A direct tunnel to the heart of Christmas
“A long time ago, one of Croatia's best-kept secrets was that its capital, ** Zagreb , had one of the best Christmases in Europe**,” says Darja Dragoje, director of the city's Department of Tourism.
“This secret has already crossed the borders of the country, because, despite having very strong competition, Zagreb has been awarded the prize for Best European Christmas Market three times in succession through the European Best Destinations online survey. They are real votes from real people,” she highlights.
Zagreb is beautiful during Christmas
The reasons are many, and they all allude to a perfect Christmas story: the flickering light of the candles, the aroma of gingerbread and mulled wine, the sound of a sweet choir singing, accompanied by bells in the distance... And, of course, extravagant as it sounds, a World War II air shelter, which has become, since 2016, the ultimate Christmas attraction.
“Curtain after curtain, the tunnel opens before you as you walk from the entrance of Mesnička Street to its huge central part. When you go through the last stretch, which is also the biggest, you see a snowy pine forest and giant nutcrackers standing guard under hundreds of colorful toys in the sky," describes Dragoje.
"The scene instantly evokes memories of the happy enthusiasm that we felt in childhood when it was time to discover the presents under the Christmas tree.”
The nutcracker, one of the symbols of this attraction
The reason for the success of this tunnel is a secret, but, according to the expert, it may have to do with its three-dimensional facilities and its extraordinary acoustics , which makes Christmas music, often played live, magically reverberate. But, of course, it is not the only thing that the beautiful capital of Croatia offers on these dates.
“During Advent, the whole of Zagreb is one big stage for a huge family made up of wonderful people from all over the world. There is a lot of fun, excellent food, an extensive musical program, unique events, art, but above all, a real Christmas atmosphere. ”, they unravel for us from the Tourism of the city.
To all this we must add a gigantic ice rink, stylish decor throughout and even themed costume marathons.
In fact, Croatians love this time of year so much that its attractions, including the tunnel, are kept running. from November 30 to January 8 . Will it be your Christmas getaway in 2020...?