Advent in Zagreb: What to Eat & Drink at the Christmas Markets

The short version: Advent in Zagreb 2026 runs from 28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, spread across Ban Jelačić Square, Zrinjevac park, Strossmayer Square, King Tomislav Square and the Upper Town. The drink is kuhano vino, mulled wine served red or white, and the foods to hunt down are fritule (little doughnuts), grilled kobasice sausages, štrukli and turkey with mlinci. Fuliranje on Strossmayer Square is the best single stop for food. On a short visit, a guided food tour is the shortcut to the best stalls and the right squares in the right order.

At a glance

Question	Answer
Dates 2026/27	28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027 (official Advent Zagreb dates)
Drink	Kuhano vino (red or white mulled wine), hot gin, hot pelinkovac
Street food	Kobasice (grilled sausages), buncek (smoked pork knuckle), sarma, turkey with mlinci
Sweet	Fritule, štrukli, germknedla, medenjaci and paprenjaci biscuits
Best markets	Fuliranje, Zrinjevac, Ban Jelačić Square, Ice Park on King Tomislav Square
Mug deposit	Some stalls charge a 1 to 2 euro deposit on cups, refunded when you return them
Best time to go	Weekday afternoons for space, early evening for the lights; Fuliranje is busiest on evenings and weekends

What to drink at the Zagreb Christmas markets

Kuhano vino (“cooked wine”) is Zagreb’s mulled wine, heated with cinnamon, cloves and citrus. The local twist is that white mulled wine is just as easy to find as red, and many locals prefer it: lighter, sweeter and very good with fritule. In 2025 a cup cost around 3 to 4 euros.

Beyond wine, look for hot gin, served warm with citrus and spice, and hot pelinkovac, a heated version of the bitter Croatian herbal liqueur. Stalls around the Ice Park also pour punč (hot punch). Some locations charge a cup deposit of 1 to 2 euros, which you get back when you return the cup, and the main square’s mug is a collectible worth keeping.

What to eat at the Zagreb Christmas markets

Food	What it is	Where to find it
Fritule	Bite-sized fried doughnuts, often flavoured with citrus zest and rum, dusted with sugar	Everywhere, including the Ice Park and Ban Jelačić Square
Kobasice	Grilled pork sausages in bread with mustard or horseradish	Zrinjevac, the Ice Park, and Institut za kobasice at Fuliranje
Purica s mlincima	Roast turkey with mlinci, thin baked flatbreads softened in the roasting juices; Zagreb’s festive dish	Food huts on Zrinjevac; best of all at Stari Fijaker
Štrukli	Thin dough rolled around fresh cheese, boiled or baked with cream; sweet or savoury	Zrinjevac huts, the Ice Park, and La Štruk
Buncek	Smoked pork knuckle, often with sauerkraut and horseradish	Fuliranje and Ban Jelačić Square
Sarma	Sour cabbage leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice, slow-cooked, served with mash	Traditional food huts on Zrinjevac
Germknedla	A big steamed yeast dumpling filled with plum jam, topped with poppy seeds or chocolate	Ice Park and the main square stalls
Medenjaci and paprenjaci	Honey biscuits, and peppery spiced biscuits that are a Zagreb Christmas classic	Sweet stalls around Zrinjevac and Ban Jelačić Square
Licitar hearts	Red-painted gingerbread hearts, a decoration and souvenir rather than a snack; the craft is on the UNESCO intangible heritage list	Souvenir stalls on Zrinjevac and in the Upper Town

The one thing not to miss is a paper cone of hot fritule with a cup of white kuhano vino. They are cheap, everywhere and made to order, so pick a stall where you can see them coming out of the fryer.

The best Zagreb Christmas markets

Zagreb’s Advent is a citywide festival rather than one market, and entry is free: you walk between squares and pay for what you eat and drink. Advent Zagreb was voted the best Christmas market in Europe by European Best Destinations three years running, in 2016, 2017 and 2018. All the locations below are listed for the 2026 edition by the City of Zagreb, and the whole festival runs from 28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027.

Ban Jelačić Square

Ban Jelačić Square is the heart of it all: the giant city Christmas tree, Advent candles around the Manduševac fountain, a small winter village and a row of food and drink stalls that run almost all day. Come after dark when the square is at its best. Look for buncek with horseradish in a lepinja bun, fritule and the collectible main-square mug. The Christmas tram, a short loop with Santa on board, starts and ends here.

Zrinjevac

Zrinjevac, the plane-tree park a few minutes south of the main square, is the most photographed part of Advent, with lights strung through the trees and live music from the old bandstand. The food huts here lean traditional, with dishes such as turkey with mlinci, sarma, kotlovina (pork cooked in a wide pan) and štrukli, made with ingredients from local family farms. In 2025 the stalls opened from midday on weekdays and from 10am at weekends. A grilled sausage here is one of the cheaper hot meals of the festival.

Fuliranje on Strossmayer Square

Fuliranje is Zagreb’s Advent food festival and the place to eat seriously. Its 13th edition in 2025 had 16 food and drink houses run by well-known Zagreb kitchens, among them a pop-up from Michelin-starred Noel, Institut za kobasice (craft sausages), Pizza Social Club and Gdje je Jura, with dishes like buncek variations and pasta tossed in a wheel of Grana Padano. It usually runs from late November to 7 January; in 2025 it opened at noon on weekdays and 11am at weekends, until midnight. It is busiest on evenings and weekends and calmer in the afternoon. A sister event, Fooling Around, has run in the courtyard of the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel with a slightly smarter food line-up.

