Zagreb's sights divide neatly into three layers: the medieval Upper Town with its cobbled lanes, the 19th-century Lower Town built around a horseshoe of leafy parks, and the green hills of Medvednica rising directly behind the city. You can cover the central core in a couple of days; a third day handles the better museums and a half-day trip up the mountain.
Most of the city's best museums are small, eccentric, and unusually personal — the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Museum of Hangovers being the most famous examples. Combine them with the more conventional Mimara and Strossmayer collections for a satisfying mix. Don't miss the small rituals: the noon cannon from Lotrščak Tower, the Saturday morning špica parade through the centre, the lighting of the gas lamps in the Upper Town at dusk.