July 24, - Zagreb's food offer has grown considerably in quality and choice over the last decade, with Michelin stars galore and an exciting range of international cuisine options. We continue our look at some of the best new outlets offering meals never previously available in the Croatian capital, getting the story behind these businesses and their food. In this installment, we look at the fresh take on vegan-friendly falafel offered by Falafel etc.

If you're hungry or thirsty, you're not short of options on Kaptol, the city centre section of Zagreb's upper town. But, judging from the queues snaking down Opatovina, leading to the door of Falafel etc, something was clearly missing. Open for less than a year, the informal restaurant and takeaway has established itself as provider of the city's finest falafel, just as popular with health-conscious meat eaters as it is with their loyal vegan and vegetarian following. Deep-fried balls made from minced chickpeas, spices and herbs, this middle-eastern snack has long been one of the best lunchtime options available in neighbouring Belgrade. With the arrival of Falafel etc, Zagreb finally has an outlet easily as good as the best of what's on offer in the capital city next door.

Antonija Kraljičković (right) and staff outside Falafel etc. © Total Croatia News

My name is Antonija Kraljičković and I'm from Lekenik, a small village near Sisak, roughly 30 kilometres from Zagreb. For the last 15 years I've been living in Zagreb. I went to university here and completed a degree in journalism. Towards the end of my studies, I started to have the feeling that journalism wasn't for me and my hobby was cooking. When I was younger, I'd always wanted to have some little restaurant, but back then it just seemed like a daydream. But, I was working in one job and I wasn't satisfied and I decided I really wanted to do something with cooking. So, now I'm here. We've been open for less than a year.

I wasn't so much inspired to learn cooking by a family member. I had to learn more out of necessity. I started living on my own when I was 18. It was only then that I realised that I love to cook. Once I'd made up my mind that I wanted to work doing cooking, I had to think of something to do. I've always loved falafel and I couldn't find anywhere in Zagreb that I thought made it as good as I'd tried elsewhere. Zagreb is full of pizzeria, burgers, grill places, so I thought that falafel would be a good idea. I think I made a good choice.

Sometimes falafel can be quite dry and quite hard in texture. I wanted to make authentic falafel, in its original flavour, but I didn't want to make it like that. I wanted it to be more appetizing. For almost a year I was doing taste testing and experimenting in my kitchen, trying different ingredients and additions, trying to get a consistency and texture that I was happy with. I narrowed it down to the top ten options, then I chose the best three – an original falafel, flavoured with coriander, one with beetroot and one with sweet potato. The next one I hope to introduce is a falafel filled with vegan cheese.

Falafel etc. © Total Croatia News

It's not been difficult to convince people to try our falafel, even though it's not been easily available before in Zagreb. We see the same people coming back here all the time, so I guess they like what we do. We have an area for sitting down and eating in the restaurant, but many more people come at lunchtime for takeaway and we use the delivery services too. Judging by their enthusiasm, I think people in Zagreb really like falafel and maybe they were waiting for a place like this to open. It's a healthy meal option and you really don't miss having any meat in this dish.

I think if I'd have opened this business ten years ago, maybe it would have been a lot more difficult to succeed. But, in recent years, Zagreb has welcomed more and more international visitors, tourists. Except for this year, of course! I think Zagreb's food offer has got bigger in order to satisfy such visitors. Maybe these visitors have also helped to change our perspective? I still think that we're missing out on some options. Some of the new places which open here, the prices can be quite high. These are restaurants you might go to once a week or for a special occasion, something fancy. Some people get their lunch from Falafel etc. every single day.

Falafel etc. © Total Croatia News

I get almost all of our ingredients and vegetables from local OPGs. I place an order with them and they bring it to Dolac with them in the morning and I collect it from there. It's just a couple of minutes walk from the restaurant. Every dish we make is vegan. I'm not vegan myself, although I do love vegetarian and vegan food. With falafel, it really wasn't difficult to offer a fully vegan menu instead of just a vegetarian choice. We buy dried chickpeas and soak them overnight in order to make the falafel and hummus the next day. We make all of our sauces and dressings ourselves. We also make our own bread. I hadn't planned to, but I tried every tortilla and flatbread available from the shops, bakeries and wholesalers and I wasn't satisfied at all. I didn't like the taste or the texture. So, I decided we had to do it by ourselves. For me, the bread is such an integral part of our falafel sandwiches. I had to get it right. For me, this dish is only truly complete when the bread is perfect.

