For years, Zagreb, Croatia’s chief city, was a layover on the way to the country’s island-studded coast. No more. Tourism had shot up more than 20 percent from 2011 to 2013, when Croatia joined the European Union. Accompanying that rise is a raft of modernized and recently built lodgings, including some three dozen hostels — important additions to the town’s once-inadequate accommodation scene. For those who fell in love with Zagreb, population 790,000, before its surge in popularity, fear not. Though the town has rejiggered its offerings with jazzy lounges, bistros and chic clothes-designer ateliers, this Slavic metropolis along the Sava River still retains plenty of cobbled-street charm.

1. Begin at the Beginning | 3 p.m

Pay homage to Zagreb’s origins, Kaptol, which was settled as a bishopric in 1094. Today, Kaptol comprises the eastern half of Upper Town, anchored by the city’s most famous building: the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, restored after an 1880 earthquake, and the site of the tomb of the beatified Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac. Before entering, soak in its neo-Gothic grandeur from a table at Amélie, which sits in the shadow of the church’s twin 344-foot spires. The French-cafe mood — Django Reinhardt-esque melodies are piped in over checkerboard floors and weathered wood tables — is complemented by a glass case filled with house-made delicacies. The Torta Amélie is layered with custard, almonds and wild berries; 18 kunas or $2.65, at 6.8 kunas to the dollar.

2. Wine and Dine | 5 p.m.

About nine out of 10 Croats classify themselves as Catholics. Arguably a larger portion consider themselves wine connoisseurs, given the number of top-flight vintages produced in this fertile country. Vinoteka Bornstein, the first private wine shop that opened in the former Yugoslavia, has a 19th-century labyrinthine cellar and a new wine bar offering international labels and vintages from every Croatian region. The Coronica malvasia, a white from the Istrian Peninsula, is a stellar choice (95 kunas). Then walk west to the other side of Upper Town known as Gradec, once the merchant yin to Kaptol’s religious yang. Duck into Trilogija, a tiny spot tucked into a passageway. This local favorite offers an eclectic menu, with ingredients bought daily at Zagreb’s green market. Try the grilled pork tenderloin with oven-baked potatoes, cauliflower and a truffle cream (90 kunas).

3. Love Lost | 8 p.m.

Walk across Gradec, past St. Mark’s Church, with its patterned tile roof depicting the Croatian and Zagreb coats of arms, to one of the town’s quirkiest attractions: the Museum of Broken Relationships. The brainchild of Olinka Vistica and Drazen Grubisic, a former couple, is the product of a simple question: “What to do with all those tokens of love, material and immaterial, that you collected during your relationship?” The result was a temporary exhibit in Zagreb, in 2006, with items like 100 discarded roses, airsickness bags, and a head-massaging “tingler” collected from friends. The concept has been on the road since, visiting 33 cities in 21 countries, collecting keepsakes along the way. In 2010, the two established the museum’s bricks-and-mortar home in the Croatian capital with an international trove that’s often cringe-inducing — fur-lined handcuffs, a toaster stolen out of spite, and an ax used to destroy a former lover’s furniture. The overall effect is interesting, to say the least (25 kunas).

4. Where Artists Gather | 10 p.m.

Around the corner and a couple of blocks away, Zagreb’s oldest tavern, Pod Starim Krovovima, is situated in a 14th-century building. Opened as a public drinking hole in 1830, this unofficial clubhouse for poets, actors, writers, singers, directors and photographers from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia to the present day is, according to the owner, Domagoj Pocrnic: “a regular pub frequented by famous people.” Under rough-hewed beams, patrons gather for libations at yesteryear prices and meditative evenings that become impromptu dance parties. Half a liter of local Velebitsko beer is 12.50 kunas; a shot of rakija, or Slavic schnapps, costs 8 kunas.

5. Rituals | 9 a.m.

Zagreb is a town of traditions. Every day at noon, the Lotrscak Tower cannon is fired, sending shock waves across town. And each Saturday, Purgers (as people from Zagreb call themselves) don their best threads and head to cafes in the main square, Jelacic, to see and be seen. You won’t want to miss this tradition: Each morning at 7, farmers and produce vendors set up in the town’s open-air market, Dolac, on a bustling quad between Upper and Lower Towns. Surrounded by souvenir kiosks and quick-bite joints, a sea of red umbrellas shelters cheeses, meats, fish, nuts, oils and vegetables spill over tables in the place locals call “the belly of Zagreb.” Have your breakfast here on the fly. Spread local butter atop warm bread and chase it with fresh figs (total cost, about 30 kunas).

