Day trip · North of Zagreb
The green hills north of Zagreb: Trakošćan Castle, the Krapina Neanderthal Museum, the old village of Kumrovec, baroque Varaždin, and the cream cakes of Samobor.
Day trip feature
North of Zagreb, castles crown green hills, a museum tells the story of the Neanderthals, and baroque Varaždin recalls its days as Croatia’s capital.
Visit Trakošćan Castle above its lake, explore baroque Varaždin, and stop in Samobor for a slice of kremšnita.
Read the full back story below, then plan your trip.
The back story
Green hills, castles, Neanderthals and a baroque capital: the story of the countryside north of Zagreb.
A castle above a lake
A romantic hilltop castle above a lake in Zagorje, with furnished rooms and a park.
Trakošćan 4Explore View on map
A baroque former capital
A beautifully preserved baroque town, once Croatia’s capital, with an old castle surrounded by moats.
Šetalište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera 1Explore View on map
Prehistoric Croatia
A modern museum beside one of the world’s richest Neanderthal sites.
An old Zagorje village
An open-air museum of traditional houses and crafts in the village of Kumrovec.
Cream cake and charm
A charming small town west of Zagreb, famous for its main square and its kremšnita cream cake.
Best by car
Zagorje is best explored by car; trains and buses run to Varaždin, and buses to Samobor.
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