ZAGREB

Locals like to say Zagreb is a big town disguised as a small city. Its laid-back rhythm and leafy charm is apparent from the first moment visitors set out into the Croatian capital. Residents, up with the sun, make a beeline for outdoor markets to visit their trusted butchers and favoured vendors, whose produce — a rainbow of fruit and vegetables, just-baked cornbread, rows of fragrant honey — is largely drawn from the surrounding countryside. A diverse citizenry of designers, businesspeople, musicians, artists and catholic nuns pass each other on the main square, walking to their respective workplaces; people, young and old, gather on terraces for rakija (schnapps) and kava (super-strength coffee) at all hours. Early evening, families promenade city streets and piazzas to catch up with neighbours. It’s easy to believe you’ve just discovered the very essence of European life.

Wedged into the Dinaric Alps, Zagreb is a two-hour drive from the Adriatic coast and it’s this remarkable geography that lends the city its unique character. The city’s strength comes from its amalgam of European sensibilities; a place where Mediterranean vibes and Slavic Continental climes combine. But