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Advent in Zagreb 2024

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There’s no escaping it – Christmas season is very nearly upon us! (Although judging by some of the Christmas decorations I’ve already seen up and about, we may already be in it!) More and more Croatian towns and cities are hosting ever more elaborate and wonderful Christmas markets and festivities at the end of each year, but the biggest one of all is the highly impressive Advent in Zagreb 2024. This year, Zagreb’s Christmas market will be taking place from Saturday 30th November 2024 until 7th January 2025. That leaves plenty of time for you to enjoy Zagreb and its Christmas decorations!

What is Advent in Zagreb 2024?

I’ve called it a “Christmas market” but Advent in Zagreb 2024 will be so much more. A “Christmas market” might give you the idea that it’s just a few Christmassy stalls selling trinkets and hot wine on the main square.

In reality, Advent in Zagreb sees practically the whole city taken over by multiple events and celebrations, traditional wintery activities and beautiful decorations. There’s a fantastic atmosphere all around, and multiple opportunities to try hearty, warming local food and indulge in a hot beverage or three.

What will be the main attractions at Advent in Zagreb 2024?

The Main Square – Trg Ban Jelacic

Of course, Zagreb’s main square – Trg Ban Jelacic – will offer many fun things to do for this year’s Advent. One of which is the traditional lighting of the advent candles themselves, the first of which will be done on the opening day of the celebrations, Saturday 30th November. These candles are placed around the square’s iconic Mandusevac Fountain. Each year, the opening of Advent in Zagreb welcomes a special guest – the mayor of a foreign capital city. This year it is the turn of the mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony,

The Advent in Zagreb candles (Credit: Julien Duval)
The advent candles around Mandusevac Fountain (Credit: Julien Duval & Zagreb Tourist Board)

The main square is also home to Zagreb’s main Christmas tree, a fine, super-tall specimen that’s beautifully adorned with many decorations.

And it’s Zagreb’s main square that will host the high-spirited New Year’s Eve celebrations, with a live concert to ring in the New Year. This year, 2024 Eurovision runner-up Baby Lasagna will perform!

The 2023 Advent in Zagreb Christmas Tree on Trg Ban Jelacic (Credit: Julien Duval & Zagreb Tourist Board)
The 2023 Advent in Zagreb Christmas Tree on Trg Ban Jelacic (Credit: Julien Duval & Zagreb Tourist Board)

Santa comes to Zrinjevac Park

Zrinjevac Park is always beautifully decorated every Advent, so it’s no surprise to hear that Santa will be taking a break from consulting all of the naughty and nice lists and offering sleigh rides around the park! These will be offered from 6pm to 8pm every Tuesday to Sunday.

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Christmas Trams

Here’s something I’m super excited about! Two Christmas trams will be driving through the city during Advent to jazz up Zagreb transport. Riding on one of the city’s trams is a fun experience on any ordinary day; a Christmas tram is even better!

A Christmas tram

Watch out for a Tram Flash Mob (assorted times and days; held for the first time at 5.30pm on 5th December) on Ban Jelacic Square and join in with the singing and dancing!

Polar Express in Gric Tunnel

Zagreb’s fascinating Gric Tunnel will once again magically turn into the North Pole (based on Chris Van Allsburg’s book, the Polar Express) featuring snowy scenes and polar animals. Open daily.

Advent in Zagreb 2024 - Gric Tunnel (Credit: Julien Duval & Zagreb Tourist Board)
Gric Tunnel (Credit: Julien Duval & Zagreb Tourist Board)

Christmas at the Museums

Zagreb’s many wonderful museums will also be celebrating Christmas with a number of fine events. Venues taking part in Christmas celebrations include the Natural History Museum, Zagreb City Museum, the Ethnographic Museum and the Chocolate Museum.

Musical Events

What is Christmas without the festive cheer of music? It’s no surprise that this year’s Advent in Zagreb will once again feature many excellent musical events, from one-off concerts to regular live music.

The base of Lotrscak Tower will see Advent Under the Lantern held at 4.30pm every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Various singing groups such as Klapa Kana G and gospel group The Messengers will delight the crowds.

Vocal group Vox will be celebrating with Zagreb Advent Postcards – a series of pop-up concerts at various central Zagreb locations such as Oktogon Shopping Centre and Ilica Skyscraper. Both international and Croatian Christmas classics will be performed!

Chamber music group The Zagreb Soloists will be performing Advent Concerts (at 11am on 1st, 8th, 15th & 22nd December) at either the Zagreb City Music or the Ethnographic Museum. The concerts are free but you must pre-register by emailing press@zagrebacki-solisti.com.

