January 8, 2023 - Did you know that a whole different world awaits you a short distance from Zagreb, a world which is as far removed from the bustling centre in every possible way? And a world which is accessible in just 15 minutes via the recently opened Zagreb Cable Car.

Zagreb is one of the few European cities that has quality skiing on its doorstep, and now even closer thanks to the cable car ride up the mountain to Sljeme. On a gorgeous December day, I made my way to the base station, determined to overcome my fear of heights and cable cars, to see what the 15-minute ride would bring.

The cable car was incredible smooth, quiet and secure – I actually enjoyed the experience for the first time in my life, and I was rewarded with a choice between sun-kissed views of the city below and a winter wonderland of trees above. With several stops en route, I opted to the top and entered a vibrant world of winter fun, active fun, family fun, and just pure fun, fun, fun.

Skiing, sledding, mountain biking, hiking, snowball fighting, or just relaxing over a mulled wine or hearty winter portions of homemade food. Enjoy the experience in the video below, before descending back down into the Zagreb sunshine.

Zagreb is a destination of four distinct seasons, and Sljeme is a wonderful experience whatever the time of year. Don’t miss it – a wonderful escape from the city.

****

What is it like to live in Croatia? An expat for 20 years, you can follow my series, 20 Ways Croatia Changed Me in 20 Years, starting at the beginning - Business and Dalmatia.

Follow Paul Bradbury on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to the Paul Bradbury Croatia & Balkan Expert YouTube channel.

Croatia, a Survival Kit for Foreigners is now available on Amazon in paperback and on Kindle.

April the 18th, 2022 - The Sljeme cable car, which has been plagued with issues and been open then closed, is now open once again. This time, the new Zagreb attraction has a new service for its users.

As Vecernji List/Dario Topic writes, the Sljeme cable car (Zicara Sljeme) was opened and then closed down, and has now been reopened once again. The now up and running Sljeme cable car, which is back in action following some additional noise reduction has new offers for its users - new working hours and a brand new service.

Given the warmer weather of spring and significantly longer days, which will certainly encourage more and more residents and guests of the City of Zagreb to take the Sljeme cable car up the mountain into nature and enjoy various outdoor activities offeed, the new working hours of the cable car are on weekdays from 10:00 to 19:00, and on weekends, holidays and public holidays from 09:00 to 07:00.

In addition to the above, having listened to the needs and suggestions of both recreational and professional cyclists, who have shown great interest in transporting their bicycles up onto Sljeme using the cable car, those in charge are pleased to announce that this service has now been made available, as reported by ZET.

In addition to purchasing a regular ticket, cyclists will have access to an additional ticket for the transport of their bicycles in the amount of just 20 kuna in one direction. In one single cable car, it is possible to transport two people and two bicycles. Passengers entering the cable car itself by bicycle are obliged to pay attention so as not to damage the equipment or endanger other users when riding the Sljeme cable car, and in order to be transported safely to their destination on Zagreb's famous mountain.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

February 22nd, 2022 - The opening ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow, with the regular cable car service starting from Thursday

Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomašević announced at a press conference that the Sljeme cable car will start working this week, specifically on February 24th. 

‘This is a project we inherited and we did everything in our power to finish it and put it into use. I can now say that the last work permit for the cable car was obtained yesterday. The cable car will have a ceremonial launch tomorrow. It will be open to the public starting from this Thursday’, said Tomašević.

As reported by Poslovni Dnevnik, the mayor announced that the cable car will operate from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays, and from 8 AM to 6 PM on weekends.

Tomašević also said that the total cost of the cable car project currently amounts to 537 million kuna, and that the information frequently shared in the media mentioning figures over 700 million kuna include VAT which should not be taken into consideration.

‘There will never be any profit from the cable car’, said Tomašević and shared more information in regards to ticket prices. There are three pricing categories, and the tickets will have promotional prices for a while after the cable car starts operating. 

The first category includes those citizens who hold a ZET monthly pass, as the cable car is part of the public transport network. The ZET company is the investor and the manager of the cable car. This category will have the lowest ticket prices: 30 kuna for one-way tickets and 50 kuna for return tickets.

Tomašević pointed out that prices will increase after the promotional period ends.

The second category includes all Zagreb residents, as it’s them who will pay off the investment through the city budget. In this category, one-way tickets for adults will cost 40 kuna and the return tickets 70 kuna. Tickets for older children and the elderly will cost 25 kuna one-way and 40 kuna for the return ticket, whereas young children and people with disabilities will use the cable car free of charge.

