Rijeka

Rijeka is Croatia’s largest port and its third city, sitting at the head of the Kvarner Gulf where the coast meets the gateway to the interior. It is a working city first and a tourist one second, and that working character, the cranes, the ferries, the port traffic, is what sets it apart from the polished resorts up and down the coast.

The core of Rijeka is Habsburg, built up when the city, then Fiume, was the main port of the empire and a centre of industry. The Stara Vrata, the old Roman arch, sits in the centre, the cathedral of St Vitus holds the baroque tower, and the Trsat castle, high on the hill above the river, gives the view over the whole bay. Rijeka was a European Capital of Culture in 2020, jointly with Galway, and the legacy is a layer of museums and cultural spaces.

Rijeka is also the birthplace of the torpedo, developed here in the 19th century, and the former test launch station survives on the coast. The city’s carnival, the Riječki karneval, is one of the largest in the region.

For photographers, the port and the Trsat view over the bay are the shots. Use Rijeka as the gateway to the Kvarner islands and the ferries, and stay a day for the museums and the working-harbour atmosphere.

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