All jazz lovers coming by train won’t see much of Zagreb if they enter Bacchus. Situated less than 100m from the central train station, this bar offers food and drink for both body and soul, serving as a perfect welcome, farewell or just a quick resting place for an inquisitive wanderer.

A bar with history, a former legendary notorious hot spot and gay meeting point, reopened its doors in 2008. with a new concept, slowly regaining it’s undeservedly lost cult status. The first thing that one notices upon entering is the details.

Everything here is about details. Every time you look around you will notice something new, from numerous antique writing machines, gramophones, radios, television sets, car models and wardrobes to a trapped baby doll, yellow rubber duck and a shark gnawing on a disco ball, to name just a few. The counter itself is made of an old bookshelf filled with books, and you get the check in one of them.

Jazz is played Wed-Sat, and the programme can be checked on their web page. If the weather is nice, you can sit in the garden up front, which reminds of a grandma’s back garden, extremely pleasant and relaxing.

The wine list is rather short but carefully selected, featuring wines from Argentina, Chile, California, Republic of South Africa as well as Croatian pride and glory. Besides wines, they offer a great list of cocktails and rakija made with herbs, berries, sour cherries, honey, pear, myrtle, and even nettle.

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Bacchus Jazz Bar | Art & culture, Bars, Music, Relaxing | Wine bottle from Kn 110
Trg Kralja Tomislava 16 | Lower town | +38514922218
10:00 – 00:00 daily

Although Cinema Grič has existed as long as I can remember, it opened its fully redecorated interior in 2009. The front area is consisted of a colourful bar that has two floors and a small club situated in the basement.

The club is open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The entrance is free!

The whole three front floors are also used as a showroom for different art exhibitions and a meeting place for various book promotions and festivals. In the back area you can find a small but cozy projection room, where you can watch a film, depending on the current program.

The whole place is very appealing, full of color and charm. During evenings it is very crowded and dynamic which makes it an ideal place to start a promising weekend night out. Although this place looks like it has it all, the Club works until 02:00 so you are advised to continue your socializing and dancing in some other city center club.

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Klub Kino Grič | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Music | Ticket price Kn 20.00
Jurišićeva 6 | Lower town | +38514834900
Cinema open Tue – Fri | Bar 07:30 – 23:00 daily

Medika is an Autonomous Centre for Culture situated in vast spaces of the former medical factory Medika. After months of putting effort into making this squat legally suitable for different cultural and educational manifestations, Medika Initiative (an association of organizations and independent collectives) finally concluded an agreement with the City of Zagreb. In that way, Medika also became the first legalized squat.

This place offers an open-door policy for everyone who wish to share their art, organize educational workshops, flea markets or participate in such activities. Every now and then an art-exhibition or movie, theatre and contemporary dance show takes place here, as well as parties, concerts and club nights. As you can see, Medika works as an alternative club too.

The complex is composed of large number of different rooms, due to the fact that it was once a factory, so when you come to this place for a night out, expect at least two music/dance floors. Beer, rakija and wine are cheap and the latter one’s taste corresponds its price.

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Medika | Art & culture, Bars, Music
Pierottijeva 11 | Lower town
Opening times vary

Kino Europa is the most beautiful cinema in Zagreb, made in post-secession classicist style in 1924. It is situated in Varšavska street – a street that has recently been a scene of a civil initiative and protests due to city government’s nontransparent politics related to an engineering project placed just a few meters away from the cinema.

Actually, from its beginnings, this cinema has been a bystander of political turmoil. It survived several political regimes, changed its initial name from „Balkan kino” to more eligible „Kino Europa” during the War of Independence, but in spite of all those changes, it has kept its doors open for every film buff in the city.

In 2008, after the civil initiative for preservation of this opulent cinema, city government entrusted its management to Zagreb Film Festival organization. Thanks to them, the citizens of Zagreb have one more place where they’re able to watch latest independent films, national and international festival laureates, and all those films they won’t easily find in some Movieplex. Kino Europa has also become a national film center that is a host to many film festivals and art related promotions as well.

Besides, it’s a place in which you can drink excellent coffee, wine and grappa at the Kino Europa café, use free wireless internet connection, check some new art-exhibition and dance on club nights every Friday and Saturday. All of that combined definitely makes Kino Europa Zagreb’s perfect hotspot.

For the exact film program and event information, click here.

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Kino Europa | Art & culture, Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea
Varšavska 3 | Lower town | +38514872888
Mon – Wed 09:00 – 01:00, Thu – Sat 09:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 00:00

When Pepermint club opened at the end of 2010, it was an instant success. Such a success that to this day it’s pretty difficult to get into the club on weekends. Since there’s this mindset in Zagreb that when a new hip club opens everyone HAS to be there to see and be seen, it mostly becomes a pain in the ass, because of the crowds, the overflow of „must seen” pretentious people and such.

However, I would like to tell you about Pepermint during the week. One of the best nights out that I’ve had during the week in the last year. Completely opposite from the weekend preppy crown, weekdays are much more relaxing and in my opinion much more interesting. Less crowded, meaning it gives you more space to dance, the party starts going around 21:00. meaning you can still make it home at a „proper” time to wake up tomorrow for work and most probably an interesting mixed crowd of people.

Be it a presentation of an album featuring croatian poets, the weekly Wednesday Rockabily sessions, a Valentine party organized by a theatre-producer’s duo or a concert of one of my favorite emerging young artists on the Croatian scene, Luka Belani, it never failed to provide quality fun. Recommended for all those looking for something “different”, just keep yourself informed through the Pepermint facebook page.

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Pepermint | Bars, Music | Small beer Kn 15
Ilica 24 | Lower town
10:00 – 05:00 daily

Music. Rock, blues, jazz, pop, funky, ethno, r’n'b, chanson … Most of it live. And mostly every day. Do you need more reasons to visit Sax? Well, if you do, here’s a brief history overview.

Sax was established 13 years ago as a place where all Croatian musicians or all genres can perform their work in front of an audience that knows how to appreciate what they have to offer. Prominent names of the Croatian music scene have performed here alongside less prominent ones. Anonymous performers became stars. Stars didn’t live up to their star status. All in all, it was rarely boring in Sax. True, sometimes the repertoire of some bands can be more or less repetitive but the upside of this club is that it offers live music almost every day of the week, which is very rare in Zagreb.

And now some guidelines for surviving Sax – first, dress in layers. Even if it’s freezing outside, it will be tropic inside so you better have some short sleeves on (I once fainted because of my sweater). Second, yes, it can get a bit stinky – especially now with the smoking ban which is a paradox – you no longer smell of cigarettes but you can smell everyone else. Finally, use the small bar on the left rather than the main one on the right and get acquainted with Roman, the bartender. You’ll never have to wait for your drink for too long.

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Sax | Bars, Music | Entry Kn 20
Palmotićeva 22 | Lower town | +38514872836
18:00 – 02:00 daily