Tourists of Zagreb: A Walking Tour to Remember

In this month's interview, we talked with Igor who explored Zagreb with Josipa better known as Purgerica, a Zagreb local who hosts private and custom made Zagreb walking tours that will certainly give you a unique taste of the city through the local eyes.

Igor, tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from and what do you do? 

Hi, I'm Igor Pizaia, I'm Brazilian, from Curitiba, in southern Brazil, near Sao Paulo, but for the last 3,5 years I've been living in Santiago de Chile with my husband. I work as a Product Manager in a Telecom company called Telefonica Movistar/O2, but my great passion is backpacking around the world.

How did you choose to visit Croatia and Zagreb? Was this your first time here?

Yes, it was the first time visiting Zagreb, and it was quite a surprise for me. I chose Zagreb because of the Russia World Cup last summer. I've seen some videos of Zagreb online, and it looked exciting. I was in Zagreb for only two days as I was backpacking around Central Europe at the time.

How did you find Josipa's tour and which places in the city have you visited with her?

The receptionist of the hostel recommended her tour to us. We walked around the city center, the old town and it was an amazing tour and experience.

Image credit: Igor Pizaia

But what does the name Purgerica actually mean? Purgerica is a sort of an old Zagreb slang word which is derived from German and means a lady from Zagreb. After falling hopelessly in love with Zagreb and its many stories, Josipa who is behind the Purgerica - Your guide to Zagreb tours, paired the fine craft of storytelling, inherited from her grandmother, with many years of exploring her city, to create tours which will charm you into feeling the spirit of our capital, through the eyes of true Zagrebians. All her tours come spiced up with a warm, trademark smile and some pretty romantic, fully authentic, "licitar" hearts known as Zagreb's most famous souvenir. 

Image credit: Mia Rajda

So Igor, did you learn something new or some interesting facts about Zagreb during the tour?

I was very impressed with the old war tunnel in the city center and all the city cafes with their terraces and also Zagreb's viewpoint. 

What were your first impressions of the city? 

I arrived at the bus terminal, and I had to take a tram to my hostel. It was kind of difficult to understand how to get to our hostel, but fortunately, a lovely girl who speaks English helped us a lot, so my first impression was that Zagrebians are friendly and helpful. 

How is Zagreb different from other cities and places you've visited? 

Zagreb has a very interesting history, beautiful architecture, but what made us fell in love with it was the kindness of the people and also the restaurant scene. We had very delicious food.

I felt like Zagreb was kind of a mix between Italy and Polland. Of course, Josipa and her tour were the best part of Zagreb for us.

Image credit: Igor Pizaia

Can you maybe compare Zagreb to your homeland Brazil and your hometown? What are some cultural differences between them?

Zagreb is much smaller than my city in Brazil. I would say it looks more like a small Mediterranean city. My hometown, Curitiba is more like a big Warsaw, very green but more modern. In Curitiba, there are no trams, and there is no bloody history marked by the war that we learned about in Zagreb. 

Did you try any local food and drink in Zagreb?

Yes, I did but I can't remember the name of it. It was something like a lasagna. Very delicious.

Would you recommend Josipa's tour to others? 

For sure. It was one of the best walking tours I did in my life, and I've already been to 39 countries around the world!

Image credit: Ivana Palešćak

As we've already mentioned, Purgerica's walking tours are not ordinary tourist tours. They are themed and carefully created to give you the best of Zagreb. Two special ones are "A Gram of Zagreb" and "50 Shades of Loving Zagreb."

In the first one, you'll learn all about legends and myths connected to both our Upper Town and Downtown Zagreb which await to be discovered. Through the second one you will find out why red and blue are Zagreb's main colors, what they represent when it comes to people, famous men, women, love stories, fighters and heroes and much, much more. 

In the end, are you planning to revisit Croatia and Zagreb?

Sure, I'd love to go back to Croatia, to visit more places like the south coast and Zagreb again as well.

If we sparked interest in you and you'd like to take one of Purgerica's tours when in Zagreb, visit her Facebook and Instagram page or contact her via email purgerica@yahoo.com or via text, Whatsapp, Viber or call the number: +385 91 6363 661.

Header image credit: M. Mihaljević, TZGZ

Author: Darija Ilić