Croatia Airlines has decided to keep its Zagreb–Madrid route flying beyond the summer season for the first time, giving travellers from the Croatian capital a direct link to Spain for winter city breaks.
The schedule is easy to work with. Flights run on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays in two windows: until 16 January 2027, then again from 15 to 27 March 2027. The gap between 17 January and 14 March is the only stretch with no service. Departure from Zagreb is at 8:25, with the return leg leaving Madrid at 12:10, and the flight takes roughly two hours and 50 minutes. That timing works nicely for a long weekend — fly out Thursday, back Monday for four nights — or a quick Saturday-to-Monday dash. The early outbound flight leaves most of day one free, though on the way home you'll need to head to the airport in the morning.
Madrid makes a genuinely good winter city break, as long as you pack for it. At an average altitude of 650 metres, it's the second-highest capital in Europe, so expect cold mornings rather than coastal Spanish warmth. The classic play is museums when it's chilly, parks when the sun's out, and taverns in the evening.
Art is the headline act. The so-called Golden Triangle of Art bundles the Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza within walking distance — Las Meninas and Goya's Black Paintings at the Prado, Picasso's Guernica at the Reina Sofía. Rather than cramming all three into one day, pick your favourite and give it proper time. Round out a museum day with a walk through El Retiro park, which together with the Paseo del Prado holds UNESCO World Heritage status.
The historic centre covers itself on foot: the Royal Palace (3,418 rooms, unoccupied since 1967, guard change on Wednesdays and Saturdays), Puerta del Sol with its kilometre-zero plaque and famous bear-and-madroño statue, and Plaza Mayor, which hosts a Christmas market that has been running since 1860. Food-wise, head to La Latina — Cava Baja and Cava Alta are lined with taverns for croquettes, patatas bravas and tortilla — and don't skip churros with thick hot chocolate. Sunday mornings belong to the El Rastro flea market. Football fans can book tours of the Santiago Bernabéu or the Wanda Metropolitano.
December adds festive lights and Advent celebrations from late November to the end of the month, with over 100 wooden stalls on Plaza Mayor alone.
For Croatian travellers, this is a rare chance to do Madrid off-season without a connection; for anyone on the Spanish side, it opens up Zagreb's own Advent scene as a return trip.
