Zagorje

Varaždin’s centre offers a fine ensemble of baroque buildings, a number of which have been turned into museums. Many of its aristocratic mansions and elegant churches are being restored as part of the town’s ongoing bid to be included in Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites. Conveniently, most buildings have plaques with architectural and historical explanations in English, German and Croatian.

Those with kids should make a beeline to this brilliant museum which explores the history of the universe, earth and humanity, as well as highlighting the story of Krapina's famous 1899 Neanderthal fossil-bone find through a series of fun, colourful and high-tech exhibits. Everything from the big bang to Neanderthal daily life, their demise and the rise of Homo sapiens is covered, with interesting displays on how the excavation site was found, too.

This castle, 80km northwest of Zagreb, is worth a visit for its well-presented museum and attractive grounds. The exact origin of its construction is unknown, but the first official mention dates to 1334. Not many of the castle’s original Romanesque features were retained when it was restored in neo-Gothic style in the mid-19th century; the 215-acre castle grounds were landscaped into a romantic English-style park with exotic trees and an artificial lake.

Nestled in the Sutla River valley near the Slovenian border, the village of Kumrovec has been transformed into an open-air ethnographic museum. A re-creation of a 19th-century village, the Staro Selo Museum features 40 restored houses and barns made of pressed earth and wood. The village was also the birthplace of Josip Broz Tito, the former president of Yugoslavia. His house is now a museum containing original furniture, letters from foreign leaders and memorabilia, with a life-sized bronze sculpture outside.

This rural inn has a scenic location in the village of Škarićevo, 4km from Krapinske Toplice. The five traditional cottages (featuring rooms and suites) sit amid vineyards and forests. The grounds feature tennis courts, hiking trails and a wine cellar, plus there’s a playground, a badminton court and pony riding to keep the little ones busy. Mountain bikes are complimentary.

Varaždin is famous for its baroque music festival, Varaždin Baroque Evenings, which takes place over two weeks each September. Local and international orchestras play in the cathedral, churches and theatres around town. Tickets range from 75KN to 250KN (depending on the event), and become available one hour before the concert at travel agencies or the Varaždin Concert Bureau.