When it comes to riding a bike, I am definitely not the most skilled. You could describe my bike riding skills with the sentence "Won't fall down," but that is the limit for me. And when it comes to any kind of stunts, that's where I draw the line. Nevertheless, I'm sure (because I've seen it) that there's a lot of people who handle a bicycle like it's an extension of their body. 

Photo Credit: Nika Suntešić/Camp Zagreb

Places to go

When somebody mentions active vacation in Zagreb, for some reason, the first thing that comes to my mind is Camp Zagreb. Although actually situated in Rakitje, which is a part of the town Sveta Nedelja, Camp Zagreb is 16 kilometers away from Zagreb center which means, if you are an average cyclist, the drive will last about 20 minutes. 
On the other hand, if you like to be "in medias res," the right place to stay for you, in my opinion, is the Hostel Swanky Mint. Not only is it in Zagreb center, but it also offers the possibility of renting a bike if you don't have one at hand. Although renting a bike will cost you more than 50 cents or about 10 Euros, to be exact, Swanky is also offering e-bikes for rent which will cost you about 15 Euros a day. Besides renting a bike, Swanky also offers a pool as of the start of May, where you can rest your tired legs from all the cycling. 

Photo Credit: Tina Sarajlić/Swanky Mint hostel

Where do you go

Zagreb can really offer a challenging ride because it's not flat. I'm not talking just about Medvednica here, but there are also a lot of places like hills of Gornji grad which will certainly have no mercy when it comes to riding up and down all day. Besides Zagreb center, Zagreb also has uplands like Bukovac and Remete, the whole zone beneath Sljeme, etc. The Maksimir park will surely offer a good place to test your biking skills because besides of the breath-taking nature that surrounds you there, it also offers a lot of cycling space. Its pathways will surely offer a suitable place where you can arrange a bicycle race with your friends and become a real King or Queen of the bicycle world! 

Photo Credit: D.Rostuhar/TZGZ

On the other hand, cycling lovers from Zagreb have complained on a couple of occasions about the connectivity of the bike lanes in the parts of Zagreb where cars are driving. Although the center is fairly covered with the bike lanes and bicycles became really popular in the last couple of years for getting around town, there's still a lot of examples where the lanes just suddenly stop, or they end up in a pole or a parked car abrupts them. You could say there's a significant dose of bike riding skill you should have while driving around town in Zagreb. 

Photo Credit: Alida/Blue Bike Zagreb

Wherever you will go

If you happen to be an active traveler by the calling, and you like to have some guidance while driving around town on your bike, there's also a solution for that, and it's called Blue Bike. Blue Bike is a city tour based on small groups of people who are taken on a sightseeing tours through Zagreb on their bikes and with the constant leadership along the way. The company was opened back in 2010 by a group of Zagreb loving people who are also in love with transferring their knowledge to other people. They believe that classic tourist tours are a bit boring and slow, and that's why they came up with the idea of how to connect their love towards Zagreb with their enthusiasm for riding a bike. Their groups are limited by the number and because of it, the atmosphere is familiar and friendly so that you could ask your guide whatever comes to your mind. The fact that you get a bike if you haven't brought your own is, of course, implied.

Photo Credit: Alida/Blue Bike Zagreb

Let her go

If you just want to be a temporary passenger on your bike, a great solution is Nextbike. It's a system of public bikes you can rent for several hundred kunas a year. It's a great option for people who don't want to take care of their own bikes in the terms of servicing them and such. There are 19 stations on strategic locations in Zagreb any you can pick up and leave your bike at any of them and also check their availability through a mobile app. 

In my opinion, this whole text wouldn't have much sense if I told you every place possible where you can go in Zagreb on a bike. Instead, I've hidden a couple of songs in the text you can listen to while cruising around on your two-wheeled vehicle. Tha's it from me, now sit on your bike and pedal! GO!

Header Image Credit: Alida/Blue Bike Zagreb

Author: Tibor Trupec