December the 5th, 2018 - Advent in Zagreb is well and truly bringing the Croatian capital into the joyous atmosphere of the festive season, and the three time winner of the best advent destination in Europe is offering what it usually does at this time of year, once again - free public transport use at weekends.

As studentski.hr writes, the City of Zagreb has provided Zagreb's residents and tourists alike with the free use of the city's public transport every weekend for the duration of Advent in Zagreb, which will last until January the 6th, 2019.

Zagreb's long standing mayor Milan Bandić confirmed for a previous HRT radio show that the capital's trams and buses operating in zone 1 will not charge for their services on weekends during the period of the current advent festivities in the Croatian capital. The move comes as no surprise and has been the norm during advent.

Nevertheless, a small change is that one of Zagreb's most popular attractions, the Zagreb funicular (Uspinjača), which will be transporting passengers to midnight, has to be paid for as normal for the entire duration of Advent in Zagreb, which has otherwise not been the case over the past few years.

To be more specific, Zagreb's public transport will be free during the period from Friday at 12:00 (midday) to Sunday at midnight. It should be noted that during this period, traffic will be prohibited in certain otherwise busy areas, those areas are Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square (Zrinjevac), Strossmayer Square, and King Tomislav Square, where only public transport vehicles may be used during the aforementioned periods.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for further information like this, and much more. If it's just the capital you're interested in, give Total Zagreb a follow.

Click here for the original article by Anton Smrekar for studentski.hr

Source: HRT

December 4, 2018 - In the Zagreb concept store Garderoba, located at Martićeva 17, fashion experts regularly find pearls from the collections of cool Scandinavian designers. Recently, owner and author of the concept, Ana Ivančić, presented new pieces from the resort collection to the press and friends of the shop and announced new brands.

“Garderoba presents a dynamic design development from the collections of Scandinavian brands. Famous labels Ganni, By Malene Birger, Baum und Pferdgarten and Rodebjer retain their recognizable frocks and identity, but there is also a shift with new materials, patterns and mutual combinations. The resort collections are ideal for the holiday season, but they are also an introduction to Spring / Summer 2019 collections,” Ana Ivančić said and thanked the media for coming while clinking glasses with sparkling champagne to new achievements and even better cooperation in the upcoming year.

Ganni stands out with more moderate patterns and color spectrums than in previous collections. Their resort collection titled "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow" was inspired by Western films that were watched in the 80s on Sunday afternoons on the only available TV channel, remembered by the adult generations - both in Croatia and Denmark. The Wild West is seen through leather jackets with tassels, while the unique design contrasts for Ganni is expressed in the key piece of the collection - a dress rich in decorations, inspired by cowboys, wild horses on sleeves and leopard pattern that emphasizes the waistline.

A refined long black silk dress with tobacco-colored accents and a flamboyant dress that hits the knees with floral and zebra patterns adds a 'hippie’ note to the collection, all in combination with Ganni's leather cowboy boots.

Baum und Pferdgarten unites true holiday elegance in their resort collection called "Lost in Transformation" dedicated to a self-conscious woman on an evening out. It is a very feminine and poetic dress ideal for the big city, and inspired by the hotel and bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel, where independent and self-confident women are surrounded by people from all over the world, yet they are self-sufficient. 

Baum und Pferdgarten, in addition to the dresses that spin through all of their collections, introduced cotton dresses with a bit of a summer look, though closed with long sleeves. They are dominated by the classic blue-green-sculpted pattern applied to materials of different textures. The key piece in the collection is a mini dress decorated with a crystal tie and a lacquered blue, elegantly stitched coat.

The name of resort collection By Malene Birger speaks for itself. It's named "Clothes for Real Women“ and is intended for a contemporary woman who wants to be elegant and exclusive in all her daily activities - from work to family life, a day in nature, to working out and more. The collection is dominated by colors characteristic of the 1960s and a sculpted pattern of larger dimensions. The collection focuses on combining thin, full-length fabrics whose design will separate a woman when she enters or exits the room.

