A wonderful Christmas in Croatia

Have you thought about Croatia as a must-see destination when Christmas comes? Yes, no, not really?
When you think of Croatia, you first imagine the idyllic beaches of the Adriatic coast, the islands with their authentic charm, the lakes and waterfalls of the Plitvice National Park… And yet! Croatia has been making a name for itself for some years now, especially for the Christmas market in Zagreb.

The Austro-Hungarian-style capital received the prize for Best Christmas Market three years in a row from 2016 to 2018. It was once planned to take place this year, but it was finally cancelled as a precaution in the face of the Covid epidemic.

Fortunately, Terra Balka walked the streets of Zagreb and its Christmas market last year and kept an everlasting memory of it. For the visit, it’s this way!

Introducing “cultural context”
In Croatia, 85% of the population is Catholic. It is natural that the Christmas period is particularly important and is followed by Croatians. It generally runs from St. Nicholas’ Day on December 6 to the Epiphany on January 6. St. Nicholas’ Day is much more important than in France. For the occasion, wise children leave their shoes or boots at the window on the eve of St. Nicholas’ Day, hoping to find gifts and chocolates the next morning. It is also the time to start the Christmas decorations, often with the inscription: Sretan Bozic (Merry Christmas)!

A Christmas market like no other

The official launch of the decorations is December 1st. From the evening, the city lights up and is almost unrecognizable: brightly lit with garlands and lights highlighting the historic buildings.
This is one of the reasons why Zagreb stands out for its Christmas market: maybe you visualize a square decorated with wooden chalets? No, the whole city center becomes the Christmas market, from the upper town to the lower town, including many parks.

Departure from Ban-Jelacic square

We chose to start the expedition in the nerve center of the city: the central square! Hardly arrived, we are seized by the installations. The large square is metamorphosed by a large fir tree in its center and like a mini-village of huts all around. The curious and the food lovers (of which we are totally part of) wander on the charming postcard. Are we already tempted by the gastronomy? A variety of smells emanate from the stands of mulled wine, “fritule” (mini fritters topped with melted chocolate) or “hot dog” with sausages typical of Slavonia (North-East region). At the bend of a street, your steps are guided by the smell of roasted chestnuts.

The romanticism of Zrinjevac Park

Let’s warm our hands and we leave in the direction of the Park Zrinjevac and its romantic atmosphere with a hundred plane trees all brightened up with garlands surrounding the trunks. In the center of the Park, a kiosk rises as well as the voices of a Christmas choir.

Be careful, it’s slippery

On the next park, an ice rink is installed: something to delight young and old. Music, light: the festive atmosphere is all around (fortunately the song of “Frozen” is forbidden on the ice rink)! It faces the central station and the arts pavilion, a yellow building with a blue glass roof and typically Austro-Hungarian style.

Let’s take a look at the upper town. On the way, we make a stop on the Flower Square (Cvjetni Square) to buy a beautiful handcrafted Christmas wreath.

Our favorite part

A few steps to climb and we dominate the city center from the Strossmayer promenade. The view over the roofs of the city is delightful. Usually, the walk is punctuated by live music bands and eternal stands of mulled wine (demand is significant) or hot gin (original, no?). A mini skating rink is set up in the inner courtyard of a historic building. Right next door, a frame positioned to see the Cathedral through is decorated with Christmas colors. The trick is done: everyone leaves with the perfect picture.

The last visual explosion: Even the tunnels built for World War II and running through the city center become part of the Christmas market. They are decorated with colorful characters and light effects: in short, a magical world.

Many other squares and parks in the city are decorated and offer a choice of strolls throughout the month of December for just as many gustatory discoveries and a multitude of luminous decorations.

This year we are watching Home Alone for the last time, because next year we will go to the typical Christmas markets of Croatia. This way we want to create unforgettable and original memories (without forgetting a child).

Do you also want to plan your next Christmas vacations in Croatia? As a gift, here is a Croatian Christmas song by a Klapa (traditional music group) rather successful.

We wish you happy holidays wherever you are in the world!