I had been thinking about expanding the menu, with soups and something like vegan burritos. But, it has been a difficult period for such a young business, with Coronavirus. Luckily, the deliveries kept us in business and, even more lucky, we'd managed to get a really loyal customer base in just our first few months, people who wanted to order lunch from us several times a week. Thank you! That meant I was able to pay my costs and my staff. Now that the restrictions have been relaxed, they are ordering less, but they are instead coming themselves for takeaway. In the back of my mind, I wanted to maybe set up an outlet of the business somewhere on the coast, maybe on one island. But, many of these plans will have to wait for now. Maybe in a year or two. I first need to survive in Zagreb before I can think of opening on the coast.

NEW ADDRESS: Falafel etc. is now located at Andrije Žaje 60 10000 Zagreb.


Falafel etc. © Total Croatia News

You can read the introduction to our series on Zagreb international cuisine and the first installment here

To follow our whole series on international cuisine and to follow the Croatian restaurant and gastro scene, keep an eye on our Gourmet pages here

August 3, 2020 - Continuing our series on Zagreb’s international food offer and the stories behind these cuisines and businesses. This time, the unique Sri Lankan cuisine offered by Curry Bowl

Spicy eats are best friends with beer, so it's no surprise to find several of the city's international food outlets on Zagreb's popular promenade of pivo, Tkalčićeva. Greek, Turkish and two of the city's Indian food outlets are located here, one of the latter being Curry Bowl. Owned by brothers Clement and Brian Senaratne, who also run the city centre's The Whole Wide World hostel, their small outdoor terrace is the perfect (and only) place to familiarise yourself with the food of the brother's native Sri Lanka. Situated over 1400 kilometres off the coast India, Sri Lankan cuisine is wholly different from anything you'd find on the mainland. Curry Bowl's salads, soups and curries are the perfect introductions to the island's distinct dishes, although for first-time visitors we strongly recommend trying the satisfying kotthu - a dish of chopped vegetables and egg, flavoured with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry leaves, spices and with a selection of meats and/or cheese as additional extras

Clement, Tamara and Brian Senaratne © Curry Bowl

Brian Senaratne: I came here in 2014 and my brother came to visit me in 2015. We did a trip around Europe together as he was due to marry the next year. We got to Amsterdam and my brother realised how much Zagreb had impressed him, so we came back. That's when the idea of our business was born. We'd been planning a change in our careers, to lose the suit and tie. I spent 13 years working for Microsoft and Clement worked in sales, first in telecommunications, then in insurance.

Clement Senaratne: My visit to Europe was in August, I went back home to get married in October, we came back to Zagreb in November and we opened the business in December.

Brian Senaratne: What we have created here is curry dishes that are comfortable for Europeans. We haven't played around with the flavours, it's still very authentic, but not everything is super hot and spicy. We offer different levels of spice, so you can choose. Moreover, the way the meals are presented is very different. In most parts of Asia, the food is presented to everyone in the middle of the table. We all eat the same and we eat with our hands. Here in Europe, everyone orders what they want to eat individually. And, of course they use a knife and fork. Actually, quite often people ask us if we use chopsticks to eat Sri Lankan food, ha! We don't.

The main difference between Sri Lankan food and food from the rest of India is that we use a lot of coconut. On the mainland, they use a lot of ghee, milk, curds and yoghurt. Dairy products. India is a big place, they have 62 different dialects and the food is just as varied. Our food is more like that from the south of Indian, similar spices, but we are an island. Therefore, the influence of other countries on our cuisine has been minimal. Sri Lankan cuisine has been preserved and is today much the same as it has been for hundreds of years.

© Curry Bowl

The spicing we use most frequently here is Sri Lankan curry powder. Every region has its own curry powder, its own unique blend of spices. The typical Sri Lankan curry powder has five to seven ingredients. We import two types of curry powder direct from organic producers in Sri Lanka, one for vegetarian dishes, the other for meat dishes. Almost every other ingredient we use here is produced in Croatia. We only import a few very specialised products, such as Sri Lankan Lion beer and King Coconut Water, which is Sri Lanka's favourite refreshment drink. The most popular dish on our menu is Kotthu, which is Sri Lanka's most famous street food. It's a mixture of roti, curry sauce, egg, vegetables and whichever meat you choose.

