Zagreb is like an old book with beautiful vintage covers. And when you open that book, on almost every page, you'll find some striking mysteries and secrets you may not even been aware of. With an abundant history dating back to the Middle Ages, this Croatian city is not lacking in alluring buildings, and unusual stories left untold. So we went with Secret Zagreb on a one-of-a-kind walk, where we discovered the different side of the city, the dark one, and we were amazed!

Got a Secret. Can you Keep it?

It might be smaller than the other European cities, but Zagreb is a hidden gem when it comes to mystery. You have probably heard about the famous witches of Salem, but did you know that Zagreb had its witch trials too? Notorious hearings went on for hundreds of years. Who would've think? Sometimes the secrets are hidden away down narrow alleyways or tucked away in historic buildings. We all know that famous story about the Hobbit and the dragon Smaug, don't we? Well, according to the legend, Zagreb had one under the city too.

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Secret Zagreb Walks – Zagreb Ghosts and Dragons Tour

We love Zagreb. Its vibrant atmosphere, people, the architecture… but we have never, you know, peeked behind its door, dug deep, and learned more about its dark side. Recently, we heard about the Secret Zagreb Walks, and we got intrigued. Who doesn't love a little bit of mystery, right? They offer two tours scheduled from spring to late autumn called Zagreb Ghosts and Dragons and Badass Women of Zagreb, and one in December called Zagreb Christmas Carol. As we said before, we wanted to discover the dark side of Zagreb, so we picked the Ghosts and Dragons tour. If you were there, you would definitely see the fear in our eyes, but we gathered our courage and suddenly found ourselves confronted by a beautiful array of curiosities. We have visited the locations of some former graveyards, heard stories about strange apparitions, notorious witch hunts, and trials, and learned about the strangest dragon society… ''How on earth did we not know about this?'' – we often wondered out loud. Our favorite story is the one about the sleeping dragon. The story goes like this; in the early morning of November 9th, 1880, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 hits Zagreb, and the cause was the green dragon. Namely, the dragon sleeps under the city with his massive head under the old town, and his tail is far, far away in the Eastern part of the city. And every time the dragon wakes up, he moves its tail, and the ground starts shaking.

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Duration and Pricing

The tour duration is about 2 hours,  and the prices depend on the group size. For example, for 1-4 persons, the price is 47€, for 5-10 persons 60€, for 10-20 persons 86€, and more than 20 persons 110€.

If you are in Zagreb or planning to visit it, we definitely recommend the Secret Zagreb Walks tours. Listed by the Guardian as one of the top 10 alternative walking tours in Europe, Secret Walks will reveal the dark side of this Croatian town and uncover its hidden layers of rich history that even the locals forgot. The Secret Zagreb also offers fun quests, where you look for clues and solve the riddles. For more information, head over to their website.

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