The third category includes all passengers who aren’t residents of Zagreb and don’t have a ZET pass, and as such will be paying the full price to ride the cable car. One-way tickets for adults will cost 75 kuna and return tickets 125 kuna. Older children and the elderly will be paying 50 kuna for one way tickets and 75 kuna for return tickets, and tickets for young children and people with disabilities will cost 20 kuna one way and 30 kuna for the return.

February the 17th, 2022 - Sljeme cable car tickets will first be sold at alluring promotional prices now that the cable car has finally received a permit for its use following months of issues and spanners in the works.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the long-awaited Sljeme cable car has finally received a permit for its use, meaning that its opening is likely by the end of this month, Deputy Mayor of Zagreb Danijela Dolenec said at a recently held press conference, and Sljeme cable car tickets, which will be promotional at first, will be known next week.

"By the end of the week, a report on the safety of the cable car is expected, and the last step involves work permits from the Ministry of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Infrastructure. It remains possible and certain that the cable car will finally be put into function by the end of this month,'' said Dolenec.

Sljeme cable car ticket prices should be known as early as next week.

“At the beginning of next week, in any case before the opening, we'll present the Sljeme cable car ticket price list, with the proviso that it will operate according to a promotional price for a while. We're still doing analyses and having consultations,'' said Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic.

When asked whether the average family with children would be able to afford Sljeme cable car tickets, Tomasevic said that this was the idea behind the pricing plans.

Answering a question about the course of the social dialogue with the unions regarding the announced dismissals of the redundant workers in Zagreb Holding, Dolenec pointed out that "the management and the unions are very intensive in the consultation process".

"Let's wait a little longer. I'm sure that some of the employees will take severance pay themselves and leave of their own accord,'' said Tomasevic.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

December the 29th, 2021 - The saga surrounding the would-be-could-be Sljeme cable car has been going on since before former Mayor Milan Bandic prematurely passed away. With permits and complaints galore, will the money-gobbling Sljeme cable car which would take Zagreb's citizens and visitors alike up the mountain which towers over the capital ever see the light of day? Zagreb Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic has revealed more.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomasevic of Mozemo! (We can!) has stated that given the new legal framework, a change in the construction permit and a new noise measurement at points to be defined by the State Inspectorate are set to come.

''The Sanitary Inspection, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of the Interior are starting with all of that and I think it is realistic to expect that the Sljeme cable car will receive all of the necessary permits it needs to be put into function and be open by the end of January or the beginning of February,'' announced the Mayor of Zagreb, and to some that will sound like a very ambitious plan indeed, given the story around the future cable car which has been overwhelmingly negative so far.

He added that this is one of the big problems faced by the City of Zagreb at this moment in time, and that it could not get a permit because cable cars are not defined as transport infrastructure.

"It simply came to our notice then. It could have been done earlier, but I'm glad that it has been resolved and that we can move on from it all now. We will not stop at making sure we're reducing the noise, we've also talked to the equipment manufacturer about how we might reduce noise at the starting station, but also in relation to other parts of the structure,'' concluded the mayor.

For more, check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

May the 9th, 2021 - There was much talk about the much anticipated Zagreb cable car which was in the works for a significant amount of time. The project was surrounded by issues and problems with time despite the fact that works had continued relatively normally up until recently.

As we previously reported, the Zagreb cable car failed to get the necessary permit to be put into function due to noise issues which need to be fully rectified before another request for a permit can be sent, with the State Inspectorate giving a very firm no at the moment. However, that isn't all, and now accusations of political motives for throwing a spanner in the works of the Zagreb cable car are being thrown around.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the conflict between Zagreb and the State Inspectorate, headed by HDZ member Andrija Mikulic, still hasn't abated. While the State Inspectorate claims that the Zagreb cable car cannot start working due to noise issues which need to be rectified, the City of Zagreb says that they're deliberately making it harder because of the local elections looming.

After the State Inspectorate recently deemed that the Zagreb cable car is the cause of excessive noise, the would-be Sljeme attraction now has another problem at its doorstep. The substation. Namely, as has unofficially been found out, the substation didn't pass the necessary inspection protocols either, and the contractor was given a period of two weeks to fix the problems found.

As 24sata has learned, the Zagreb cable car's substation doesn't have enough voltage to be able to supply electricity to the cable car itself, nor to the Mihaljevac-Gracansko dolje tram line.

As a reminder, the Zagreb City Office for Spatial Planning rejected the opinion of the Sanitary Inspection on Thursday last week, which refused to give a positive opinion to the Zagreb cable car for a permit due to its excessive noise.