Clement Senaratne: After the restaurant was up and running, in 2016 we opened Curry Bowl on Obonjan island. It's open every summer except this summer. In 2017 we opened The Whole Wide World Hostel on Britanski trg in Zagreb. In 2018 we became distributors for Lion beer in Croatia. Our next step is to try and take the Curry Bowl brand outside of Croatia.


© Curry Bowl

Brian Senaratne: What is the main difference between social life in Sri Lanka compared to that in Zagreb? Clement, maybe your wife can give her perspective? She travels very regularly between Zagreb and Sri Lanka for modelling work as she is a former Miss Sri Lanka.

Tamara Senaratne: I love it here. The culture is just so different. I love the scenery too. For women in Sri Lanka, it doesn't always feel safe to walk on the streets. Here I feel completely safe, I feel a lot more free. The upbringing is just so different. In Sri Lanka, boys and girls are separated in education from a really young age.

Brian Senaratne: The British system! That comes from you guys, ha!

Tamara Senaratne: Ha! The result is that when you leave school you're not that familiar with the opposite sex, you don't know how to act with one another. I think a lot of people there have difficulty with that. When I came here, I was amazed that I could walk around at 10pm or 11pm on my own and feel completely safe.

Brian Senaratne: The scenery here in Zagreb is particularly enjoyable, especially the centre. We don't really have one central city that has developed in such a way in Sri Lanka, because each time we got new rulers – the British, the Dutch, the Portuguese – they changed where the capital was. The people we have met here, both in business and socially, have been very polite and welcoming. One of the most recent topics of discussion globally has been Black Lives Matter. I can honestly say we have not seen or experienced anything like that, any racism, while we've been here. We're very happy here.

Curry Bowl is located at Tkalčićeva 44


© Curry Bowl

You can read the introduction to our series on Zagreb international cuisine and the first installment here

To follow our whole series on international cuisine and to follow the Croatian restaurant and gastro scene, keep an eye on our Gourmet pages here

July 24, 2020 - Zagreb's food offer has grown considerably in quality and choice over the last decade, with Michelin stars galore and an exciting range of international cuisine options. We continue our look at some of the best new outlets offering meals never previously available in the Croatian capital, getting the story behind these businesses and their food. In this installment, we look at the authentic Indian cuisine and fine dining experience of Namaste

Attempts at offering international cuisine are not entirely new in Zagreb. But, quite a few who've tried have done little but that; try. Under-spiced, lazy and way off-mark, some approximations of exotic foreign dishes leave many an international visitor to Zagreb feeling underwhelmed. Situated across from Studenski Dom Stjepan Radić, a ten-minute tram ride from the city centre, Namaste is the total antithesis to such disappointments. Offering wholly authentic Indian cuisine and specialising in the menu of the subcontinent's south, Namaste is 100% the real deal.

An expansive set up with an exquisitely designed interior, this restaurant excels at offering a formal dining experience that will be a voyage of flavour discovery to the uninitiated. Prawn, fish, lamb and chicken curries are accompanied on the menu by freshly-prepared speciality breads, rice, salads, skewered kebabs and a myriad of paired sauces and chutneys, with a huge range of unmissable vegetarian options. To anyone passionate about food, a visit to Namaste is simply a must.

Dev Raj, proprietor of Namaste © Vedran Pažin

Interviewer: Hello Dev Raj! Raj means king, doesn't it?

Dev means God and, yes, Raj means king.

Interviewer: So, there's no mistaking you are the boss here!

Ha! I guess not. I was born and brought up in the south of India, in Bangalore, one of the biggest cities in the world. I first came to Croatia in 2004. I travel extensively. My main business is in granite and marble. It's the family business. We used to export a lot of it from India into Italy, especially Verona. I had an opportunity to go into the hospitality business in Croatia and that's the reason I first came. I subsequently set up in Croatia as the European base for the family business and we import our granite and marble through here to all regions of the Balkans and Europe.

The next business we moved into was the export of timber from here. We send timber from Croatia to India, Vietnam, UAE and China. Croatia has some of the best timber in the world. Certainly, the oak from here is among the best. If you go to a store like Oak Furniture Land in the UK, which has around 100 stores, probably 90% of the oak furniture they have comes from Croatia, although few people know that, because it first goes to Vietnam or China before being sent to the UK. Croatia also has excellent beech. We process the wood here, ship it to be made into furniture and then it is exported to places like the UK. It's a massive industry. On any given day, such exports from China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia total not less than $500 – 600 million.

