Rijeka Cruise Port, though a lesser known port, offers just as much history, culture and natural beauty as nearby famous Croatian cities, Split & Dubrovnik. In this guide, I’ll show you how to walk from Rijeka Cruise Port to the city centre and how to easily reach the medieval Trsat Castle and surrounding Franciscan Monastery by bus. Of course, you can also choose to hike up via the “Stairway to Heaven” (aka Petar Kružić staircase), like I did. There are also famous Cathedrals, the Rijeka Tunnels and city markets to enjoy. I hope you’re ready for a jam-packed port day at Rijeka Cruise Port!
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On This Page
- Rijeka Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎😎 Easy Peasy
- Rijeka Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need To Know
- Rijeka Cruise Port Map
- Rijeka Top Attractions: What to See in One Day
- Rijeka: 3 Things to Do With Kids
- Rijeka: What to Do When It Rains
- Rijeka to Opatija: Half-Day Excursion
- Bus from Rijeka to Opatija
Rijeka Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎😎😎 Easy Peasy
Wondering how easy it is to do a DIY shore excursion in Rijeka Cruise Port? It’s absolutely 😎😎😎😎😎 easy peasy and here’s why:
- Walk to City Centre: From Rijeka Cruise Port, you can walk to Rijeka City Centre in about 5 minutes. Most attractions, other than Trsat Castle, is within walking distance of the city centre.
- Bus to Trsat Castle: You can hike up to Trsat Castle but you can also take the bus, which drops you off about 5 minutes’ walk away. No need to climb 500+ steps, unless you want to!
- Good bus network to nearby towns: If you’d like to venture further afield, Rijeka has a good bus network (for a relatively small town). In fact, my cruise ship tendered into nearby Opatija (Belle of the Croatian Riviera) and I caught the bus into Rijeka.
Rijeka Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need To Know
- Rijeka Cruise Port Address: Riva 1, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia – see it marked on my Rijeka Cruise Port Map below 🗺️📍👇
- Currency: Euro
- Croatian Kuna is no longer accepted as legal tender. Croatia changed its currency to the Euro on January 1st, 2023.
- Language: Croatian
- Official websites: Visit Rijeka is the official tourism agency
- Recommended Transport App: Use Google Maps for general navigation and bus routes if you need them. I found Google Maps’ bus times to be accurate on my trip.
- eSIM for roaming in Croatia: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout
Rijeka Cruise Port Map
- On Desktop | Laptop? Use buttons on bottom left to zoom in/out. Click on the upper right hand corner to see a bigger version.
- On Tablet | Mobile? Pinch your screen to zoom in/out and use two fingers to move map around. If you have Google Maps installed on your tablet/mobile, my map will open in your Google Maps app if you click on the upper right hand corner.
- If map is not loading correctly, click here to see it directly on Google Maps
Rijeka Top Attractions: What to See in One Day
1. Trsat Castle
Perched atop a hill overlooking Rijeka, Trsat Castle (Gradina Trsat in Croatian) is a medieval fortress that offers breathtaking panoramic views of the city, the Kvarner Bay, and the surrounding mountains. The current Trsat Castle was constructed in the 13th century by the Frankopan family, one of the noble families at the time. However, the site itself has been inhabited since prehistoric times!
Trsat Castle has served as a strategic lookout point for the Romans and later under Habsburg rule, when Rijeka was under the threat of Ottoman incursions in the 16th century.
The Castle is free to visit and you’re allowed to roam around the castle yourself. You can even climb the Watchtower! There’s a cafe in the central courtyard and there’s a WC near the cafe. This is a very kids-friendly attraction.
How to Get to Trsat Castle from Rijeka Cruise Port or Rijeka City Centre
From Rijeka Cruise Port, walk 5 minutes towards the City Centre.
- Bus: Take Bus #2 from “Tržnica” bus stop, outside Theatre Park (Kazališni Park) – this is marked on my Rijeka DIY Excursion Map below.
- Journey Time: Bus journey takes about 20 minutes
- Get Off at the last stop. From there, it’s 5 minutes walk on flat ground to Trsat Castle but note that there are steps at Trsat Castle.
- Tickets: One-way tickets are €2. Buy directly from driver with cash. If you walk past a Tisak newstand kiosk, you can also buy a ticket there.
- Timetables: Google Maps shows the scheduled bus times. It worked really well for me. Click here to jump to Google Maps, then scroll down and click on “see departure board” button. Once you’re physically at the bus stop, there’s live departure times on display.
- Walk: You can hike up via the Petar Kružić Stairway which consists of 561 steps – see section and photos below.
