This year we spent Christmas in Zagreb, Croatia. Now if you had asked me a year ago where I thought would be a fun destination in Europe for the holidays, Croatia definitely wouldn’t have come up. I had heard about it as a great summer beach vacation but it wasn’t until moving to Istanbul that a few people told me how amazing the Christmas Market is there. So amazing in fact, they were voted Best Christmas Market in Europe the last three years in a row. I don’t think this year would have been any different except, after winning three times, they can’t be included in the voting anymore.

The whole European Christmas Market concept is something relatively new to me. There was one in NYC’s Bryant Park that was always fun, but nothing like what we saw in Croatia. The tradition apparently dates all the way back to 1296 in Vienna when the first Dezembermarkt  (December Market) was held and shopkeepers would sell various supplies to the townspeople to last through the winter. Then in the early 1300’s in Germany, the winter market, turned into the Christmas Market, beginning and lasting through Advent, the four week period leading up to Christmas. Beautifully lit and decorated stalls lined the streets selling items such as baskets, toys, almonds, roasted chestnuts, and gingerbread to be given as gifts for Christmas. The idea spread throughout Europe and has become quite a spectacle, making many European cities magical destinations during the holidays. Many of the traditional foods are still offered in addition to grilled Bratwurst, hot-mulled wine, handmade ornaments and decorations as well as many other local specialties and treats.

Zagreb seems to have taken the idea and turned the nation’s capitol into a whimsical winter fairytale to be explored throughout the city. My 5-year-old referred to it as Christmasland. Our goal was to go somewhere where they celebrate Christmas and I think we succeeded and then some. Not only was it decorated to the nines, with different themes in each square, the food, the music and the hot wine done every which way imaginable was a real feast for the senses.

My favorite area was probably Fuliranje (Fooling Around) in Strassmayer square, located between Tomislavac Square and Zrinjevac Park. While not as lavishly decorated as some of the other areas, the food there was such a culinary surprise. They had everything from the local favorites like sausages and a sweet donut hole-like dessert called Fritule, to burgers, ramen, sticky toffee pudding, baked beans, and churros. My absolute favorite, still dreaming about today, had to go back for more before heading home, was the Street Pasticada. It’s described as “tradional Dalmation veal in a pita bread with fresh cabbage and carrot salad.” The description doesn’t do it justice. The bread is a giant, soft, dough of a pillow encasing slow-roasted, melt in your mouth meat with sweet caramelized onions, a light yogurt-ish sauce and the perfect complimentary crunch from fresh carrots and cabbage. Holy moly, this sandwich might have been the best sandwich I’ve ever had. It made me smile and think of my dad who I know would have appreciated it just as much if not more. Re-creating it is definitely on my food to-do list of 2019. Even Mr. T, couldn’t get enough of it and finished it before I could get a last bite. If you go to Advent in Zagreb, do find this sandwich at the Street Sarma stall in Fuliranje. You can thank me later.

From Fuliranje, right across from the Palace Hotel, you can easily reach Advent on Zrinjevac in one direction and be surrounded by the beautiful park or head the other way to King Tomislav square for some fun ice skating. Zrinjevac park was covered in twinkling fairy lights and lined with lots of cute little stalls. Grab a glass of mulled wine there and listen to familiar holiday songs from the large stage in the center. If ice skating is your thing, definitely check out the Ice Park where you pay by the hour and all skill levels are welcome. They even have a chair for the little ones to be pushed around. There are more stalls selling yummy treats and beautiful trinkets surrounding the skating rink if you’d rather not skate.

After a day out ice skating and exploring the park area, you might prefer a warm meal somewhere inside. Or at least a place to feed the kids where it might not matter as much if your toddler decides right then and there it’s time to take off the hat, scarf, gloves, jacket, boots and socks. You get the picture. Whatever the reason, head to Advent in Tkalča, which refers to Ulica Ivana Tkalcica, the oldest street in Zagreb. It’s considered part of the Old Town and is about a 5-10 minute walk from the park. The street is lined with adorable, colorful houses, many cafes, bars, and a great little bakery, The Cookie Factory. There’s even a wonderful Indian restaurant we visited twice. Cars are not permitted on Tkalcica which makes it even more special. We stayed on this street and it couldn’t have been a more perfect location, central to everything and charming in every way. One night there were musicians playing Christmas songs on the balcony just across from us.

