September 15, 2023 – The expat scene in Croatia is expanding, especially in the capital – a few thoughts on Zagreb expat meetups.
One of the many things that has changed in the 21 years I have been in Croatia is undoubtedly the expat scene.
I fondly remember soon after I started Total Split back in 2012 having a coffee with a French lady who had a Facebook group called Expats in Split. It had just 20 members.
We decided to work together to promote the group and indeed organised the first Expats drinks night (with locals very welcome) in 2012 at Zinfandel. More than 60 people came – Ecuadorians from Dugi Rat, a French couple from Sarajevo, and a host of people from various countries from the nearby islands. We were stunned.
Just 10 years later, that group has almost 5,000 members and meetups are regular, just one of several sources of information and social life in the Dalmatian capital.
Zagreb too has seen an explosion in the expat scene, and a slightly different makeup of expat. An EU capital, it has its fair share of diplomats and bureaucrats, as well as a lot more business-oriented foreigners, while the digital nomad and remote work scene is expanding rapidly.
And the meetups are regular and well-attended. Although I don’t consider myself as part of the expat scene and I rarely attend such gatherings, there ae two in particular which are great for networking and usually attract a very diverse crowd of more than 100 attendees (locals included). And both are having their next Zagreb expat meetups this month.
Zagreb Expats & Diaspora Meetup, Powered by Kris, is part of the Zagreb way of life. Kris is an American returnee with incredible networking energy, whose events attract a large and diverse crowd. The next meetup is tomorrow night at Sky Office, a spectacular location at Business Club 5. See details in the image above.
And then on September 27, from 18:30, the IBMC (International Business Meetup Club) party at Swanky on Ilica will attract a similar size of expats and locals. It is organised by a local who operates under his nom de guerre, Dear Leader Joe (details in the lead photo).
Both events are very welcoming to first-time visitors, and they are a great way to meet a wide selection of people living in the capital.
Regarding information about living in Zagreb, one of the best Expat Facebook groups I have come across is the excellent Expats in Zagreb (Official), which boasts excellent moderators and a very helpful community among its 18,600 members.
Sample questions from today which have been answered, for example:
Does anyone know where to buy fresh herbs, specifically mint?
Is there any indians in this group who went to croatia from India. Need few clarification.
Hi everyone! I will be going abroad for a few months and in need of a storage unit to store my things here in Zagreb as I will not be keeping my apartment. Does anyone know of any storage units in the Zagreb area or have experience in using something like this?
Does anyone know of English art classes available for teens? Looking for a friend’s 12.5 year old daughter. Thanks for your help!
hi I am looking for a general practitioner in Zagreb who speaks Arabic
We are looking at options for our 2 kids to take piano lessons – beginner level. We prefer a teacher that could come to our home (Vrbani area). We are also open to going somewhere close to our home. English or Croatian speakers are fine. Also interested to know what is a reasonable cost for this in Croatia. PM me if you have any suggestions!
Being an expat in Croatia in 2002 versus 2023 – different worlds.
