# What are the best day trips from Zagreb? > The best day trips from Zagreb: Plitvice Lakes (about 2 hours by bus), Ljubljana (about 2.5 hours by train), Samobor (30 minutes), Varaždin and Trakošćan. - Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/day-trips-from-zagreb - Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries) - Published: 2026-06-30 **Plitvice Lakes, Ljubljana and Samobor are the three best day trips from Zagreb.** Plitvice is about 2 hours away by bus and is the one sight in this part of Croatia worth a long day. Ljubljana, Slovenia's small, walkable capital, is about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes by train, so you can add a second country without changing hotels. Samobor, 30 to 40 minutes by bus, is the easy half day: a market square, a ruined castle and the town's custard slice. We spent 4 days in Zagreb in August 2023, arriving from Venice and continuing east to Osijek for 3 nights, which is the one trip from Zagreb that should not be a day trip. ## The short answer: ranked by payoff vs travel time • **Plitvice Lakes:** about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes by bus, depending on the service. A full day. • **Ljubljana:** about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes by train. A full day. • **Samobor:** 30 to 40 minutes by bus. Half a day. • **Medvednica and the Sljeme cable car:** a tram ride to the lower station, then 16 to 22 minutes up. Half a day. • **Varaždin:** about 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes by bus. A full day, or combine with Trakošćan by car. • **Trakošćan Castle:** about 1 to 1.5 hours by car; awkward by bus. • **Osijek and Lake Bled:** both better as overnights, not day trips. Zagreb's own sights, the Upper Town, St. Mark's Church, Dolac market and the café terraces of Tkalčićeva, fill 2 days comfortably (see our [Zagreb guide](https://clevertourists.com/guides/zagreb)), so with 4 days you have room for two trips out. [How many days in Zagreb](https://clevertourists.com/resources/how-many-days-in-zagreb) has the full split. ## 1. Plitvice Lakes National Park **What it is:** sixteen terraced lakes linked by waterfalls and boardwalks, roughly halfway between Zagreb and the Dalmatian coast. It is Croatia's most visited national park. **Getting there:** buses from Zagreb's main bus station take about 1 hour 45 minutes on the fastest services and up to 2 hours 30 minutes on slower ones, with several departures a day in summer. Driving takes about 2 hours down the A1 and through Karlovac and Slunj. **How long:** 4 to 6 hours inside the park, on one of the marked routes. The ticket includes the electric boat across Kozjak lake and the panorama train. **Tickets:** from June to August an adult ticket is **€40 (≈ $45) before 16:00** and **€25 (≈ $28) after**; in September the cheaper rate starts at 15:00. Children 7 to 18 pay €15 (≈ $16.7) (€9 (≈ $10.0) later in the day). Entries are capped per hour in summer, so buy online with a fixed entrance and time slot. **Who it suits:** everyone, if it is your only chance to see it. If you are also going to Zadar, it is about the same distance from there, so do it from whichever base fits your dates. **Tip:** if you are driving, stop at **Rastoke**, the old mill village in Slunj where the Slunjčica river drops into the Korana between the houses. It is about 25 minutes before the park, and half an hour there is enough. ## 2. Ljubljana **What it is:** Slovenia's capital, a small, car-free old town on the Ljubljanica river with Plečnik's Triple Bridge, the central market and a hilltop castle reached by funicular. **Getting there:** direct trains take about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes, with a handful a day; check the timetable for the day you travel, because frequency varies. Buses take a similar time. Slovenia and Croatia are both in the Schengen Area, so there are no routine passport checks. **How long:** a full day. The centre is compact enough to see on foot in 5 or 6 hours. **Who it suits:** travellers who want a second country and a different city feel from a single base. **Tip:** take an early train out and a late one back, and buy your return at the station on arrival if you want a specific departure. Lake Bled is beyond Ljubljana and too far to add to the same day from Zagreb; if Bled matters to you, spend a night in Ljubljana instead. ## 3. Samobor **What it is:** a small town at the foot of the Žumberak and Samobor hills, west of Zagreb, with a pastel main square, a stream running through the centre and the ruins of a medieval castle on the hill above. It is best known in Croatia for **samoborska kremšnita**, a thick custard and cream slice. **Getting there:** buses from Zagreb's main bus station take about 30 to 40 minutes and run frequently, less often on