To the most beautiful Advent capital

We arrived to Zagreb in the morning and were happy to see that it will be a sunny day. We walked to King Tomislav Square from the train station and were overwhelmed by the Christmas spirit. On King Tomislav Square you will find a big ice ring called Ice Park. The sun was shining on the ice ring, children were laughing and Christmas songs were playing. It was beautiful. We walked to Ban Jelačić Square and continued our way to Ilica Street. After a 10-minute walk we arrived to the Museum of Illusions. The museum is extremely popular and we had to wait half an hour to enter. 

 

We enjoyed ourselves a lot. There’s a world of fun, spreading in two stories of the museum. We laughed at the game of shadows, mirror effects, uneven ground and laughed and wondered how different things are even possible. We filled our memory card by endless number of photos. It was thrilling, unforgettable and so much fun. We were walking from one room to the other, from one object to the other and tried new things. 

 

After untypical Croatian lunch (we ate sushi, which was amazing) we turned left to a steep street and found tunnel Grič where music, colourful lights, fairy-tale characters (we met grandmother Winter and the Nutcracker), and most wonderful wall sceneries (in shape of trees, the city...) made the tunnel so warm and beautiful. We climbed to Strossmayer promenade, which is beautiful in this time. It’s not only the view at the city, which is below you, it’s the Christmas atmosphere, which is caught in the treetops. There are stalls and tables, the smell of cinnamon and cloves and we simply had to order a cup of mulled wine. After a warm drink, we continued our way to Jesuit Square where the Advent fairy-tale reached its peak in front of Klovićevi Dvori Gallery. We saw a reindeer with a sleigh, a big “window” with a view at the city, a snow globe, a bench with cute writings, and a big Christmas tree. All the tourists wanted to document these wonderful things and catch a bit of the Christmas fairy-tale on their phones. 

 

In the city centre, on Ban Jelačić Square there were many events throughout the day, but the square livens up when the Christmas lights are lit. A choir was singing when we came to the square. There’s a big Advent wreath by the spring, after which Zagreb got its name and close to the square you can find a snowy winter village. Snowy Christmas trees, decorations and many stalls invite a lot of people to stop, drink a cup of mulled wine, punch or a cup of tea and try some local delicacies, for example small yogurt donuts, covered with Nutella. They also create artificial snow so it really seems that the time stopped for a few moments and that people stopped worrying. Only a step away, next to Zagreb cathedral, you can see live nativity scene. When we got there, there were no actors but the nativity scene invited the visitors anyway to walk around the nativity scene, made of wood and straw.

 

On our way to Zrinjevac, we stopped in the tunnel “Marićev Prolaz” on the address Praška Street 6. The tunnel is decorated with so many lights and connects two parts of the city. Crowds of tourists wanted to do what we wanted to do – take a photo and see the lights. 

 

Zrinjevac Park is another city point, which wakes up in all its glory and invited crowds of tourists. Next to the path, which leads through the park, are stalls where you can buy everything – from jewellery, toys, illustrations to teas, crafts and spirits. Every stall is white, like everything else in Zagreb. Tree trunks are also covered in lights. The children can enjoy light installations on the grass. There was a concert in the pavilion. We found a stall with mulled wine and pancakes and shared the table with other tourists since the square was really full. We made a toast to a wonderful day in Croatian capital and to the upcoming Christmas.

 

We left Zagreb charmed and satisfied. I visited Zagreb many times but I’ve never visited it in December and the city really charmed me this time. The trams have its charm, but the city centre is very much alive and there’s something to do for everyone. Stalls with Christmas products, decorated city avenues, Christmas decorations... Every street, square, tunnel (the city offers 16 Christmas scenes) in time of Advent tells its story and everything completes each other so well. Zagreb is justifiably the best Christmas destination in Europe for the third time in the row.