The Story of Zagreb in 17 Languages

Who could tell better stories of Zagreb than the schooled tour guides who know absolutely everything about the city’s history, culture, architecture, and lifestyles of its past citizens (as well as contemporary ones) and all of this in 17 languages?

February 21st is the globally-recognized “International Day of Tour Guides” so, naturally, this day has been chosen by the Association of Tour Guides of Zagreb to promote their work, which has provided Zagreb’s tourists with the most interesting information about the city for many years.

The Association of Tour Guides of Zagreb was founded in 1964. Today, it consists of a total of 132 members, predominantly academically educated citizens, who are the only licensed tour guides in Zagreb. Tours of the city are available in 17 foreign languages including Turkish, Japanese, Chinese and Greek; the Association also boasts the first Croatian tour guide for the hard of hearing.

Aside from individual programs, which are available at any time, the Association of Tour Guides of Zagreb cooperates with more than 120 domestic as well as foreign travel agencies, ministries, educational institutions, news agencies, sports associations and clubs.
Guided tours usually begin with a panoramic sightseeing of the Lower Town, which lasts approximately 45 minutes. Following is a tour of Mirogoj, the city cemetery, and a tour of the Upper Town and the cathedral. Typically, visits to the churches of St. Mark and St. Catherine are also included, as well as visits to the Stone Gate and a ride on the funicular. Sightseeing ends with a stroll through the city market Dolac, and a visit to the cathedral. The entire programme takes about three hours to complete.
During the tour of the city, visitors can discover everything about the city’s history, culture, cult personalities, legends, myths, old customs, as well as the most interesting details of a contemporary lifestyle in the Croatian capital. Arrangements can also be made for guided excursions to other parts of Croatia.