Varazdin is located on the right bank of river Drava in the northwestern Croatia. From Maribor, it takes about 1 hour to get there and probably the same from Croatia's capital city Zagreb. Though, you need a car if you start in Maribor. Bus and train connections between Maribor on one hand and Varazdin and other Croatian cities are either non-existent or apalling. What a shame!
Varazdin has a long and rich town history. The first written documents about Varazdin are from 1181 (If you want to read more about history of this beautiful town go to Wikitravel.)
We were totally impressed with the town centre which has been beautifully restored. Because we visited Varazdin on the hottest day of that summer, cafes and restaurants at every corner of the town helped us to enjoy the town even more. Trust me, it can get really hot in this part of the world and refreshments around every corner come in very handy.
Unfortunately, the "Stari grad" (or the Old city) was closed when we were there, but it is definitely 'a must see' for our next visit.
My favourite building in the whole town is a rococo-style Sermage Palace (built in 1759) It actually hosts a Gallery of Old and Contemporary Masters which holds more then 3000 art pieces from the 15th and all the way to the end of the 19th century.
Like always when I travel somewhere, it is food that seals the opinion. We were lucky and discovered a lovely traditional Italian trattoria called Angelus right in the Varazdin town centre.Verdict? Fabulous food, fabulous service and something we ought to repeat!
Oh yes, one more thing. You will need your passport. As I write this, Croatia is not a member of the EU so regular customs and border controls apply. Croatian currency is called "Kuna" and I recommend buying Kunas with Euros in Maribor.
