Croatia's largest port city, with a lively Korzo, Trsat Castle high above town and a strong beer and culture scene. An ideal base for Opatija, Istria and the islands of the Kvarner Gulf.
Rijeka is Croatia's third-largest city. In the 19th century it was Hungary's seaport, within the Habsburg Empire. The grand palaces and the theatre date from that time. After the First World War the Italian poet Gabriele D'Annunzio occupied the city. It was then a free state for a few years, and from 1924 it belonged to Italy under the name Fiume. After the Second World War Rijeka became part of Yugoslavia. In 2020 it was a European Capital of Culture.
Rijeka is not a holiday resort but a real city, with lots of students, museums and concerts, also out of season. In January or February there is the carnival, one of the biggest in Europe. Autumn can be very rainy. Allow one or two days for the city itself. With the day trips below, you can easily fill a week.
The Korzo is the car-free main street of the centre. It runs where the town wall once stood, when the sea still came right up to the town. Halfway along is the City Tower, one of the old town gates, with a Baroque portal and a clock mechanism from 1873 that still keeps time. The gate under the tower leads into the Old Town.
Trsat Castle stands high above the gorge of the Rječina river. The noble Frankopan family built it in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century the Austrian field marshal Laval Nugent bought the castle and had a mausoleum built there in the style of a Greek temple. From the walls you look out over the city, the port and the Kvarner Gulf. Close by is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Trsat, one of the largest pilgrimage sites in Croatia. Legend has it that the house of Mary from Nazareth stood here from 1291 to 1294, before it moved to Loreto in Italy.
The breakwater that shelters the port is more than 1.7 kilometres long. For a long time it was off limits, but since 2009 it has been a pier for everyone to walk. At the end you stand in the middle of the bay, with the city and the mountains behind you and the islands in front of you.
A richly decorated Baroque palace from the 18th century, built as the office of the sugar refinery. In about 30 rooms the museum tells the story of Rijeka: sugar and tobacco, the port, the emigrants who left from here for America, and the world's first torpedo, tested here in 1866.
Behind the City Tower lies the Old Town, with small squares and churches. The Old Gate, also called the Roman Arch, is Rijeka's oldest monument. It was the main entrance to the Principia, the headquarters of a 3rd-century Roman military camp, when the town was called Tarsatica. The remains of the Principia have been excavated next to it.
A round Baroque church, begun by the Jesuits in 1638. It is the only large Baroque rotunda in Croatia. Inside hangs a Gothic crucifix. Legend says it bled when a man threw a stone at it.
The bell tower of the Church of the Assumption dates from 1377. It stands on unstable ground and leans by about 40 centimetres. The tower is checked regularly and has not moved for a long time.
The theatre opened in 1885 with Verdi's Aida. It was designed by Fellner and Helmer, the Viennese architects of dozens of theatres across Central Europe. The auditorium ceiling was painted by Gustav and Ernst Klimt and Franz Matsch, before Gustav Klimt became famous.
The palace of the Hungarian governor, from 1896, stands just above the centre. It now houses the Maritime and History Museum, with ship models, sea charts and the splendid rooms of the palace itself.
The big market by the port, with iron-and-glass pavilions from the 1880s. The fish hall next to it dates from the early 20th century and is full of stone sea creatures and plants by the sculptor Urbano Bottasso. Come in the morning, when there is most to see.
The best-known and best-equipped city beach, in Kantrida in the west. It has lifeguards, a beach volleyball court and sea access for people with disabilities. The Kantrida swimming pools are right next to it.
A small bay in the west of the city, specially equipped for people with disabilities.
The westernmost bay of the city, on the border with Opatija. It is often windy, so you will see plenty of windsurfers.
One of the old beaches of Pećine, east of the centre. With a beach bar and showers.
A beach in Pećine where your dog can go in the water too. There is another dog beach at Igralište in Kantrida.
Around the Korzo and the Old Town. Everything is within walking distance, including the bus and train stations and the boats. Lively in the evening, but parking is scarce.
View places to stay ↗On the hill above the city, near the castle and the university. Quiet, with views. Take the bus or the stairs down to the centre.
View places to stay ↗A green residential area by the sea, east of the centre, with the oldest city beaches. Good if you want to swim and still be in the city.
View places to stay ↗In the west, near the swimming pools and Ploče beach. Handy for families and for heading to Opatija.
