This is the magnificent Gulf of Kvarner in Croatia and there is its biggest city, surprisingly
underrated Rijeka. Rijeka is set in a gorgeous location and offers a rich heritage with many
interesting things to do. Just to give you a few examples, the first torpedo in the world
was produced and launched here and in 2020 Rijeka was awarded the prestigious title of
European Capital of Culture. Hi guys, my name is Rok and I’ve spent the last 9 years travelling
around Europe as a tour guide and I can’t wait to show you Things To Do In Rijeka Croatia.
The most important part of Rijeka is it's harbour. First harbour was built by the Romans
in the mouth of the river that enters the Adriatic Sea right here. That explains the
name of the city as the word Rijeka translates into a River. Over time ships were becoming
bigger and bigger and the river mouth became too shallow. That is why in the 1800s Hungarians,
who jointly ruled Rijeka with Austrians, built this new port. Construction included this
long, over 1700 meters or over a mile long Breakwater known as Molo Longo that also serves
as a promenade with nice views of the city. Harbour waterfront is full of bars, restaurants
and places. The most imposing one is Adria Palace, a symbol of Rijeka maritime power
from the 19th century. Today the palace serves as the headquarters of Jadrolinija, a national
ferry company that serves the whole coast of Croatia. On the first glance this industrial
part of the harbour about 3 kilometers or 1.8 miles from the old town doesn’t look
like much. But in the 19th century this was the place where technologically most innovative
European Industry was developed as Rijeka was a major port of the powerful Austro-Hungarian
Empire. Rijeka had one of the largest milling plants in the world and the largest oil refinery
in Europe and among other thriving factories this is where the first torpedo factory in
the world was built. The story of torpedo started with an idea of a defence weapon known
as the coast saviour. After a successful prototype test in 1866 a factory was built and this
building, or what’s left of it, was a torpedo launch station. You see, after the defeat
of Austro-Hungarian Empire in the first world war, Rijeka became part of Italy and during
the second world war Rijeka was part of Fascist Italy. Due to its industries it was an important
target of Allied Strategic bombing. Second world war devastation is the main reason why
Rijeka is such an architectural mish mash. In the old railroad warehouse, next to the
old town, you can visit an interesting torpedo exhibition open from Tuesday to Sunday from
2pm to 8pm. In this interesting industrial environment you will learn how these sophisticated
weapons were designed and built here. On the slopes of Rijeka is one of the most beautiful
mosques in Europe. Six domes and semi domes in reinforced concrete are rising from the
square with great views over the Adriatic Sea. The minaret is also a unique structure
made from a central steel cylinder and a sheet-steel mantle. Under the square are two levels for
the Islamic Centre, where you can also find a restaurant. The mosque can be visited outside
five daily times of prayer. This beautiful and modern Islamic Center and its mosque were
built in 2013 and show how Rijeka was always a multinational, multicultural, modern and
cosmopolitan city. From a modern mosque to an old Roman Catholic Cathedral dedicated
to St. Vitus, a patron saint of the city. St Vitus is portrayed as a young man with
a palm and in the middle ages he became such an important figure that Rijeka was called
Rijeka of St Vitus. Old medieval cathedral was replaced with this Baroque style round
church in the 1600s. If you know Venice this will remind you of the famous round church
of Santa Maria della Salute upon which it was modelled. Near the entrance to the cathedral
is an interesting quirk, a lodged cannonball from the Napoleonic wars. This is a reminder
that Rijeka had a turbulent past. Inside you can admire rich ornamented marble altars with
numerous statues of saints. But the most valuable piece is a Gothic crucifix from the 13th century.
You should also take a closer look at the beautifully sculpted main bronze door, as
they show Croatian history. Cathedral is open daily from 06.30 am till noon and from 4:30
pm to 7pm. Despite being a major sea port and despite its rich industrial past, Rijeka
has surprising beaches awarded with blue flag, a symbol of finest beaches and the cleanest
sea. Just don't expect to find beaches in the city centre. Popular beaches are only
a couple of kilometers up and down the coast and they can be reached by public transport.
And this is one of them, pebbled city beach Ploče. With its shallow banks it is popular
with families. Here you can find bars and restaurants and swimming pools that are part
of the newly built water polo stadium, a popular sport in Croatia.
This is one of the most picturesque soccer stadiums in the world. It sits right between
the sea and the steep cliff and was ranked third on CNN's list of the most unusual stadiums
in the world. This stadium is mainly used for soccer, athletics, concerts and tournaments
and it looks absolutely phenomenal. Under the stadium is a pebbled beach, a popular
place with young people and for pet owners it is good to know that here is also a separate
dog beach. This is the main food market with fresh regional products. It is located next
to the port in three art nouveau market halls. They are standing in a row so you can easily
pass from one hall to another. One hall is for dairy products, another for meat products
and the third hall is for fish and seafood as the Adriatic Sea is just a stone throw
away. It is obvious how important the fish market is as it is located in an imposing
Liberty style building with charming mouldings. Between the halls is an open air market where
you will find fresh vegetables and fruits. Here you will find ladies presenting their
products on a small table as these veggies come directly from their backyard and are
part of so-called urban gardening. This lovely central market is open daily. Once you walk
under the Clock Tower you enter the oldest part of Rijeka. Despite wars, earthquakes
and heavy bombardment during the second world war, Old town still preserved some of its
historical charm. But due to the second world war devastation and the fact that Rijeka was
rebuilt by communist Yugoslavia The Old town is a big mixture of different styles. This
leaning self standing bell tower from the middle ages is a great example. It belongs
to this beautiful medieval church that was built on the remains of Roman thermal bath.
