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Soaking up the Christmas spirit in Zagreb!

Warm your cockles on the mulled wine, culture and Christmas atmosphere in this historic and re- discovered capital!

Winter is perhaps the best time of the year to experience the Croatian capital! Zagreb lies beneath the Medvednica Mountain, with its highest peak of Sljeme. It’s well worth a visit! A small ski destination for the locals during the winter, it’s popular with nature-lovers during the rest of the year for cycling, hiking and visiting the castle ruins, “Kameni svatovi”, “Kraljičin zdenac” and of course for the views! If you visit Zagreb, you should certainly take a ride to the top of the mountain for some bean stew and mulled wine on the cold but usually sunny terraces! And if you have a few too many mulled wines, you can take the bus to get back down the mountain again!

Atmosphere

Talking of mulled wine, if you visit in early November, the best way to experience the Zagreb mindset is to spend a day in the centre.  The main square, Bana Jelacica, as well as the Cvjetni trg (or the Floral Square) is filled with the rich aroma of mulled wine at this time of year! The tang of delicious grilled sausages will also lure you to mill around and soak up the atmosphere. There are big marquees with lovely warm heaters so you can take a seat with the locals and enjoy the on stage entertainment on offer. Or, just grab a mulled wine and take it with you as you wander around the streets of the city, absorbing the holiday spirit – which kicks in far too early, in November! With the wine in one hand, and a hot dog in the other, meander through the traditional Christmas market stalls and buy some gifts and souvenirs. You can find anything from gloves and scarves to toys and traditional sweets.

Shopping

But if you’re a serious shopper, don’t limit yourself to the Christmas market!! Zagreb is the perfect place to combine a weekend break with some Christmas shopping! Forget New York – Zagreb is the easier, closer, cheaper option! Check out the 16 shopping malls and several new ones opening soon. The most popular ones are City Centre One, Avenue Mall and the new West Gate. Don’t worry that it will be crowded - this city has more shopping malls than Vienna, and besides Croatian brands there are also many British, French, Spanish, Italian ones. I suggest also having a nose through the wine and souvenir shops, as there are oodles of really great Croatian products on offer. You’re sure to find something a little bit different and interesting.

Eating & Drinking

Away from the thronging wine tents, the surrounding squares and streets, “Tkalca”, are full of bars busy at any time of the day! The locals always find time to relax over a cup of coffee – in fact, having coffee, at any time of day, for a minimum of 2 hours a day (!) is part of the city culture and something you can do in any one of the coffee shops.

But if all the shopping has you feeling peckish and you fancy eating in style, head for one of the many restaurants in the streets above the main square, all the way to the Upper town which offers a magnificent view of the city. Or make a beeline for Restaurant Klub Gastronomada, in the very centre of Zagreb, which should definitely be on your list for at least one lunch or dinner. It was opened by some of the best Croatian chefs - the menu changes according to the availability of ingredients, so aside from ensuring great food, you know that the food on your plate is always going to be fresh and delicious! Not to be missed! The wine list is also fabulous with the emphasis on best wines from all over Croatia. If you haven’t heard much about Croatian wine, you will be extremely pleasantly surprised – this country has some of the most delicious varieties, specific to the wine regions up and down the coast.

Another restaurant that get you into the groove of Croatian cuisine is Ivica i Marica (Hansel and Gretel) which serves traditional specialties and scrumtious cakes and ice creams. 
A bigger selection of restaurants in Zagreb can be found here, or browse our restaurants pages.

Museums and Culture

The museums, shops and restaurants are open all day, and perhaps the busiest time of the day is the afternoon. Museums and art galleries are plentiful here in Zagreb and visiting some of them should definitely be on your itinerary. Away from the throng, slightly more off the beaten track, the old Upper town streets make a lovely wander and are mentioned in some of the best pieces in Croatian literature. They are attached to many legends and true historical events and still have the old gas-powered lightening so you get the feeling you’ve gone back in time – wonderful! Many of the locals head here for a romantic stroll.

The poet, Balzac, likened this upper area of town to an old man watching over the hasty life of the Lower Town with half-closed eyes. So it’s an area that still has a bit of the old Mediterranean feel about it, known in Dalmatia, southern Croatia, as “fjaka” or “siesta time”, which is not really common in Zagreb.

Nightlife

The vibrant dynamics of the city will keep you going… Start the night bar hopping, or just choose one bar (Maraschino is the place to be) or beer-cellar that suits you. The wine tents are open all evening but perhaps try Mali Medo in Tkalčićeva, and then go with the flow. You might end up in one of the popular clubs, which usually host many popular DJ’s and bands;  Depending on your preferences you might choose one of the following: Aquarius, Piranha, Sirup, Lemon, Ritz or any of the many others. Other places of interest are jazz and swing clubs, such as Jazz Club in Gundulićeva Street that hosts many jazz/ funk/ blues/ swing local and international artists, maintaining the Zagreb Jazz spirit! The city hosts several jazz music festivals during the year, even though the most “jazzy” period of the year is September through to the end of November, when everyone has finally got the summer season out of their minds and are enjoying the fallen leaves and reddish trees of autumn. Other autumn events involve film festivals, internationally recognized for their programmes, and wine festivals.

So Zagreb…! A whole host of experiences to explore – this is a fun and vibrant city with a rich historical culture and loads to do and see! It’s a great alternative to some of the more well trodden cities in Europe and close to places like Venice, Slovenia and Istria, in Northern Croatia, if you fall in love with the place and want to stay a little longer! You will certainly get a warm welcome in Zagreb and be glad you came!

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Holiday Spirit in Zagreb



This article was written by our feature writer Sanja Bek. See her profile and more stories on MyGuide2Croatia

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