Namely, inspectors determined that the City of Zagreb didn't provide evidence of noise measurement, and from the City Zagreb they claim that this isn't true and that they submitted all the necessary documents for the future cable car.

For all you need to know about Zagreb in 2021, make sure to bookmark Zagreb in a Page and choose your preferred language.

May the 6th, 2021 - If you've been following the news about Zagreb over the last few months, you'll more than likely have read about the proposed Sljeme cable car, the works on which have been continuing as normal. The project has been plagued with issues ever since its very conception, and now it has failed to get the proper permit to function due to noise.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Sanitary Inspection rejected the Sljeme cable car's permission because it didn't comply with the rules on excessive noise. Those responsible for the project have since been ordered to promptly fix the problem before making another application, 24sata unofficially found out from a source within the State Inspectorate.

To briefly recall, on Saturday in the technical inspection of the Sljeme cable car, the sanitary inspection of the State Inspectorate took place, which was set to give an opinion on excessive noise.

Namely, due to the report on noise measurement, the issuance of the ninth operating permit for the operation of the Sljeme cable car has been delayed, on which the Sanitary Inspection of the State Inspectorate and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure did not give an opinion.

Confusion has arisen around the following question: Is the opinion on noise in the field of transport infrastructure? The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure said that "noise isn't in their domain" and instructed the City of Zagreb to seek the opinion of the Faculty of Transport Sciences, and the Sanitary Inspection of the State Inspectorate referred the City of Zagreb to the Ministry of Health - a rather classic Croatian tale for anyone who has tried to do, well, basically anything administrative here.

The City of Zagreb assessed the Sljeme cable car case as "deliberate procrastination, allegedly due to local elections".

An attempt at contact with the project manager of the Sljeme cable car was made, but the individual in question couldn't be reached. As has since been learned unofficially, the contractor will have to construct a noise barrier, which will further increase the cost of the entire project.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

January the 2nd, 2021 - The much anticipated Zagreb cable car was due to begin function on beautiful Sljeme which towers over the Croatian capital tomorrow, bringing a little bit of joy after a dire year which ended with tragic earthquakes. Of course, that won't happen.

In Croatia, the snail mail rule continues to apply, and it is unlikely to come as much of a surprise to anyone that the much talked about Zagreb cable car's opening time has bee delayed. The cable car will be located in an extremely beautiful natural ''escape'' area from the city, a paradise for cyclists and hikers, and which is also home to the Snow Queen skiing event. We wrote recently how despite not having even been officially opened for use yet, it already unfortunately required repairs.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, works on the upcoming Zagreb cable car are currently underway on the individual steel-reinforced cable cars, and despite the announcements that the Snow Queen skiing event will be the premiere ''crowning'' of the new Zagreb cable car on January the 3rd, 2021, this will not happen. As Radio Sljeme learned, the contractor, Doppelmeyer, has not yet submitted the documentation required for the issuance of usage permits.

As stated, currently, work is underway on each of the steel-reinforced cable cars, which the City of Zagreb requested as a supplement to the main project on the 25th of November 2020.

Technical inspections of the Brestovac substation and its intermediate station, as well as the upper and lower stations, are currently underway, which is why the opening of the brand new Zagreb cable car is being postponed for at least two weeks from now.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

December the 29th, 2020 - It's common knowledge that things tend to grind along at somewhat of a snail's pace in Croatia, and the much talked about Zagreb cable car which will certainly add more life to beautiful Sljeme which towers above the capital, isn't immune to this endemic slowness.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, apparently, the Zagreb cable car will not start running on January the 3rd, 2021, as was previously and proudly announced by Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, 24sata reports, adding that the Zagreb cable car, although not really even entirely finished yet, already requires repairs. The problems began to occur during the process of obtaining all the documentation and the necessary permits for the Zagreb cable car, Jutarnji list writes, which shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who knows what trying to do even the most basic of things in Croatia is like.

In order to obtain a permit for use, it is necessary to perform a technical inspection, and after the permit is granted, a certificate is still required and needs to be issued by the relevant Ministry of Transport. Given the fact that the festive period is upon us and things run at an even slower speed, it is difficult to expect that everything will be done, dusted and up and running by January the 3rd, 2021.

In addition, as stated 24sata writes, even when the permits needed are issued, works will have to continue because repairs need to be done, that is, the steel structure of the roof of the upper station on Sljeme itself must be strengthened. Due to these additional works, the Zagreb cable car project, the associated costs of which have been constantly increasing and have now reached the staggering amount of 710 million kuna without VAT, could turn out to be even more expensive.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

A rare occurrence happened on Zagreb’s hill today, as the road to the top was closed due to congestion near the top.