Visit Croatia Review: Advent in Zagreb 2025
I’ve just got back from a very lovely week in Zagreb, one of my favourite cities. It may not be a place that’s on everyone’s radar, whether that’s because they prefer to spend time in other parts of Croatia (they coast!) or other European cities are more famous for city breaks. Either way, that’s a shame as there’s so much to keep you occupied in Zagreb! And this time of year, the absolute number one activity is the Christmas celebrations. So please have a read of what I thought about Advent in Zagreb 2025.
What is Advent in Zagreb 2025?
Advent in Zagreb is the big Christmas market, fair, event…whatever you may call it…that takes over so many of Zagreb’s streets, squares, parks, promenades, museums and more. The event officially opened on Saturday, 29th November, and will continue to run until 7th January 2026. Whilst some aspects run almost all day, every day (for example, the food and drink stalls on the main square, the Ice Park skating rink and much more), other elements (concerts, museum events) take place only on certain days or for only part of the Advent run.
And whilst we’re officially in week two of Advent, there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the event. So book your flights to Zagreb now! Take a look at our Getting to Zagreb page for full details of these, and then our Accommodation in Zagreb page to find somewhere to stay.
Advent in Zagreb 2025 Highlights
The main square, Trg ban Jelacic
You can’t go wrong by starting your Advent escapade in Zagreb’s main square, Trg ban Jelacic, which is home to the giant Christmas tree, a small winter village installation (perfect for your festive selfies!), the Advent candles that are sited around Mandusevac Fountain and a number of food and drink (and trinket) stalls. Here, the Christmas tram starts and ends its journey as well. You’ll probably walk through this square a hundred times during your Zagreb exploration, so you’ll spend a lot of time here. It’s at night that the square really turns on the charm with all the fairy lights fully lit.
The winter wonderland installation is home to a number of bells which you can ring, which adds a sweet little interactive element. Youngsters and the not-so-young seem to love ringing these bells. Even I had a go!
Funnily enough, I reached Zagreb a few days before Advent opened and saw the preparations of the main square. Turns out that even city decorations involve exasperated people slowly untangling fairy lights.
Twinkly lights and excellent music in Zrinjevac Park
Just south of the main square is Zrinjevac Park. This park is also adorned with so many (really, so, so many) pretty Christmas lights, strung up on all of the many trees. The central pathway is lined by little souvenir stalls selling Christmas- and Zagreb-themed (and some that are neither themed) items. In the middle of the park is a bandstand that serves as a stage for musicians and bands who play from morning to late at night (obviously, several different acts play each day!) on the weekends, and evenings only on weekdays. Every time I was here, the quality of music was truly excellent, with a wide variety of songs (Croatian and English) and genres, some festive themed and many not. I heard a delightful chilled version of The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, which of course has nothing to do with Christmas, but it was perfect for the general fun vibe!
Zrinjevac is also where you can find Santa giving his sleigh a little warm-up. Say what? Well, you can opt for a horse-drawn carriage ride around the park with Santa at the reins – how magical! Yes, he uses horses instead of reindeer here. I guess Santa must be giving his reindeer an extra sleep until he needs them on Christmas Eve.
Advent Zrinjevac is loosely its own thing within Advent in Zagreb. Take a look at the website to see the line-up of artists playing at the bandstand.
Feast at Fulliranje
Further south from Zrinjevac Par,k you come to Strossmayer Square/Park, which is home to Fuliranje, absolutely THE place to come to for tasty and inventive food. A great number of stalls, many of them run by established restaurants, eateries or names in the Croatian food world, have set up here offering their tasty dishes. It is here that the people of Zagreb descend to have a good time in the evenings, especially on the weekend, to indulge in the food and drink and general merriment. Should you want to experience Fuliranje but more quietly, come during the day – there were plenty of families here when I visited in mid-afternoon.
Another edition of Fuliranje, called Fooling Around, is located in the courtyard of the very grand Esplanade Hotel. This version has perhaps a slightly fancier selection of food stalls. Many are loosely themed around train travel, for the Esplanade was constructed for travellers who were stopping in Zagreb when travelling on the Orient Express. There was also excellent live music here too; I especially appreciated a rousing rendition of Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell when I was here!
Ice delights at The Ice Park / Ledeni Park
Further south again, on King Tomislav Square in front of the Art Pavilion, is the Ice Park (Ledeni Park in Croatian). I talked last year about how impressed I was with this skating rink – the 1,500 square metre rink is one of the largest in this part of Europe and covers so much of the square. As well as the usual large rectangular rink, you also have paths that lead you around the central fountain and further so you can skate past the Art Pavilion. This is also beautifully lit up and provides an awesome backdrop for the skaters.
Now, I’m not the biggest fan of skating (despite taking lessons…many, many years ago!), but the Ice Park is also a fun place to be just to take in the general atmosphere. Again, there are a number of food and drink stalls here, lining the rink, so you can easily enjoy some festive fun even if you don’t take to the rink.
The rink is priced at €5 for peak times (evenings and weekends) and €3.50 for off-peak times, for a one-hour session. This is also very reasonable, in comparison to Christmas rinks elsewhere! Ice Park is open every day, even on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, so you can get in a skate session after some indulgence. You can even go skating at midnight on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the start of 2026…on ice!