 In the beautiful setting of Garderoba, all the clothing items came to fruition At Garderoba, you can also find new brands, such as designers Remix and Libertine-Libertine, and men's clothing. 

To read more about fashion in Zagreb, follow TCN's dedicated page here. 

ZAGREB, December 3, 2018 - A ceremony of menorah lighting in Zagreb Main Square on Sunday evening was held to celebrate this year's eight-day Hanukkah holiday in Croatia, with the president of the Jewish organisation "Menora", Rabbi Pinhas Zaklos, and Mayor Milan Bandić kindling together the eight lights.

The Hanukkah lights on a nine-branched menorah, or 'Hannukah candelabrum', are kindled every night of Hanukkah (Chanukah).

Earlier on Sunday, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković extended their best wishes to the Jewish faithful on the occasion of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, and may occur from late November to late December according to the Gregorian calendar.

Jewish families around the world will gather Sunday evening to celebrate Hanukkah and light the first candles on their menorahs. The holiday celebrates the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem following a massacre ordered by the Greek-Syrian King Antiochus IV that initially pushed Jews from the city.

The celebrations begin December 2 and last through December 10.

The 10th Israeli Film Week also started on Sunday in Zagreb's Kaptol Boutique cinema and will run through December 6, featuring ten recent feature films and two documentaries.

The films talk about everyday lives, loves, growing up, faith, conflict, all topics which occupy Israelis and are close to people around the world, Mirjana Slaj-Froelich, cultural attaché of the Israeli Embassy, which organises the event, said on Friday.

Israeli cinema is relatively young, films began to be made shortly after the establishment of the State of Israel, and the first film lab was founded by enthusiasts in an abandoned wood shed in 1949, she said.

Since then, many films have been made, achieving more or less success at home and abroad, and Israeli cinema began to blossom at the turn of the millennium, she added.

Entry to all screenings is free.

For more on the relations between Croatia and Israel, click here.

December 2, 2018 - Advent in Zagreb's most innovative stand does it again! A street art tribute to Stan Lee at Fuliranje by Here Be Dragons. 

There was a time in the not-too-distant past that Advent celebrations did not really exist in Croatia. The tourism season was all about the three months of sun and beach on the coast and that was it. 

Then came Advent in Zagreb, which started from very humble beginnings a decade ago, only to be voted the very best Christmas market in Europe for the last three years in a row. 

And then came Fuliranje, a fun section of Advent in Zagreb, where all the cool people tended to hang out with their innovative stands. Out with the boring old mulled wine and sausages and in with a little flair. 

And then one day, about a year ago to the day, Croatia's ultimate geek shop, Here Be Dragons, joined the Fuliranje team, putting up a fantasy Enchanted Village, which included - among other things - the original throne from THAT HBO series. 

One year later, what would those geeks get up to at Fuliranje 2018? Well, it is only Day Two, but what a fun afternoon and evening, as the Here Be Dragons team hosted the first-ever Fuliranje street art tribute. And a tribute to none other than the great maestro and recently departed Stan Lee.  

Legendary street artists Modul Osam, Chez 186 and Sarme answered the call to pay tribute to the superhero legend. Hundreds turned up to watch them in action from the announced 16:00 start, and 8 hours later, this year's Enchanted Village has been transformed.  

Using a combination of spray paints including UV, for use under black light, several thousand onlookers throughout the day took photos of the artists and posed with the life-sized Marvel characters.  As the sun went down, the exteriors of houses were swept with massive, LED wash lights typically used in major concerts and theatre production. Several large wood fire pits were lit, and some guests even brought marshmallows to roast over the fire. 

And this is only Day 2 of the Here Be Dragons presence at this year's Fuliranje... Check out more photos from today's action below.

To follow the latest crazy stuff from Here Be Dragons at Fuliranje, click here.