View places to stay ↗
Handpicked by usA small luxury hotel on the Lungomare promenade in Ika, a few minutes down the coast from Opatija. Sixteen Art Deco-inspired rooms and suites, many with a terrace above the Adriatic. With the Ikalia Spa, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool with heated seawater, a private beach and the Nobilia restaurant.
| Month | Temp. | Sea | Sun | Rain | Crowds | Prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6° | 11° cold | 4 h | 10 | Quiet | Low |
| February | 6° | 11° cold | 4 h | 9 | Moderate | Low |
| March | 9° | 11° cold | 5 h | 10 | Quiet | Low |
| April | 13° | 14° cold | 6 h | 12 | Quiet | Low |
| May | 17° | 18° cold | 8 h | 12 | Quiet | Low |
| June | 21° | 23° lovely | 9 h | 11 | Moderate | Medium |
| July | 24° | 25° lovely | 10 h | 9 | Moderate | Medium |
| August | 24° | 25° lovely | 9 h | 9 | Moderate | Medium |
| September | 19° | 23° lovely | 7 h | 10 | Moderate | Low |
| October | 15° | 20° fresh | 5 h | 11 | Quiet | Low |
| November | 10° | 17° cold | 3 h | 13 | Quiet | Low |
| December | 7° | 14° cold | 3 h | 11 | Quiet | Low |
Averages from the Rijeka weather station. Bold months are our recommendations. Temperature is the average over day and night; during the day it is a few degrees warmer. Crowds and prices are an estimate.
Local festivals and traditions worth planning your trip around.
From mid-January to Ash Wednesday; the big parade is on the Sunday before
Next: Sunday, 7 February 2027
Croatia's biggest carnival. During the international parade more than ten thousand costumed participants march through the city, watched by up to 150,000 people. At the end come the zvončari: men in sheepskins with big bells and horned masks, who chase away the winter with their noise. The bell ringers' pageant from the Kastav area is on the UNESCO list.
Dates and programmes can change from year to year. Check the official website shortly before you travel.
Scampi from the Kvarner Gulf are known for their sweet flavour. You eat them grilled or 'na buzaru', stewed with white wine, garlic and parsley.
A hearty soup of beans, sauerkraut and potatoes, often with smoked pork. You will also find it in Istria and Trieste.
In spring people here pick wild asparagus. It goes into a fritaja, an omelette, often with a little pršut.
Sweet chestnuts from Lovran, at the foot of Učka. In October Lovran celebrates the Marunada chestnut festival.
White belica from Kastav and white žlahtina from Vrbnik on Krk.
Rijeka has a lively beer scene, with small breweries and bars in and around the centre. Our article with the best places is at the bottom of this page.
Croatia's oldest seaside resort, with villas and hotels from Habsburg times. Walk the Lungomare, the coastal promenade that runs for about 12 kilometres from Volosko through Opatija to Lovran.
Book via GetYourGuide ↗A medieval hilltop town above Rijeka, with narrow lanes, a town wall and views over the bay. On the first Sunday of October Kastav celebrates Bela nedeja, the festival of the young belica wine.
Book via GetYourGuide ↗The mountain between Kvarner and Istria. On Vojak, the highest point at 1,401 metres, stands a stone lookout tower. On a clear day you can see the islands and sometimes the Alps. From the Poklon pass it is a walk of about 7 kilometres there and back.
Book via GetYourGuide ↗The bridge gets you onto the island in no time. Visit the little town of Krk, the wine village of Vrbnik high on its rocks, where you can taste žlahtina, and Baška with its long pebble beach.
Book via GetYourGuide ↗Forests and mountains in Gorski Kotar, home to bears, wolves and lynx. The Leska nature trail, just over four kilometres, starts at the visitor centre in Crni Lug. Bring a sweater: it is a good deal cooler than on the coast.
Book via GetYourGuide ↗Excursions, boat trips and tickets, with free cancellation at most providers.
Pastel houses on an Istrian peninsula, crowned by the church of St Euphemia. Pair it with truffles and olive oil from the hinterland.
A Roman amphitheatre in the middle of a port city, still used for concerts and film festivals. To the south lies the wild Kamenjak peninsula with empty coves.
Sixteen turquoise lakes linked by waterfalls and wooden boardwalks. Arrive before 8 am or after 4 pm for the quietest trails.