Ice Park on King Tomislav Square

In front of the yellow Art Pavilion near the main railway station, King Tomislav Square becomes a 1,500 square metre outdoor skating rink lined with food and drink huts. Even if you do not skate, it is a lively place for a sausage, fritule, germknedla or a cup of punč while you watch. In 2025 it was open every day, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Upper Town: Strossmayer Promenade and Gradec

Advent returned to the Upper Town in 2025 after a two-year break for renovation, and Strossmayer Promenade and the Gradec plateau are both on the 2026 programme. This is the most atmospheric part of the festival: a lamp-lit walk along the old walls by Lotrščak Tower, with views over the rooftops, warming drinks and live music. Walk to the Gradec end for the view of the cathedral. The 2025 edition also had a cafe and bar zone run by Cafe de Matoš along the promenade.

European Square

European Square, just east of Ban Jelačić Square, is a smaller food-led site listed again for 2026. In recent years each hut has served a different menu, from Dalmatian risotto to grilled meat, with vegetarian options, which makes it a good place for a proper hot meal away from the busiest crowds.

Where to eat a proper meal near the markets

Advent stalls are great for grazing, but a sit-down meal of Zagreb winter food is worth one evening. All of these are a short walk from the main squares.

• Le Bistro Esplanade, in the Esplanade Hotel next to the Ice Park, has served its baked cheese štrukli as a house speciality since 1951. Order the Esplanade štrukli. Mid-priced (€€). (Michelin listing)
• Stari Fijaker, below the Upper Town just off Ilica, is an old-school Zagreb restaurant with large portions of home cooking. Order turkey or duck with mlinci (about 16 euros in 2025) or the štrukli.
• Nico’s Bar & Bistro sits on Augusta Cesarca street, right by the main square and European Square. Its modern Croatian menu includes “Štrukli vol. 2”, a creative take on the classic. Mid-priced (€€). (Michelin listing)
• La Štruk, on a stepped lane between the main square and the Upper Town, serves only štrukli, boiled or baked, savoury or sweet. Try the classic cheese version, then a sweet one with walnuts and honey. It gets busy at weekends.
• Pod Zidom Bistro, beside Dolac market, cooks seasonal farm-to-table dishes with local meat and vegetables and pours from a list of about one hundred wines. Good for a relaxed dinner between the main square and Kaptol. Mid-priced (€€). (Michelin listing)
• Vincek at Ilica 18, a few steps from Ban Jelačić Square, is Zagreb’s best-known cake shop. Order the Zagreb kremšnita (custard slice with whipped cream and a chocolate top) or chestnut purée with cream.

Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Christmas opening days change, so check before you go.

Christmas market tours to book in Zagreb

Zagreb’s Advent sites are spread between the Lower Town parks and the Upper Town, and the best food is split between dozens of huts. A guided walk links them in one evening, with tastings of fritule, štrukli and kuhano vino along the way and the stories behind the squares.

Experience	Length	Rating (reviews)	Best for	Book
Taste Zagreb Food Tour	3.5 hours	4.9 (176)	A first visit	Check availability
Traditional Culinary Walking Tour	3.5 hours	4.8 (215)	Classic Zagreb dishes	Check availability
Zagreb Highlights with a Tasting	2 hours	4.8 (278)	The Upper Town and a tasting	Check availability
Bled and Ljubljana Christmas Day Tour	11 hours	5.0 (194)	A day trip to Slovenia	Check availability

Our pick: the Taste Zagreb Food Tour, rated 4.9 from 176 reviews on GetYourGuide.

Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Seasonal tours sell out in December, so check the listing for live dates and prices.

Tips for visiting

• Entry to every Advent location is free; you only pay for food, drinks and activities such as skating.
• Fuliranje and the main square are busiest on Friday and Saturday evenings. Go on a weekday afternoon to eat in comfort, then stay for the lights.
• Keep your cup: some stalls charge a 1 to 2 euro deposit, refunded on return.
• Everything in the Lower Town is walkable. The Upper Town funicular from Tomićeva street is running again after its renovation, so you can ride up to Strossmayer Promenade.
• Kvaternik Square (Kvatrić), east of the centre, has its own smaller Advent zone if you want a more local crowd.
• The Christmas tram leaves from Ban Jelačić Square; daytime rides are better for seeing the city.
• Dress for cold evenings and take a break indoors: the Esplanade, Vincek and the bistros above are all close to the squares.

Frequently asked questions

When is Advent in Zagreb 2026?

Advent Zagreb 2026 officially runs from 28 November 2026 to 7 January 2027, with stalls at Ban Jelačić Square, Zrinjevac, Strossmayer Square (Fuliranje), King Tomislav Square and the Upper Town.

What do you eat at the Zagreb Christmas markets?

Fritule doughnuts, grilled kobasice, buncek, sarma, štrukli and turkey with mlinci, plus germknedla and honey biscuits. Fuliranje on Strossmayer Square has the widest choice, while Zrinjevac’s huts are the most traditional.

What is kuhano vino?

Kuhano vino is Croatian mulled wine, heated with cinnamon, cloves and citrus. In Zagreb it comes red or white, and white is a local favourite. In 2025 it cost around 3 to 4 euros a cup.

Which Zagreb Christmas market is best?

For food, Fuliranje on Strossmayer Square. For atmosphere, Zrinjevac’s lit-up park and the Upper Town promenade by Lotrščak Tower. For a classic first look, Ban Jelačić Square with the big tree.

Are the Zagreb Christmas markets open on 25 and 26 December?

Yes, with shorter hours at some sites. In 2025 Fuliranje opened from 5pm to midnight on Christmas Day and from noon on 26 December, and the Ice Park on King Tomislav Square was open every day. Some restaurants close on Christmas Day, so book ahead.

Is a Zagreb Christmas market tour worth it?

On a short visit, yes. The festival is spread over many squares, and a guide takes you straight to the best fritule, štrukli and kuhano vino and up to the Upper Town without the guesswork.

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