zagreb with kids though…
Follow Along on our Croatia Family Holiday
After our really fun day in Zagreb with kids, we hopped on a bus from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park. We were super-excited to see Plitvice Lakes with our kids as it was one of our bucket list items. Visiting Plitvice Lakes with kids was amazing! See our 15 tips you need to know when visiting Plitvice Lakes with kids.
Read more about our European family vacation with stops in the Czech Republic with kids, Budapest with kids, Croatia with kids and a final stop in Iceland with kids.
Our Travel Journal for Kids
Based on our family travels, our kids helped us design this Travel Journal for Active Kids! This engaging travel journal encourages kids to document their adventures, spark creativity, and stay entertained on the go – grab yours now on Amazon!
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