February 3, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as Air Serbia announces Belgrade-Zadar flights from June, Aegean Airlines launches Zagreb-Athens this summer, and 13 Freebird Dubrovnik winter charter flights will run from the end of this month! 

Serbian national airline Air Serbia will re-introduce a regular flight between Zadar and Belgrade this summer, reports Croatian Aviation. 

Namely, as of June 14, the Serbian airline will operate between Belgrade and Zadar. A few days ago, the same airline announced it was restoring the route to Rijeka. 

The Zadar-Belgrade line was introduced in the 2019 summer flight schedule, and flights ran twice a week, every Friday and Sunday. The airline will also operate twice a week between the two cities this summer season.

Following the pandemic, the airline stopped traffic on this route and did not operate in the summer of 2020 and 2021.

ATR72 aircraft have been announced on the route, which has a capacity of up to 70 seats in the passenger cabin. There will be just under four thousand seats on sale between Belgrade and Zadar. 

In the summer flight schedule, Air Serbia is planning regular flights from Belgrade to six Croatian airports: Zagreb, Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik, and up to 18 weekly flights have been announced in the peak summer season.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Aegean Airlines should re-establish a regular connection between Zagreb and Athens from mid-June this year.

The scheduled flights have been announced in the summer flight schedule, from June 15 to October 8 this year. Only two flights a week have been announced, every Wednesday and Saturday, but with A320 aircraft, which have a capacity of 180 seats in this airline's fleet.

Before the pandemic, Aegean flew to Zagreb several times a week, but at that time, DashQ400 aircraft with drastically lower capacity operated on the route compared to A320 aircraft.

Aegean Airlines will offer a total of 12,240 seats between Zagreb and Athens. In the summer of 2020 and 2021, this airline did not operate to Zagreb but exclusively to Adriatic airports. However, Aegean is currently not planning to return to Split, only to Dubrovnik.

The flight schedule is still subject to change, and it is to be expected that Croatia Airlines will also operate on a regular route between Zagreb and Athens (with a technical stop in Dubrovnik).

Finally, Croatian Aviation announced that the Turkish charter airline Freebird Airlines would introduce numerous charter routes to Dubrovnik Airport at the end of this month. 

Namely, from February 21, this Turkish carrier will launch regular charter traffic on 13 lines to and from Dubrovnik Airport from:

Vienna,

Berlin,

Brussels,

Dusseldorf,

Frankfurt,

Hannover,

Hamburg,

London,

Manchester,

Munich,

Marseille,

Paris,

Stuttgart.

On the 13 listed charter lines, Freebird Airlines plans to use A320 aircraft, with a capacity of 180 seats in the passenger cabin. As a result, this airline will generate many passengers on these routes, which is also much needed in the winter months.

Dubrovnik Airport published statistics for January this year, in which a total of 9,320 passengers passed through it, which is almost 50% of the traffic from January 2020 when the pandemic was not yet present in Europe. In January 2021, there were only 3,729 passengers in Dubrovnik.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

February 3 - The level of ignorance among Croatians about what lies in the east of their country is staggering. And they are really missing out, for eastern Croatia is amazing. 

I really don't know where to start. 

Perhaps at 06:35 on November 16 last year. For it was then that I picked up American digital nomad videographer and emerging media star, Steve Tsenterensky, for a 6-day tour of eastern Croatia that I promised would blow his mind. 

It blew his mind. 

(Osijek, Full of Life - Osijek Tourist Board)

Prior to the trip, I asked Steve what he knew about Croatia east of Zagreb (he has been here for just over a year on this visit). Very little, he confessed openly - the war, Vukovar. That's it. Six days later he knew a hell of a lot more, and you can read an in-depth account of what was easily the most sensational trip in my 18 years in Croatia. In Slavonia. In November. Time to Tell the Truth about Slavonia Full of Life.

