A SWEATY FATBEARD posted:

Forget about trains in Croatia. Maybe, and I emphasize maybe if you arrive to Zagreb by train from Slovenia and are a diehard railfan with a penchant for noisy, smokey old diesel locomotives from the 1970s. Now that the adriatic motorway has been completed, the best way to go around is by bus - there are shuttle buses between Zagreb and Split departing every 30 minutes (outside of the tourist season, mind you) and this is doubled, if not tripled during the summer. The buses are generally good, modern and airconditioned. Most buses run directly between Zagreb and Split without any stops in between, if your bus is going all the way to Dubrovnik (most of them do) after Split you'll get to travel on the Adriatic magistralle which runs right by the shore and sees some pretty insane traffic during the summer. Better yet, the driver will be happy to drop you off anywhere you'd like.

Zagreb is decidedly underwhelming. It's reasonable to spend maybe one morning in the city and then take an evening bus to the coast - there isn't really all that much to do in Zagreb once you're here. Cheap hostels are abound, and the downtown area around the train/bus station is absolutely littered with them. The place is tourist friendly, most young people speak at least some english, so it's easy to find your way around, even if you get lost. Once again, don't expect too much or you're gonna leave kinda disappointed.