Dolac market, just north of the city's main square, is open every morning and is a feast for the senses. Whatever fruits and vegetables are in season in the surrounding countryside are on sale here, heaped in colourful pyramids on stallholders' trestle tables, along with flowers, cheeses, honey and other goodies. Cafes patronised by market workers and buyers surround the market. The indoor section under the square is home to meat, dairy products and other grocery items. Go before midday to sample the atmosphere at its best.

3 Ride a tram

They may not be as quaint as Hong Kong's double-decker trams, but Zagreb's single-decker 'bendy' trams form part of a comprehensive network that provides an excellent way to get around the city. Buy books of tickets at street kiosks, but in true European style don't forget to get your ticket machine-stamped once aboard - failure to do so is the same as riding ticketless. The Lonely Planet guide warns you that the trams are crowded, but any Hong Kong native who has battled their way through a local tram at rush- hour will find most Zagreb trams tame by comparison.

4 Outdoor cafes

If you consider Paris a mecca for alfresco cafe enthusiasts, think again. There's hardly a street in Zagreb that doesn't contain an outdoor cafe. The smartest, and most expensive, are in the main square and are perfect for people watching, but the kings of cafe society are the pedestrianised F. Petrica and Margaretska streets, with outlets packed cheek by jowl. The trendiest street, however, is Kaptol. Its daytime cafes transform into trendy clubs after dark. Zagrebites need little excuse to sit down for a coffee, a beer (Osijek and Karlovac are excellent local varieties) or even a slibovic - a colourless plum brandy usually drunk as an aperitif. In fact, you might wonder when any work is done, so busy are the cafes on anything but rainy days. Then you'll notice that many business meetings are conducted at cafes, not in offices.

5 Buy an ice cream

When men in suits aren't sitting in cafes drinking coffee, you'll see them walking along eating ice creams ... probably because they've just been to Vincek (18 Ilica, just off the main square), the best-known ice cream parlour and cake shop in Zagreb. Vincek makes its own ice cream in many flavours. Try the straciatella, which is chocolate with bits and pieces in it, or one of the many fruit flavours. Croatia doesn't offer much unique shopping, but, if you develop a taste for local food and drink, the Gavrilovic chain of shops is a good place to find liqueurs and foodstuffs such as cured Dalmatian ham to take home. Herbal varieties of plum brandy are called travarica.

6 The main square

The heart of Zagreb is a square with an almost unpronounceable name: Trg bana Jelaei?a. It's named after a 19th-century count who led the Croats into battle against Hungary (and lost). Taking centre stage is a huge statue of Josip Jelaei? on his horse. Deemed a symbol of Croatian nationalism, the statue was removed by Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Tito in 1947, but returned to the square in 1990, a year before independence was declared. The steam engine that pulled the train containing Tito's coffin has a place of honour outside the city's railway station. The only vehicles allowed through the square are trams, making this a fine spot for locals to gather and chat. Older people repair to the smart cafes while youngsters take to skateboards.

7 Museums

Zagreb is said to have more museums per square kilometre than any other city in the world. The grand-daddy of them is the Mimara (Franklyn Roosevelt 5), packed with sculptures, paintings and other artefacts. Works by Canaletto, Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough, Turner, Delacroix, Manet, Renoir and Degas are on show. The Museum of Naive Art (?irila I Metoda 3) focuses on the works of Croatian artists from the 1930s to 1980s. The City Museum (Opaticka 20) tells the story of the city, and its interactive displays make it perfect for children. You can't miss the Art Pavilion, housed in a bright yellow art nouveau building (Trg krajla Tomislava 22) in the city centre park, which is home to exhibitions of contemporary art.

8 Samobor

A bus ride of about an hour west of the city takes you to Samobor, a pretty little town on the Gradna River. You can take a leisurely stroll along the riverbank, and have a drink in one of the many cafes in the partly pedestrianised town centre and a meal in a traditional restaurant serving specialities such as garlic sausages and spicy mustard sauce. If you have more time to spare you can use Samobor as a base for hiking in the surrounding countryside.

9 Rent a bike

10 St Mark's Church

If the sun is shining on the roof of St Mark's Church (Crkva Sveti Marka) in the upper town, prepare to be dazzled. You'll be obliged to view it through sunglasses because it's covered with brightly coloured tiles depicting 0the coats of arms of Croatia, Dalmatia, Slavonia and Zagreb. The church isn't particularly notable architecturally, however, because much of the original structure was destroyed in an earthquake in 1502, which prompted extensive restoration.