Croatia's High Tourist Season
Summer begins now!
As the school year came to end last Friday, June 13 in Zagreb, many locals began preparing for “the high season.”
According to ZET (Zagreb’s tram and bus system), the summer season begins Monday, June 16 as they launch their alternate public transportation schedules set to last through September 7.
For residents, this means escaping the city for Adriatic Sea destinations (or elsewhere) during the months of July and August – often for a month or more. In the photo above, I beat the rush to the seaside in early May with a weekend trip to Poreč for Vinistra, the annual wine trade fair.
As evidenced in job advertisements I’ve seen, even many entry-level roles include four weeks of vacation to start – which is unheard of in the U.S. In Croatia (and other countries in Europe and the world), taking vacations are viewed as essential to maintaining one’s physical and mental wellbeing.
While there will be more tourists in Zagreb during summer, there will be fewer locals. I’ve been told the city slows down in the summer. I only have one summer trip planned so far, so I’m looking forward to exploring more of Zagreb – like Fratelli Bar above, which just opened in my neighborhood.
In the weeks leading up to the summer season (early May until now), there have been a number of events in and around Zagreb. I’ve attended six.
Pizza Festival Zagreb 2025
Festival Pjenušaca i Jagoda – Sparkling Wine and Strawberry Festival – in Plešivica, Croatia’s “Champagne Region” in Zagreb County – about 25 miles from Zagreb (an hour by train). You can read more about Plešivica on my other Substack site, Living the Tasty Life. If interested, I invite you to subscribe to this site as well (40% off forever until June 30th!)
Zagreb Beer Fest 2025
Udruga za pomoć i unaprjeđenje života životinja "Merida" – Association for the Assistance and Improvement of Animal Life "Merida" (as part of Zagreb’s Cest is d Best - international street festival).
Zagreb Food Truck Festival na Britancu 2025
14. VegeSajam (14th Vegan Fair)
That’s a BBQ pulled “pork” (jackfruit) sandwich.
Between June 24 and July 6, I will return to Vinski Grad Zagreb (Wine City Zagreb), an annual event by Vinart, which I also attended last year.