Sljeme
Sljeme: the back story
The back story
About Sljeme: the back story
Few capitals have a ski slope within the city limits. Zagreb has Sljeme, the summit of Medvednica, the long, forested ridge that rises behind the Upper Town, protected as a nature park, with runs that drop through beech and fir from just over 1,000 metres.
The city’s mountain
Medvednica runs along the whole northern edge of Zagreb, its slopes covered in forest and protected as a nature park, with the medieval castle of Medvedgrad on its southern flank and mountain huts along its trails. Its highest point, Sljeme, is just over 1,000 metres high, and in winter the summit turns into the city’s ski area.
The runs
The pistes start near the summit. The White Meadow runs east along the ridge, the Red Run drops steeply north, and the Green, Blue and White runs follow the northern slopes beside it: about 4,000 metres in all. A three-seat chairlift serves the Red Run and two T-bars the White and Green, carrying about 3,300 skiers an hour, and snow cannons cover the Red Run, the White Meadow, the Green and part of the Blue. The Red Run and White Meadow are floodlit for night skiing.
A ski slope inside the city limits of a European capital.
A World Cup stage
For a small ski area, Sljeme has a big name in racing: it has hosted FIS World Cup races, the most famous of the many competitions held on its slopes, and the Red Run is the course.
Up from the city
A cable car of just over 5 km, run by Zagreb’s public transport company ZET, climbs from Gračansko dolje via Brestovec to the summit, and ZET bus 140 runs from the Mihaljevac terminus to Tomislavov dom, roughly hourly at weekends. In 2025/26 the City of Zagreb let its residents ski and ride the cable car at no cost; the season opened on 10 January 2026.
Our advice: come on a weekday morning, take the cable car up, ski until lunch, and be back in the Upper Town for štrukli in the afternoon. Check the opening on sljeme.hr before you go: the season depends on snow and cold.
Why it's on our list
- Zagreb’s own mountain
- About 4 km of runs
- World Cup races
- Night skiing
- A cable car from the city
Sljeme in brief
From sljeme.hr and the City of Zagreb, October 2026.
Runs · 4
Red Run (Crveni spust), floodlit, White Meadow (Bijela livada), floodlit, Green, Blue and White runs, About 4,000 m in all
Lifts · 3
Three-seat chairlift, Red Run, T-bars on the White and Green runs, About 3,300 skiers an hour
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Sljeme: the back story before you go.