In From Christmas Balconies to Zagreb, six-piece brass band Ad Gloriam will be performing from some of the prettiest balconies in the city – such as at Caffe Lav at Opaticka ulica 2.

Chamber Choir Ivan Filipović will be performing what will no doubt be a truly heartwarming concert on Trg Ban Jelacic at 11am on 24th December for the Choirs on Christmas Eve Concert.

Fuliranje

The much-loved Fuliranje (translated to fooling around in English) will be back on Josip Juraj Strossmayer Square from 27th November. It is one of the best places in the city to go to during Advent in Zagreb, with its excellent atmosphere, many food and drink options live music and other festivities.

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Advent Celebrations for Children

As with every year, there are several events and locations that are targeted specifically for the younger generation. For 2024, this includes a live nativity scene that will take place in Opatovina Park multiple times a day from 20th December. Teatrino klincolino will be putting on performances of popular and lesser-known children’s tales from Wednesdays to Sundays each week throughout Advent.

The Croatian Chamber of Trade at Ilica 49 will once again be hosting a Craftsman’s Advent (28th November to 7th January). Beautifully handcrafted wooden toys and games from days gone by will come to life, delighting both young and old.

The very sweet Zagreb Zoo will also be joining in with the Christmas celebrations and is an ideal place to take kids for an animal adventure.

Getting There

Zagreb is a fantastic city to visit any time of year – just take a look at the Visit Croatia guide to Zagreb for a full rundown of the many attractions, museums and galleries, restaurants and cafes, events, things to do with the kids and much more to see what to do there.

But Christmas time is when Zagreb’s delights ramp up to another level with all the many attractions mentioned above. Really, why wouldn’t you visit Zagreb at this time of year? It really is so suitable for a weekend or short break.

From the UK & Ireland, Ryanair offers daily flights from London Stansted and flights three times a week from Dublin. British Airways and Croatia Airlines offer flights several times a week.

There are also numerous flights, plus train and bus services from other European cities. Take a look at our Getting to Zagreb page for more details of all of these travel options.

More info on Advent in Zagreb 2024

I feel like I’ve barely touched the tip of the iceberg when it comes to talking about all of the Advent in Zagreb events! So make sure you take a look at the official Advent in Zagreb website for all the details about what is on, where and when. You can also learn more on the Zagreb Tourist Board website.

When you’re in Zagreb, do also pop along to the Tourist Board on the main square to pick up lots of useful brochures and leaflets. They can also help you with any questions you may have!

Croatia in Winter: What would you do?

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The leaves are turning brown and/or a-falling, the rain keeps lashing down the days are definitely getting shorter and it’s almost the end of October. Do you know what this means? Well, sure Halloween in a second or two, but in other news – it’s almost winter! So there’s no time like the present to think ahead and consider Croatia in winter. But what would you do when visiting this fine country during the coldest months of the year? I’d love to hear your thoughts but in the meantime – here’s what I’d do!

Croatia in Winter: December

Let’s jump right in and talk about Christmas! I mean, what else is there to talk about in December…right?!

One of the biggest draws in Croatia during this month is the spectacular Advent in Zagreb Christmas fair and market that takes place in Croatia’s capital city each year. This year’s event will take place from 30th November 2024 to 7th January 2025, so December will be absolute prime time to attend. It’s often mentioned in the press as being one of the best Christmas markets in Europe and would be an excellent alternative to some of the more famous Christmas markets held in Germany and Austria. Advent in Zagreb was also voted “Best Christmas Market” in 2016, 2017 and 2018 by European Best Destinations.

City Break in Croatia - Advent in Zagreb

But what’s actually at Advent in Zagreb? Zagreb’s main square, Trg ban Jelacic, is obviously adorned with a giant Christmas tree that stands proudly for the duration of the festival. Here, too, you will find little stalls selling Christmas trinkets, delicious treats and piping hot drinks. Madusevac Fountain in the same square also houses the four advent candles that are lit in the countdown to Christmas.

There will be a large-scale ice rink – normally in front of the grand Art Pavillion – where you will be able to skate until late at night. On New Year’s Eve, you can normally even skate until the early hours!

The main square in Zagreb, Trg ban Jelacic, during Advent in Zagreb (Copyright: Julien Duval)
The main square in Zagreb, Trg ban Jelacic, during Advent in Zagreb
(Copyright: Julien Duval)

The magical Gric tunnel in the city is also a must, normally being decked out in full Christmas decor.

Christmas food and drink will of course be readily available. Two of the best places to try out local Chrismassy delights are at Fuliranje on Trg Strossmayer and in Zrinjevac Park. Both will have all manner of stalls selling excellent quality, hearty winter grub and warming drinks.

