I just visited 3 Zagreb museums in September 2025 and would be curious to hear other travelers' experiences. First, my hands-down favorite was the Croatian Naive Art Museum which packed a lot of superb art in a few rooms. It took 30-45 minutes to view everything and read many descriptions. Second, the Museum of Broken Relationships was filled with sadness and humor. The clever idea for the museum hinges on the personal stories of "breakups" - but the objects were not as interesting as the narratives. At times, it was very crowded in some rooms which made for a slightly claustrophobic experience. Third, I really enjoyed the Contemporary Art Museum (MSU) in Novi-Zagreb (south of the Sava river). It's far from the Old Town - but well worth a taxi or tram ride if you enjoy modern art. It's an ecletic mix of history and modern art in a huge building. There was a superb exhibit on the marginalization of immigrants (Filipinos arrived in great numbers as service workers in Zagreb during 2021 and 2022). Also, the theme of war (breakup of Yugoslavia) was addressed in the permanent collection with examples of innovative multimedia art. The outdoor slide is also part of the museum!
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4787 posts
We love the Museum of Naive Art. We always stop by when we are in Zagreb. Not a fan of the Broken Relationships museum.
Another great museum is the Ethnographic Museum (Etnografski Muzej).
Posted by
Zagreb
38 posts
Museum of Contemporary Art is my personal favourite. To me the other interesting one is the Museum of Zagreb City, but it may not be interesting for everyone, it is historical.
Tesla museum is good also.
Posted by
Sarasota,FL
442 posts
We enjoyed the Museum of Naive Art. There was a house with the art of a sculptor, whose name escapes me. We saw a large sculpture uphill from the old town in Split Croatia that he did. Both these museums were on top of the uphill part of town. It was an interesting hike including walking through a tunnel.
Posted by
Sarasota,FL
442 posts
I am back…Google helped my memory. The sculptor is Ivan Mestrovic, a famous Croatian artist , whose studio and home is commented in my post above. Well, maybe not so world famous but an excellent artist in Central Europe in the twentieth century.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3603 posts
Thanks everyone for your observations on Zagreb’s museums. Will be there next week, and this thread helps make some final choices in what to see.
Posted by
United states
1 posts
I really enjoyed reading everyone’s impressions of Zagreb’s museums — especially the Naive Art Museum and the Museum of Broken Relationships.
During my visit last spring, the Contemporary Art Museum stood out for me too. What surprised me most was how much digital media they’ve started to integrate into their exhibits. It reminded me of an online project I’ve been exploring at https://inatbixindir.tr/
where modern visual storytelling and motion design are used to create short, immersive experiences — kind of like a “virtual museum” you can carry in your pocket.
Zagreb has such a refreshing mix of history and creativity; even outside the museums, the street murals felt like extensions of the galleries. Would love to hear if anyone visited the smaller independent art spaces around Martićeva Street?
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
701 posts
I loved the applied arts/arts and crafts museums in Vienna (MAK), Prague, and Budapest so I was eager to visit the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Zagreb when I was there a few years ago but I was quite disappointed. There were lots and lots of objects to view but in my view not a very interesting or helpful organization of material, not much explanatory material and not special or themed exibitions.
Posted by
1260 posts
So cool, thanks for the tip! I still haven’t quite had the chance to scratch that extra layer, but rank Museum of Broken Relations and the Museum of Naive Art very highly. Those two museums just seem to suit Zagreb’s vibe. Even some of the other “quirky” museums that are just tourist attractions sound kind of fun.
There’s some good street art in Ribnjak Park too.