Witches & Whispers: Zagreb’s Upper Town Tales

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. According to legend, a weary soldier and a kind girl named Manda gave Zagreb its name. This centuries-old spring reminds us how stories, not just stones, shape cities.

   15 min

2. Towering over Kaptol, the Cathedral is both a spiritual and historical symbol. You’ll hear of life on the Bishop’s Court, Ottoman invasions, restorations, and the power this sacred place held over the city’s fate.

   15 min

3. Zagreb’s bustling open-air market is where fresh produce and lively chatter fill the air, but beneath it lies a deeper rhythm of tradition, community, and power.

   15 min

4. No blood today, no bridge either, but the street named "Bloody Bridge" still holds plenty of old drama. Once the scene of fierce clashes between Kaptol clergy and Gradec citizens, this narrow street still whispers of rivalries long buried.

   15 min

5. The only surviving gate into medieval Gradec. A fire, a painting, and a miracle transformed this archway into a sanctuary. Locals still stop to light candles and murmur wishes into the bricks.

   15 min

6. One of the oldest pharmacies in Zagreb and a place tied to the city’s darker chapters: herbal lore, folk medicine, and whispered tales of witches.

   15 min

7. With its colourful tiled roof, St. Mark’s is more than a photo spot. Learn about the city’s political heart, secret meetings, and the women who watched history unfold from the shadows.

   15 min

8. Each day at noon, this tower fires a cannon. But what else echoes through its stone? Hear about the ghosts said to roam here, and how sound was once used to unite a city. Note: If you’d like to experience the famous cannon shot, make sure to book the morning tour.

   15 min

9. This elegant palace once echoed with secrets of Zagreb's nobility. At Zrinski Palace, you’ll hear tales of aristocratic scandals, forbidden romances, and the unspoken rules of high society that often clashed with passion.

   10 min

10. The Vojković-Oršić-Kulmer-Rauch Palace (today: Croatian History Museum) tells the story of a nobleman who rose through society by marrying well — a true tale that later inspired the famous Witch of Grič novels. Power, ambition, and fiction intertwine behind its grand façade.

    10 min

11. Here was the city’s first public theatre with a real stage and balcony boxes. It was here that Zagreb’s cultural identity took its bow, in front of candlelight and curious eyes.

    10 min

12. The oldest tavern still operating in Zagreb, a cozy nook that has seen poets, rebels, and everyday people gather under its creaky beams for over a century.

    15 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 6 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Zagreb

• Its from-price is 84% below the median of the 592 experiences we list in Zagreb.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 155 of 592.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Zagreb

Zagreb is Croatia's capital, a city of two historic towns, cathedral spires, café-lined streets and green parks beneath Mount Medvednica.

Zagreb has two historic halves. The Upper Town, Gornji Grad, sits on a hill with cobbled lanes, the tiled-roof church of St Mark and the Lotrščak Tower, from which a cannon is fired at noon each day. Below, the Lower Town has Austro-Hungarian squares, theatres and museums around Ban Jelačić Square, with the twin neo-Gothic spires of the cathedral just east and a short funicular linking the two parts.

Top-ranked sights in Zagreb: Ban Jelačić Square (Trg Bana Jelačića), Gric Tunnel (Tunel Gric), Dolac Market.

See all 592 experiences in Zagreb