Car Rental in Zagreb

Why rent a car in Zagreb?

Zagreb is a great place for renting a car. Having a ride will give you the freedom to see all of this interesting and diverse city and its surroundings. Thanks to its location, Zagreb can also serve as a great base for exploring the rest of Croatia, as well as nearby countries like Slovenia, Hungary, and Serbia.

You can take so many beautiful day trips from Zagreb from the comfort of your car. Renting a car lets you explore the offbeat and hard-to-reach towns and villages where public transport options are limited.

Top ways to enter Zagreb

• Zagreb Airport: Located in the nearby town Velika Gorica, Zagreb Airport is the busiest in the country and serves nearly 3,5 million passengers every year.
• Rijeka Airport: Located just two hours drive southwest of Zagreb, Rijeka Airport is much smaller, but does provide connections to many large European cities like Munich, London, Brussels, and others.
• Ljubljana Airport: Serving the capital city of neighboring Slovenia, Ljubljana Airport is only 150 km (93 mi) northwest of Zagreb. If you’d like to travel from Ljubljana to Zagreb, you’ll have to cross a national border, so make sure that your car rental provider permits it and that your entry documentation is in order.
• Zadar Airport: About three hours drive away, this one is the closest airport to Zagreb in the country’s fabled southeast. 
• By rail: If you’re arriving in Zagreb by train, you can conveniently pick up a rental car at the Zagreb Railway Station.

City facts

• Zagreb is divided into two parts, Zagreb Upper Town (Gornji Grad), the medieval part and Zagreb Lower Town (Donji Grad), the modern part.
• Zagreb enjoys warm and pleasant summers, with temperatures rarely dropping below 20 °C  (68 °F) or exceeding 30 °C  (86 °F). Winters are cool and dry. On average, there are 29 days with snowfall per year.
• April, May, and October are the best months to enjoy Zagreb. These months promise great weather, fewer crowds, and budget prices.
• Zagreb has a population of around 800,000, but more than 1,1 million people live in its larger metropolitan area.
• Located in the northwestern part of Croatia, Zagreb is only about 30 minutes drive from the border with Slovenia and about an hour’s drive from the border with Hungary. Even Austria is just 90 minutes drive away, even though the two countries don’t share a border.

Top sights and activities

• Maksimir Park. The largest park in Zagreb is a great place to visit on a sunny day. Resembling an old English garden, it is full of walking paths, lakes, forest areas, and flowery meadows. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to spot wildlife like turtles or the very rare middle spotted woodpecker that live in the park.
• Dolac Market. Famous at home and abroad, “the belly of Zagreb” is the place where local farmers from the nearby countryside bring vegetables, fruits, and meat for sale. Additionally to meeting local sellers and buyers, you can also purchase different crafts, as well as sea products from the nearby Adriatic coast.
• Zagreb's Museum of Broken Relationships. Created by two Croatian artists who were once a couple themselves and didn’t want to get rid of sentimental reminders of their time together, this unique and quirky museum shows both the melancholic and the funny side of love. 
• Zagreb Cathedral. The main church of the city, the Gothic cathedral is one of the symbols of the city. Known for its twin spires and magnificent interior, it was first built in the 13th century, but then later significantly renovated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries acquiring its present look.
• St. Mark’s Church. Situated in St. Mark’s Square in the center of Zagreb Upper Town is this iconic 13th-century Romanesque church. Its colorful tiled roof stands out. If you want to see the beautiful interiors, you can plan to attend a daily mass. If you are traveling from April to October, you stand a chance to witness the change of guard ceremony.
• Strossmayer Promenade. This lush green and peaceful walkway affords some of the most breathtaking views over the city.
• Lotrščak Tower. Located on Strossmayer Promenade, this medieval tower fires a cannon every noon to commemorate its victory over the Turks. It has been a ritual since 1877.
• Zagreb Funicular. You cannot leave Zagreb before you ride the shortest funicular in the world. It’s the oldest means of transportation in Zagreb and effortlessly connects the Lower Town and Upper Town.
• Art Pavilion. You will be awed by this gorgeous piece of architecture standing between Zrinjevac  Park and King Tomislav Square. About 120 years old, this is the oldest art gallery in Southeast Europe.
• Mirogoj Cemetery. One of Europe’s oldest and most beautiful cemeteries, Mirogoj, with its impressive arcades, living walls, lush gardens, and artistically sculpted graves, looks gorgeous. One can never think that a burial place could be so so beautiful.
• Ilica Street. Starting from Ban Jelacic Square, this 6-km-long iconic shopping street in Zagreb is a delight to explore. You can walk the entire length of it and catch a tram back to the main square. Shop till you drop, enjoy a pint of beer at Zagreb’s first brewery, and next, maybe dinner at Out Rooftop. 

