7 Best Sights in Zagreb and Environs, Croatia

Nestled among the regal buildings of the Croatian parliament, the original church building was erected in the 13th century and was once the parish church of Gradec. The Baroque bell tower was added in the 17th century, and the steeply pitched roof—decorated in brilliant multicolor tiles arranged to depict the coats of arms of Zagreb on the right and the Kingdom of Croatia, Dalmatia, and Slavonia on the left—was added during reconstruction in the 19th century. It underwent another reconstruction in the first half of the 20th century. At that time, renowned painter Jozo Kljaković painted its walls, while the altar was decorated with works of famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović.  At the time of this writing, the church's interior was closed for renovation, but the exterior is well worth a look. 

Dedicated to the Assumption of Mary and to the kings St. Stephen and St. Ladislaus, this cathedral was built on the site of a former 12th-century cathedral destroyed by the Tatars in 1242. The present structure was constructed between the 13th and 16th centuries. The striking neo-Gothic facade was added by architect Hermann Bollé following the earthquake of 1880, its twin steeples being the identifying feature of the city's skyline. Behind the impressive main altar are crypts of Zagreb's archbishops and Croatian national heroes. The interior is imposing and inspires silent reflection. Don't neglect the north wall, which bears an inscription of the Ten Commandments in 12th-century Glagolitic script. The cathedral's face is ever-changing, as its towers are being reconstructed again following the earthquake that hit Zagreb in 2020.  At the time of this writing, the interior is closed for renovations. 

Consecrated in 1650 on the site of a medieval predecessor, this pale yellow church has the highest tower in Varaždin, at almost 180 feet tall. In front is a statue of 10th-century Croatian bishop Grgur Ninski, a replica of the original, which is in Split; another such replica can be seen in Nin.

Consecrated to Varaždin's patron saint in 1761 on the site of an older church, this Baroque structure is more attractive on the outside than the inside. Note the false yet imposing white columns in the facade, the red-tiled conical steeple, and the sculpture at the foot of the steeple of a firefighting St. Florian pouring a bucket of water onto a church, presumably an allusion to the fire that devastated Varaždin in 1776.

Croatia's preeminent religious pilgrimage site is home to the Blessed Virgin of Bistrica, a black, wooden, 15th-century Gothic statue of the Holy Mother associated with miraculous powers (per legend, having survived the Turkish invasion and a subsequent fire) and set in the main altar. The church, which was proclaimed a Croatian shrine by the nation's parliament in 1715, was rebuilt in the neo-Renaissance style in the late 19th century; the shrine complex adjacent to the church was enlarged in time for a 1998 visit by Pope John Paul II. Behind the church is a huge amphitheater built for the pope's visit, and from there, you can climb up Kalvarija (Calvary Hill) to the Stations of the Cross, ornamented with sculptures by Croatian artists.

This single-nave, pale-pink Baroque church with a particularly colorful late-Baroque altar was consecrated in 1712 by the Ursuline sisters, who came to Varaždin from Bratislava nine years earlier at the invitation of the Drašković family. Its charming, strikingly slender tower was added in 1726.

Čakovec's key ecclesiastical landmark was built between 1707 and 1728 on the site of a wooden monastery that burned down in 1699. The bell tower was added in the 1750s. Inside is a late-Baroque altar decorated with elaborate statues; on the outside is a facade from the turn of the 20th century, when Hungary ruled the region, with reliefs of several great Hungarian kings from ages past.