Last updated July 8, 2026

St. Mark's Church in Zagreb's Upper Town, showing its tiled roof with the coats of arms

Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Zagreb

Where to Stay in Gornji Grad (Upper Town), Zagreb

Gornji Grad is Zagreb's original city, built on a hill that once held two separate medieval settlements: Gradec, a fortified town, and Kaptol, the church district around the cathedral, divided by a stream that's now the lively Tkalčićeva Street. Together they form the Upper Town, a quiet grid of cobbled lanes, government buildings, and small museums centered on St. Mark's Square, where St. Mark's Church stands with its tiled roof showing the coats of arms of Croatia and Zagreb. It's largely institutional today — Croatia's parliament and government offices sit right on the square — and genuinely few hotels operate up here, since the area has stayed mostly residential, governmental, and cultural rather than commercial. In everyday use, "Upper Town" also loosely covers Tkalčićeva and the Kaptol streets at the base of the hill, where a handful of hotels do operate.

What it's actually like to stay here

Quiet and dignified on the hill itself — narrow lanes, stone gateways, and a noticeably slower pace than Donji Grad below, with tourists moving between St. Mark's Church, the Museum of Broken Relationships, and the viewpoints over the city. It gets busier during the day around the main sights but empties out by evening, since there's little nightlife on the hill. Down at its base, Tkalčićeva Street runs the opposite way — a long strip of bars and café terraces that stays lively well into the night.

Stay here if

Stay here if you want to wake up close to Zagreb's oldest streets and quietest corners, with St. Mark's Church, the cathedral, and Kaptol all within a short walk — it suits couples and first-time visitors drawn to the historic, less commercial side of the city, especially if a central Donji Grad hotel isn't a priority.

Stay elsewhere if

If having a wide choice of hotels matters, or you want to be right on the main square and tram network, book in Donji Grad instead — genuine hotel options directly in the Upper Town are limited, and a couple of the options here sit at its base on Tkalčićeva or Ilica rather than up among the historic lanes.

Walkability
Walkable but hilly — the climb up from Donji Grad involves either stairs, sloped streets, or the funicular, and the cobblestones can be uneven and slippery when wet. Once up top, the historic core itself is small and flat enough to cross on foot in about 15 minutes.
Noise at night
Quiet on the hill itself, especially away from St. Mark's Square during the day and almost everywhere after dark. Tkalčićeva Street at the base is a different story — it's one of Zagreb's busiest bar streets, and rooms directly on it can pick up noise into the night.

Best Hotels in Gornji Grad (Upper Town), Zagreb

Hotel Jägerhorn

★★★
  • 📍 Best location
  • 💰 Best value

Our take Few hotels in Zagreb can claim continuous operation since 1827, and this one manages it at rates well below the city's luxury properties.

Highlights

  • Right at the base of the funicular, a short walk from Ban Jelačić Square.
  • A small, personal scale that larger hotels can't offer.
  • Rates noticeably lower than most other central Zagreb options, without giving up the central location.

What to know

  • A small property, so it can book up quickly in peak season.
  • Ilica is a busy shopping street, so street-facing rooms can pick up daytime traffic and tram noise.
Check availability on Booking.com

Hotel Academia

★★★★
  • 🎉 Best for nightlife
  • 📍 Best location

Our take An address on Tkalčićeva itself, with the street's bars, cafés, and restaurants outside the door and the cathedral and Kaptol close by.

Highlights

  • Directly on Tkalčićeva, Zagreb's main café-and-bar street, with dozens of options nearby.
  • A short walk to the cathedral, Dolac market, and Ban Jelačić Square.
  • Modern, air-conditioned rooms, since the hotel opened relatively recently.

What to know

  • Tkalčićeva stays lively into the night — an interior-facing room is the quieter option.
  • The hotel sits at the base of the hill, so St. Mark's Church is a short uphill walk.
Check availability on Booking.com

Transportation & practical information

The funicular connects the base of the hill to Ilica in Donji Grad in just over a minute (a 64-second ride), though it can queue up at busy times; the stairs and sloped streets nearby cover the same short climb on foot. Trams don't run up into the historic core itself, so anything beyond a short walk means heading back down to Donji Grad's tram stops.

A car adds cost and hassle for a stay centered on Donji Grad and the Upper Town — both are walkable or a short tram ride apart, parking in the center is limited and metered, and several streets in the Upper Town are pedestrian-only. It's worth renting only if you're planning day trips into the surrounding countryside, like Plitvice Lakes or the Zagorje hills.

Frequently asked questions

Are there actually hotels in Zagreb's Upper Town?
Very few — the historic core is mostly government buildings, museums, and homes. The realistic options sit at the base of the hill, on streets like Tkalčićeva or Ilica, rather than deep among the cobbled lanes themselves.
How do I get up to the Upper Town from Donji Grad?
On foot via stairs or sloped streets, both a 10-15 minute walk, or on the funicular from Tomićeva Street, which covers the same climb in just over a minute.

Related areas

Ban Jelačić Square at dawn with the equestrian statue and surrounding 19th-century facades

Jorge Láscar / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Donji Grad (Lower Town)

Best for: First-time visitors, Couples, Architecture lovers, Luxury travelers

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