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Rijeka

City in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Croatia

Rijeka

Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia.

Plan a trip to Rijeka From Pula

It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and in 2021 had a population of 107,964 inhabitants. Historically, because of its strategic position and its excellent deep-water port, the city was fiercely contested, especially between the Holy Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Kingdom of Italy and Yugoslavia, changing rulers and demographics many times over centuries. According to the 2021 census data, 85% of its citizens are Croats, along with small numbers of Serbs, Bosniaks and Italians.

Get in

Getting to Rijeka

Travellers heading from Zagreb (165 km (103 mi)) should take the A1 to Bosiljevo and then take the A6 to Rijeka. The A6 is a 4-6 lane motorway over hilly terrain with many tunnels, bridges and viaducts. Travellers from Trieste (76 km (47 mi)) should take A7 upon entering Croatia at Pasjak or Rupa border crossing.

  1. 01
    Rijeka Airport
See

Worth seeing

The best way to see Rijeka’s cultural and historical monuments is to follow the tourist path that gathers all of the most important sights for this town and its history. Most of them are accessible by foot, as they are mostly located in or near the city centre, but to see Trsat Castle you will need to take a short car/bus ride.

  1. 01
    Trsat Castle

    It represents a strategically embossed gazebo on a hill 138 meters above sea level that dominates Rijeka.

  2. 02
    City Tower

    A symbol of Rijeka and a good example of a typical round tower access-point, which leads into the fortified town.

  3. 03
    Our Lady of Trsat's Sanctuary

    This is the largest centre of pilgrimage in western Croatia.

  4. 04
    Rijeka Tunnel

    The tunnel open for visitors has an entrance next to the Cathedral of St.

  5. 05
    Marina

    Here you can see yachts.

  6. 06
    Torpedo – launching ramp

    The launching ramp from 1930s is an item belonging to the closed torpedo production factory.

Do

Things to do

Theatres: You can choose from those suitable for adults or for children, go either at the Croatian National theatre or at one of Rijeka’s smaller independent theatres. When it comes to cinema, in Rijeka you can find art cinema and multiplex. Kantrida pools. Complex of five pools by the sea with an amazing view over the nearby islands and Istria. Diving around the coast of Rijeka.

  1. 01
    Marco Polo Diving Center
  2. 02
    Plaža Sablićevo

    One of the nicest beaches close to Rijeka.

Eat

Where to eat

Restaurants. There are numerous restaurants offering domestic and international food. Try some of their local fish specialties and also meat and vegetarian dishes as well as exotic specialties. If you didn’t walk into one of the more exclusive restraints in Rijeka, such as Zlatna školjka, Kamov or Municipium, you will find the prices to be mostly moderate. Taverns.

  1. 01
    Makrovega
  2. 02
    Buffet Nostalgija
  3. 03
    Index
  4. 04
    Restaurant Capote y Ole.
  5. 05
    Taiyo
How locals move

Getting around Rijeka the local way

  • Get inOf best use to travellers from Rijeka is the Jadrolinija ferry service.
  • Get inCar-carrying ferries down the Adriatic Coast to Split and Dubrovnik have been cancelled.
  • Go nextUntil 2014, Jadrolinija Ferry travelled to Dubrovnik, Split, Stari Grad, Korčula, and Bari in Italy.

From Wikivoyage: Rijeka, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.