Real Estate in Upper Town-Medveščak
Apartments, houses and commercial spaces in the historic core of Zagreb and the quieter parts toward Medvednica.
Upper Town-Medveščak is not just the oldest part of Zagreb, but also one of the most recognizable addresses on the Croatian real estate market. When someone says "an apartment in the Upper Town," everyone in Zagreb instantly knows what kind of setting that means: narrow stone streets, baroque facades, a view of the cathedral and the smell of coffee on Tkalčićeva. As an agency headquartered on the nearby Vlaška Street, Hermes nekretnine follows this market first-hand every day, from apartments in Art Nouveau buildings on Kaptol to quieter villas in Zelengaj and Tuškanac.
This city district, officially named Upper Town-Medveščak, covers 10.19 square kilometers and has a population of just over 26,000. It includes the historic core of the city, Gradec and Kaptol, and extends north along the slopes of Medvednica all the way to Šalata, Tuškanac and Zelengaj. It is an extremely heterogeneous area: within a fifteen-minute walk you find three completely different living environments, each with its own type of buyer and its own price per square meter.
Gornji grad and Kaptol form the very heart of the historic core. Markov trg, the Cathedral and Tkalčićeva are the Zagreb that tourists see and the postcard image Zagreb residents carry in their memory. The housing stock here consists almost exclusively of old, often Art Nouveau buildings from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The apartments are characterful, with high ceilings and original details such as stucco and parquet, but they also bring the challenges that come with old construction: aging installations, buildings without elevators, and the need for thorough energy renovation. This is an area where the buyer is often not just buying an apartment, but also the story that apartment carries, aware that they will need to invest additional effort and money into adapting it to modern living.
Ribnjak, the park right next to the Cathedral, has over the past decade become an interesting micro-location for new development, a rare example of a modern residential-commercial project in the middle of the historic core. Unlike the surrounding old buildings, here buyers get contemporary construction with a view of one of the city's most beautiful parks, along with all the benefits of a central location without the compromises that come with adapting an old building.
The third setting is Šalata, Tuškanac and Zelengaj, the part of the district that climbs toward Medvednica and feels like a completely different story. Villas and family houses dominate here, the streets are quieter, the air is cleaner, and the proximity of the Zagreb University Hospital Center at Šalata and the medical faculties creates stable rental demand among doctors, academic staff and postgraduate students. This is the part of Upper Town-Medveščak chosen by families who want peace and quiet without giving up proximity to the center.
If you are looking for short-term tourist rental, it is hard to find a better location in Zagreb than the inner core of the Upper Town. Proximity to the Cathedral, Tkalčićeva and the Upper Town with Markov trg means a property is within walking distance of all the main attractions, which is directly reflected in occupancy and rental prices throughout the year, not just in season. At the same time, that same proximity to nightlife and tourist crowds is exactly why the inner core is not the first choice for families with young children, since the noise from Tkalčićeva in the evening and the crowds during the day are not for everyone.
Investors looking for long-term rental recognize the potential of proximity to Šalata, where the hospital and faculties generate stable, year-round rental demand that does not depend on the tourist season. Young couples and families who want peace, greenery and space for children naturally gravitate toward Zelengaj and Tuškanac, where the streets are quiet and nature is within reach, while the city center is still just a ten-minute drive away.
For buyers looking for an authentic, historic character and not afraid to invest in renovation, apartments in the Upper Town and on Kaptol remain a unique opportunity, since this kind of housing stock is practically no longer built anywhere else in the city.
Prices per square meter in this district vary across an extremely wide range, depending on the age of the building, the floor, the condition of the installations, whether there is an elevator and, of course, the specific micro-location. Smaller, unrenovated apartments in the older buildings of the Upper Town and Kaptol sit at the lower end of the price spectrum for the district, while luxury new-builds and larger penthouses with views, such as those at Ribnjak or Horvatovac, reach significantly higher values. Precisely because of this difference, we recommend an individual valuation for every buyer before making a decision, since a generalized price per square meter in this district almost never reflects the real situation of a specific property.
As an agency doing business in this district every day, we notice a trend of rising demand alongside a simultaneous decrease in the supply of long-term rentals. Part of the housing stock is being redirected toward short-term tourist rental, which further pushes up prices and makes it harder for young families to find an affordable apartment for permanent living in the very center.
