Parks
Zrinjevac Park
the park of the Academy connecting the Zrinjevac and Tomislav parks.
Other city parks are connected in the "Lenuci Horseshoe", an unfinished project of combining small green squares and parks at the core of the center of the town.
Maksimir Park & Zagreb Zoo
The biggest park in Zagreb. Great place to chill out, drink coffee, eat lunch picnic or at the park's restaurant or take nice long walks through the forest or by the small lakes. Good for joggers, cyclists, also child and dog friendly. Offers lake rowing. The 85-year old zoo has red pandas.
King Tomislav square
Square of Maršal Tito
Botanical Gardens
The upper and lower towns
Strossmayer šetalište
eng. Strossmayer's walkway In the summer, it is an outdoor scene for painters, musicians and other artists offering food, drinks, performances and concerts. Popular meeting place for all ages, with a great view of the Lower Town.
Old Town Gate
now a shrine to virgin Mary - the "Kamenita vrata" where you can light a candle and, as the locals believe, your wish will be granted. Please be silent, even if just passing through the Gate. The portrait of Mary is said to be sacred, because it is the only thing that survived the large fire. Near the Old Town Gate is the sculpture of St. George having slain the dragon. The other statue, him fighting the dragon, is located on the Marshal Tito's Square near the Croatian National Theatre.
Gornji grad, Upper Town and Donji grad Lower Town are the cultural, religious, and commercial hubs of Zagreb. These are where most of the restaurants, bars and tourist sights are located. The Upper Town, which is the medieval core of the city, developed as two separate and often warring towns - Kaptol, the seat of the Bishop where the imposing Cathedral now stands, and Gradec, the free town where tradesmen and artisans lived proclaimed by King Bela of Hungary in the 12th century merged in the 1770s to form the northern section of historic Zagreb. Following this, the city expanded south of today's Trg Bana Josipa Jelacica Jelacic Square to the railway station and the Sava River.
Lakes
Bundek
hosts horticultural shows, firework festivals, workshops, concerts and music festivals mostly during the summer.
Jarun
Jarun Lake is a recreational area based around a large lake where locals go to relax, exercise - and party! The centerpiece of the area is the actual lake itself, which is used for windsurfing and has a large rowing section with spectator stands. There are also shingle beaches surrounding the water, alongside which are several bars that get very busy during the weekends but are also nice for a sunny lunchtime snack. All the bars there are considered 'fancy' places and usually play commercial music.
Zagreb has two very popular lakes:
medvenica and medvedgrad
The imposing mountain overlooking Zagreb Medvednica contains a preserved fortress Medvedgrad and fascinating views of the city. Being respectful in the fort is a good idea, since it is the site of the Altar of the Homeland memorial, dedicated to Croatian soldiers who died in the Homeland war. There are several historical festivals during the year, including knights tournaments.
The gree jewel of a mountain Medvednica is over 1000m high covers a large area with many excellent hiking and biking routes. Since Zagreb is at roughly 120 m, it is quite a climb.
There are many small restaurants, mountain grills and cafes at the top of the mountain, open until early evening. In the early and late summer it can be crowded in places, especially on weekends.
It is possible to take the bus up to the top, Sljeme, from the end of the Tram system at Mihaljevac. This bus replaces the gondola, although there are allegations that this will eventually be rebuilt. The bus takes a circular route and comes back to the same place. It take about 30 minutes up, less coming down. Many other buses serve small villages at the foot of the mountain where the mountain paths start/stop.
museums
Most museums and historical sights close at 1PM on Sundays and do not reopen until Tuesday.