Tkalčićeva & Kaptol

Tkalčićeva and Kaptol are the social centre of Zagreb, with a street of terraces and bars that stays busy and well lit into the night. It is one of the easier places in the city to go out alone, with the usual care around drinks and getting home.

Tkalčićeva is a pedestrian street of old townhouses that follows a stream that was later covered over. It's where most of Zagreb's evening life happens. Bars, cafes and restaurants with terraces line both sides, and the street is busy and well lit from late morning to late at night. Kaptol, the church quarter at the eastern end around the Cathedral, is calmer, with cafes and the steps up from Dolac market. Going out alone here is easy: tables fill with mixed groups, and sitting alone with a drink draws little attention. On weekend nights some groups of drinkers get loud, and the walk back toward Ilica or the Lower Town passes quiet stretches, so sticking to the main streets or taking a ride-hail home makes sense. It is a good place for a first evening in the city.