ZAGREB - Croatia and Slovenia - page 132

looks good and ask what it is), pay, and take your receipt to the next counter to claim your
food. Order the smelt to get a plate of tiny deep-fried fish (Mon-Sat 7:00-21:00, closed Sun,
Juriši ć eva 21). As Zagreb is a Catholic town, you'll have to wait in line if you're here on a
Friday.
Dessert: Several inviting places inthecenter offergood sladoled (Italian gelato-style ice
cream). Two central locations are Zagreb Slasti č arnica, which usually features some cre-
ative and unusual flavors (daily 8:00-23:00, hiding behind the statue of Tesla just past the
bottom of the Trg Petra Preradovi ć a café square at Masarykova 4, tel. [phone]); and
Slasti č arnica Vincek, whose specialty is the chocolate-and-walnuts Vincek flavor (Mon-
Sat 8:30-23:00, closed Sun, two blocks west of Jela č i ć Square on the busy tram-lined Ilica
street at #18).
Zagreb Connections
From Zagreb by Train to: Rijeka (3/day direct, 4-5 hours), Pula (3/day, 6 hours, transfer
in Rijeka), Split (2/day, 6.5 hours, plus 1 direct night train, 9 hours), Sarajevo (1/day, 9
hours), Mostar (1/day, 11.5 hours, bus is faster), Ptuj (3/day, 3.5-4.25 hours, usually re-
quires2transfers) Ljubljana (4/daydirect,2.5hours), Vienna (1/daydirect,6.5hours,oth-
ers with a change take 9 hours), Budapest (1/day direct, 6.5 hours), Lake Bled (via Lesce-
Bled, 4/day direct, 3-3.5 hours), Munich (2/day direct, including a night train, 9 hours).
Train info: Tel. [phone].
By Bus to: Samobor (about 2-3/hour, 30-50 minutes), Plitvice Lakes National Park
(about hourly until around 16:00, 2-2.5 hours; the best choice is the express bus operated
byPrijevozKneževi ć —see here ) , Rijeka (hourly,2-3.5hours), Rovinj (6-9/day,3-6hours),
Pula (almost hourly, 4-6 hours), Split (at least hourly, 5-8 hours), Mostar (4/day, 9 hours,
includes a night bus), Sarajevo (4/day, 8 hours, includes night bus), Dubrovnik (10/day
including some overnight options, 10 hours), Kor č ula (1/day, 9-13.5 hours depending on
route), Kotor (1/night, 14.5 hours).
Bus schedules can be sporadic (for example, several departures clustered around the
same time, then nothing for hours)—confirm your plans carefully (inquire locally, or use
the good online schedules at www.akz.hr ) . The TI is very helpful with providing bus in-
formation. Popular buses, such as the afternoon express to Split, can fill up quickly in peak
season. Unfortunately, it's impossible to buy bus tickets anywhere in the center, so to guar-
antee a seat, you'll have to get to the station early (locals suggest even two hours in ad-
vance). Better yet, call the central number for the bus station to check schedules and re-
serve the bus you want, ideally at least 24 hours ahead: Tel. [phone] (from abroad, dial
[phone]).Ifyoucan'tgetanEnglish-speaker ontheline, andtheTIisn'ttoobusy,
they might be willing to call for you.