No text about real estate in Upper Town-Medveščak would be complete, or fair to the buyer, without mentioning the earthquake of March 22, 2020. This district was one of the hardest hit in the entire city. Of nearly 24,000 buildings inspected across Zagreb, as many as 3,077 inspection requests concerned Upper Town-Medveščak alone, the third highest number in the city. Across Zagreb, 1,074 buildings were tagged red after the earthquake, meaning unusable, and 4,247 were tagged yellow, meaning limited use, and as much as 98.5% of the damaged buildings are privately owned.
The practical consequence of this is simple: before buying any property in an older building in this district, always check whether the building has a post-earthquake inspection tag, whether and to what extent renovation has been carried out, and who is responsible for the cost of any future work. At Hermes nekretnine we consider this step an essential part of evaluating every property in Upper Town-Medveščak, since the building's status directly affects both the safety of living there and the future value of the property.
An additional layer of complexity comes from heritage protection status: the Upper Town and Kaptol have been protected as a unified historic ensemble known as "Old Town Zagreb" since 1968, and the district itself contains as many as 221 registered heritage buildings. This means stricter rules for any work on facades, windows and building fronts, important information for anyone planning a renovation or adaptation.
The proximity of the Zagreb University Hospital Center at Šalata, along with the associated Šalata Sports and Recreation Center with its ice rink, makes this part of the district attractive not only to healthcare workers but also to families for whom proximity to top-tier medical care is an important factor. Ribnjak Park, right next to the Cathedral, is one of the city's most beautiful parks, while Zelengaj and Tuškanac offer an almost forest-like atmosphere despite being close to the center.
Tram lines run along the edges of the district and connect it directly to Trg bana Jelačića and the rest of the city, though it is worth noting that parking in the Upper Town itself and on Kaptol is regulated by special rules. Reserved resident parking spaces apply in the historic core, which is a typical challenge for new apartment owners in this part of the city and something that should definitely be clarified before buying.
For families with school-age children, the offer of primary schools and gymnasiums in this district is among the best in the city. Osnovna škola Ivan Goran Kovačić operates in the wider Šalata area, and the Upper Town itself is home to some of the oldest and most prestigious secondary schools in Croatia, such as the Klasična gimnazija. This proximity to quality education is an additional argument for families considering a move to the quieter parts of the district, such as Zelengaj or Tuškanac, where closeness to nature is combined with access to top-tier educational institutions just a few minutes' drive away.
Buyers torn between an apartment in an old building on Kaptol and a modern apartment at Ribnjak face this district's classic dilemma. Old construction brings an unrepeatable character, high ceilings, original details and a location in the very heart of the city, but also the obligation to invest in renovating installations, heating and, often, energy retrofitting of the whole building, which usually requires agreement among all co-owners. New construction, on the other hand, offers immediate move-in readiness, modern fittings and a developer's guarantee, along with a higher starting price per square meter, but without the hidden costs an old building can bring in the first few years of ownership.
In practice, buyers planning long-term living and who value authenticity often choose old construction despite the extra effort, while investors focused on short-term rental or quick resale more often choose new construction precisely because of the predictability of costs and faster move-in for guests or tenants.
Thanks to our office nearby, on Vlaška Street, Hermes nekretnine has direct, day-to-day insight into what is happening in the Upper Town-Medveščak market. Whether you are looking for a characterful apartment in the heart of the historic core, a modern apartment at Ribnjak or a family villa in quiet Zelengaj, we know the specifics of every micro-location within this district, including everything worth knowing about the condition of buildings after the earthquake, heritage protection and parking rules.
Contact us for a free valuation of your property in Upper Town-Medveščak or for help finding a property that fits your needs, whether you are buying, selling or renting long-term.
See our overview of all Zagreb districts on the Real Estate by Location page, or explore the neighboring districts Lower Town and Maksimir. If you are planning to buy or sell a property, also check out our Guide to Buying an Apartment.
The Upper Town and Medveščak are dominated by apartments in older characterful buildings and houses on the slopes towards Šestine, while land plots are rare and commercial spaces are mostly offices in representative buildings. An overview by property type across the city:
Explore the neighbouring districts as well: Črnomerec and Podsljeme.