Rijeka Car Rental

Rijeka is famed for its annual carnival held before Lent. Aside from colorful parades and costumed Zvončari (bullmen), there are races, food markets and charity balls in and around the event itself. Other noted festivals include Rijeka Summer Nights, a month-long festival in late June with music and theatrical performances across town.

Rijeka hosts a wide variety of sports and outdoor activities. The city's soccer team, HNK Rijeka, competes in the country's First Football League. You can also attend handball, water polo, basketball and volleyball games from Rijeka's pro teams. Visitors can get involved with water sports locally and even go winter skiing at the nearby resort of Platak.

Rijeka has a wide-reaching range of cultural museums and galleries. These include the Natural History Museum, Rijeka City Museum, Maritime & History Museum and Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art. The city's must-visit monument is Trsat Castle, an impressive 13th-century fort overlooking the Rječina River.

Music fans have much to enjoy in Rijeka, from the delightful Ivan Zajc Croatian National Theater to a full calendar of festivals. Impulse Festival lands in April with shows across town, while neighboring Opatija hosts Croatia's biggest jazz festival, Liburnia Jazz Festival, in July.

Rijeka is renowned for its seasonal produce and bountiful seafood. Local specialties include sušeni štokalj (dried octopus) and creska janjetina (Cres lamb). The region is also known for its olive oil, wine and šurlice pasta. Traditional eateries can be found throughout the city, but head for the area around Kazališni Park — there's plenty of choice for adventurous palettes, and the park is the perfect place to relax after a meal.

For shopping, Rijeka has a blend of unique boutiques, locally made craft stores and bustling shopping malls. The city's central market is the place to go for fresh produce. City center stores often open until 20:00 for evening wanders. Two shopping malls, Tower Center Rijeka and ZTC, are found on the edges of the town.

Rijeka is surrounded by beaches and coastal trails for a fun day out. The city's best beach is Sablićevo Beach, a small pebble beach just moments from the center. You can also head out on the Kostrena Coastal Path southeast of the city. Aside from the plentiful coastal attractions, Rijeka is well-known for its historic landmarks. Many of these include religious buildings like St Vitus' Cathedral and Our Lady of Trsat Church, the steep Petar Kružić Stairway. It's popular to drive around the coast or to nearby nature parks like Risnjak Prirode Učka and National Park for hikes and outdoor excursions with a car or van hire in Rijeka.

Rijeka is a convenient city to navigate with decent road links. The city's road network includes access to three freeways for cross-country travel and many scenic local roads taking in both the coast and inner Croatia.

Rijeka has access to Zagreb via the A6 freeway, which joins the A1. The A6 also offers quick access to Risnjak National Park and the resort of Istria. The majority of the A6 involves ticket tolling. The A7 acts as a Rijeka bypass, connecting the city to the Slovenian border and the A8 in the Istrian peninsula. It includes the Učka Tunnel, a toll tunnel to the west.

The A1 is Croatia's longest and one of the most important freeways in the country. It almost spans the breadth of the country, from Zagreb to Split, and connects with smaller freeways for further cross-country travel. Designed in the 1970s, the freeway wasn't completed until 2005.

For those driving a car in Rijeka, you'll find the road infrastructure well-maintained. It's worth noting that vehicles drive on the right side of the road in Croatia. Speed limits are always expressed in km/h, with limits of 50 km/h in built-up areas and up to 130 km/h on freeways. Despite this, many sections of the freeway, particularly around Rijeka, have lower speeds. Always abide by limits, as Rijeka has a network of static and mobile speed cameras.

There is plentiful parking in Rijeka, from on-street spots to guarded lots. Managed city parking is provided by Rijeka Plus, with lots at Ciotta Street and Zagrad B. While generally easy to find, some parking lots can get busy in the high season. You should also look out for rush hour traffic from 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 18:00. Toll booths, in particular, can see queues at peak times.

Zones around schools (marked "SKOLA") see lower speed limits of 40 km/h. What's more, the center of Rijeka has a number of pedestrianized areas and zebra crossings where vehicles should stop or are prohibited. These low-speed areas and no-driving zones are all well-sign-posted. Follow them at all times.