Traffic and parking

• Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the speed limits are 130 km/h on motorways, 110 km/h on main highways, 90 km/h on most other roads, and 50 km/h in populated and built-up areas.
• During autumn and spring (from October to March) you need to drive with your headlights on, even during the day.
• If you’re driving with a foreign car, it needs to have a nationality sticker on the back. This is important if you’re arriving in Croatia by car from a neighboring country, especially Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia that are not part of the European Union.
• The legal alcohol limit is 0.05% for experienced and 0.00% for novice drivers and drivers under the age of 24. Exceeding the limit can lead to large fines, an EU-wide licence ban, or even imprisonment.
• Gas stations are usually open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., although many will work until 10:00 p.m. during summer.
• The insurance and car documentation needs to be in the car whenever you’re driving.
• If you’re the driver, you need to have your passport or ID card with you at all times.
• The emergency number, like elsewhere in the EU, is 112.

Toll roads

There’s a toll to be paid for using most Croatian motorways. There are two types of tolls in Croatia, the open ones and the closed ones. On open toll motorways, which are mostly tunnels, bridges, and short stretches of highway, the driver pays when arriving at the road. On closed toll motorways, the driver pays when arriving at the road and is given a receipt for their payment that shows where they entered the toll road. They then need to present the receipt when leaving the toll road. If you lose the receipt, you’ll need to once again for the maximum length of the toll road. If your receipt is more than 24 hours old, for example, because you stay for the night somewhere along the toll road, you’ll need to provide a valid explanation of the situation at the exit toll booth.

The payment for the toll road can be done either in cash or by credit card. You can also purchase a smart card or an expiring seasonal smart card that will include a 10% discount. Both types of smart cards are non-refundable. Some rental cars are equipped with an electronic toll responder the price of which is usually included in the rental price. Do ask your car rental provider about it in advance. Find out more about the toll roads in Croatia on the European toll road website.

Ideas for day trips

• Karlovac. Less than an hour’s drive southwest of Zagreb, Karlovac might seem like a cute and friendly little town, but it was once an important border post of Austrian Empire against the bellicose Ottomans. The town’s citadel, shaped like a six-point star, is one reminder of those more turbulent times. If you’re less interested in history, you’ll probably still love Karlovac’s many parks, gardens, and wildlife areas.
• Samobor. There’s a certain traveling-back-in-time feeling when visiting this quiet medieval town that’s only half an hour’s drive west of Zagreb. Located on the slopes of the hills that share the town’s name, it is as famous for its grand castle as it is for the delicious kremšnite cake.
• Plitvice Lakes Nature Park. Home to not one or two, but 16 stunning lakes, this beautiful national park can be explored either on foot or on a boat ride. The park is known for its waterfalls and karst formations and lists European wildcats, grey wolves, and brown trout among its inhabitants. The drive from Zagreb to Plitvice takes about two hours. It is possible to visit the park on a day trip and many people do just that, but if you have time to spare, giving it two days would arguably be a better choice (there are multiple places to stay overnight in the area).
• Rastoke. You can explore this traditional village while traveling from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It is famous for its water-powered mechanical mills and beautiful streams and waterfalls.
• Varazdin. A little over an hour from Zagreb, Varazdin is a beautiful historic town in Northern Croatia. Strolling the cobbled streets dotted with Baroque castles, palaces, houses, and churches is a delight. Rococo-styled Sermage Palace and the Old Town Castle of Varaždin are two of the most impressive buildings in the town.
• Ljubljana. You can explore an altogether different country on a day trip. Sounds exciting? Less than 2 hours drive from Zagreb, Ljubljana, Slovenia's green capital is compact enough to be explored in a day. Most of the attractions are in the old town that is pretty walkable. People-watching while enjoying coffee at one of the outdoor cafes along the Ljubljanica River is a must-do! Make sure that you have permission from the car rental company to cross the border, though.
• Lake Bled. Around a 2 hours and 15 minute drive from Zagreb takes you to one of the most picturesque locations in Slovenia, Lake Bled. Riding a traditional boat called pletna to the tiny island in the middle of the lake or climbing the Bled Castle for the views over the lake, or walking along the lake’s shore - whatever you do, it’s going to be a memorable day trip ever!
• Osijek. Close to the Serbian border, this Croatian town on the bank of the Drava River is known for its unique collection of baroque buildings dating back to the 18th century.
• Kumrovec. Trapped in a time-warp, Kumrovec is a perfect place to taste the rustic life of Croatia. With 20th-century traditional Croatian houses, barns, and workshops, it’s a beautiful example of village life in the Zagorje region.