But all around the church and the bell tower are practical and not the most inspiring buildings
from the communist period. This Roman Arch known as the old gate is among the oldest
remains in Rijeka. As you can see it is currently under renovation. Somehow it managed to survive
to this day and it has been incorporated into present day buildings. This arch used to be
part of a monumental main entrance into Roman military headquarters from where modern day
city developed over centuries. If you walk under the arch you will get to a small archeological
park with more Roman traces. Only a few streets from the coast the city starts to go uphill
on the gradually rising slope. Hilly terrain was used by Italian military. Between the
world wars Rijeka was part of Italy and the military build underground tunnels to protect
civilians from Allied aerial bombings. And as it turned out these tunnels were really
needed. The tunnels are open to the public and are a great place to escape the summer
heat. One of the entrances is right next to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. Unfortunately
at the time of my visit the tunnel is temporarily closed due to Covid restrictions. Just a few
moments ago this passage in the old town was packed with people. It is located on the famous
pedestrian Korzo street, under the Radio Rijeka building and it often comes useful as it is
known as the Waiting Room for Brightening. It serves as a public shelter, where you can
wait until the rain stops. Even on hot sunny summer days you can expect short showers in
Rijeka, as the moist air from the sea rises to the high mountains right behind the city.
To make waiting more fun the walls have signs with interesting information about rain in
Rijeka. One of the signs says that in his lifetime the citizen of Rijeka changes about
3480 umbrellas. I don't know how they came up with that number, but that is a lot of
umbrellas. And this is the soul of Rijeka. This lovely pedestrian promenade is lined
with numerous cafés, bars and shops and is the most popular meeting place in Rijeka.
Rijeka used to be a surrounded by defensive walls that used to run right where this street
is. The city walls were pulled down in the 18th century after a major earthquake, when
Rijeka began its transformation and the city as we know it today started to emerge. As
Rijeka was part of Austrian Empire from 14 hundreds till the first world war it was the
Austrians who pulled down the city walls and transformed newly freed space into this promenade.
Austrians also built this Clock Tower with a richly decorated portal wearing Austrian
imperial coat of arms and a stone relief of Austrian emperors. The City Clock tower has
become a landmark of Rijeka as let’s meet under the clock is a familiar expression around
Rijeka. Old archway marks the beginning of Trsat Staircase with more than 500 stone steps
leading from the city centre to the famous Shrine of Our Lady. Steps were constructed
in 15 hundreds to be used by pilgrims and were lined with chapels used as rest stops.
A local legend talks about a Devil helping people to build the stairs in exchange of
the first soul that walks the staircase. Once the work was completed people sent the goat
to be the first to walk the stairs. The devil got angry and cursed the staircase. As a result
no one can count the exact number of steps. Once you walk the stairs or rather use a public
bus you get to one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the country. This is the oldest church
dedicated to Mary in Croatia. According to the legend, angels brought a Holy Family tabernacle
from the Holy land to this exact spot on May 10th 1291. It remained here for 3 and a half
years until, according to legend, angels transferred it to Loretto, Italy. In its place a church
was built and it became a pilgrimage site. Most of the present-day shrine dates from
the 15th century when count Frankopan constructed a new church and monastery for Franciscan
monks. In the 14th century the pope donated a painting of the Mother of God breastfeeding
the dressed baby Jesus that is kept at the main altar, and is considered to be its greatest
treasure. Not far from the church is this 13 century castle built on a strategic point
right above the River. This is an excellent lookout point from where you can also see
the entire Gulf of Kvarner. First lookout tower was built here even before the Romans
and over the centuries the tower grew into a fort. This castle played a crucial role
in defending Rijeka. When the last major threats were gone, the castle fell into decay. In
the mid 18 hundreds it was given to senior officers of Austrian troops. He restored it
in Neo-Gothic style and gave it today's appearance. The castle remained in the hands of his family
until the end of the Second World War. Today it is used for open-air summer concerts, theatre
performances and other events. Castle has a gallery space and its courtyard serves as
a restaurant and can be visited every day from 9 am to midnight. If you ever traveled
by road to Croatian coast you were among millions of people that pass by Rijeka every year and
never stop here. From the highway you can see big communist era skyscrapers and ugly
industrial buildings so most people presume that Rijeka is just an ugly Croatian port
town and I was no different. But when I came across this 17th century illustration of Rijeka
I was amazed. Picturesque walled coastal town with a river next to it and above the river
a rising cliff with a castle on the top. After spending a few days here I can say that I
was impressed by Rijeka, its heritage and easy going charm and I think this place is
well worth the visit. If you want to see my other Croatia videos, check out my Croatia
playlist in the top corner. If you like this video please give it a thumbs up. You can
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