There are also concerts galore at venues across the city – both indoor and outdoor – with some being ticketed affairs and others open to all. Fuliranje, as mentioned above, has live music through its Advent run.

Kids will be fully catered for as well with all sorts of fun activities being held in December, and Advent very often also hosts events for our four-legged friends too

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Really, a few days or a week-long break in Zagreb in December would be ideal to take in the full Advent in Zagreb experience.

Note: this year’s Advent in Zagreb calendar has yet to be announced, but it will be soon. Keep an eye on their website – and this one! – to

Alternative: Head to one of Croatia’s other larger towns and cities – such as Split, Dubrovnik, Pula or Zadar – for New Year’s Eve. Experience the festive and lively countdown to midnight on the Croatian coast, with live music, fireworks and a general all-around brilliant atmosphere.

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Croatia in Winter: January

I know what it’s like in January. The madness of Christmas and New Year’s has died down, you’re cold and tired and just want to wrap up warm. But maybe you’re a tiny bit miserable and fed up with the weather and decide that January should actually involve a bit of fun.

The Croatian coast will be too cold and blustery for January and, anyway, it’s not like you can head down to the beach during this month. So why not explore parts of the Croatian interior for a true wintery experience?

One of the best places to head to would be the Plitvice Lakes. A truly glorious location any time of year, winter makes the whole park rather magical and you may well be lucky to experience frozen waterfalls and very snowy paths and walkways. Make sure you bring your waterproof hiking boots and padded winter jacket!

Winter in Croatia - Plitvice Lakes in Winter
The Plitvice Lakes in winter…complete with frozen waterfalls!

The park has reduced opening hours and limited trails at this time of year, but that’s no problem as you will still be able to do a good amount of exploring and see many of the main lakes and waterfalls. Visitor numbers will also be severely reduced from what they are in the peak summer months, and you may even feel like you have the park to yourself at times.

Spend a few days in the Plitvice Lakes region and explore some of the other attractions too. There are some very helpful suggestions on the websites of the Plitvice Lakes Tourist Board and Plitvice Valleys. And make sure you book yourself into a cosy B&B or guesthouse in the region and indulge in some hearty grub – the Licka Kuca restaurant is ideal for this.

If you want to do more exploring of the Croatian inland in winter, consider the Gorski Kotar region too. Yes, this mountainous region can get very snowy during the coldest months of the year, so this option is perhaps for the braver (and for the true winter lovers) amongst you. But you’ll be rewarded with a fabulous winter experience.

Winter in Croatia - Gorski Kotar
A very snowy scene in Gorski Kotar

Alternative: Croatia’s ski resorts – which are few and far between, let’s face it – start to open for the season in January. Whilst most of them offer not much more than fun for a few hours of skiing and snow play up a mountain, this activity would certainly be unusual enough (i.e. a must-try!) when visiting Croatia in January. Take a look at our Skiing in Croatia section for details of what ski resorts to head to.

Croatia in Winter: February

We’ve done Christmas, we’ve done snow fun so what shall we turn to in February? Love, of course!

There’s no getting around it – February is the month of love with the the arrival of the magical or tiresome (depending on your point of view) Valentine’s Day in the middle of the month. So why not choose Croatia to whisk your other half to for a romantic mini-break at one of the country’s top hotels. Better still, pick a hotel with a luxury spa and excellent dining options and you will both enjoy a relaxing, restful and romantic little break.

Our top choice would be the Grand Hotel Brioni in Pula. With an expansive spa offering multiple treatments, a sauna, an indoor swimming pool (there is an outdoor one too, of course, for the warmer months!) and multiple restaurants you will find plenty to do during your stay. But the fascinating sights of Pula are just a stone’s throw away too.

Winter in Croatia - Grand Hotel Brioni, Pula
The indoor pool at the Grand Hotel Brioni
(Copyright: Matthew Shaw)
The sauna at the Grand Hotel Brioni

Another option would be the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb. A historic hotel, first opened in 1925 to accommodate guests travelling on the Orient Express, the Hotel Esplanade offers smart, luxury rooms, a lovely spa centre and exquisite cuisine at Zinfandel’s.

Or if you fancy exploring the gem that is Dubrovnik’s Old Town as part of your romantic getaway, consider the very fine Hotel Excelsior. With stunning views out to the Adriatic Sea and overlooking the Old Town itself, you will be able to enjoy 850 square metres of spa and three restaurants. Make sure you make time to have a coffee on the outdoor terrace.

So that’s my suggestions for winter in Croatia. Now I’m going to throw it over to you – what would you do for winter in Croatia?