Most popular cars

The most popular rental car in Croatia is the VW Polo, but the travelers also like the Opel Corsa and the Skoda Fabia a lot. The most popular rental car types are economy, mini, and compact.

Further destinations

For more about traveling around Croatia with a rental car, check out our complete guide.

• Rijeka and Istria. Just two hours drive from the capital, the freethinking city of Rijeka is a place of history, modern arts, and proud local character. Travel even further west and you’ll reach the beautiful peninsula of Istria where old Venetian influences still run strong. You can witness the magic of Istrian seaside towns (Blue Istria) like Porec, Rovinj, and Pula and medieval hilltop villages (Green Istria) like Hum, Motovun, and Grožnjan that are, thankfully, within easy reach from the Croatian capital.
• Dalmatia. Croatia’s number one tourist area that stretches along the Adriatic Coast is famous for its fun capital Split and picturesque towns like Zadar and Dubrovnik, but its spirit can be just as much found in the islands, fishing villages, and pristine beaches between them.
• Hungary. Croatia’s landlocked northern neighbor sometimes gets overlooked because of its neighbors that offer higher mountains and long sea coasts, but Hungary’s more subtle attractions can be just as rewarding. Whether you choose to visit its splendid capital, Budapest, relax on the shores of Lake Balaton, or go on a long wine tour, you’re bound to have a good time. If you wish to travel from Croatia to Hungary during your rental period, you should ask your rental car supplier in advance if they permit. Also, keep in mind that while both countries are members of the European Union, only Hungary is part of the Schengen agreement, so, depending on your citizenship, entry requirements might differ (you might need a visa to visit one, but not the other, or even separate visas for both countries).
• Slovenia. Sharing a 670-km-long border with Croatia, Slovenia offers everything a traveler asks for - from pretty lakes to historic cities and mysterious caves to the Adriatic coastline. Walk the pedestrianized center of the capital city of Ljubljana, enjoy the natural beauty and outdoor activities at Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj, explore the underground limestone caves of Postojna and Predjama, or catch a sunset at the seaside town of Piran - with varied experiences, this little yet charming country in the Balkans is every traveler’s dream.
• Italy. Despite there not being a land border between the two countries, Italian culture has had its historical influence on Croatia (admittedly, more on the coastal parts than Zagreb). Of equal importance to a modern visitor is that Trieste, the famous port city and one of the most enticing urban destinations of northeastern Italy is only a three-hour drive from Zagreb. From there, you can easily access other tourist meccas such as Venice and Verona, or even Milan and Bologna.

Car rental prices in Zagreb

• Small cars - from $9 per day
• Medium cars - from $12 per day
• Large cars - from $13 per day
• Station wagons - from $14 per day
• SUVs - from $11 per day
• Vans - from $25 per day
• Premium cars - from $55 per day
• Convertibles - from $61 per day

Money-saving and other tips

There are a number of things you can do to get a good rental car deal in Zagreb. Start with:

• Compare rates of different rental car providers
• Book your rental car well in advance
• Plan your route before you go
• Know your fuel and mileage requirements
• Visit on the month when the rental prices are the cheapest. According to our data, visiting Zagreb is the cheapest in April when renting a car is about 64% cheaper than the yearly average.