In the hills embracing Zagreb from the north and the gentler plains to the south the city seems a world away. At Samobor, with its pretty square, you can try the cake samoborska kremšnita, and fortified wine, bermet. In the Samobor Uplands and the Plešivica hills there are wine routes to explore amid spectacular scenery of serrated hills covered in forest and vines; there is great hiking here and in the nearby Žumberak Uplands. Also west of Zagreb there’s great fishing near the village of Sveta Nedelja. Near sleepy Jastrebarsko is the Crna Mlaka bird reserve; at Zaprešić you’ll find five rural palaces, and at Krašić a place of pilgrimage. To the south, Velika Gorica is the capital of a region of wooden manor houses and churches; close by are Roman excavations at Andautonija. To the east, the hills around Sveti Ivan Zelina are another picturesque place to drive and taste award-winning wines.