Zagreb was voted Best European Christmas Market in 2015 and 2016. It offers a special atmosphere which simply must be experienced by yourself. Christmas market in Zagreb have traditional look and it’s spread out in numerous locations.
Zagreb’s Christmas decorations are elegant and classy. As the night falls, the city is at its most magical. If you like ice-skating, you can stop at King Tomislav Park. The Ice Park is very nice, offering fun for all ages.
Zagreb Cathedral (Cathedral of the Assumption)
You can enjoy Live Nativity Scene near the Cathedral.
Live nativity scene in front of the Zagreb Cathedral
Zrinjevac offers food and drink stands to warm you up during the cold winter days. Sausage and mulled wine combination has been a Christmas classic for many years.
Germknoedel (sweet fluffy dough dumplings with jam, vanilla and poppy seeds) served with vanilla cream sauce.
We spent a few days in Zagreb. Jelacic Square was the central point for tourist activities in Zagreb. The Ban Josip Jelacic Monument (statue of Ban Jelacic on his horse) was an ideal meeting spot. This was a great place to start your exploration of the city.
Jelacic Square at night
We visited during the Christmas markets were on. There was a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the square covered in fairly lights, a center stage, and live concerts. Definitely a must visit during this time of year.
Zrinjevac Park
Zagreb Cathedral
Beautiful cathedral in the center of Zagreb. We spent some time walking around the inside and enjoying the calm and peaceful atmosphere.
vinodol restoran
Caffe Bar Atrij
Got tired of walking, we stopped into a local cafe and it was great! Now bellies were happy, we may continue our exploration.
Breakfast at Hotel Jägerhorn
Loved the buffet style breakfast at this hotel. Today was our second day in Zagreb, we were going to visit Dolac Market after breakfast and eat more! hahaha
Dolac Market
It was located behind Jelacic Square. The place was alive with vendors, local shoppers, and tourists. There were lots of stalls selling vegetables, fruits, flowers, baked goods, souvenirs, and various other local produce. So much color and life!
Tržnica Dolac
This is Croatia’s largest daily farmer’s market.
Tkalciceva
Tkalciceva was lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. The place was so vibrant. The atmosphere was fun and relaxed. We enjoyed walking and observed everything around us.
Ivica i Marica
The restaurant was on Tkalciceva Street. We stopped by here for desserts and coffee.
Left:Međimurska gibanica (made of puff pastry and 4 fillings: nuts, cheese, poppy seeds and apples)
Right:Kremsnita (vanilla and custard cream cake)
Funicular Railway
We walked to the lower station after dessert at Ivica i Marica. This was the world’s shortest cable railway. This short journey linked lower town with upper town and took just a minute. Only 4kn each way.
It has been in action for over 100 years! Still in pretty good shape.
Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
Glad we chose the cablecar up! There were nice views when we exited the cablecar. The center part of upper town was Zagreb's most photographed St. Mark's church on St. Mark's square. It was charming with lots of history and easy walkable.
Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
We spent a good part of the day in the Upper Town. Plenty of interesting buildings and markets abound in upper town. The oldtown was very picturesque and easy to walk around.
Upper Town (Gornji Grad)
One of the major attraction in Upper town was Stone Gate (Kamenita vrata). A small passage with a chapel of Our Lady. It was the only surviving medieval city gate. We walked through silently to respect worshippers.
St. Mark's Church
Located on the top of the hill. You can easily identify St. Mark's church from its beautiful colored roof tiles with Croatian crest and Zagreb coat of arms.
Museum of Broken Relationships
It collected break-stories from around the world. We spent maybe half an hour reading some stories in the gallery. Those stories ranging from the humorous, to the sentimental and tragic. Some stories were really touched.
