Christmas in Zagreb, Croatia

Lately -the last couple of years to be exact- we spend our time much differently from what we had expected or wanted. Those of you who know me or follow me on Social Media, surely know how much I love traveling. Unfortunately, the situation with Covid-19 has changed a lot of what I intended to do and has created obstacles to our travels, especially to foreign countries. However, I finally managed to make one of the trips I wanted during the Christmas holidays. Croatia and Zagreb in particular, was a suprise location for me. Searching for various flights to European destinations, I read about Zagreb and that’s when I started looking for more information about it. So, I realized that this would be a really interesting destination for me to visit. I suggested it to my sister and she said ‘YES’!

This square is in the center of the city of Zagreb and is named after Josip Jelačić, who was a general and a politician. It is surrounded by many cafes and restaurants. During the festive season there are many kiosks that sell handicrafts, but also many more with the well-known, traditional, mulled red and white wine.

Maksimir Park is the oldest park in Zagreb. It is a very large area, very well cared -I would say-, without any trash and garbage. The area is suitable for running, cycling and working out in general. Also, the park houses a cafe, where you can enjoy the green landscape and the tranquility that this location offers. If I lived permanently in Zagreb, this would be my first choice to go for a Sunday picnic, when the weather would be appropriate, but also for working there with my laptop. The only negative thing I can point out is the fact that this park also houses the zoo, a very bad form of enclosure and exploitation of animals in general. Hopefully in the future animal parks will cease to exist.

The Zagreb cable car’s route is so short, that we didn’t have time to take our seats. I think the whole thing lasted about 1 minute. Anyway, it was a very nice experience that saved us from some endless stairs we needed to climb. The next day, however, I wanted to try the stairs as well. So, with a few stops in between, we tried both ways. Haha, what would you choose?

This was the museum I really wanted to visit the most! It was located just below our hotel and I could see it every day from our room’s window. Unfortunately, it was and will be closed for a long time, as I was informed, due to repairs because of a tragic earthquake that occurred in 2020. The museum has exhibits that cover a long period from the Prehistoric Age to the 20th century. You never know, though… I may be able to visit it in the future. For now I will leave here a photo of me when I was standing in front of the entrance…

Our opinions about this museum were divided. The truth is that I was and still am one of its biggest fans, since I was really moved and I found many elements in it that actually touched my soul. The museum houses many objects of emotional value from relationships of people that were lost, dissolved, disappeared. Of course I’m not only talking about romantic relantionships, but about all kinds of frienship and family relationships too. Personally, I think the greatness of these people’s souls is really admirable, since they managed to part with these objects and share with us a part of their story, one that is now available to everyone. I believe that if you ever find yourself in Zagreb, it is one of the must-visit places!

The first thing I noticed in this particular museum was its facade. The building is a historic palace built in the German Renaissance style. Unfortunately, this building was also under repair due to the earthquake, but I was very lucky and I managed to enter, because one of the exhibitions was actually open. So, I came to know about Edo Murtić, as the exhibition was about the Croatian painter’s work. I do not know how much time I was “lost” between his paintings. What I do know, however, is that returning to Greece I wanted to look for more information about him and his work.

There is not much to say about this museum, as my sister and I had a really great time! It had many rooms with different characteristics that made you hallucinate. Every room had a sign on its entrance with instructions you needed to follow to achieve the expected outcome. Okay, to tell you the truth, I got really stressed when I entered a room without reading the sign and I started feeling so dizzy that it became really difficult for me to leave the room at all. I was afraid that something had happened to me, but eventually I realized it was only the room, haha!

This museum is dedicated to 20th century artists and contains mainly paintings and sculptures by Croatian artists, as well as some other notable non Croatian artists. The museum is housed on the first floor of an 18th century palace. It is very impressive and you need plenty of time to see all the exhibits.

