A year ago, the only thing I seemed to write about was coronavirus. Providing life updates and several daily articles on such a depressing topic was pretty soul-destroying at times. And while the comprehensive corona coverage continues on TCN, I have largely tuned out of the latest situation, leaving it to my capable colleagues to handle.
Being fully vaccinated, I encounter few restrictions, and I have not kept up-to-date with the latest developments on testing etc.
So when I received an invitation to attend the premiere of the new James Bond movie last night, I asked my teenage daughter if she would like to be my plus one for the night. She did indeed, but we had a little bit of bureaucracy to jump though. As proof of vaccination or negative test was a prerequisite for all attendees, I found myself looking around for an immediate Zagreb rapid antigen test centre so that my daughter could join me at the Bond movie.
I had assumed that the concept of walkin tests would be fairly well-established by now. A couple of friends suggested I try the Andrija Stampar Institute which was both quick and reasonably priced. So into the car we hopped and headed up the hill to northern Zagreb.
My heart sank. A notice by the entrance that all tests needed to be booked in advance was confirmed at the gate. I had the option to walk 20 metres and sign up for an immediate PCR test, cost 450 kuna, and no, they were not aware of any other Zagreb rapid antigen test with immediate results.
Time was not on our side. Not only did we need to get the test and the result the same day, but we also had to get home and ready for school. Perhaps I should not have been surprised, but I genuinely was at the seemingly lack of availability of such an important service. With more and more events requiring such confirmations, I thought a quick service would be more widely available.
A little more research online and asking around at Stampar all pointed to the same solution – a walk-in test option with immediate results at Prima Nova on Nemetova Ulica 2, some 5 minutes further nother from the Andrija Stampar Institute.
Located next to Polyclinic Aviva, Prima Nova came up trumps with outstanding service that I could only have dreamed of. There was zero queue, we were asked if we wanted to talk in Croatian, English, German, Italian or Spanish, and we were given the option of an email result or waiting 15 minutes for a hard copy. Total price 150 kuna.
Having learned that a paper in the hand is worth two in the promised email, we decided to wait. And we were soon rewarded – just 16 minutes after taking the test, the all-important stamped hard copy of a negative test – 007, here we come.
Prima Nova is on the right of the Polyclinic Aviva through this entrance door. Excellent service at what seems to be the quickest time and most competitive price.
Does anyone have a better experience and we will add to this article? Contact us at [email protected] Subject Testing
The Zagreb Tourist Board has an up-to-date list of all the testing points in the city, including prices, waiting times, translations, and whether or not you need to order.
For the latest news on coronavirus in Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.
The Total Croatia travel update also has lots of useful information on coronavirus in Croatia.
