Tomislavov trg park in Zagreb is a lovely place to relax

When you've had more sun and shimmering Adriatic sea than you can possibly handle, retreat inland to Croatia's capital where Zagreb's smorgasbord of museums and galleries could keep you indoors for weeks.

The nation's cultural, economic and political heart, Zagreb is home to roughly a quarter of Croatia's four million-plus population. Its grand old Austro-Hungarian buildings, Baroque palaces and wide boulevards give the city a Central European flair, while the alfresco diners spilling out onto pedestrianized streets afford it a Mediterranean ambiance.

Unless you're indulging in the city's excellent nightlife, you'll probably want to spend your daylight hours browsing Zagreb's museums and galleries.

The finest of them all is the Mimara Museum, jam-packed with far-Eastern and Roman artifacts as well as a broad collection of works by the likes of Raffaello, Giorgione, Veronese, Caravaggio, Rubens and Turner.

The Strossmayer Gallery of Masters also hits the spot for art-lovers, with works by El Greco and Boucher while the Archaeological Museum houses a world-renown collection of Neolithic, Roman and Egyptian artifacts.

If you find yourself in transit in Zagreb with a couple of hours to spend, you could do worse than kick back in the well-manicured grass in Tomislavov trg, a lovely flower-filled park that greets commuters the moment they step out of the train station.

The 160kph "tilting train" connects Zagreb with the cities of Split, Rijeka and Osijek. Zagreb has rail connections to Vienna and Salzburg in Austria, Budapest in Hungary, Zurich in Switzerland, Munich and Berlin in Germany, Venice in Italy, Llubljana in Slovenia, Sarajevo in Bosnia and Hercegovina and Belgrade in Serbia and Montenegro.