- My Experience: Don’t do what I did! I did the silly thing of hiking up in 33C (92F) humid heat! I was exhausted and sweaty after the hike, so I caught the bus back down. If you’d like to see the Petar Kružić staircase (see below), then the easier journey is to catch a bus up and then walk down. There are some good views on the way up but I’d say that the best views is definitely at the castle and surrounding areas, so no FOMO if you’d like to skip the walk altogether and use the bus up and down.
2. Petar Kružić Stairway
The Petar Kružić Stairway, aka Trsat Stairway, is considered a significant historical landmark in Rijeka, Croatia. It’s a steep stone staircase that winds its way up from the city centre to Trsat Hill, where Trsat Castle and the Church of Our Lady of Trsat (aka Church of Mother of God of Trsat) are located.
The stairway dates back to the 16th century and is named after Petar Kružić, a Croatian military leader known for his battles against the Ottoman Empire. The stairway was originally intended to provide a path for pilgrims journeying to the Church of Our Lady of Trsat, a place of pilgrimage due to a venerated icon of the Virgin Mary.
Finding Petar Kružić Stairway Starting Point
I’ve marked the start of the Petar Kružić Stairway on my Rijeka DIY Excursion Map above, approximately 10 minutes walk from Rijeka Cruise Port. There’s no obvious signage pointing to the starting point, so use Google Maps to navigate. The starting point looks like the photo above.
If you’d like to hike up to Trsat Castle, I’d recommend making it the first attraction on your DIY itinerary, as it can get too hot to climb it under the midday sun. There’s some shady spots for a break but most of the hike has no shade.
Note: It’s 561 steps to the top! I’d say that the stairway is in good condition.
3. Church of Our Lady of Trsat (aka Church of Mother of God of Trsat)
The Church of Our Lady of Trsat (Crkva Gospe Trsatske in Croatian), nestled atop Trsat Hill in Rijeka, is considered one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Croatia.
The church’s origins are linked to a 13th century legend. According to this legend, angels miraculously transported the Holy House of Nazareth (the childhood home of the Virgin Mary) from Nazareth to Trsat. After a few years, it was supposedly moved again, this time to Loreto, Italy. This legend has made Trsat a key point on the pilgrimage triangle of Nazareth-Trsat-Loreto. As such, the church is very popular with locals.
The most revered treasure within the church is a miraculous icon of Our Lady of Trsat, believed to have been painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. This church has been visited by Pope John Paul II and you can see a big statute of him outside the church.
The church is free to enter. Even if you’re not interested in churches, there’s a park outside the church with quite a few benches, so this is a good place for a break. Also, there’s a free and clean WC – something I’ve found very rare in my travels through Croatia. WC is well sign-posted.
4. City Clock Tower
The City Clock Tower, (Gradski Toranj in Croatian), is the landmark to aim for Rijeka City Centre, if you’re walking from Rijeka Cruise Port, or has just returned by bus from Trsat Castle. The City Clock Tower is on Korzo – the main pedestrian only street. There’s loads of shops, cafes and takeaway shops on Korzo.
The Clock Tower dates back to Roman times when it served as a gate to the ancient settlement of Tarsatica. This gate marked the entrance to the city from the sea, and everything between the tower and the modern waterfront is reclaimed land. In the Middle Ages, the gate was transformed into a fortified tower, part of the city walls that protected Rijeka. The Tower was re-built after the devastating earthquake of 1750.
Walk under the City Clock Tower and you’ll easily find the Cathedral of St. Vitus.
5. Cathedral of St. Vitus
The Cathedral of St. Vitus (Katedrala Svetog Vida in Croatian) has a round rotunda design and the circular layout is supposedly inspired by the famous Santa Maria della Salute church in Venice.
Built in the 17th century, the cathedral is in Baroque style. The cathedral stands on the site of an older, smaller church dedicated to St. Vitus, the patron saint of Rijeka. The Cathedral is free to enter.
6. Rijeka Tunnel
The Rijeka Tunnels, also known as TunelRi, are a network of underground passages. The most well-known tunnel, stretches 350 metres (~380 yards) from St. Vitus Cathedral to the Dolac Primary School. It was constructed during WWII as an air raid shelter for civilians. The entrance to Rijeka Tunnel will be on your left, if you face the Cathedral of St. Vitus.
Rijeka: 3 Things to Do With Kids
Both Trsat Castle and the Rijeka Tunnels are kids friendly activities – see above for details. In addition, I would also recommend the unusual Peek & Poke Computer Museum.
