Tour Guide, Zagreb, Croatia
| 2 mins read
The best way to see Zagreb is on foot – and if you really want to get under its skin, hire a professional. During my visit to the city, my boyfriend and I enjoyed a three-hour tour of the Croatian capital with Professor Vjenceslav Vlahov – an expert guide available to borrow from the Croatian National Tourist Office.We met our knowledgeable companion in the lobby of our hotel and from there, proceeded to cover almost every inch of the city, learning all the while.From the main sights, such as the beautiful cathedral, to the lesser-known wonders, like the Croatian State Archives, we saw it all – and enjoyed every minute.
Vjenceslav, a proud Zagreb resident, has been leading tours for more then 45 years and in that time, has guided tourists all over the world.He is fluent in English (although he’ll modestly tell you it’s his worst language) and also speaks a range of others, including French, German, Spanish and Italian.The perfect guide, Vjenceslav was full of fascinating facts about the city and one of my favourites was that to preserve the character of the Upper Town, all 217 streetlamps are still gas-powered and every morning and evening, someone comes round to light them.
Vjenceslav also told us that the Hotel Esplanade – Zagreb’s grandest hotel – was built to accommodate passengers travelling on the Orient Express. Agatha Christie, the famous crime writer and creator of detective Hercule Poirot, stayed at the hotel on several occasions and it is rumoured that she penned Murder on the Orient Express whilst in Zagreb.
To book a walking tour of the city in advance, contact the Croatian National Tourist Office in London on 020 8563 7979 or visit www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr. To contact Vjenceslav directly, call +385 (1) 6625 674 or email vvlahov@gmail.com