I posted a LOT on Facebook during our trip, and I was struck by the number of locals admiring the destinations and asking where I was. But I was truly unprepared for what happened when I got back to Zagreb. Local friend after local friend told me that they had never been to Slavonia - even though it is motorway all the way, and despite the fact that its most eastern point - Ilok - is closer to Zagreb than Split. 

I never complain on social media - there is no point, as nobody cares, with so many of their own problems to deal with, but I posted on Facebook that I was genuinely shocked (not that I was bothered personally) how many of my Zagreb friends had never been to Slavonia. They were really missing out as the east is FANTASTIC. 

And so it started in a predictable way. You are a rich foreigner (ha, if only) and we poor Croats only earn 4,000 kuna a month, so cannot afford to go. I rephrased my sentence. I was genuinely shocked (not that I am bothered) how many of my Zagreb friends who are among the 200,000 who go skiing abroad each and so have money, have never been to Slavonia. 

Silence. 

But then... 

A very educated Dubrovnik friend of mine was in town and he had also never been to Slavonia. I decided to ask him three questions.

1. What is the biggest town in Baranja? Hmmm - is it Vukovar?

2. Can you name three famous buildings in eastern Croatia, NOT including the Vukovar Water Tower? Hmmm - nope.

3. Can you name three Slavonian dishes not including kulen? Hmmm - nope. 

I have asked those first two questions (biggest town in Baranja, 3 famous buildings) to 30 friends in Zagreb over the last few weeks. Only one person could answer both questions correctly. 

And the sad thing is that Osijek is the most vibrant city in all Croatia, certainly at this time of year. It has fantastic energy, much different to the media portrayal of emigration and decline. 

And so when the Croatia Airlines magazine article had Osijek on the Danube (it is on the Drava), and the Kingdom placed Djakovo Cathedral in Osijek (does this mean that Djakovo is actually on the Danube now?), it might not be total incompetence as it seems, but perhaps total ignorance, with an incompetence chaser. 

But then again... any national tourism board who can promote a full 18-hole golf course in central Zagreb is a bit special. Yes really - read more in Tourism Quiz of the Summer: How Many Golf Courses Will Croatia Have Next Week?

I came up with an idea to film a tourism questionnaire on Ban Jelacic to highlight the problem (I will still do this), offering a free rakija from a Slavonian colleague in traditional dress to anyone who takes part. 

And then yesterday... This. 

Index.hr, super quick as usual, beat me to it. An Index journalist took to the streets of Zagreb and showed locals photos from Pula, Virovitica, Osijek, Karlovac, Rijeka, Rovinj, Varaždin, Đakovo, Dubrovnik and Split.

The continent and the coast. You don't need to understand Croatia to see the results. 

I will still do my survey, as it is part of a bigger project to Make Osijek Great Again (#MOGA).  

A project which received strong support from Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, at our first meeting last month. 

Zagreb is a natural source of tourism for Slavonia, and this is certainly not charity. In my opinion, a big difference between tourism in Slavonia and tourism in Dalmatia is that nobody who visits Slavonia comes back disappointed. 

And there is so much to see and do. This video below is for another project, but it felt apt to add it here. For those who know the east well, do you recognise all the places? And for those who don't know Slavonia at all, go and have your mind blown, as Steve did - this is his video. 

And if you are interested in the #MOGA project and have something to contribute, come to the TCN MOGA networking drinks at Pivnica Runda in Osijek on Monday at 19:00. 

Want to know more about Osijek? Check out the Total Croatia Osijek in a Page guide. 

February 3, 2022 - It appears we have a music-themed month on our hands with Zagreb Music Fair and a few delicious live shows lined up in the coming weeks. We bring you a selection of three performances in Zagreb and Pula that are all rooted in traditional music of the Balkans, some partially, some in full. Enjoy!

Zoran Majstorović & JazzIstra Quartet - Musical Migrations / Zagreb, February 4

First up, Zoran Majstorović and the JazzIstra Quartet performing in Zagreb this Friday. They’ll be playing the six pieces which make up the album Musical Migrations, composed by Majstorović and recorded in 2020.

