Getting to Zagreb, Croatia has never been easier, no matter how you plan to reach the country’s capital: by air, bus or train.
In today’s article, I am going to share a complete guide to getting to Zagreb, Croatia using your preferred means of transportation and share with you the main options that you have to get there, as well as everything else that you need to know.
Getting to Zagreb by plane
There are no direct flights to Croatia from the U.S., Canada, or Australia at the moment of writing this article, but Croatia Airlines, the national airline company, connects Zagreb with several major European hubs as well as other cities in Croatia.
To reach Zagreb from U.S, Canada or Australia you have to go through some European cities like London, Milan, Vienna, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Rome, Warsaw, Zurich.
The fact is that a very few low-cost carriers are flying to Zagreb. British Airways fly all year round from/to London Heathrow to Zagreb, but each year new companies launch routes to Croatia’s capital.
Sometimes it is time-consuming to compare all flights and options to get the cheapest one. I use the Skyscanner app to find the best deal possible on flights to anywhere in the world.
I recommend using it as well – or any similar service as there are many possible routes for you to take to get to Zagreb by plane.
New Terminal, Zagreb International Airport, Croatia
While the new terminal at the Zagreb International Airport is no longer that new – being completed a few years ago, after the old terminal was no longer able to meet the increasing number of passengers – you have a lot of options when it comes to getting from there to the city itself.
If you don’t want to take a taxi, you should know that the public transportation in Zagreb is really good and a viable option at a really low price.
Zagreb Croatia Air’s shuttle bus, operated by Pleso Prijevoz company, runs every 30 minutes from 5:30 AM to 8:30 PM from the airport to and from Zagreb’s main bus station for 30 kuna for a one way fare or 40 kuna for a return trip.
At the airport you can use also a taxi service. My advice is to ask in advance how much it will cost you, indicating your hotel address. Taxi fee for one way ride, usually goes from 150 to 250 Kuna ( 20 Euro to 33 Euro – 22 $ to 37 $) but it’s best to discuss this in advance in order to avoid getting scammed.
Getting to Zagreb by bus
Traveling to Zagreb by bus is definitely the best and the cheapest way. It’s not the fastest way but sometimes it’s the only way to move from place to place.
For example if you are trying to reach Zagreb from Split or Dubrovnik and you are not driving or hiring a car, nor flying , then you should definitely take the bus.
Croatia has invested a lot in building highways and the roads there are in a really good condition, so bus rides are very pleasant and fast. It’s my favorite means of transportation around the country, even though I normally prefer trains.
And with Zagreb being Croatia’s capital, you can imagine that you have connections to and from a lot of cities in the country. I would go as far as saying that it’s impossible not to find a bus from Zagreb to anywhere in Croatia (as long as it’s not an island, of course).
Zagreb is connected by bus with almost all international destinations as well. There are daily buses from Budapest, Ljubljana (Slovenia), Belgrade (Serbia),Vienna, Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Trieste (Italy).
You can travel to Zagreb by bus from London, where National Express keeps daily bus line to Zagreb. Flix Bus connects Zagreb with almost all European countries like Switzerland and Germany (Berlin, Hanover, Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and many smaller cities).
Zagreb Bus Station is the biggest and the most modern station in this area of Europe, but from an architectural point it is one of the most unsightly structures I have seen.
But I must confirm that the bus station is an efficient hub with restaurants, shops, a post office, and local connections to the city center. Plus, the prices are extremely low here!
A 24-hour garderoba (luggage storage ) charges 5 Kuna for the first four hours and 2.50 Kuna for each after. ATMs are located near the ticket office as well as an exchange that is open from 6am to 10pm daily.
Getting to Zagreb by train
Zagreb is quite well connected with Europe with regular trains. The main Zagreb train hub is the Glavni Kolodvor train station, facing the Kralja Tomislava Square, in the middle of the city’s green horseshoe park.
It was renovated in 2004 and is now a gorgeous 19th-century structure, once a stop on the legendary Orient Express (not active any more).
It is close to bus and tram connections to the city center, which is a 10-minute walk away, so located in a really good area. Zagreb is relatively small compared to other cities, so very walkable anyway.
A 24-hour luggage is available for 15kn per day (€ 2). A nice restaurant with a lovely terrace overlooks the park. There are ATM’s, exchange facilities, and an information center.
The station has two ticket counters, for the international connections and the local lines. You can pay for your ticket with cash or credit card.
As for connections with other countries, Zagreb has a truly scenic trip to Ljubljana (ticket price of around 10 Euros), but also to Vienna, Budapest, Graz, Munich, Zurich or Belgrade.
The Belgrade train, for example, goes even further, connecting Zagreb to Sofia or even Istanbul.
So, all in all, we can say that just like all bus lines lead to Zagreb, the same goes with the trains. We might not have as many options when it comes to flying, but if you prefer to ride a bus or a train, the options are virtually limitless.
And now that you know how to get to Zagreb, make sure you check out the city’s map and top things to see in Zagreb in order to make sure you don’t miss any important attraction.