There’s a lot to see and do during Advent in Zagreb and I could probably go on and on about all the fun we had. I think we saw almost everything, except maybe Maksimir Park and the zoo. Here are some of the other areas we really enjoyed:

• Advent on Trg Ban Josip Jelačić, the main square. There’s a giant wreath surrounding the fountain, a big stage where we heard some wonderful caroling and saw traditional dancers, and even spotted Santa on Christmas Eve. There are also tons of stalls there lined with snow-covered trees selling seasonal specialties. Christmas eve morning don’t be surprised if you see tons of people gathering around 10am when they hand out free meals of baccala (salted cod) stew to anyone needing or wanting a warm meal. It’s a wonderful tradition of goodwill and takes place in other Croatian cities as well.
• Advent on European Square always had fun and lively music and seemed to be the place to be Christmas Eve when it was filled with families and friend’s enjoying good company and cocktails. In fact, my favorite Gin Punch was found there as well as lots of delicious Italian sweet treats. I was even pleasantly surprised to find panforte.
• The live Nativity Scene held outside the Cathedral everyday at 4:15, 5, and 7 was really neat. There were live animals and even a real infant playing baby Jesus. And the Zagreb Cathedral, despite part of the outside being under renovation is gorgeous.
• Advent on Strass requires a walk to the Upper Town, but is well worth it. The view, especially at dusk, is incredible. Grab a hot beverage and one of the benches lining the path that overlooks the city below and soak up the magic that is Christmas time in Zagreb.

I’ll share two more foodie finds I think are worth mentioning. Try hot chocolate in Zagreb. I know what you’re probably thinking. Now, the mulled wine is special and deserves a place in your hand most of the day (at least that’s one way to stay warm.) But even if you don’t have a kid with you, get yourself a cup of hot chocolate somewhere. Anywhere. The Palace Hotel does a great one, but there are many other places just as good. It will perhaps be the best hot chocolate you’ve ever had. Least that was the case for us. It’s exactly what the name promises. Thick, hot, delicious, velvety chocolate. Emphasis on the word hot. Be careful. They blend hot milk with lots of chocolate creating this rich, pudding-like consistency. More like a dessert than a drink. I almost couldn’t give it up, then I remembered it was supposed to be for my five year-old. Lucky for us, the one I considered maybe the most delicious, with the handmade hazelnut paste and roasted hazelnuts on top from Express Bar, was the one he didn’t really care for. It’s a good thing sometimes kids don’t know a thing about what’s really good. One tip, when you order, don’t order the “hot cocoa.” That apparently is something different, more like the packet of hot chocolate you see at the store generally mixed with water.

And the second, not at the Christmas market, food find- is strukli. Strukli is a traditional Croatian dish from the Zagorje and Zagreb regions in the north. It has comfort food written all over it. It can be made two ways, baked or boiled, but based on our experience and the advice of a few locals, baked or gratinated as they put it, is the way to go. Think paper thin layers of dough swimming in a hot, gooey, cottage cheese sauce. At first gance you might think lasagna, but strukli deserves a category all it’s own. It’s offered in both sweet and savory versions and you can’t go wrong either way. I say do both. On our first visit to La Struk, the place I had read would be a sure bet for amazing strukli (the name and the fact that’s all they serve sealed the deal for me,) we tried two savory- the plain cheese and the roasted red pepper. Both absolutely delish, though I favored the red pepper. Miss Sparkle was getting restless so dessert wasn’t an option that day but we made a second visit. We got the apple cinnamon and man oh man, we devoured it. It’s so simple, yet so divine. Creamy, not too sweet, tiny bits of baked apple and ever so slightly kissed by cinnamon. It comes piping hot straight from the oven but I dare you to not dig right in. If I can re-create this Croatian specialty, I’ll be a happy gal.

All in all we had a pretty spectacular holiday experience in Zagreb. From the sights to the sounds, smells, tastes and everything in between, it was a trip to remember. If you find yourself on this part of the world in December or are interested in planning an authentic European Christmas Market experience, Zagreb should definitely be at the top of your list.

*One tip, dress warm with lots of layers if you’re winter wimps like us and not use to cold weather. And don’t rely on the heat lamps you see everywhere. They seem to only turn them on in the evenings.