Zagreb or Ljubljana?

To me the 3-2 split seems better. Zagreb has a very attractive bi-level historic center and lots of museums. I especially liked the Museum of Broken Relationships and the Museum of Naive Art, but there are many more. However, your interests may be very different from mine.

If you intend to spend part of your Ljubljana time taking day trips to places like Lake Bled or one of the cave systems (Postojna or Skocjan), that is of course a different matter.

Yes, we have day trips planned - the caves, Lake Bled. Basically the two full days we were there are planned out with road trips, but we leave in enough time to be back in town so we can check that out in the afternoon and of course in the evening. We just can’t decide if another day here is better than another day in Zagreb.

That’s a tough call. I loved both these cities and my instinctual reaction is to keep the two nights in Zagreb. Much of Ljubljana’s pleasure centers around just wandering around and soaking in the atmosphere. I think with three nights you’ll get plenty of that. Getting up to the castle is cool and that, and there’s interesting museums/sights but it’s not exactly world beating stuff. Honestly, if you have FOMO I’d skip a day trip in favor of a day in the city.

Zagreb is a hidden gem imo, and though understandable, it’s a bummer that it often gets the short stick in itineraries. However, it’s often an entry/exit airport, so if you’re considering traveling back this way in the future it’s easier to include than Ljubljana. The airport is not super close to the town center, I think the Uber was like $20. Personally, I might drop the car first, deal with all that rigamarole, then just kick up your heels in town instead of dealing with traffic and parking.

Thank you. That's very helpful. I think we will take your advice and have two nights in Zagreb, returning the car on day one so we have a full day to explore the city before flying home.

Having been to both I would go back to Zagreb, but not Ljubljana.

I have been to both cities, and I enjoyed both of them. I do think that Ljubljana is prettier with the river, the bridges, and the architecture. However, we really enjoyed Zagreb, too. The small museums are interesting, and we enjoyed browsing through the outdoor market. What I like about seeing both cities is that they are very different from each other architecturally so you get two very distinct experiences.

My recommendation is to spend 3 nights in Ljubljana and 2 nights in Zagreb as currently planned.

We have also been to both cities. Ljubljana is much smaller and easy to get around by in foot. Zagreb is larger and, as acraven said, has an upper and lower town.

Some car drop off points are not at the airport and they drive you over. Some are just steps from the front door. Zagreb’s airport is small and it is impossible to get lost. When you pick up the car, ask about the drop off point. And definitely take pictures of the car before you drive away. Any little scratch you see, document.

Thank you everyone for your responses. It's been very helpful and we decided to go with the original plan of three nights in Louisiana and two nights in Zagreb. As we look for a place to stay in Zagreb is it better to stay in the lower old town or the upper town?

There’s more going on in the Lower Town I think. Jelevic Square is more the hub everything runs off of. Lower town has a lot of Hapsburg era grandness. Take a quick walk to the National Theatre, lovely area. Do some exploring in Zagreb, there’s all sorts of courtyards and passages hidden away from the street. I stayed at Hotel Jagerhorn and recommend it. Great location, very quiet and comfortable. The funicular to the upper town is right next door to the hotel.

Stay in the lower town. The upper town has St Mark’s Church and a few museums, but it is mostly government buildings.

Thank You Everyone! We decided to splurge on Hotel Esplanade. Any feedback? Our other contender is Hotel Jagerhorn.

Also it appears we can return the car right in town at Zagreb and avoid the hassle of trying to figure out how to return it at the airport before the flight. We reserved our car with Sixt Car Rental.