Namaste © Vedran Pažin

We started the Namaste restaurant just over two years ago. It is my passion. I always wanted to have a restaurant here and I wanted to do it right. Croatia has been good to me and I wanted to be able to give something back, something really authentic. All of our spices, rice and even the wheat flour we use comes from India, every 15 days, via London. All of the vegetables, meat and herbs we use are produced here in Croatia.

Food is different all over India. When you go to the south, where we are from, you see people eating more rice and things made from rice flour, such as dosa, which are like pancakes or igli, which is like a dumpling. Biryani is from there. Every state in the south of India has its own distinct flavours. Our food is very rich in spices and therefore very rich in flavour and in medicinal value. Alternatively, in the north of India, everything is based around the oven, like a Tandor clay oven. More bread, more wheat and spices which make the dishes hotter, because it's colder up there. We feature some cuisine from the north in our menu here.

We have a total of nine chefs in the restaurant. All of them are Indian and three of them used to work in London, so they are used to cooking for the European palette. All of them have experience working in 5-star hotels. Most of my waiting staff are also from India, the rest are from Croatia. Ours is one of the largest restaurants in south-east Europe and we set the bar extremely high. It is more like a fine dining restaurant. A lot of consideration went into the design and the furnishings and the staff always look spick and span. We selected the best of the best wine after pairing it with our food, which is normally not done. We made sure we got everything right. After a few months of being open, it worked and we could see some of the same faces coming back time and time again. We are full every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Before Corona, you would have needed a reservation to be able to eat here on one of those nights. The people who come have grown to love the flavours we do. Every time they come, they can count of the flavours being consistent and the meals just as delicious as the last time they ate here.

Namaste © Vedran Pažin

The most popular dishes here are the butter chicken, the chicken biryani and the dosa. They also love the lamb seekh, which I guess is a bit like the Indian ćevapi. My personal favourites? I love the daal, it's excellent. I also love the Chicken Chettinad curry, which is an authentic dish from the south of India, and the garlic naan. I also love the fish dishes. The chef responsible for the fish dishes is really one of the best guys in the world at making that style. He was famed for doing so in southern India before I persuaded him to come here. We only use fresh Croatian fish in such dishes and we use Orada and Brancin, the best we can get. Everything we make is first tasted and quality checked before being put onto the plate and presented to the diner.

What do I think of Croatia as a country in which to do business? It's a good question, a hard question. It's a very small country for me to have come to for our international family business. But, to its advantage, it is located very centrally in Europe. East and south-east Europe are incredibly accessible from here and there are two beautiful ports in Ploce and Rijeka. If I want to travel anywhere else in Europe, I can do so from any of the large number of airports they have here. So, for good connections and logistics, Croatia gets an A star. For nature too, also an A star - Croatia has the best beaches and coast plus incredible natural resources. These are the plus points. But, they still have some distance left to travel in regards to accommodating foreign business.

Namaste © Vedran Pažin

For instance, if you're a businessman or entrepreneur who wants to come and set up a business in Croatia, this first step of setting up a company is easy. Employing local staff is also very easy. But, if you want to bring in specialist staff from another country, it's a huge risk, because they will only guarantee their working visa for one year. If I want to invest $100, 000 to 1 million here, why can I not bring my specialist, experienced staff from another territory in order that it succeeds? It's a huge risk that their visa will not be extended. One good aspect is that you can approach anyone for help – the bureaucrat or even the minister – and tell them what you need. You can get that access. They will listen and understand, although sometimes the reaction can be very slow and there's always a huge amount of paperwork. They love their paperwork. They need to get rid of a lot of that. And they need to set up a standard window of opportunity for investors from any region, with a full package designed to assist you in setting up business here. If they did that, the GDP could double within 10 years. It's a slow progress that has been taking place since independence and the war. But, God has given them the best resources and the people are good, so I believe they will get there.

