The winter season starts with Advent. The Christmas and New Year’s celebration lures tourists from all over the world to see the spectacles of Christmas activities around Zagreb.
The winter season starts with Advent. The Christmas and New Year’s celebration lures tourists from all over the world to see the spectacles of Christmas activities around Zagreb.
One of my favorite places to spend a winter day is on Medvednica and the highest peak Sljeme which is sectioned off with hiking areas and ski slopes, at the top of the peak there are several charming log cabin cafés, restaurants and a hotel. Most of Medvednica is a nature park with hiking trails, wild biking trails and plenty of scenic overlooks on the way up. I prefer to take the bus about half way to Sljeme and then walk to the peak from there. It’s a nice hour long walk up. The first weekend of January there is a ski tournament which ends the Christmas season activities.
The large park Maksimir is perfect for a walk through the forest, or a short walk around the zoo, then for a coffee in a cute gazebo style building which offers a view of the part of the park while snuggling under blankets. The park is easy to get to by the 5, 11, or 4 trams.
Jarun Lake is a man-made lake from the outflow of the Sava river. There is a walking and a biking path around the river for pedestrians and cyclists. Some great restaurants and cafes are in this area: Helena has fantastic pizza and good desserts, Lido for more fine dining, R&B Food for BBQ and Namaste for modern Indian. Cafés to explore are: Jazz Café, Café di Fjaka and Café Bar Saint Tropez. When it’s cold there are heaters and cozy blankets in cafés all over the city. The number 5 and 17 trams will bring you to this area then it’s only a short walk to the lake.
Britanski Trg is an antique market on Sundays and has some 100 stalls of antiques. The number 6 tram will bring you to this area. I found a really cool stainless-steel bracelet that always gets compliments from this market. I’m keen to pick up some copper pots and pans one of these days.
On the other side of the market there is a bus that will take visitors to the cemetery. I’m not usually a cemetery visitor, but this one is beautiful. It’s no dogs allowed.
Tkalčićeva is a tourist hot spot for cafes, lots of restaurants and shops to explore, at the end of the street there is also a mall. Tkalčićeva street is the prime bar crawl with plenty of options. Nearby there are an outrageous number of museums to explore, the most notable is the Break-up Museum.
Another great thing about Zagreb in the winter is the shopping. In the western cities, either New York, London, or many other cities the winter sales are just winter wear. In Zagreb it’s everything! I have found so much cute summer stuff to pack away for my summer plans in Montenegro. I also found an amazing coat from a Russian designer. The sales are terrific! That said, VAT here is 25%, so be sure to ask for the VAT credit paperwork, I often forget.
