(JULY2026) 2 years after, I stumbled to another Balkan adventure for summer and this time, I went to Croatia with a day trip in Slovenia. Croatia is mainly known for its pristine coasts this season but I opted to visit its capital as a first-timer. Similar to Slovenia’s Ljubljana, Zagreb is one of Europe’s underrated gems which I find suitable to visit for people who fancies short-term holidays. Likewise, I highly recommend this for solo travelers as well since both countries truly lived up to a very low crime rate. Hence, I had fun getting to know another central European culture!
Here's to share my 4-day itinerary to Zagreb and Ljubljana!
FLIGHT
Believe me that I’m somehow getting tired of flying from Stansted airport yet I don’t have much of a choice since Ryan Air is its flagship carrier so most of its flights fly from there. In spite that it’s known for cheap budget EU airfares, I booked this 2 months in advanced to avoid the peak summer season rates. The only thing that I can rant about this was about my delayed flight from Zagreb to London which made us standby for 3 hours! The terrible part was when we arrived by midnight in London, my journey going back to my flat was tough as I lived far from the airport so it pretty costed me a fortune in booking an Uber instead. I was asked to submit a claim but unfortunately, it was rejected. Bummer
WIFI & TRANSPORT
Download the Airalo app now then use my referral code: JULIA2362 to get £2.50 off on your first purchase!
I find it more convenient now that Airalo offers unlimited packages and if you’re travelling from one EU country to another, then it’s best to get the Euro E-sim to get you covered everywhere!
Whereas for transport, there were some occasions that I needed to take an Uber from my hotel as the area isn’t really walkable-friendly and it takes 15-20 minutes to reach the nearest tram stop. Though generally, the trams are favorably used when going around the city center. You can either pay directly to the driver or download the MOJ ZET app. With this transport app, you just need to scan the QR code when boarding then each transaction is valid for either 30 or 60 minutes! Apart from that, it costs less than a Euro per ride. In my case, I spent about €3 for my whole trip for public transport since I mostly walk once I got into the city centre.
HOTEL
I stayed at Hotel Orient Zagreb which I rated as 3 out of 5 stars. The single room I had was simple and has given enough space for me. There were no amenities included yet it was fair for the cheap price I paid here. The most pitfall of the hotel is its location; I honestly felt like I’ve checked-in to an airport hotel as it’s just a 10-15mins cab ride to the airport. And like I’ve said, I even need to take an Uber whenever I go back to the hotel at night for my own safety. Plus, there’s no nearest convenience store in the area so I either buy my stuff already at the city center or the hotel reception sells a bunch of items like bottled drinks/water, crisps and toiletries.
ITINERARY
Travelling to Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, on Summer can be ideal as it’s quiet and most people preferred to be in the coastal side of the country. At present, there are many under-construction sites at the town center caused by an earthquake during COVID; Thus, they are aiming to finish these in 5 years’ time. Nevertheless, it was still pleasant to look around the area whether you are at the lower town (the financial/commercial district) or upper town (the tourist district). I joined a free walking tour by Guru Walk to learn more about Zagreb and it was very informative and interesting.
Firstly, let me admire how Croatia has a high Catholic rate and there are a lot of Chapels that you can visit. Part of the under-construction establishments is the pink church and I can’t wait to visit this next time when it opens!
You can never leave Zagreb without having a photo at St Mark’s Church. This is also under construction yet its symbolic flag roof remains a sight to behold. Getting to know the history of the Croatian flag is very interesting as well like the checkered pattern symbolizes their king’s passion to play chess.
Additionally, the pattern is often seen in neckties which they are proud enough that they have invented this fashion piece.
St Mark’s Church is located at the very top of the upper town where the 12PM cannonball shot takes place. All the church bells around the town starts to chime at that time. And in this area, you can also visit the Museum of Broken Relationships.
It exhibits a collection of sentimental items with heartbreaking stories donated from around the world; It can be due to a break-up, a family separation or a death of a loved one. Though, I found some of the break-up tales interesting. It was such a cute museum and it’s one of the most recommended museums to visit in Zagreb!
Not to mention, Zagreb has a variety of random museums all over the city! It’s one of those activities that you can do to pass time. While on the other hand, you can stroll around Dolac Market for food and souvenirs or mainly just go to a bar/café and people-watch.