Namaste is located at Selska cesta 217

Namaste © Vedran Pažin

You can read the introduction to our series on Zagreb international cuisine and the first installment here

To follow our whole series on international cuisine and to follow the Croatian restaurant and gastro scene, keep an eye on our Gourmet pages here

August 29, 2020 - Lazeez Lebanese cafe

Introduction

The construction work never ends. Ask any resident of Zagreb trying to sleep through summer with the window open, they'll tell you. When city streets fell silent during the height of the Corona lockdown, you could still hear the cranes, the steel, the engines, the profanity. Office blocks interrupt the horizon. Roads - wide like rivers in spring - appease the ever-increasing flow of traffic from the suburbs. And, yes, water erupts from all new fountains. Under the mayorship of Milan Bandić, the Croatian capital's appearance has changed considerably in the last 10 - 15 years.

But, beyond the reshaped streets and skyline, what kind of city will the mayor bequeath when he eventually leaves office? Over recent times, one heralded achievement has been that Zagreb has become a multi-ethnic, multicultural European capital. And, whether you're a fan of the mayor or not, you cannot deny that's true. The gangs of tourists guided around summertime streets are not the only exotic new additions here. In the last decade, Zagreb's population has evolved to embrace folks from all over the world. And nowhere is this more noticeable than in choice of food on offer.

Where once you'd have struggled to find much beyond pekara and pizza, burger and burek, ćevapi and the odd Chinese, Zagreb's food menu now boasts cuisine from all over the world. And, as new arrivals have broadened the palette of the city, just as many locals have been inspired to offer alternative eats. In this series, we'll take a look at some of the best that's now on offer and get the story behind these businesses and their food.

Lazeez Lebanese cafe

Located next the Tuškanova tram stop, just a few minutes walk from Kvaternikov trg or Džamija (Meštrović Pavilion / Home of Croatian Artists), Lazeez is an informal cafe and takeaway that specialises in the food of Lebanon, where owner Ihab Abisaid originally comes from. In warmer months, there are few greater rewards after a morning's shopping on the outdoor market, Tržnice Kvatrić, than relaxing on the covered terrace of Lazeez, snacking on a salad or the best hummus in the city. For dinner, they offer a range of platters and authentic kebab-like wraps, popular middle-eastern dips, falafel and hot, filled flatbreads called arays.

Ihab Abisaid © Total Croatia News

I left Lebanon in 1993 and went to Moscow, where I finished Dental school. In 2011 I came here and opened the city's first Lebanese restaurant on Radnička. I worked there for two years and then went back to Moscow. But, I missed Zagreb. My whole family love Zagreb. It's so safe here and the weather is so much better. It's a great place to raise a family. 

I came back in 2018 and ran a restaurant on Tkalčićeva with a partner, before moving here to set up Lazeez on my own. I go back to Lebanon twice every year to visit my extended family. Although I'm not Muslim, we don't use any pork meat here simply because it just isn't used in Lebanese food. In Lebanese cuisine there are lots of vegetarian dishes, especially salads and dips, and lots of barbecued dishes. Sesame oil, sesame paste, and tahini are key ingredients. We use them in dips like hummus, which is made from chickpeas, and muhamara, which is made with walnuts. We make falafel from chickpeas and our sandwich wraps are flavoured with Lebanese sauces, which are a completely different flavour to what you can find elsewhere in Croatia. 

Falafel and side dishes at Lazeez © Veki Pazin

I think people enjoy the food here because it's natural and healthy, as well as being delicious. We use fresh herbs every day – parsley, mint and coriander. The spices we use are more exotic than you would find in local cuisine. Cumin features a lot and there is a classic Lebanese mix that contains seven spices in measured amounts. We use that often, especially in the meat dishes, and it's key to giving our food its Lebanese identity. Lebanese food is quite spicy, but it's not hot, like with too much chilli. The spices we use add flavour, not heat.

© Veki Pazin

I employ several members of staff here. Our full-time chef is from Syria and she is essential - Syrian food is quite similar to Lebanese. Before Corona we had one guy from Algeria working here, but the rest of the staff are Croatian. On our terrace every day you can meet people from many different countries and cultures, although most of our customers are Croatian. Zagreb has changed greatly since 2011. For me, what's most noticeable is the change in mentality. People are a lot more open now, accepting of outsiders and willing to try new things, like our food. I think people are more interested in eating healthy now, too.

You can find Lazeez Lebanese cafe at Zvonimirova 59

July 2, 2020 - The semifinal round of the Croatian Water Polo Championships kicked off on Wednesday in Dubrovnik and Zagreb. Jug met Solaris, while Mladost met Jadran. 

Dubrovnik's Jug AO and Zagreb's Mladost achieved victories in the first matches of the semifinals of the Croatian Championship on Wednesday, July 1, 2020.

