Dolac Market

Dolac is Zagreb's main open-air food market, and it has been the daily shopping place for the city's residents since the early twentieth century. It sits on a raised terrace just behind Ban Jelacic Square and below the cathedral on Kaptol, reached by a short flight of stairs from the square, so it is impossible to miss on a walk through the centre. The name Dolac simply means a small hollow or little valley, a reference to the way the market fills the dip between the two old hills of Zagreb.

The upper level is the part visitors picture: rows of stalls shaded by big red umbrellas, which have become the market's trademark. Farmers and growers from the villages around Zagreb and from further afield bring in fruit, vegetables, flowers, eggs, honey, herbs, dried fruit, nuts and home-made products. Seasonal produce is the main attraction, with strawberries and cherries in early summer, peppers, tomatoes and figs later in the year, and wild mushrooms and chestnuts in autumn. Many of the stallholders are women who have sold at Dolac for decades, and the tradition of the market women, known as kumice, is an important part of the city's identity.

Beneath the terrace, a covered hall holds the dairy, meat and fish sections. Here you find cream and fresh cheese, notably the soft, salty cheese and clotted cream sold in small portions from Zagorje farms, as well as cured meats, sausages and fresh fish. Local bakers also sell sweet and savoury pastries, and the stalls around the edges offer traditional foods such as štrukli, the baked or boiled cheese pastry that is one of the symbols of Zagreb cooking. The market is a good place to taste simple regional specialities in a small way, without sitting down to a full meal.

Dolac is busiest in the morning, when locals come to buy the day's supplies, and the stalls begin to wind down in the early afternoon, with a shorter day on Sunday. Because opening times vary with the season, it is wise to check before you go. Prices at stalls are rarely marked as precisely as in a supermarket, so ask politely, and be ready to pay in cash for small purchases.

The market is a short walk from Zagreb Cathedral, Tkalčićeva Street and the Upper Town, so it fits neatly into a walking route. Plan thirty to sixty minutes for a relaxed visit. It suits food lovers, photographers and anyone who wants to see local daily life rather than monuments.