Tucked away in a small courtyard is one of Zagreb’s hidden gems, the Backo Mini Express model railway museum. Featuring hundreds of scale-model trains, and over a kilometre of track, it’s the largest of its kind in the region. The models are painstakingly detailed, with beautiful mountains, villages, stations and shops, all populated with hundreds of figurines going about their daily business.
Trains manoeuvre through towns, over bridges through tunnels, and even under your feet. The museum has rain and lightning effects, with a full day and night cycle. There’s also an interactive farm model, where you can press buttons to make the cows graze, a lumberjack cut down a tree, and much more.
On the lower floor, there’s a beautifully detailed model of Zagreb’s main train station and nearby trg Kralja Tomislava in winter, complete with tiny skaters. You can also walk through the museum’s workshop where the models are carefully constructed. Don’t forget to bring a few five kuna coins with you, because there are several models where you can take control of the trains yourself.
Backo Mini Express Gundulićeva 4 (backo.hr/en). Open Fri-Sat 10am-6pm. Admission 40kn, under-12s 35kn. Family tickets 120kn.