6. Local Fashion | 11 a.m.

Taking mental note of the up-to-the-minute fashions the famously put-together Zagrebians wear, head to steep Radiceva Street, which begins in the northwest corner of Jelacic Square, to assemble your new look. Stop in at Boudoir, a boutique opened by the designers and sisters Morana Saracevic and Martina Cicko-Karapetric. Once a millinery run by their grandmother, the shop offers striking collections, which incorporate materials like lace, silk and satin. Everything is handmade on site. Dresses start around 3,000 kunas. To complete your ensemble, make a left at the top of the street’s incline and pass through Kamenita Vrata, the last medieval “stone gate” remaining from the fortifications that once surrounded Gradec. Just beyond the gate, you’ll find Dora, specializing in dresses and women’s coats. The three-decade-old family business, run by Dora Rubic, displays elegant in-house designs made of silk, cashmere, angora and alpaca. Wraps cost about 2,000 kunas.

7. Lunch and Art | 1 p.m.

A U-shaped series of parks, known as the Green Horseshoe, extends from the train station to the main square and forms the skeleton of Lower Town. On avenues surrounding this tree-lined, flowery corridor are cafes, lounges, restaurants and shops. Just off the Horseshoe, take a seat at a table inside Lari & Penati. Opened in 2011, this sidewalk bistro provides a modern — and occasionally American — twist on Croatian fare. The baked spare ribs are served with a tangy barbecue sauce, potato salad and coleslaw (45 kunas) and pair well with a glass of Solum cabernet sauvignon from the country’s Slavonia region (25 kunas). After lunch, hail a taxi to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The $65 million complex instantly made the Croatian capital a center for progressive art when it opened in 2010. The collection of international paintings, film, photography, sculpture and installations fills the 156,000-square-foot facility and shares space with rotating exhibitions. Among the most popular pieces are Carsten Holler’s spiraling, interactive, stainless steel slides at the entrance (30 kunas).

8. Dinner and Drama | 6 p.m.

Dinner at Bistro Fotic, in a former Croatian photo club, combines nostalgia — walls and shelves are filled with black-and-white images and vintage cameras — and delectable down-home fare. The butter-seared trout comes with cream of spinach and potatoes (50 kunas). For dessert, try the apple or blueberry strudel (20 kunas), and a free plum or apricot digestif. Then walk three blocks west to the Croatian National Theater. The interior of the country’s most prestigious performance space is a swirl of Old World gilded opulence. The neo-Baroque building, opened in 1895 by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Josef, stages a repertory of international classics as well as modern dramatic works, ballet and opera. This season’s productions include Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” and Puccini’s “Tosca.”

9. Jazzy Nightcap| 9:30 p.m.

Cross the main square to stroll with locals along Tkalciceva Street. Once a creek separating the contentious residents of Kaptol and Gradec, more than a century later the pedestrian-only avenue is lined with boutiques, restaurants and bars. Melin Café is a jazz lounge with a multitiered outdoor terrace and scattered landings outfitted with reclaimed furniture and retro-TV-set cocktail tables. Order a signature Blakey’s coffee (honoring the drummer Art Blakey), which combines espresso, Amaretto di Saronno, Kahlúa, cherry liqueur, Jameson, brown sugar and milk (29 kunas). Then settle in for soulful grooves under the stars.

10. Stylish Brunch | 10 a.m.

Few experiences encapsulate a visit here like brunch at the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel next to the train station. Built in 1925 as a luxurious layover for travelers on the Orient Express, the iconic structure, like the Croatian capital, is a melding of European styles: Secessionist, Baroque, Art Deco and Art Nouveau. Sit in a leather armchair under chandeliers framed by huge windows in the hotel’s 1925 Lounge. With views of the sunny Green Horseshoe, order the house specialty: strukli. The handmade pastries are filled with local cottage cheese and baked until golden (60 kunas).

11. Botanical Stroll | 11:30 a.m.

Walk off your brunch at the city’s Botanical Garden, which celebrated its 125th anniversary last year (free). One block west of the Esplanade, the 11.6-acre garden has some 10,000 plant species, which surround secluded benches and grassy pond-side alcoves — perfect places to lay a blanket and reflect on your Zagreb odyssey.

Hotel J最攀爀栀漀爀渀 (Ilica 14; hotel-jagerhorn.hr), the city’s oldest inn, underwent a complete renovation in 2011. The onetime hunter’s lodge, founded in 1827, is now a beautifully designed hotel with 16 rooms and two suites, a summer patio hosting jazz evenings, and free breakfast and parking. Located on Zagreb’s main avenue and directly underneath Upper Town, J最攀爀栀漀爀渀 is a few-minutes walk from Jelacic Square. Double rooms start at 720 kunas.

The Hotel President Pantovcak (Pantovcak 52; president-zagreb.com) is something of a secret. Each of the 10 rooms and suites is individually designed with clean Scandinavian overtones mixed with Persian rugs and artwork from the owner’s collection. Floor-to-ceiling windows look onto a private garden, which extends to British Square (Britanski trg). The splendid terrace restaurant and lounge are open to the public but cater to hotel guests. Rooms start at 750 kunas.