Neighbourhood guide · Zagreb, Croatia
Upper Town
Medieval Gradec, on its hill above the city: St Mark’s Church, Lotrščak Tower, the Stone Gate, quiet lanes and museums.
About Upper Town
The Upper Town, Gornji Grad, grew from Gradec, a medieval royal free town on a hill. Its quiet lanes lead to St Mark’s Square, home of the Croatian Parliament and government, and to small museums and palaces.
Ride the funicular up from Ilica, hear the noon cannon at Lotrščak Tower, and walk Strossmayer Promenade for the view over the Lower Town.
Where Upper Town is
Our 11 places in Upper Town
Cafés in Upper Town
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A historic café
Palainovka
One of Zagreb’s oldest cafés, in the quiet Upper Town, with a terrace under the trees.
Bars in Upper Town
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An old-town classic
Pod Starim Krovovima
A traditional old bar on the edge of the Upper Town, beloved by locals for generations.
Ulica Đure Basaričeka 9Explore View on map
Sights in Upper Town
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A wartime shelter
Grič Tunnel
A tunnel built under the Upper Town in the Second World War as a shelter, now a cool walking shortcut and a venue for events.
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The noon cannon
Lotrščak Tower & the funicular
A 13th-century tower on the edge of the Upper Town, where a cannon is fired every day at noon, with one of the world’s shortest funiculars below.
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An award-winning museum
Museum of Broken Relationships
A museum of objects donated by people around the world from their past relationships, each with its story, in the Upper Town.
Ulica sv. Ćirila i Metoda 2Explore View on map
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The tiled roof
St Mark’s Church
The Gothic church of the Upper Town, famous for its roof of coloured tiles showing the coats of arms of Zagreb and the Kingdom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia.
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A candle-lit shrine
Stone Gate
The last surviving gate of the medieval Upper Town, now a shrine with a painting of the Virgin Mary that survived a great fire in 1731.
Kamenita ulica 3Explore View on map
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Views over the city
Strossmayer Promenade
A tree-lined promenade along the old walls of the Upper Town, with views over the rooftops of the Lower Town and a summer festival.
Culture in Upper Town
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Naïve art
Croatian Museum of Naïve Art
A museum of Croatian naïve art in the Upper Town, with the painters of the Hlebine school.
Ulica sv. Ćirila i Metoda 3Explore View on map
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Major exhibitions
Klovićevi dvori Gallery
A large gallery in a former Jesuit monastery in the Upper Town, hosting major exhibitions.
Jezuitski trg 4Explore View on map
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The story of Zagreb
Zagreb City Museum
The history of Zagreb, from its beginnings to today, in a former convent in the Upper Town.
Opatička ulica 20Explore View on map