ZAG has never had a rail link. In early 2026 Croatian railways settled on a route for the future connection — a 6.2 km branch from the Odra stop with a 2.8 km tunnel under Velika Gorica and stations at the old and the planned new terminal, estimated at €380 million — but this is a conceptual solution in the Zagreb railway-node study; design and financing come first and construction is unlikely to start before the next decade. Any guide or map showing a train to Pleso today is out of date.
ZET sells 30-, 60- and 90-minute single tickets (€0.53/€0.93/€1.33 at kiosks, machines and in the app). The 290 airport-to-Kvaternik ride is 45–50 minutes, so the cheap 30-minute ticket expires mid-journey and inspectors treat the rest as unpaid travel. Buying from the driver is allowed only in cash and costs more — €1.33 for the 60-minute ticket.
The airport's own published tariff caps a car ride at €35 to the centre and €30 to the bus station, with the meter limited to €2.95 start plus €1.95/km. Men inside the terminal offering a 'flat' deal are not the contracted Taxi Gorica rank; some older blogs still quote flat figures like €28/€33.50 that no longer match the posted September 2026 prices. A genuine metered ride often finishes below €35.
The shuttle from the airport starts around 06:00, and the city bus 290 begins later on Sundays than on weekdays. A very early flight can leave you with no public option at all; Zagreb has had recurring ZET strike disruptions too, including one in late September 2026 that suspended most trams and buses for days.