Excursions South of Zagreb
Most tourists who set out on the autocesta that stretches southwest from Zagreb toward Rijeka race across the 177km (110-mile) stretch of road as if they were wearing blinders. Usually that's because these motorists are focused on getting to Croatia's sunny northern Adriatic coast and nothing else. If they were to take a short detour onto the Jastrebarsko highway exit, they would find the gateway to a surprising collection of towns and terrain that offer wetlands, castles, upscale accommodations, wineries, and a mind-boggling array of outdoor activities, including river rafting, horseback riding, biking, hiking, and much more. Most of these destinations and excursions are within an hour's drive from Zagreb, which means it is possible to cover a lot of territory in a short amount of time.
Visitor Information -- Just about every tourist office in every city throughout Croatia offers tours of Plitvice Lakes. Tourist offices in Zagreb in particular have racks of maps, brochures, and information on most attractions and events within 161km (100 miles) of the city. In addition, most towns in Croatia have city tourist offices with more localized information plus commercial tourist agencies that run excursions and handle private accommodations.
Getting There & Getting Around -- The area from Zagreb south to Plitvice Lakes National Park (Plitvicka Jezera) can be accessed easily via the Zagreb-Rijeka autocesta. Each town along the way can be explored on a day trip as well, though the entire itinerary could take several days, especially if you decide to include the Zumberak region and Samobor on your list. The same applies if you linger at any destination, or if you are traveling by bus or train and have to wait for connections.
Of all the possible excursions from Zagreb, you probably need to allot the most time for a trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park, which is 2 hours from Zagreb and a place where most people take their time wandering trails and gazing at the gorgeous waterfalls. You might find that overnight stays in Karlovac or Plitvice are viable choices to slow the tempo of your travels, or you can speed things up and add itineraries farther afield. Rental cars are obviously handy for such customization, especially if you are interested in visiting tiny hilltop wineries or searching for bird species in the Crna Mlaka (Black Marsh) wetlands. But rental cars are not absolutely necessary unless you plan to explore some of the more remote villages deep in the Zumberak region. Public transportation -- buses, trains, and private tours from Zagreb, for example -- also is available, but that requires some fancy logistical planning.
Excursions North of Zagreb
The green, rolling landscape of the Zagorje and Meimurje regions north of Zagreb could have been patterned on illustrations from Grimm's Fairy Tales, which abound with vivid stories about village girls tending flocks in golden meadows, tales of treacherous villains lurking in dark forests, and handsome princes living in hilltop castles. This is Croatia's storybook land, where each new vista reveals another gentle swell of green topped with cream-colored hilltop churches and gingerbread-brown brick cottages. In the troughs between these verdant agri-breakers, the villages of rural Croatia remain countryside repositories of the nation's early culture and customs, a source of larger-than-life heroes and historic events that helped shape the country and protect its unique character.
High in the hills, visitors can say a prayer to the Blessed Virgin at Maria Bistrica or wander the caves at Krapina, where signs of a Neanderthal settlement were discovered in 1899. Farther on, visitors can explore the medieval fortresses of Veliki Tabor and Trakoscan, or marvel at the baroque town of Varazdin and its museums and castle. Even casual tourists will see that spas like Terme Tuhelj and St. Martin are turning their attention to guests looking for luxury rather than rehab, and that the aristocratic "palaces" like Dvor Desinic are attracting curious gourmets rather than indolent aristocrats. Kumrovec, Tito's rural birthplace, now looks like a Croatian Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, with blacksmiths forging iron, costumed guides explaining exhibits, and townspeople selling homemade rakija (brandy) and local honey.
At the top of the country, Meimurje, wine roads curl through the hills near Cakovic, the region's center, where family vineyards abound and everyone from Grandma to the smallest of children pitches in to bring in the grapes.
The people of the Zagorje and Meimurje are known throughout Croatia as some of the nation's most industrious and frugal citizens. They also have reputations for generous hospitality, for serving exceptional meals made with local produce, and for loving their land and the fruit of their trees and vines. Just like the winegrowers in France's Beaujolais region who celebrate le vin nouveau on the third Thursday in November, the people in northern Croatia also have a designated day (Nov 11, St. Martin's Day) to taste and tout their new vintage. On that day, the wine is blessed and the whole area takes part in a festival of food, wine, and merrymaking, a celebration of a season's work that lasts well into the night, only to end with the beginning of a new cycle of life in the morning.
