Medved Hike

We scored an absolutely gorgeous weekend of sunshine and blue skies last week. But we know the weather is going to turn against us soon so on Sunday we packed up our cracker hangovers and climbed up Zagreb’s mountain, Medvednica.

We opted to take bus 102 from Britanski Trg to Šestine, which is a small pretty town on Medvednica. You’ll know you’re in the right place because a) everyone else gets off, and b) there are thousands of people and cars. We thought maybe it was because it was Sunday and everyone had just come out of church, but I think any sunny weekend day will see this part of Zagreb rammed. Croatians, surprisingly (for me), love to get outdoors!

We took hiking track 12 from behind the church. The plan was to go via Grafičar then to the peak at Sljeme. We’re pretty seasoned hikers, and we can do 20km on a hangover with no problems (well, with minor “oh god I want to die” problems) but on this day I was well out of shape and suffering badly from the night before. About half way I threatened to quit and it took C some cajoling to convince me to carry on.

“Come on,” she said. “We’re already here. Let’s get to the top.”

So on we went.

It was a beautiful walk, but it was all up hill and I was very glad to see the sign that said that Grafičar was only 10 minutes away.

I may have mentioned before that there are some things that Croatians do right. Well, one of those things is the tops of mountains. Grafičar was no mere mountain hut with a place to fill up your water bottle. It was a bar. A BAR! Hallelujah.

We had a well-deserved beer and then headed back downhill. We’ll have to try for Sljeme one day when we’re in less pain. But it was well worth the effort of dragging our damaged bodies up the hill, so thanks C for convincing me!

How to get there

You have a few options getting to the start of the hiking trails.

• Bus 102 from Britanski Trg to Šestine or Mihaljevac
• Tram 14 to Mihaljevac
• Tram 14 to Mihaljevac, then Tram 15 to Dolje

If you’re interested in history, you can find the grave of Ante Starčević in the cemetery at Šestine. Starčević is known as the Father of the Croatian Homeland or something.