The opening night of the Ice Park saw a free performance of the Nutcracker on the ice. Wonderful…but oh so busy! I would still recommend that you drop by for a future performance of this; there will be two more at 6.30pm on Monday, 15th and Monday 22nd December. Take a look at the Ledeni Park Program page for more details.
Warming drinks and tasty food
You’ll stuff yourself silly at Advent, really you will! Most of the main festive dishes have made a return this year, including sausages and fritule (doughnut balls). Something new is what they call germknedla, a giant dumpling filled with plum jam that’s traditionally topped with vanilla sauce and poppy seeds. Many stalls offer this with all sorts of different toppings too – chocolate, caramel, Oreo – but just be warned that these really are giant and will fill you up.
Warming winter drinks, of course, play a big part in the Advent experience, and I was pleased to see that white mulled wine was just as readily available as red mulled wine everywhere. (White is so much better, isn’t?!) But another favourite of mine, hot gin, was also on offer, as was hot pelin (made from the Croatian liqueur, Pelinkovac). Hot Aperol was a new one for me! A cup of mulled wine cost €3/€4 whilst other “cocktails” were around €8. Some locations offered drinks in a cute cup or mug (such as on the main square) for which you have to pay €1 or €2 extra, although you can get your money back for this if you choose not to keep the cup as a souvenir. But I thought the mug from the main square was definitely cute enough to keep!
Another lively place for food and drink (and live music) is Cafe de Matoš, on the other side of Lotrscak Tower from the Moon Garden (see below). This long promenade again features many stalls selling really rather hearty food, and lots of warming drinks and cocktails. Head right to the end of the promenade for a perfect photo opportunity of Zagreb Cathedral!
Live music
As I’ve already mentioned, there’s so much live music happening everywhere during Advent in Zagreb. One definite highlight for me was a free concert from the highly esteemed Zagreb Soloists in the Okotogon Arcade at midday on a Sunday. (They will repeat this on 14th and 21st December.) The lovely, smart setting was the perfect backdrop for the strings of this ensemble, who performed a 40-minute set of traditional and more modern Christmas (and non-Christmas) music.
Moon Garden magic
Located on Strossmayer Promenade, just to the west of Lotrscak Tower and at the top of the funicular (which is not operating at the moment because of renovations) you will find the Moon Garden. Last year, this Advent element was held in Ribnjak Park, which was also special…but it’s even better this year. Head up here to enjoy this peaceful setting decorated fully with lights, hanging from the trees, fences and more. There’s a very special feeling here as people do revert to an almost childhood joy when encountering so many pretty lights. There’s also a decent view of Zagreb’s skyline, although at night – when you experience the full effects of the Moon Garden – there’s not too much to see.
The Moon Garden is the perfect place to relax for a little while, away from the crowds of the rest of Advent in Zagreb.
You can also enter Strossmayer Promenade (by ramp) from Mesnicka ulica to the west, right by an entrance to the Gric Tunnel.
The people
Was Advent in Zagreb busy? Oh yes! Everywhere was pretty full of Advent revellers, and Zagreb was generally taken over by a happy atmosphere. I encountered many visitors to Zagreb – young and old – who seemed to be really enjoying the Advent experience, delighted at the fact that Advent was happening “all over the city”.
Some slight misses
Now, last year I loved the experience of the Christmas tram, which takes you on a short (20-minute) circular sightseeing journey from and back to the main square, during which Santa and an elf put on a “show” on board. This year, my experience wasn’t so great – from not being able to buy tickets at the booth because it was closed (despite it saying it should be open!) to being made to buy them online via a URL that didn’t make any mention of the Christmas tram, to my chosen tram (the modern one) breaking down forcing me onto the next one fifteen minutes later…it seemed as if there were some early “operational difficulties”, let’s just say. I also chose an evening tram this time round (they only run in daytime on Friday and the weekends) but it was hard to see much of Zagreb in this tram at night.
I would still recommend the Christmas tram – especially if you have kids – but book a daytime one! You will be able to see much more of your surroundings.
Another miss for me… Gric Tunnel is located just west of the main square, and often hosts installations for different events throughout the year. Last year for Advent, the tunnel housed a Polar Express interpretation, with light shows and a miniature running train. This year, the tunnel features bells (the theme of this year’s Advent in Zagreb) recreating – but not fully playing – Jingle Bells. It’s not bad, but not great. Sorry to say it, but some lights would really make the tunnel more special!
Other delights in Zagreb
If you’ve had your fill of Advent and want to do something else for a second, there really is plenty to occupy your time in Croatia’s capital city. Take a look at our Sightseeing in Zagreb, Eating and Drinking in Zagreb or Shopping in Zagreb pages to get you started. Or just head to our Zagreb section and take it from there!
More info
There’s all there is to know about Advent in Zagreb on the official website: www.adventzagreb.hr/en. Do also keep an eye on the Zagreb Tourist Board Instagram and Facebook accounts for news and regular updates
Advent in Zagreb 2025 – is it worth it?
Absolutely, YES! It’s a very fun experience, full of Christmas cheer, fun events, and hearty food and warming drink. (What else do you want at Christmas time?) As the main part of Zagreb is fairly compact, it’s also super easy to get around the main parts of Advent in Zagreb as well. All in all, book your flights to Zagreb now!