The album was written for a jazz orchestra featuring a multi-instrumentalist, in this case Majstorović himself. Musical Migrations are influenced by American jazz and traditional music from various parts of the world, combining musical elements originating from multiple cultures in six original compositions. Every piece is a story of its own, with three of them inspired by traditional music of the Balkans and Istria in particular. Here's a rundown as presented in the event description:

The opening track Baal Un is an interpretation of balun (a form of traditional Istrian dance) in an abstract drum’n’bass performance. La Tierra Y El Cielo is inspired by Latin music and flamenco, with a mandolin adding a touch of Mediterranean sound. Wangari combines the music of West Africa with American swing and is dedicated to Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Duck’s Remarks draws inspiration from island music, featuring Jamaican reggae, Hawaiian ukulele, and a dose of free jazz.

In the video above, listen to Oro Machno, named after the Istrian village Koromačno and combining the Balkan oro in 9/8 with melodic elements of the Istrian scale. And finally, Not Giving Up on Our Species, a composition in which delta blues and the New Orleans sound meet Istria and the Balkans.

Zoran Majstorović - guitar, oud, saz, kamal
Branko Sterpin - trumpet, flugelhorn
Bojan Skočilić - double bass, bass guitar
Borko Rupena - drums

Kulturni centar Mesnička (Mesnicka Cultural Centre), Zagreb
February 4, 9pm start

The album will be available for purchase at the venue.
Admission is free, with voluntary donations welcome.

Alice In WonderBand / Zagreb, February 13

On the second weekend in February, Močvara club in Zagreb will host Alice In WonderBand, a duo from Serbia known for their captivating blend of folk music and performance arts. They bring Balkan folklore to life in a unique way, performing traditional music through a combination of singing and body percussion.

Ana Vrbaški and Marko Dinjaški are artists and performers who have been life and stage partners for 25 years. The Alice in WonderBand project was conceived at Fruška Gora in 1998, and has since made its way all over the region. They perform traditional songs from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Turkey and Hungary.

Their shows are a mesmerising fusion of music, theatre, dance and acrobatics performed using a special skill of body percussion. Watch the video below to see them skip, clap, tap and twirl, all the while belting out some serious tunes:

Močvara, Zagreb
Sunday, February 13, 8pm start
Tickets can be purchased here and at the venue before the show.

Tamara Obrovac Quartet / Pula, February 23

Singer, songwriter, composer and flutist, Tamara Obrovac is a powerhouse best known for her Istria-inspired flavour of ethnic jazz. The immensely talented artist is performing in Pula on February 23 with one of her long-standing ensembles, a quartet whose line-up hasn’t changed since 1997!

They’ll be playing new compositions written by Obrovac for an album coming out later this year.

Have a taste of their sublime sound with a 2018 performance:

Tamara Obrovac - vocals
Matija Dedić - piano
Žiga Golub - double bass
Krunoslav Levačić - drums

INK Pula (Istrian National Theatre Pula)
Wednesday, February 23, 8pm
Tickets can be purchased here. 

February 2, 2022 - Zagreb is about to host the first music fair in Croatia, a dream come true for all music lovers - record collectors, passionate audiophiles, industry veterans, and everyone in between

Organised by Tvornica kulture, Zagreb Music Fair (ZMF) brings a vast selection of records, new and used musical instruments, and audio components available for purchase. They have also prepared a range of audio and video workshops, light & sound courses, and music lessons for various instruments.

ZMF is the first in Croatia to assemble manufacturers and distributors of musical instruments and other music gear, record labels, and concert producers. 

Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Yamaha, Ludwig and Premier are just some of the brands that will be making an appearance at ZMF. A full list of participating brands and vendors will be published shortly, together with a detailed programme and a couple of surprises to boot.

The fair is offering an opportunity for all music-related businesses to present their products and services, be they major players on the market or small local manufacturers. ZMF is inviting musicians, authors, publishing experts, business developers and music influencers to gather and bond over their appreciation of music.

