Car Rental 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.

• 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 (150 km / 93 mi): 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.

• 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.
• 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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. 

• 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.

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.

• 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 national park and its countless unique flora and fauna species can be explored on foot, but an even better idea is to rent a boat and truly experience the wilderness from within.

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.

• 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.
• 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.

• Station wagons - from $42 per day
• Large cars - from $56 per day
• Medium cars - from $34 per day
• People Carriers/Vans - from $75 per day
• Premium cars - from $103 per day
• Small cars - from $25 per day
• SUVs - from $62 per day

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.