Spain's capital and Croatia's capital are about to be linked year-round. Croatia Airlines has announced it will run its direct Zagreb-Madrid route into winter for the first time, a first for a connection that used to shut down once the summer schedule ended.
The winter dates are split into two blocks: flights run from 26 October 2026 to 16 January 2027, then return from 15 to 27 March 2027. The frequency stays at what summer passengers were used to — three flights a week, on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Barcelona keeps its winter link too, with Zagreb-Barcelona flying three times weekly (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays) from 25 October 2026 through to 25 March 2027.
There's a modern touch worth noting: the Madrid route will be flown on Croatia Airlines' newer Airbus A220s, part of the carrier's gradual fleet overhaul replacing older aircraft with more efficient jets. For passengers that usually means a quieter cabin and a more comfortable couple of hours in the air.
Why the change? Spain is one of Croatia's most important source markets for tourists, and Madrid doubles as a major business and aviation hub, so there's real demand beyond the beach season. Zagreb has been pushing hard to reposition itself as a year-round city break rather than a summer-only stopover — think advent markets in December, museums and café terraces without the crowds. A winter direct flight makes that pitch a lot easier for Spanish travellers, and it works in reverse too: Croatians get a straightforward winter escape to Madrid.
For anyone planning a city break, this opens up some appealing combinations. Madrid in late October or March means mild weather, tapas crawls and the Prado without peak-season queues. Zagreb in early winter means the famous Advent in Zagreb markets, mulled rakija and Upper Town cobblestones dusted with cold air — one of Europe's better-value capital breaks. With flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a long weekend on either end is easy to build.
Practical notes: book the two-block winter window carefully — there's a gap between mid-January and mid-March when the direct route pauses. If Madrid doesn't tempt you, the Barcelona flights cover nearly the whole winter, giving Spain-bound travellers two entry points into Croatia's capital. And since both routes are three-times-weekly rather than daily, it's worth locking in dates early for the Christmas and New Year period, when flights on popular city-break routes tend to fill fast.
Croatia Airlines continues to build out its winter network as it modernises, and this Madrid extension is the clearest sign yet that the Zagreb-Spain corridor is no longer just a summer affair. If a two-capital trip — Gaudí one week, advent markets the next — sounds like your kind of winter, the schedule now finally allows it.
