Above all, Zagreb has become a mecca for relaxed urban strollers rather than visitors with a must-do agenda. People come here in order to go with die local flow rather than adopt a show-me-the-way-to-the-National-Museum approach to doing the sights. And while we’re on die subject of national, everything-under-one-roof museums, it’s probably worth pointing out that Zagreb doesn’t currently have one. What it does have is a unique Museum of Broken Relationships, a revelatory Museum of Contemporary Art, and some of the best street murals in Europe.
One of die biggest surprises of recent years has been the huge increase in South Korean visitors, largely brought about by the use of Zagreb in the South-Korean reality TV show ‘Sisters Over Flowers’. The show involved a group of well known Korean mid-career actresses on a backpacking trip through Croatia – the idea being that these hitherto somewhat mollycoddled prima donnas have to survive the experience of travelling on a backpacker budget. Zagreb’s easy-going welcome charmed die socks off the show’s participants, and a tourist stampede ensued: just under 15,000 South Koreans visited Zagreb in 2013; 46,000 came in the first half of 2014 alone.
Zagreb’s increasingly cosmopolitan atmosphere also stretches to the food. While traditional restaurants are still going strong, conserving the best of Croatia’s grilled-meat and fresh-fish repertoire, there’s a new spirit of experimentation in culinary circles, and a growing awareness that quick lunches and quality fast-food are just as important to gourmet travellers as the traditional slap-up meals. Not only can you eat well but you can eat as slowly or quickly as you like, with a new breed of bistro eateries eminently capable of running on several gears at once. What with all these new bars and bistros around, Zagreb’s central pedestrianised strips are busier than ever, with gaggles of al-fresco drinkers and promenading strollers. Even in winter, a combination of awnings and outdoor heaters keep this outdoor eating and drinking scene alive.
Indeed, Zagreb can increasingly claim to be a city for all seasons. Spring is like one long arts festival, with literature, dance, animation and design-related happenings overlapping each other to such an extent that the local culture crowd are continually scratching their heads over which event they should actually be attending. Winter has been totally turned upside down by the transformation of Zagreb’s Advent season from a traditional mulled-wine-and-sausages affair to a month-long street party – it’s the nearest thing you’ll find to apres-ski without going anywhere near the pistes.
