Rijeka, Croatia. One Day Guide to Rijeka.
We arrived in Rijeka from Osijek. It was a 8-9 hour train/bus ride and cost 240kuna. Rijeka is near the ocean and quite hilly so be prepared for a winding mountain road.
Where to Sleep in Rijeka, Croatia
We arrived on a Saturday night. Apparently everyone comes on the weekends to go out so every hostel we went to was fully booked.
From the train station you can walk ESE along the waterfront to find hostels. Most are well signed. If that fails go further along the waterfront along Riva and there’s 2 or 3 hostels along that road. On the way you pass the bus station. Over the road there is another hostel you can try. If all of them fail, go can walk a couple of km to the Youth Hostel, which is where we ended up staying.
Map to get to the Youth Hostel
YHA are usually a bit out of the way but there standard is always good and are reasonably priced. They also include a light breakfast cereal, bread and some spreads. You have to buy their membership (10 euros). It was 145Kuna for a dorm. Bus #1 will take you there.
One Day in Rijeka
We stayed for 2 nights in Rijeka. We arrived late on Saturday night, spent Sunday exploring and left Monday morning. I guess if you were rushed you could arrive early morning, spend the day sightseeing and leave in the evening.
Besides buying food and personal shopping, the whole day was free for sightseeing.
We left the hostel about 1000 and first went to the market because it closes at midday (1400 on week days), at least that is what the girl at the hostel told us. It is a decent sized fruit and veg market with a few other things. Better than the one in Zagreb.
Next we walked along the pier. The girl at the hostel said is was good to look back at the city. It was a ‘long’ hot walk and I’m not sure if it was worth it.
After that we got some lunch (sandwich from one of the many bakeries) and walked through the old town. Most of the shops were closed because it was Sunday. All through the town there are good maps showing you where all the points of interest are. Just see what you want, and at the end make your way to the Captain Petar Kruzic stairs to climb up the *561 stairs to Trsat Castle.
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Captain Petar Kruzic stairs to Trsat Castle. Click to enlarge.
Walk down this street to get to Trsat Castle. Click to enlarge.
Alternatively, take bus 8 or 2 which will take you there. Great view of the city (featured picture)
*I didn’t count the stairs. I found this information on the internet.
After the castle we went back to the hostel for a rest, then went to the beach in the afternoon. Nothing like I expected. I’m used to large stretches of sand. This was a small pebble beach and was packed with people. From the youth hostel, head east. You’ll see it. The water is nice.
Finally, we decided to go to the shopping center since we saw it was close by. Walk North from the beach, up the stairs. You’ll see it. There’s a small food court on the 3rd floor. Watch out for the buffet, we got charged much more than expected.
Beware the Money Changing Scam in Rijeka
Watch out for people on the street wanting to change money with you. Make sure you are the last one to count it BEFORE you hand over your money. They have great magician hands and will ‘fake’ count it, palming some notes back into their hands.
Next Stop…
Pula. to see the Colosseum.
Tip: To find the best accommodation, compare Hostelbookers.com and HotelTravel.com and to find the cheapest flights use CheapOair.com
