7 Unusual Things to Do in Zagreb
Zagreb’s unusual side hides in plain sight: street lamps lit by hand, a cannon fired at noon, planets fixed to façades. Most are free or cost a few euros, six are a short walk from Ban Jelačić Square, and each has hours and a Monday note.
Prices and opening hours checked September 2026.
1. Watch the lamplighters light the Upper Town
More than 200 gas lamps in the Upper Town, Kaptol and Opatovina are lit by hand just before sunset every evening and put out by hand each morning. The city gas company calls it a world rarity, unbroken since 1863.
There is no timetable, but the round takes a couple of hours, so at dusk you have a good chance of seeing a lamplighter at work. Start at the Stone Gate while it is still light: the only old city gate still standing, with a candle-lit shrine in its passage and a painting of the Virgin Mary that survived the fire of 1731. It is a place of prayer, so keep quiet.
Price: free. When: every evening, all year. Tip: on Sunday evenings from May to October, the Ghosts and Dragons tour (€20, 2 hours, booking needed as groups are limited to 10) leaves Jezuitski trg at 20:30. More ideas: things to do in Zagreb at night.
2. Walk a tilted floor at the Museum of Hangovers
This one is ours, so here is why we think it belongs. Its eight themed rooms follow one night out and the morning after, and you take part rather than look. More than ten interactive stations include a driving simulator with slowed reactions and blurred vision, a tilted floor you try to walk straight across in distorting goggles, darts and balance challenges, alongside over 50 real stories from people around the world. Atlas Obscura lists it among Zagreb’s unusual places.
It has 4,700+ Google reviews averaging 4.6 stars and is a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice 2025 winner. Preview the rooms on the exhibits page, or see more hands-on indoor activities in Zagreb.
Where: Vlaška 55, a 5-minute walk from Ban Jelačić Square. When: every day from 10:00 to 22:00, including Mondays and public holidays (closed only on 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday), last entry 21:15. How long: 45 to 60 minutes. Price: €10 online (price on 10 Sept 2026: €10), €11 at the door (price on 10 Sept 2026: €11). No booking or time slot, and online tickets stay valid for 3 months. Not wheelchair accessible (stairs).
3. Ride the funicular, hear the noon cannon, climb Lotrščak Tower
The funicular takes about a minute to reach the Upper Town and is one of the shortest in the world. It reopened on 19 May 2026 after renovation. The lower station on Tomićeva Street is a 5-minute walk from Ban Jelačić Square. At the top, the Grič Cannon is fired from Lotrščak Tower every day at 12:00. Ride up just before noon, then climb the tower for the view.
Funicular: €0.66 one way, every 10 minutes, daily 6:30 to 21:50. Cannon: daily at 12:00, free. Tower: €3, Tuesday to Friday 9:00 to 20:00, Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 20:00, closed on Mondays.
4. Hunt for Zagreb’s hidden solar system
In Bogovićeva Street stands the Grounded Sun, a bronze sphere about 2 metres wide by Ivan Kožarić (1971). In 2004 Davor Preis added the planets as Nine Views: small models on façades around the city, at the same scale as the Sun and at scale distance.
Finding them is a free treasure hunt: Venus is on Ban Jelačić Square itself, and the Nine Views Wikipedia page lists every address. In a straight line, the inner planets are within about 350 metres of the Sun, while the outer ones are kilometres away. Look up at the walls. Pluto was stolen and only its plaque remains.
Price: free. When: any time. How long: 30 to 45 minutes for the Sun and inner planets.
5. Visit the Museum of Broken Relationships
A Zagreb original that has toured the world and won the 2011 Kenneth Hudson Award. It shows everyday objects left over from break-ups, each with its donor’s story. Some are funny, many are moving. It is a few steps from the Croatian Museum of Naive Art (item 7).
Where: Ulica sv. Ćirila i Metoda 2, Upper Town. Price: €9. When: 1 October to 31 May daily 9:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:30), June to September until 22:00. Closed 24 and 25 December, 1 January, Easter and 1 November.
6. Ride the slide at the Museum of Contemporary Art
At the Museum of Contemporary Art (MSU) in Novi Zagreb, the permanent-collection ticket includes one ride down Double Slide, a sculpture by Carsten Höller, starting from the second floor.
Where: Avenija Dubrovnik 17, a tram ride across the Sava. Price: €11 including one slide. When: Tuesday to Friday 11:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 18:00, closed on Mondays and public holidays.
7. Visit the Croatian Museum of Naive Art
Naive art, painting by self-taught artists, is strongly tied to Croatia, and this small Upper Town museum is the place to see it. It grew out of the 1952 Peasant Art Gallery and also covers outsider art and art brut. Allow 45 to 60 minutes.
Where: Ulica sv. Ćirila i Metoda 3, Upper Town. Price: €5.50. When: Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 14:00, closed on Sundays and public holidays. Not wheelchair accessible.
If you have more time
- Mirogoj Cemetery: a monumental cemetery 2 km north of the centre, free and open daily, reached by bus 106 from Kaptol. Its famous arcades are partly under scaffolding after the 2020 earthquake.
- Sljeme cable car: a 22-minute ride up Medvednica from the tram 15 terminus at Gračansko Dolje, €6 one way or €10 return. From 10:00 on weekdays and 9:00 at weekends; last ride up 18:30, down 19:00. It stops in high wind.
- Medvedgrad: a restored medieval fortress on Medvednica, about an hour’s walk uphill from bus 102 (Šestine) or 128 (Lukšići). Open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:00), €8 on weekdays, €10 at weekends. 2026 seasonal event: Medieval Days, 3 and 4 October, 11:00 to 18:00.
Which of these work on a Monday?
The gas lamps, funicular, noon cannon, solar system, Museum of Hangovers, Museum of Broken Relationships, Museum of Naive Art and Mirogoj all work on a Monday, as does the Sljeme cable car outside its monthly maintenance days. Closed on Mondays: the Lotrščak Tower climb, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Medvedgrad. If the weather turns, see what to do in Zagreb when it rains.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most unusual thing to do in Zagreb?
One of the most unusual is watching lamplighters light the Upper Town’s gas lamps by hand at dusk, free every evening. Other unusual picks are the noon cannon, the hidden solar system, the Museum of Hangovers and the Museum of Broken Relationships.
What unusual things can you do in Zagreb for free?
The gas lamp lighting at dusk, the noon cannon, the Stone Gate shrine, the Grounded Sun with its hidden planets and Mirogoj Cemetery are all free.
What unusual things can you do in Zagreb on a Monday?
Most of Zagreb’s unusual sights work on a Monday: the gas lamp lighting, the funicular, the noon cannon, the solar system hunt, the Museum of Hangovers, the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Museum of Naive Art. The Lotrščak Tower climb, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Medvedgrad are closed on Mondays.
When are the gas lamps lit in Zagreb?
Zagreb’s gas lamps are lit by hand just before sunset, every evening of the year: approximately 18:50 in late September and around 16:15 in December. The lighting round takes a couple of hours, so you can still catch a lamplighter after it starts.