Our April 2026 Road Scholar trip to Croatia and Montenegro began in Croatia's capital city of Zagreb. Zagreb is a charming city which we liked even though a lot of renovation is going on due to an earthquake in 2021. It is not as popular a Croatian destination as the amazing Dalmatian Coast but it is definitely a city woth visiting.

We arrived in Zagreb on April 7 and went straight to our hotel: Art'Otel Zagreb. It was early afternoon and we were really tired after our 2 flights from Newark. We met Alan our trip leader and then went to our room and took a nap. After a while we got ourselves outside and began to take in this charming city with its many trams, parks, museums, restaurants, cafes and more. At 6pm we went to an orientatioon session where we met 17 other Road Scholar companions. Then Alan led the way to a fine restaurant. The next morning we were led on a walking tour of the old city by a local guide who was delightful and knowledgeable. Alan once again led us to a favorite restaurant of his. He has lived in Zagreb for around 20 years.

During our free afternoon in Zagreb on April 8 we knew we were going to a museum. But which one? Zagreb has so many to choose from. Some have very unusual themes such as The Museum of Broken Relationships, Museum of Illusions, and Cravaticum dedicated to the Necktie which was invented in Zagreb.

We went to the Croatian Museum of Naïve Art . I am including 7 paintings I liked. The wikipedia article has some good photos of the fascinating art created by these unique Croatian artists > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Museum_of_Na%C3%AFve_Art

Here is an excerpt from the Wiki article: "Naïve, or primitive art is a distinct segment of the art of the 20th century. In Croatia, naïve art was at first connected with the works of peasants and working men, ordinary men and women, of whom the most successful, over the course of time, became professional artists."

Rick Steves wrote some good stuff about Zagreb in his blog > https://blog.ricksteves.com/cameron/2015/11/zagreb-for-tourists