I only have half a day here at the capital city of Croatia so I wasted little time after checking in. While I admit Zagreb did not wow me the way Dubrovnik and Plitvice Lakes did, I do like the nice-looking buildings, very walkable streets, Ban Jelacic Square, Zagreb Cathedral, St Mark’s Church and the lively atmosphere at night.

Itâ€s also easy to move around the buzzing city of Zagreb with clear signs pointing to various points of interest.

It seems that most of the important buildings in Zagreb are painted in yellow.

The streets leading to Ban Jelacic Square were not overly crowded which is nice.

There was a crowd gathering around the square along with the presence of media and police. I suppose there must be some VIPs here but since I wonâ€t recognize any of them, I just continue to Zagreb Cathedral.

Zagreb Cathedral

Zagreb Cathedral or Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is indeed one splendid architectural sight, famous for its two tall spires reaching for the sky. It is also surrounded by some medieval-looking walls and forts which makes it different from other Cathedrals.

The nice looking St Maryâ€s Column is just right in front of the Cathedral.

St Markâ€s Church

Next up is St Markâ€s Church at the cobblestone streets of Upper Town. The brightly coloured tile roof bearing the coats of arms is hard to miss and itâ€s also one of the oldest buildings in Zagreb. Surrounding the Church are important Government buildings, Parliament and courts.

Agava Restaurant

My tummy was already protesting while I was exploring the Upper Town. Dinner was at the highly acclaimed Agava Restaurant and I cannot praise the place enough. The tasty good food is one thing but the exceptional service provided by the staffs here is another, very attentive and efficient. I only wish that the food had come in a bigger serving portion.

At night time, the city literally burst into life, with local crowds filling the streets, restaurants and bars. Itâ€s really nice to experience its city vibes.

As to the comment of Zagreb being a boring place, itâ€s each of their own since everybody will have different travel styles and preferences. I enjoyed my short stay here and feels that a city can never be boring if you take the time and effort to explore what it can offer.

STAY: Arcotel Allegra Zagreb Hotel review

I have chosen to stay a night at Arcotel Allegra Zagreb Hotel because itâ€s near to both Train Station and Bus Station. Most attractions are within 15-20 min walk so thatâ€s another plus for me. It was a pleasant stay with friendly staffs and comfortable decent-sized room. But I suppose itâ€s best to ask for rooms which are not facing the main roads and train tracks. Other than that, I will not hesitate to stay here again.

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To be exact, a flight followed by two bus rides. I reached Zagreb Airport via Croatia Airlines, onwards to Zagreb Main Bus Station and finally to Plitvice Lakes.

I bought the bus ticket from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes.

I was overjoyed to see the bus stop! If you are unsure of where to alight, do inform the bus driver of your destination upon boarding the bus. As it was getting late, I decided to recharge at Plitvice Hotel and be among the first to visit the park during the early morning.

Woke up much early than usual and was in the park before the official opening time. Psst, I did look for the park ranger to buy my ticket at Plitvice Lakes entrance but none of them was around, which means err… ahem ahem free ahem…

Plitvice Lakes National Park is divided into Upper and Lower Lakes with two entrances leading into the park. Entrance 1 is nearest to the Lower Lakes while Entrance 2 is somewhat in the middle of both lake sections and nearest to Hotel Plitvice. I headed towards Lower Lakes nearest to Entrance 1 first, thinking it would get crowded later half of the morning since itâ€s so accessible.

Normally, I would be able to hop on to the electric boats to save me some walking. But since I am that early, none of the boats is running yet. In exchange, I get up close and personal with Mother Nature while trying to shed some excess weight on my body LOL.

The Lower Lakes of Plitvice

The slow walk to the lower lakes was a wonderful experience – very serene and picturesque surrounding. There wasnâ€t anyone else in the park…itâ€s almost like having the whole nature park to myself, although I was kinda freaked out by the ‘Beware of bear” warning signpost!!

Lo and behold, my first encounter with one the many waterfalls.

The turquoise-coloured water with a very inviting bench really makes me wanna stay here longer to enjoy this calming effect on the surrounding.

From here on, the thing becomes even more interesting where I get to see more waterfalls, almost every few steps apart is yet another one. Nice!!!

The path finally leads to the majestic Big Waterfall (Veliki Slap), the largest waterfall in Plitvice Lakes where water tumbles down from the height of 78 metres.

Be prepared to get wet if you venture too near and the ground around it is a little slippery.

How does anyone not fall in love with this amazing place? The photos taken by me donâ€t do any justice to the stunning landscape, you have to experience it on your own!!

The Upper Lakes of Plitvice

It started to drizzle just when I am about to make my way to the Upper Lakes. So I took the boat from P3 to P2 to save me from getting all wet and to experience cruising on the calm water.

The Upper Lakes area seems to be less enclosed and much wider when compared to the Lower Lakes. There also seem to be more wooden boardwalks around here too and by this time, the crowd has started streaming in despite the rain. So I raced ahead of the various tour groups while they are waiting for their guides.

Those wooden planks make it much harder to use the tripod as movements are unavoidable at times, I just canâ€t imagine how crowded it will be during summer months.

Just like its counterpart, the waterfalls around the Upper Lakes are equally as gorgeous.

I spent almost 6 hours in the park before collecting my backpack at Plitvice Hotel. The ‘water world†experience around Plitvice Lakes National Park is almost surreal – peaceful surrounding (before it gets too crowded…), crystal clear lakes, gorgeous waterfalls and closeness to Mother Nature. This is definitely one of my personal favourites!!

欧洲æ®é‡Œç‰¹ç»´é‡‡æ¹–，青山绿水清澈見底，小魚漂浮優游自在，瀑布水流气势恢弘，
碧绿湖水仿佛镜面，倒映着天空的云朵，此æ¯æœ‰å¦‚至身ä»å¢ƒï¼Œç¾Žåˆ°è®©äººå¦‚痴如醉。

STAY: Plitvice Hotel review

I booked this hotel mainly for its location – near to the entrance of Plitvice Lakes National Park. Getting to Plitvice Hotel is fairly easy too, within a short walking distance from the bus stop on the main road. The lobby looks quite modern but the room itself is more of a classic look with forest view. Also, the lack of lifts may prove to be troublesome for those with luggage.

The basic room is comfortable and functional for my one night stay. However, there isnâ€t much to do around here after dark and the choices of TV Channels ainâ€t helping either. The food in the restaurant for dinner was not too bad.

The map to Plitvice Lakes National Park is available for purchase at Plitvice Hotel. Yes, itâ€s not free.

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