Cvjetni is a shopping mall in the heart of Zagreb. It consists of 3 main floors with shops of various kinds and is a very beautiful place to do your shopping comfortably. Also there is a space configured specifically for dining purposes. On the ground floor there was a piano, which was free for anyone who wanted to play, which made our time there even more delightful. Outside the mall, there is the corresponding square, where you can find many cafes and restaurants, that were overflooded with people sitting outside and enjoying their coffee and/or food. Okay, I did not understand why they were sitting outside while it was so cold, but we decided to follow their example. Until we couldn’t…

Zagreb is an ideal destination for Christmas! The streets are decorated and the lights are shining from afar. There are many cafes, which have made a unique, festive decoration, motivating visitors to take photos and visit their place. At the same time, there are many kiosks, where they sell food and/or drinks, but also useful things to improve your stay in the city, such as hats, gloves and scarves. The music in the streets brings life to the city, while the locals and the tourists enjoy together the beautiful atmosphere of the holidays!

The truth is that I was very lucky, since the hotel I stayed in was located in a very beautiful place in the city, just above various museums and the National Theater. My room was on the 15th floor and the view of the city was incomparable. During day time I could clearly see the colors and the life in Zagreb, while at night when the lights came on and a sweet fog showed up, the scenery was unique. The hotel I stayed in was “Westin” and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to visit the city! I hope, of course, for a more vegan-friendly menu in the future, although there were even some options now.

A very good restaurant in town that I would definitely recommend. The restaurant is exclusively vegan and the food is delicious and well cooked. The choices are many in sweet and savory dishes, while there are also raw vegan dishes on the menu. The staff is very polite and the place very welcoming. I tried delicious lasagna (there was no way I wouldn’t find pasta!), fried tempeh and gnocchi from couscous with smoked tofu. I really liked all the dishes, placing the gnocchi at the top of my heart, since they really had a Greek flavor due to the ingredients they used.

This place was suggested to me by Christina, a friend from Greece (check here the perfect profile of @christine_christine_ch on Instagram) who lived in Zagreb for some time. I have one thing to say… I ate the best hot dog ever! I tried french fries too and they were great! I also want to say that the store is located in a very central part of the city and the place is very nicely decorated. It is definitely one of the top choices in the city!

Are you looking for the perfect breakfast or brunch in Zagreb and do not know where to go? This is definitely the place you will love! A very warm place in the city center, with helpful people and many vegan options. We tried 2 toasts, a savory and a sweet one. The first was the classic and much loved avocado toast and the second had peanut butter, blueberry jam, banana and pumpkin seeds. I also tried a hot drink with turmeric, ginger and cinnamon, ideal for the cold, as well as vegan cappuccino with soy milk.

If you are a burger lover, then you should definitely visit Barcode Mitra! The owner and cook is very kind and approachable and even invited me to go into the kitchen and see the space and the ingredients while he was making our burgers. We tried the Green and Red Burger and we were really excited! Red was a little too spicy for my tastes, but my sister loved it! The restaurant operates exclusively takeaway, so it is ideal to enjoy your vegan burgers in the comfort of your own home!

Also a takeaway restaurant with a wide variety of burgers and sandwiches. We tried KO Blue Burger and Lamb Kebab. They were both very tasty, but I had a soft spot for the lamb kebab (of course I mean vegan!). The resemblance was so great that I would not have noticed it if I did not know what it was. And when I am talking about resemblance, I mean both in taste and in texture. I had never eaten anything like it and it was really worth it! The menu was very large and I would like to try many more, if I have the opportunity in the future.

Pasta, pasta and pasta again! Do you think I wouldn’t look for an Italian restaurant to try my favorite food? Maybe Italy was the right destination for me all along and I didn’t know it. I should probably arrange a trip to the neighboring country. Anyway, getting back to the point, Al Dente is a restaurant, like the neat and sophisticated ones you see in the movies. The waiters pay attention to every detail and make you feel truly unique! As for the vegan dishes, unfortunately I found only one, which was pasta with vegetables and red sauce. Nonetheless it was a very nice experience!

Last but not least, I would like to show you this is the most beautiful Zagreb coffee place in my opinion! Kavkaz is located opposite the National Theater and is truly a jewel for the area. The truth is that going there I did not expect to find a vegan option. I had just seen it a few days before and I fell in love with it. So, I thought I would enjoy my coffee in a beautiful environment without anything accompanying it. However, taking the list in my hands I was surprised since there were many vegan and gluten-free options. So, I enjoyed my chocolate raw vegan dessert and everything got even better!