For more on Advent in Zagreb, follow the TCN dedicated page. 

December 1, 2018 - Advent in Zagreb is back, and so too is Fuliranje's most innovative team - don't miss the Here Be Dragons street art tribute to Stan Lee tomorrow. 

Inspiration comes to people in different ways, but I guess if you have five superheroes standing in your living room and their creator had recently died AND you had a stand at Europe's best Christmas market, the idea of combining all three might come to most of us mere mortals. 

Of course, not all of us have the kind of lifestyle or geekiness that would result in five superheroes standing in our living room. 

Welcome to a sneak peak into the private world of Croatia's geekiest and - dare we say it - one of its more successful stores, Here Be Dragons. 

We have reported on these geeks a little over the last year or so. How they crowded out Tkalca opening their new store earlier this year. 

Or how they took Advent in Zagreb by storm last year with their Enchanted Village, going the extra mile and even bringing an original throne from THAT HBO series. 

It was too much to expect the geeks to take this December off, and Here Be Dragons are back at Fuliranje with an improved enchanted village and lots more fun and games over the next few weeks. 

Starting tomorrow, as the geeks themselves explain:

"Here Be Dragons, Croatia’s premier geek shop, invites you to join us for the opening of our latest installation and retail outlet at Fuliranje on Strossmayer Square. Many of you came to our Enchanted Village last year which featured The Iron Throne from Game of Thrones and was powered by HBO GO. This year we're excited to announce an all-new presentation which opens with a street art tribute to the late Stan Lee, legendary creator of Marvel Comics, and characters such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk and so many more.

"Our advent celebration will kick off with our opening party on Sunday, December 2nd and will feature the works of three of Croatia’s most talented street artists, Miro Modul Osam, Chez 186, and Sarme. The event begins at 4pm, at which time you’ll be invited to watch our team of amazing artists transform Here Be Dragon’s village with UV-painted graffiti murals in homage to Lee and his Marvel Universe.

"We’re excited for Fuliranje 2018 and can’t wait to see you there throughout this year’s epic advent celebration.

For more on Here Be Dragons, follow them on Facebook. 

For more on Advent in Zagreb, click here.

December 1, 2018 - Advent in Zagreb 2018/9 has begun in spectacular style, with an ice show to remember. Check out the videos from the opening night.

And so begins one of Croatia's most prominent tourism success stories once again - Advent in Zagreb has begun!

Voted the best Christmas market in Europe three years in a row, Zagreb in December has been transformed in recent years with the success of its Advent offer, so much so that other towns are also catching on, and Croatia today has a rich and varied Advent programme, which was well summarised recently on Croatia Feeds. 

While many were surprised when Advent in Zagreb was voted Best Christmas Market in Europe three years ago, much has been done to improve and expand the offer, and this year's Advent in Zagreb is one more step forward for an event which attracted hundreds of thousands of tourists last year. 

Some great footage of the opening night from our colleagues at Index.hr, with the early Advent focus on the central parks between the main train station and Ban Jelacic Square. Check out the wonderful ice skating opening in the videos below.

For more pictures from the opening evening, check out the original Index article.

For more on Advent in Zagreb, click here. 

December 1, 2018 - Advent in Zagreb kicks off today, but the place to be yesterday was a little east of the capital, as SalajLand 2018 got underway, complete with 4 million Christmas lights.

I love following private events in Croatia and watching them grow. The dream of one person or family, trying to do something different, often little or no official support, begins. And then starts to grow. And grow.

And, in the case of the Salaj family east of Zagreb, grow.

Advent in Zagreb has become world famous in recent years, the three-time winner of the title Best Christmas Market in Europe. And deservedly so, the city in December has become transformed in recent years. But 17 years ago, when Advent in Zagreb was still a long way from being born, one family had the idea to celebrate the Christmas season by decorating their family home with Christmas lights. The celebration grew year by year and finally received official support. Last year's event at SalajLand attracted more than 120,000 visitors, and this year's event promises to be even bigger.