All music lovers can look forward to three days of exploring music in all its forms. Professionals, amateurs and enthusiasts alike can try out musical instruments, purchase records, music gear, books about music, or simply enjoy a wonderful music-themed weekend.

Looking to sell your instruments or other audio gear? This is your opportunity - if interested, send an inquiry to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

ZMF will take place from Friday, February 4th to Sunday, February 6th 2022 at HALA Zagreb.

Working hours:
Friday 4pm - 9pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am - 9pm

Address: HALA Zagreb, Heinzelova 96a

Follow Zagreb Music Fair on Facebook. 

February 1, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as there is a slight reduction in Istanbul-Zagreb flights in February, while Animawings announces another seasonal line between Bucharest and Dubrovnik after Blue Air. 

Animawings, the Romanian subsidiary of Greek Aegean Airlines, introduces seasonal flights between Bucharest and Dubrovnik.

Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reports that the first flight between Dubrovnik and Bucharest has been announced for Saturday, June 18. Fights will run until the second half of September (September 17) using A320 aircraft with a capacity of 174 seats in the passenger cabin. Animawings will thus offer a total of 4,872 seats between the two cities.

Croatian Aviation reports that Blue Air will also operate twice a week on this route from June 28. 

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reports that Turkish Airlines plans to operate 10 times a week between Istanbul and Zagreb in February this year. 

Although there were 13 weekly Turkish Airlines flights on the Istanbul-Zagreb route in January, there will be three fewer weekly flights in February. This reduction is expected given the state of the pandemic in Europe, but also the fact that passenger traffic in February is relatively low.

Turkish will thus maintain daily operations to Zagreb, with two flights a day announced every Monday, Thursday, and Sunday.

A321, B737-800, B737-900ER, B737 MAX8, and MAX9 aircraft with a capacity of 151 to 188 seats in the passenger cabin have been announced. In addition, Turkish Airlines is offering 12,558 seats between Zagreb and Istanbul in February.

Turkish Airlines also plans to operate to Dubrovnik Airport in February. Two flights a week have been announced, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from February 5 to February 26. This makes up 7 return flights on which Turkish Airlines offers 2,266 seats to and from Dubrovnik Airport.

At the very end of last year, this airline also used wide-body aircraft type A330-200 and A330-300 to Zagreb, mainly due to additional ad-hoc demand for cargo.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

January 30, 2022 - The lack of the habit of sorting garbage is one of the biggest problems regarding waste in the Croatian capital, which is why the city of Zagreb will build a sorting plant in Žitnjak.

The waste sorting plant in Žitnjak is planned to be completed in two years and will swallow 120,000 tons of waste per year, which will be sorted by size, color, ballistic and magnetic properties, reports Jutarnji List.

The Center for Waste Management (ZCGO), which is the project holder, informed that Zagreb will build a sorting plant worth 392 million kuna, which will be able to swallow as much as 120,000 tons of waste a year, could be built by the end of this or the beginning of next year.

It has ready-made documentation, clean land of the bankrupt Dioki of almost 100,000 square meters, a location permit, and in the summer, after obtaining a building permit, a public procurement for contractors should follow. The planned construction period is two years, and until then the most important thing is for citizens to adopt the habit of separating waste in their households.

Plastic in yellow bags, biological waste in brown bags, and mixed, as announced, in official city bags of 4 or 8 kuna. By the way, only 17 percent of Zagreb residents now sort waste. Igor Zgomba, the director of ZCGO, tried to vividly explain that Zagreb will finally have a plant that will be able to receive, purify, dispose of, and even place 120,000 tons of dry recycle on the market.

The Zagreb sorting plant is the first step. It will receive about 120,000 tons of yellow bags, ie the already separated so-called dry recycling - plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, and glass - which will be further separated in the 16,500 square meter plant and finally sold on the market as pure recycled (although it can never be completely clean).

