Get to know Zagreb on two wheels

Take a ride around Zagreb on a rented bicycle, which can now be hired at six locations in the city centre for a price of 8 kuna per hour. Reach your destination faster or embark on a sightseeing tour on two wheels.

If you want to get to know Zagreb while cycling, you can now rent a bike at six locations in the city centre. Only about 50 bicycles are available for the time being as part of the public bicycle pilot project which will be tested over the next three months. 

The idea was conceived by Krešimir Dvorski and Ante Gustin and it won second prize in the contest “From a clever idea to success”, organized by the Pametna Kuna and 24sata online portals. The young duo’s idea that Zagreb’s citizens use the bicycles as an alternative to public transport, while tourists could use them for sightseeing, has now received backing by the city authorities. Bicycles can be rented at the Central Train Station, in front of the Technical Museum on Savska Street, at the intersections of Petrinjska and Amruševa, Gundulićeva and Varšavska, as well as in front of the National University Library and on Šubićeva Street by the green market at Kvaternik Square.

The system is based on a smart card application which registers the place and time of hiring, as well as the location and time of bicycle return. To register, users need a credit or debit card, and before renting a bike for the first time they need to activate their nextbike account. The registration is free, while the account activation costs 79 kuna, which is used towards payment for bicycle rides. The first hour is free, while every following hour costs 8 kuna. There will be a 750 kuna late payment fee for not returning a rented bicycle after 24 hours.

Anyone interested in a bike ride on Zagreb’s streets can register online at nextbike.hr, as well as at hotel and hostel reception desks or at the Tourist Information Centre. A bike can be rented at terminals located at the bicycle stands, via a mobile phone application or with a user card. Once they receive a code to unlock the bicycle, users can take a bike. The service ceases once the bicycle is returned to the station and locked, and once users have checked out at the terminal or notified the user service.

Published: 03.06.2013