This year's SalajLand opened yesterday, with a staggering 4 million Christmas lights, some 1.5 million more than last year - just part of the attraction of this wonderful event, which this Christmas will take place from November 30 until January 13.  

Yesterday's grand opening included this spectacular firework display, uploaded to the official SalajLand Facebook page.  

You can learn more about the SalajLand tourist experience through the eyes of some visitors to last year's event in the vlog above, and if you are heading to Advent in Zagreb this year, it really is worth making the extra journey to the village of Cazma, about 15km from the Ivanic Grad motorway exit from Zagreb to Slavonski Brod. 

To learn more about SalajLand, visit the official website.

For more about Advent in Zagreb, click here.

December 1, 2018 - The latest news from around Croatia's airports for new flights to Croatia 2019, with updates from Dubrovnik, Rijeka, Split and Zagreb airports.

It has been another busy few days for the airports of Croatia, as they gear up for what is certain to be a bumper 2019 season. An overview of the latest news regarding flights to Croatia 2019. 

Flights to Rijeka - Lufthansa Meets the European City of Culture 2020

These are good times for Rijeka Airport, located on the island of Krk. More new flight announcements are coming, as the city gears up to become the European City of Culture 2019, with the latest addition from one of Europe's top carriers. Lufthansa has announced that it will begin operations in the Kvarner region, with the German carrier commencing weekly flights from Munich to Rijeka each Saturday evening, starting on May 25 until October 26. The new Lufthansa flight adds to the three weekly connections to the Bavarian capital from Croatia Airlines - check out the timetable with Avioradar. 

Flights to Croatia 2019 - Volotea to Connect Athens and Dubrovnik

Low-cost Spanish airline Volotea continues its expansion in the Croatian market, with its latest flight announcement a new route from Athens to Dubrovnik, where it will compete directly with both Aegean and Croatia Airlines. The new flights will run on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from April 27 to August 31. For the flight schedule, check out ExYuAviation. 

Flights to Split - Finnair Strengthens Dalmatia, Leaves Pula

Finnish tourism interest in Croatia, in particular Dalmatia, is on the rise,and national carrier Finnair has announced that it will be increasing its services to Split for 2019. Finnair will be offering six flights a week between the Finnish and Dalmatian capitals, with the first flight commencing on April 16 until October 23. Finnair's connections with Dubrovnik will remain at the same level as this year, but the airline has decided to cease operations to Pula. Check out the flight schedules here.  

Flights to Zagreb - the Return of FlyDubai and Celebrations for Croatia Airlines and Turkish Airlines

The livery of FlyDubai will be seen once more in Zagreb, from as early as this weekend, as the low-cost Gulf carrier interchanges with Emirates to maximise load factor, as previously reported by TCN. In other Zagreb news, it was a moment of celebration for both Croatia Airlines, which welcomed its 2 millionth passenger of the year, while Turkish Airlines - which has become a strong regional player in recent years - celebrated 20 years of operations in the Croatian capital. 

(Photo credit - Rijeka Airport Facebook page)

Eurowings - Promoting Kvarner Tourism and a Zadar Codeshare with Austrian Airlines

Some nice promotion for the Kvarner region by Eurowings, whose planes are now adorned with promotional advertising for Kvarner, as shown in the photos above posted by the Rijeka Airport Facebook page. 

Meanwhile in Zadar, Eurowings has arranged a codeshare agreement with Austrian Airlines.

To follow the latest news about flights to Croatia 2019, follow the dedicated TCN section.

True English alternative rock icons and one of the most influential bands of all time, The Cure, will headline INmusic Festival #14! The Cure will have their debut Croatian performance on the main stage of the country’s biggest open air festival, to be held at Jarun Lake from June 24 to June 26, 2019.

Dinamo played against Fenerbahce in Istanbul without goals. Before the last round of games, they have secured first place in their Europa League group.