Advent in Zagreb: Three Times Europe's Best Christmas Market, Fritule and a Noon Cannon

For the third year running, in the vote for the 2018 title, readers of the European Best Destinations portal named Zagreb the best Christmas market in Europe: the Croatian capital took almost 39,000 of some 200,000 votes, with Colmar in France in second place. After winning in 2016, 2017 and 2018, a city once seen as a stopover on the way to the coast became a winter destination in its own right. Advent in Zagreb now fills the whole centre and lasts more than a month: in the 2026/27 season it runs from 28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027.

Where the fame came from and what became of it

Zagreb's Advent won on character rather than size. There is no single giant market on one square. Instead, a dozen venues are scattered across the Lower and Upper Town, each with its own mood: a brass band in one, a DJ in another, a choir on a tram somewhere else. The European Best Destinations title worked as the best advertising imaginable: December visitor numbers grew noticeably, and Advent kept adding new venues year after year.

There is an honest caveat too. Local journalists grumble every winter about prices and about the market feeling less surprising than in the winning years. The easiest way to avoid disappointment is simple: do not settle on one square, but wander like the locals from venue to venue, peeking into courtyards and side streets as you go.

Zrinjevac: the bandstand where the music plays

The prettiest venue is Zrinjevac park, two minutes from the central Ban Jelačić Square. Its old plane trees are wrapped in lights from root to crown, gift huts line the paths, and in the middle a 19th-century cast-iron bandstand hosts live music, from jazz to Croatian pop hits. In 2025 the bandstand ran from noon, or 10:00 at weekends, until 23:00, and Santa's sleigh rides cost 15 euros for adults and 8 for children.

Ban Jelačić Square itself has the main tree and an Advent wreath, with a new candle lit each Advent Sunday. Next to it, Gajeva and Bogovićeva streets are lined with food and drink stalls. Last season a tram carrying a singing choir also ran from the square, and Opatovina park below Kaptol staged a living nativity three times a day from 20 December. Small events like these are best caught by checking the weekly programme, since every day is a little different, and locals mostly come to Advent not to shop but to meet friends over a drink.

Fuliranje: eating and fooling around

The name Fuliranje translates roughly as "fooling around", and it is the least official part of Advent. It started on a narrow street by the funicular and in recent seasons has moved to the park on Strossmayer Square, next to Zrinjevac. In 2025, 16 city restaurants cooked there, from street snacks to proper restaurant plates, with music in the evenings. A smaller version of Fuliranje was set up on the terrace of the historic Hotel Esplanade near the station.

Ice Park and King Tomislav Square

Opposite the main railway station, in the park on King Tomislav Square, the winter rink called Ledeni park, the Ice Park, is flooded every year. It is not just a rectangle: the ice paths circle the central fountain and wind between the trees. In 2025 an hour of skating cost roughly 3.50 euros on weekday daytimes and 5 euros in the evenings and at weekends, with skates for hire. On New Year's Eve the rink stayed open until two in the morning.

Upper Town: Strossmayer Promenade, the Grič Tunnel and the noon cannon

Stairs or the funicular, one of the shortest in the world, lead to the Upper Town. At the top, Strossmayer Promenade looks out over the whole Lower Town and gets new light installations every year: in 2025 it was a Moon Garden. Nearby is the underground Grič Tunnel, built as an air-raid shelter, which last season was hung with mechanical bronze bells. Stand by Lotrščak Tower at noon: a cannon fires from it every day, and tourists jump every single time, while the pigeons have long stopped bothering. Plato Gradec nearby also hosts festive events, and in the evening it has the best view of the city lights.

Fritule, kuhano vino and what it all costs

Advent's signature snack is fritule, little doughnut balls flavoured with lemon zest and a drop of rum and dusted with icing sugar. They come in paper cones, sometimes with chocolate or caramel. People wash them down with kuhano vino, Croatian mulled wine, or with hot rakija and honey.

Croatia has used the euro since 2023, and December prices in 2025 looked roughly like this: a cup of kuhano vino for 3 to 4 euros plus a 4 to 5 euro mug deposit, a portion of fritule from 3.50 euros at a modest stall up to 5 to 11 euros for a large one with toppings, and main dishes for 5.50 to 9 euros. The programme, venue map and opening hours are published on the official Advent Zagreb website, and general city information comes from the Zagreb Tourist Board.

Getting there and pairing it with Ljubljana

In its winter 2026/27 schedule Ryanair flies to Zagreb from Warsaw Modlin twice a week, one of the most convenient options for travellers leaving Ukraine via Poland. By bus from Lviv to Zagreb the trip takes anything from 18 hours to a full day, depending on connections. Timetables and fares change every season, so check them before booking: we verified the Advent dates at the end of October 2026, and the city publishes the detailed programme closer to opening.

Ljubljana is right next door, two to two and a half hours by train or bus, so two markets in one trip is entirely doable. Give Zagreb three or four days and Ljubljana two, and fly home from either. For what to see in the country outside Advent season, see our guide to what to see in Croatia.

Table: Advent venues in Zagreb

The best time to go is on weekdays in the first half of December, when every venue is open but the weekend crowds from neighbouring countries have not yet arrived. If you want to understand Croatians a little better before the trip, have a look at our round-up of strange Croatian customs.