Sundays. **How long:** half a day: the square, a walk up to the castle ruins, and a kremšnita. **Who it suits:** anyone with a spare afternoon, and families who want a short, low-effort outing. **Tip:** go on a weekday if you can. Weekend afternoons are when Zagreb residents come out for the same cake, and the square cafés fill. ## 4. Medvednica and the Sljeme cable car **What it is:** the forested mountain on Zagreb's northern edge, part of Medvednica Nature Park, with walking trails, a medieval fortress (Medvedgrad) on its slope and the Sljeme summit viewpoint. **Getting there:** tram 8 or 14 to Mihaljevac, then tram 15 to its terminus at Gračansko dolje, where the cable car's lower station is. The ride up takes 16 to 22 minutes. Bus 140 from Mihaljevac also goes to the top. **How long:** half a day. **Who it suits:** walkers, and anyone who wants a view over the whole city without leaving it. **Tip:** the cable car closes for scheduled maintenance days and in strong wind, so check the operator's notices and opening hours the evening before. ## 5. Varaždin and Trakošćan Castle **What it is:** Varaždin was briefly Croatia's capital in the 18th century, and its compact centre is the country's best collection of Baroque palaces and churches, with a moated Old Town fortress at the edge of the centre. Trakošćan is a white hilltop castle above a lake in the Zagorje hills, furnished as a museum. **Getting there:** buses to Varaždin take about 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes; trains are slower. Trakošćan is about 80 km from Zagreb, roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by car via the A2 towards Krapina. There is no direct bus: the castle itself advises a bus to Varaždin and then a local bus on from there. **How long:** a full day for both together, which works best by car, since the castle is about 45 minutes from Varaždin. **Who it suits:** architecture and castle lovers, and anyone renting a car anyway. **Tip:** if you are not driving, pick one. Varaždin alone is an easy bus day; Trakošćan alone by public transport is a long day for a short visit. ## Better as overnights: Osijek and Lake Bled **Osijek** is the one we can speak to from our route: we went from Zagreb to Osijek for 3 days, and it is not a day trip. Direct trains take about 5 hours and the drive is about 2.5 hours each way. The Habsburg star fortress of Tvrđa and the Drava riverbank deserve at least a night; see our [Osijek guide](https://clevertourists.com/guides/osijek). Note that Osijek is in the far east of Croatia, nowhere near the coast, so it is a detour if you are heading to Zadar next. **Lake Bled** sits beyond Ljubljana in the Julian Alps. From Zagreb that means the Ljubljana journey plus another leg into the mountains, each way, so stay a night in Ljubljana or at the lake itself. ## Planning your Zagreb base If you plan several day trips, stay in the Lower Town between the main railway station and Ban Jelačić Square: the station has the trains to Ljubljana, and the main bus station is a short tram ride away. Our [where to stay in Zagreb](https://clevertourists.com/resources/where-to-stay-in-zagreb) guide compares the areas. Zagreb is usually the start of a Croatia trip. Ours ran Zagreb (4 days), Osijek (3), Zadar (3), Šibenik (2), Split (2) and Dubrovnik (3); see our [Croatia itinerary](https://clevertourists.com/resources/croatia-itinerary-zagreb-zadar-dubrovnik) and [day trips from Zadar](https://clevertourists.com/resources/day-trips-from-zadar) for the coast. For food, see [what to eat in Zagreb](https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-eat-in-zagreb) and our [Croatian grocery guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/what-to-buy-at-a-grocery-store-in-croatia); entry rules are in [do I need a visa for Croatia](https://clevertourists.com/resources/do-i-need-a-visa-to-visit-croatia). ## Frequently asked questions ### Can you do Plitvice Lakes as a day trip from Zagreb? Yes. Buses take about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes each way, and driving takes about 2 hours. In summer buy a timed ticket online: adults pay €40 (≈ $45) before 16:00 from June to August and €25 (≈ $28) after. ### Can you do a day trip from Zagreb to Ljubljana? Yes. Direct trains take about 2 hours 20 minutes to 2 hours 40 minutes, and the centre is compact enough to see in a day. Lake Bled is too far to add on the same day. ### What is the easiest half-day trip from Zagreb? Samobor, 30 to 40 minutes by bus, for the main square, the castle ruins and a kremšnita. The Sljeme cable car on Medvednica is the other half-day option, reached by tram. ### Is Osijek a good day trip from Zagreb? No. Direct trains take about 5 hours and the drive about 2.5 hours each way. We stayed 3 days in Osijek after Zagreb, and it needs at least a night.