As for Croatian cuisine, there are 2 popular restaurants that I’ve tried as recommended by my tour guide.
Stari kotač 2—where I tried the cevapici which is similar to Romania’s mici. I just ordered 3 pieces of it (the minimum) with garlic bread and tasted very filling. To be fair, I felt like 1 piece of the sausage was enough for me already!
La Štruk-The zagorski štrukli is a certified must-try which is a hearty pastry meal filled with cottage cheese and its toppings can either be sweet or savory.
I had the apple cinnamon štrukli and I loved it! The serving comes with a small portion which I fully consumed—the combination of the apple cinnamon and cottage cheese is perfection.
A DAY IN PLITVICE LAKES
A lot of my friends told me not to miss going to this place and so, I booked a whole day tour which I do NOT regret! I’m not really fond of a hiking tour but this is beyond exception. It was 8 hours of a trail and despite the heat, I didn’t tire much because the lakeside views are incredibly stunning! This UNESCO World Heritage is a haven of emerald lakes.♡
A tour guide’s tip is to start the trail from Entrance 2 which is towards the Upper Lakes because it’s less crowded (probably because it takes a lot of ascending slopes too).
I was amazed on how the swamps and mini waterfalls glistened and I loved the color transition once you hit the route to the Lower Lakes.
An absolute 50 shades of Emerald Green. 💚
Another must-see from the Lower Lakes is the Great Waterfall. The perfect nature backdrop indeed.
It was a fun naturistic tour and if you’re keen to join this, make sure to bring water and expect a lot of walking. There’s only 1 food shop on top of the park which I didn’t really bother to buy besides the apple strudel; but besides that, they only sell cold sandwiches.
DAY TOUR IN SLOVENIA
One of the countries that you can visit by land from Zagreb is Slovenia and I’ve got to say, this went straight up to my top 5 favorite EU list! I have always wanted to go here eversince it was once featured in one of the episodes from “The Amazing Race”.
Ljubljana is quaint and such a dreamy capital—all for its pretty, colorful infrastructures and a peaceful vibe.♡ The city has a small population that you can even tour the main city for one whole day!
So I joined a whole day tour from Zagreb to Ljubljana via Pegasus Travel and our tour guide (Sarah) at that time was very accommodating and informative. Apart that we were given sufficient free time to look around the city, the tour also includes a short chocolate taste testing tour.
We had a chocolate gift as a token but with so much heat, it melted drastically so I wasn’t able to bring it back.🙂↕️ However, Slovenia has a variety of unique chocolate flavors which are commonly derived from dark chocolate and honey.
According from the tour, the Teran is their popular flavor which is liquor-based and another is a white chocolate with a chili aftertaste (the spice level is 6 for me!🌶️).
You should not miss trying out at least one Slovenian cuisine! Although it's quite similar to Croatian or other Eastern European dishes but it takes some time order so make sure to allot about 40mins-1hour if you chose to dine in on of the restaurants there. I tried a dish called Kranjska Klobasa which is a large sausage with mash and sour cabbage. It looks simple in a glance but it's too filling for me already.
Then after that, we went to the beautiful Lake Bled!! And just like my visit to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia, I was so stunned by this waterfront view. The dramatic landscape in the middle is surely something to be seen.♡
There are bars and a swimming area in the main part of the place yet, there are 3 activities that you can do here during Summer (this also depends how much time you stay here):
• Hike the Julian Alps/Ostrica
• Visit Bled Castle and catch a panoramic view of the island—a top choice for museum lovers
• Pletna boat ride going to Bled Island—which I chose and the whole activity took about 2hrs.
Even if I didn’t got that panoramic shot, the views going through Bled Island was incredible during the 25-30mins boat ride.
You can either swim, kayak along the lake shore or climb 99 steps to ring the church bell and make a wish. Though for me, I think the steps are already an offering to it.
Some shots from the top of Bled Island and I love it here. Indeed, this has been a wonderful summer nature experience.♡
And that’s wrap of my adventure during the peak of summer. I would surely visit another part of Croatia someday and I’d loved to return to Slovenia!
If I was to give a short life update of myself, it’s the fact that I’ve been attending premiere events in London and I’ve just been to my 4th Scandinavian country which will be my next (and sweet) entry soon!😉♡
‘til then!