So, when the citizens of Zagreb separate their waste on the doorstep - plastic, paper and metal into yellow, or biowaste into brown bins and mixed waste into, as announced, official city bags - the contents of the yellow bins will go to the sorting plant. Once again, finely sorted, this waste will come out in the form of paper, plastic, metal or glass cubes of several tons. According to Zgomba, a little more than 80 percent of the total amount of waste entering the plant can come out of the sorting plant in a highly purified form.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

January 28, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as 27 Ryanair Zagreb summer routes will run this year, which is 13 more than in 2021. 

Ryanair, Europe's largest airline, announced the largest summer flight schedule in Zagreb to date, including 27 routes and more than 70 weekly flights to exciting European destinations such as London, Paris, Milan, Vienna, Frankfurt, and Dublin.

Namely, Putoholicari.hr reports that last summer, Ryanair opened its base with the first aircraft in Zagreb to support strong demand for flights to/from Croatia. This increased connectivity will support tourist arrivals and also provide international tourists and business travelers with plenty of travel choices to leading European markets like Spain, Italy, Greece, Germany, France, and Austria.

While other airlines are reducing the number of routes, Ryanair is increasing capacity to a significant extent in Croatia. With an additional 13 lines compared to the 2021 summer season, including the recently announced for Bratislava, Corfu, and Lviv, travelers from Croatia now have 27 routes available for their next summer trip. This growth was driven by the delivery of 67 new so-called Gamechanger aircraft (which emit 40% less noise, 16% less fuel, and have 4% more seats available) before the start of the 2022 summer season.

A list of the flight destinations:

Baden - Baden
Basel
Bratislava
Brussels Charleroi
Corfu
Dortmund
Dublin
Eindhoven
Frankfurt - Hahn
Gothenburg
London Stansted
Lviv
Malaga
Malmo
Malta
Manchester
Memmingen
Milan - Bergamo
Naples
Paphos
Paris Beauvais
Podgorica
Rome Fiumicino
Sofia
Thessaloniki
Oslo - Torp
Dusseldorf - Weeze
*Note: 13 new lines during the summer of 2022 compared to the summer of 2021.

A statement was made by Lauda Europe CEO David O’Brien, on behalf of the Ryanair Group: 

"We are pleased to announce our largest summer flight schedule ever in Zagreb, where Ryanair will operate more than 70 weekly flights to 27 destinations, giving incoming tourism a much-needed boost, and Croatian consumers the widest choice of great destinations, both for leisure and for business travel. Ryanair is investing in Croatia to help the tourism industry recover from the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen ties with the rest of Europe, while Ryanair itself continues to grow and air traffic returns to pre-pandemic levels.

To celebrate these 27 summer lines, we are launching a seat sale with ticket prices of just 152 kn (€19.99) for a one-way trip until the end of April 2022. Take advantage of promotional prices until Saturday, January 29, at midnight. As these incredibly low ticket prices will sell out quickly, we advise you to book your seat at www.ryanair.com today."

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

ZAGREB, 27 Jan 2022 - Zagreb's public transportation company ZET reported on Thursday that currently 390 tram and bus drivers were on sick leave, mainly due to infection with coronavirus or self-isolation and therefore some delays were inevitable.

This city company has 266 trams and 480 buses in its fleet. The company transports more than a million passengers on a daily basis.

ZET says in its response to Hina's inquiry that it can provide electronic notes of excuses for commuting workers and students who happen to be late to work or school due to the current situation in public transport.

The company also asks the users of its services to have an understanding of these developments.

Mayor Tomislav Tomašević admitted today that the sick leaves were the main problem for ZET to provide services in public transport in a timely fashion.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated section and select your preferred language if it isn't English.

January 27, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia brings more bad news to Zagreb Airport, as Air Serbia Belgrade-Zagreb winter flights have been further reduced in February, following Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Ryanair, and KLM.

The Serbian national airline Air Serbia will operate on a reduced basis on its only year-round route to Croatia - between Belgrade and Zagreb, this February, reports Croatian Aviation.

