Dear friends and business partners!

Zagreb has received yet another important affirmation in the tourist world. The highly regarded Lonely Planet guides have awarded Zagreb the top spot as the best destination in Europe, one of ten top destinations which they recommend you definitely visit as they offer something new, something exciting and undiscovered.

Our city scenery, our cultural and gastronomic offerings and urban vibe have been recognised. Also recognised are our efforts to make every guest's stay in Croatia's capital unforgettable. The fact that, thanks to the new Dr Franjo Tuđman airport, it has never been quicker and easier to get to us has been recognised. And the prestigious New York Times has also written words in praise of Zagreb. The New York Times article focuses on Martićeva street and its surroundings, pointing out how a once peaceful residential district has been transformed into a creative centre where you can find artistic cafes, bookshops, boutiques and designer studios. Every award and every compliment is an obligation to do everything we can to be even better, be more attractive and more interesting to guests from around the world.

June thus brings us a range of new and attractive events, from top flight concerts to the best of design. The 12th INmusic festival brings us one of the biggest and most popular rock bands today, the Kings of Leon! The INmusic festival will thus be in the best and most exclusive company of large European festivals at which the Kings of Leon will play this summer. The Kings of Leon are part of an impressive lists of artists at INMusic which also includes Arcade Fire, Alt-J, Kasabian, Michael Kiwanuka… A range of other concert treats also demonstrate that Zagreb and Croatia have become unmissable stops for the best international music stars, from those in Tvornica where The Kills will play, to Šalata where Prophets of Rage, House of Pain and Zagreb favourites, the legendary The Cult await us.

What does a sustainable city with human dimensions have to have? This will be shown to us at the second Design District Zagreb festival. Ratkajev prolaz will be transformed into Green Ratkaj, a place to relax and socialise where visitors will be able to take part, in a fun way, in the processes which make life in the city sustainable and better in quality. A mobile urban vegetable patch, a set of machines for recycling plastic and a green pop-up forest are all waiting for us at Green Ratkaj. Over 30,000 visitors enjoyed the Design District Zagreb festival programme last year. 

This year is Culture Year 2017 Croatia - Austira. With the slogan "Together in Culture", a range of events will demonstrate how strong, indeed unbreakable are the bonds of friendship between the two countries. "Zagreb Welcomes Austria" with an event of the same name in the Zrinjevac park. We will be reminded why the people of Zagreb love Austria and Vienna and why Austrians love to visit Croatia and Zagreb learning the old Agram dialect and etiquette, dancing the walz, playing forgotten children's games and enjoying Viennese specialities such as the Spritzer, cakes, poetry, music and film.

Welcome!
Martina Bienenfeld
CEO, Zagreb City Tourist Board