Varazdin

Varaždin, in the north of Croatia, was the capital of the country for a few years in the 18th century before a fire shifted power to Zagreb, and it has kept the look of a capital without the size. Its old centre is one of the finest ensembles of baroque architecture in Croatia, a grid of pastel facades, churches and squares, and it is widely called the country’s most beautiful small city.

The heart of the town is the main square, surrounded by baroque townhouses and the city hall, and the streets radiating off it hold the cathedral, the 16th-century Stari Grad castle (now a city museum) and a series of churches and monasteries. The old town is largely pedestrianised, which makes it a genuine walking city.

Varaždin is also the centre of Croatian baroque music and the host of a well-known annual festival of baroque music, as well as the Špancirfest, a late-summer street festival that fills the centre for a week. It is cooler and more continental than the coast, a real change of register.

For photographers, the pastel facades of the main square and the castle courtyard are the shots, best in soft afternoon light. Pair Varaždin with the castles of the Zagorje, Trakošćan and Veliki Tabor, for a continental loop.

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