Thus, Air Serbia will mainly operate three times a week between Belgrade and Zagreb, on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays. This is a consequence of the low demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. A month ago, it was clear that the airline wanted to operate on this line with significantly more weekly departures, however, there is no need. 

The airline planned daily flights on this route (28 return flights in February), but by February 24, as many as 14 return flights had been canceled, resulting in the withdrawal of 1,960 seats. 

In March this year, Air Serbia currently offers 5 weekly flights on this route, every day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but there is no doubt that the airline will still revise its flight schedule and, in case of low demand, additionally cancel certain departures.

After Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Ryanair, and KLM, Air Serbia is just another airline in a series that has reduced the number of available seats to Zagreb.

However, Croatian Aviation believes that 1,960 fewer seats aren’t too big a number, especially compared to the aforementioned carriers. Austrian withdrew 3,600 seats to/from Zagreb, British Airways almost 5,300, Eurowings over 5,500, and Ryanair more than 23,000 seats!

There are 40,000 seats on sale, but due to low demand, flights were canceled, which led to the withdrawal of this capacity.

Last year, Zagreb Airport justified the suspension of flights by reduced demand, claiming that the same was happening in the region and Europe. Croatian Aviation adds that this is not an accurate figure, as Austrian was present last winter in Belgrade, Skopje, Sarajevo, Pristina, Podgorica, but not at Zagreb Airport. This winter, the airline again suspended flights between Vienna and Zagreb. The same could also apply to Eurowings, which is present in the region, while the number of weekly flights to Zagreb has been drastically reduced.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

January 26, 2022 - The latest flight news to Croatia as British Airways London-Zagreb flights in February have been canceled. 

Croatian Aviation reports that British Airways has canceled all flights between London and Zagreb in February this year. 

Namely, British Airways has canceled 15 return flights in February between London and Zagreb, justifying the move by low demand, which is directly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

British Airways is currently planning to return to Zagreb on the last day of February, from which four flights a week, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, have been announced again. As a reminder, as of January 27, the United Kingdom will abolish most of the strict measures, and testing on the second day after arriving in the country will no longer be mandatory. The easing of austerity measures is expected to allow more passenger movement, but it is hard to expect demand to rise so drastically in these winter months, which were mostly bad even in the years before the pandemic.

Irish Ryanair currently connects London Stansted and Zagreb 5 times a week, every day of the week except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Croatia Airlines connects London Heathrow and Zagreb 4 times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Regular British Airways operations between Zagreb and London can be expected only in the summer flight schedule, but then the focus of this airline moves to the coast, to Dubrovnik, Split, and Pula.

Furthermore, Croatian Aviation reported earlier this week that Eurowings drastically cut the number of flights to Zagreb Airport since the beginning of this year due to reduced demand. January and February are traditionally the two worst months of the year regarding air traffic in Croatia and the region. This year, demand is adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic in Europe and the world.

For this reason, Eurowings has canceled numerous departures to and from Zagreb International Airport. 

On the Stuttgart - Zagreb - Stuttgart line, Eurowings made its last flight on January 9 this year, and there are no regular flights between the two cities until February 7. Furthermore, 14 return flights were canceled in the mentioned period, which is 4,368 fewer seats to and from Zagreb.

On the Cologne - Zagreb - Cologne route, Eurowings operates regularly, twice a week, but some weekly flights have been canceled, as many as 10, which is 3,120 seats less than planned!

The Dusseldorf - Zagreb line last operated on December 28, 2021, as all flights for January and February were canceled. The next flight is announced for March 1. Zagreb lost an additional 6,120 seats from 17 canceled rotations.

The Prague - Zagreb line was supposed to start operating in the winter flight schedule this year, but it did not happen. Eurowings has already extended the start of operations on this line several times, and the first flight has been announced for March 8. A total of 6 rotations planned for January and February were canceled, which is an additional 1,872 fewer seats.

From the beginning of the year to March, Eurowings canceled 47 return flights on four international routes, which caused Zagreb to lose 15,480 seats.

For more on flights to Croatia and other travel announcements, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.