The famous Dubrovnik side topped Solaris Sibenik 17-6 at the Gruz swimming pool, while Mladost was better than Jadran Split 13-12 at the Mladost outdoor swimming pool along the Sava.

Interestingly, Solaris took a 2-0 lead, but Jug equalized to 2-2 by the end of the first quarter, and then won the second and third quarters 10-2. The Dubrovnik side was convincing in the last period with 5-2, for the final score of 17-6.

Jug AO was led to victory by Obradovic, who scored six goals, and Fatovic, who scored three goals. Solaris, on the other hand, had six players who scored one goal each. The second match of this semifinal meeting will be played on Friday, July 3, in Sibenik.

In the second semifinal match on Wednesday, Jadran met Mladost in Zagreb. 

Mladost led 4-0 lead, and at the beginning of the last quarter, they were up by five goals (10-5). However, a rocky ending gave the Zagreb club a narrow victory. Jadran managed a score of 7-3 in the last quarter, threatening Mladost's secure celebration.

Mladost was led to victory by Cuk, who scored four goals, while Harkov scored three goals, and Milos and Bukic scored two goals each. Setka was the best for Jadran with four goals, and Krapic followed with three goals to be the most efficient among the visiting team.

The second semifinal match is on Saturday in Split.

Recall, two victories are needed in the semifinal round to secure a spot in the final. Thus, a third semifinal game is theoretically possible.

Source: HRT

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Jun 29, 2020 - Eight airlines with eight international routes will return to Zagreb Airport this week.

Croatian Aviation reports that until now, the traffic at Zagreb Airport depended mainly on Croatia Airlines. In addition to the national airline, Eurowings also flew to Zagreb from Cologne, which will continue to operate on that route, and Trade Air on the domestic route from Osijek.

But that is changing as of this week. An Austrian Airlines plane with 26 passengers from Vienna landed in Zagreb today, while 36 passengers traveled to Vienna. This is the first Austrian Airlines flight to Zagreb after the suspension of operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the company will now operate daily on the Vienna-Zagreb route.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

On Wednesday, July 1, the Paris-Zagreb route will be re-established by Air France, which is announcing only three weeks of flights on this route.

On the same day, Turkish Airlines will return to Zagreb on the route from Istanbul. The company normally operates twice a day during the summer flight schedule to Zagreb, but the number of weekly flights has been reduced, and it will currently operate on this route 5 times a week.

Another regular guest is returning to Zagreb Airport. Qatar Airways starts the Doha - Zagreb route with 3 weeks of flights, otherwise in the summer flight schedule to Zagreb, it operated as many as 14 times a week, i.e., twice a day.

Lufthansa, which normally flies from Frankfurt and Munich to Zagreb, will re-establish regular traffic on the Munich-Zagreb route from Wednesday, initially 3 times a week.

From the same date, Air Serbia will reconnect Belgrade and Zagreb, and flights are on sale 7 days a week.

On Thursday, July 2, Eurowings will re-establish the Stuttgart-Zagreb route, which will operate twice a week through July. 

From July 4, KLM planes will fly to Zagreb again. From that date, the Dutch airline will operate on the route Amsterdam - Zagreb, and 3 weeks of flights with smaller capacity aircraft have been announced. 

Croatia Airlines continues to operate on a number of domestic and international routes from Zagreb, increasing traffic since the beginning of July.

You should always check the restrictions of the country you are traveling to before traveling. 

June 28, 2020 - With an exciting new campaign, Zagreb County wants to position itself as the destination for domestic tourists in continental Croatia. 

"A Holiday Has Never Been Closer!" is the new slogan of the promotional campaign of the Zagreb County Tourist Board focused on domestic guests, which lasts until August 1, reports HRTurizam. The focus of the campaign is on accommodation facilities, namely holiday homes with swimming pools, eno-gastro tourist facilities and attractions in Zagreb County.

The campaign lasts from June 26 to August 1, 2020, and was launched to encourage the inhabitants of Croatia to explore continental destinations in Zagreb County in the coming period after a long period of isolation.

"An important part of the campaign is accommodation facilities, rural refuges and a top eno-gastronomic offer, and through these facilities, we see an opportunity to position our county as an ideal weekend destination primarily for residents of the capital, but also for all those who truly enjoy peace and beauty without mass tourism. The Green Zagreb Ring offers a lot of quality content - half an hour from the center of Zagreb, so it is a great opportunity to escape from stress and city crowds," says Ivana Alilović, director of the Zagreb County Tourist Board.