Peek & Poke Computer Museum boasts an impressive collection of over 2,000 items, showcasing computers, calculators, gaming consoles and other technological artefacts from the 1960s to the 1990s. There’s everything from early mainframes to iconic personal computers like the Commodore 64 and the Apple II.
Before you say, “oh my kids won’t like ancient history”, there’s loads of hands-on interactive exhibits at Peek & Poke. Kids can learn about how computers evolved to what they are today, while big kids can relive their childhood gaming experiences.
- Tickets: €7
- Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm Monday to Friday, 11am to 4pm Saturday & closed Sundays from May to mid-Oct. For winter hours, double-check on website.
Rijeka: What to Do When It Rains
In addition to Peek & Poke Computer Museum, there’s two more museums in Rijeka which will keep you entertained during a rainy day.
1. Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Coast
The Maritime and History Museum at Rijeka is housed in the 19th century Governor’s Palace. The interior of the Governor’s Palace is just as interesting as the museum’s collection!
The maritime collection showcases Croatia’s rich seafaring traditions and you’ll see ship models, navigational instruments, nautical charts and exhibits on shipbuilding, fishing and naval history.
- Opening Hours: 9am to 8pm Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm Monday, 9am to 1pm Sunday. Double check opening hours here.
- Tickets: €4 adults, €2 kids, €8 for families. Kids under 7 are free.
2. Natural History Museum Rijeka
The Natural History Museum in Rijeka has a focus on marine life and geology. The highlight of the museum is the multimedia aquarium, with a variety of Adriatic fish, sharks and rays. It’s nestled in the tranquil Nikola Host Park, so take a stroll there too if it stops raining!
- Opening Hours: 9am to 8pm Monday to Sunday
- Tickets: €3 adults, €1.50 kids
Rijeka to Opatija: Half-Day Excursion
Opatija is the crown jewel of the Croatian Riviera and is about a 20-25 minute bus ride away from Rijeka. I would say that Opatija has much more of a resort feel to it and if you fancy strolling down its famous Lungomare promenade, then a DIY half-day excursion from Rijeka to Opatija is straightforward. (My cruise called on Opatija and I travelled to Rijeka on a DIY half day excursion myself!). Check out my Opatija Croatia Guide: What to See & Do in Croatian Riveria. If you’re interested, here’s how to plan out your logistics:
Bus from Rijeka to Opatija
Bus #32 from Rijeka will take you directly to the heart of Opatija in 20-25 minutes.
- Bus Stop: Closest bus stop from Rijeka Cruise Port is opposite the Theatre Park, marked on Rijeka Cruise Port Map above 🗺️📍👆
- Note: The #32 stop is NOT at “Palazzo Modello 1” marked as per Google Maps. The “Palazzo Modello 1” stop marked on Google Maps is in fact the urban bus services stop – ie. buses operating within Rijeka. The bus to Opatija is classified as a suburban service and leaves from further down the street where I marked. Look for a bus stop sign that says “Županijske (Prigrad) Linije” which means County (Suburban) Lines! See photo below 👇
- Tickets: Cash fare from the bus driver is €3 each way (3 bus zones). But if you walk past a “Tisak” newsstand, you can buy a return to Opatija for €4.60 or a 24-hour pass for €5.44 (Zone 1-4). The 24-hour pass will cover the return trip to Opatija, as well as the bus trip to Trsat Castle.
- Timetables: See #32 bus timetable here.
- Where to Get Off: #32 bus goes all the way to Lovran, south of Opatija. Get off at Tržnica bus stop – it’s marked on my Opatija DIY Excursion Map. It’s hard to miss the stop though, because the bus drives through the town centre and most of the passengers will be getting off at Opatija. Once you get off the bus, you can easily find your way to the Lungomare.
General Note about Bus Stops in Croatia: Out of all the European countries I’ve travelled to, Croatian bus stops are the hardest for tourists! 🤣 Most stops don’t have the bus routes labelled, so it’s very hard to know whether I’m at the right bus stop or not, even if I know which bus route I want to catch! Even if the stop is at a big bus station, the departure boards don’t show which departure bay the bus stops at. This “non-labelling” is very consistent across all the Croatian cities except perhaps Zagreb. So if in doubt, ask a local like I did. And if you happen to know why Croatians don’t label their bus stops, please let me know! 😁
I hope this guide has helped you planned your DIY shore excursion ashore at Rijeka Cruise Port! I wrote this blog post about Rijeka after a reader asked me about the port, so if you’ve got any questions, please feel free to drop me a line!