The campaign places additional emphasis on connecting wine roads, local food producers, attractions in the area that enable an authentic, safe and sustainable stay for all guests.

"The rich tourist offer of our county is the result of intensive cooperation between producers and those who offer guests finished products. The emphasis is on multisectoral connections, and in addition to the promotion of wine roads, quality local products of our family farms, as well as rural refuges, we want to show how it is possible to create a value chain in these challenging times," concludes Alilović.

A special platform and an interesting collaboration with Designer Outlet Croatia

In fact, this is the culmination of the campaign, which began with a wine video postcard #NazdraviZaBoljeSutra (Cheers to a better tomorrow) in which several winemakers from the area of ​​Plešivica, Zelina and Moslavina wine roads were presented.

For the needs of the project, a special web portal was launched - in which the entire offer is completed and all information about all partners is available.

The campaign promotes a sustainable and safe stay, but at the same time, quality experience in a sustainable destination.

Particularly interesting is the part of the campaign where each visitor, when booking one of the 30 rural holiday homes in the first weekend of July (smart connection with accommodation), receives a coupon for 350 kuna to use at Designer Outlet Croatia.

With online and offline promotion, special web platforms, various articles and visuals, and cooperation with Designer Outlet Croatia, which generates a large daily frequency of visitors, but also through the coupon gives an additional motive for positioning potential domestic tourists, primarily from Zagreb.

The green Zagreb ring is certainly ideal as an escape from the city crowds and stress, which offers a lot of quality content, all half an hour from the center of the Croatian capital.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

June 26, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, and Zadar. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Germany's Lufthansa has announced its flight schedule for July. In June, the company started operating again towards Dubrovnik, Split and Pula, but with a very limited number of weekly flights, and only from Frankfurt.

From July, Lufthansa will increase the number of destinations to which it flies in Croatia, introduce new routes, and intensify weekly operations on existing routes. In addition to flights to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula, the company will again operate to Zadar and Zagreb.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Lufthansa will fly again to Zagreb again

From July 1, the Munich - Zagreb line will be introduced three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Croatia Airlines, with which Lufthansa has a code-share agreement, is already operating on the route to Munich, as is the case with the route to Frankfurt.

Lines to Split

Lufthansa launched the Frankfurt - Split route in June, but with only one weekly flight. From July 3, this line will be in traffic 3 times a week, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Also, Lufthansa is introducing the Munich - Split route, from July 4, with as many as four weeks of flight, every Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Dubrovnik connected with Frankfurt and Munich

As is the case with Split, Lufthansa also operates to Dubrovnik on the Frankfurt - Dubrovnik line, which will operate twice a week (until now once), every Saturday and Sunday, from 5 July.

The Munich - Dubrovnik line is being introduced, from July 1, four times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Lufthansa to Pula

The existing line Frankfurt - Pula will get another rotation from July 3, and will connect Istria with Frankfurt twice a week, on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Munich-Pula line is also being introduced, from July 5, once a week.

The company is coming to Zadar

The company has not yet flown to Zadar in this year's summer flight schedule, but that will change from July.

From July 4, the Frankfurt - Zadar line will be introduced three times a week, on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

From the same date, Munich - Zadar will be introduced once a week, while from July 12, there will be two weeks of flights on the line, every Saturday and Sunday.

The only Lufthansa line to Croatia that is not yet in operation is the one to Rijeka Airport. Namely, in the summer flight schedule, the company operates once a week on the Munich - Rijeka line, but it is not on sale for July this year. Croatia Airlines also operates on the same route, the Croatian national company has not yet announced the start of operations on this route.

Lufthansa will use aircraft of various capacities on all these routes, from the smallest CRJ900 with a capacity of 90 passengers, to the A321 aircraft with a capacity of 200 passengers.

Croatian Aviation also reports that Polish LOT has announced as many as 13 new routes in this year's summer flight schedule from numerous Polish cities to destinations in Croatia.

The company previously announced the return of lines from Warsaw to Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik, but now it has announced a completely new set of lines that have not been in traffic so far.

New lines to Split

Lublin - Split is introduced once a week, every Friday, from July 3,

Katowice - Split is introduced once a week, every Sunday, from July 5,

Poznan - Split is introduced once a week, every Monday, from July 6,

Gdansk - Split is introduced once a week, every Wednesday, from July 8.

On the routes to Split, aircraft type E195 and B737-800 capacity, have been announced.

New lines to Zadar

Gdansk - Zadar is introduced once a week, every Friday, from July 3,

Szczecin - Zadar is introduced once a week, every Thursday, from July 9,

Rzeszow - Zadar is introduced once a week, every Saturday, from July 4,

Krakow - Zadar is introduced once a week, every Tuesday, from July 7,

Bydgoszcz - Zadar is introduced once a week, every Saturday, from July 4.

DashQ400 and E195 aircraft have been announced on the routes to Zadar.

New lines to Dubrovnik

Wroclaw - Dubrovnik is introduced once a week, every Saturday, from July 4,

Gdansk - Dubrovnik is introduced once a week, every Tuesday, from July 7.

Krakow - Dubrovnik is introduced once a week, every Friday, from July 3,

Poznan - Dubrovnik is introduced once a week, every Saturday, from July 5.

E195 aircraft have been announced on the routes to Dubrovnik.

June 26, 2020 - The independent company Safe ShoppingCenters, based in Sweden, has awarded City Center One Split, East and West the COVID-19 Compliant certificate, i.e., confirmation that the centers operate in accordance with the highest international standards and guidelines of the World Health Organization.

Dalmatinski Portal reports that the detailed independent review established that all measures were taken for the safe operation of all three centers during the coronavirus pandemic and ensured their strict adherence, with emphasis on the adoption and implementation of international best practices and standards, while maintaining quality communication with tenants and visitors.

Thus, all visitors at the entrance to the center should disinfect their hands and can use disposable gloves, and in addition, the center is thoroughly cleaned several times during the day, with great emphasis on the disinfection of parts with which visitors come into contact, such as handrails and doorknobs. Furthermore, clear communication of recommended safe shopping measures within the center itself also contributes to the conscientious behavior of visitors when shopping.

The international recognition of COVID-19 Compliant is further proof that City Center One puts its visitors first, prioritizing their well-being, protection and safety, and ensures the highest standards for the business of its tenants. Bearing in mind that the new normal at the time of the coronavirus pandemic brings numerous challenges on a daily basis, this recognition demonstrates the center’s willingness to react quickly and adapt, progressive thinking, and constant concern for the well-being of everyone at City Center One.

City Center one Zagreb West was the first of the company’s to open in Autumn 2006, followed by City Center One Split, which became a leading shopping mall and entertainment center in Dalmatia at the end of 2010. City Center One Zagreb East is the third shopping mall in Croatia within the City Center one brand, which opened in spring 2012.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

June 24, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for flights to Croatia with updates from Zagreb and Pula. 

Croatian Aviation reports that Windrose and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) have announced the launch of direct international flights to Pula Airport.

Namely, Windrose and SAS will launch direct flights to Pula at the very beginning of July. More specifically, on Saturday, July 4, the A320neo will operate on Scandinavian Airlines and the A321 on Windrose Airlines.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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From July 4, Scandinavian Airlines will introduce the Copenhagen - Pula route, once a week (every Saturday), though the route will probably be intensified with more weekly flights in the coming period. SAS announced the A320neo aircraft on this route.

Recall, yesterday, we announced that SAS released a modified flight schedule for July, in which the number of weekly flights to Split has increased significantly. 

The company has decided to increase the number of weekly flights and add a route from Stockholm to Split, so SAS will connect Split with Scandinavia according to the following schedule:

Copenhagen - Split, from June 29, daily (so far twice a week)

Oslo - Split, from June 29, six times a week, except Thursdays (so far once a week).

SAS will also introduce Stockholm - Split, from July 1, which will operate daily. 

From the same date, Jule 4, Windrose Airlines plans to launch the Kyiv-Pula route, also once a week (Saturday), with the A321 aircraft, but the second weekly flight (Tuesday) is also on sale, from July 21.

Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Spanish airline Iberia will not resume the Madrid - Zagreb service until the start of the 2020/2021 winter season.

Namely, Iberia will resume the route on October 23 with three flights per week, on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

In 2019, Iberia carried 47,703 passengers between Madrid and Zagreb. Iberia will resume seasonal flights to Dubrovnik on July 17, though services to Split and Zadar have not yet been scheduled.