Rijeka Travel Forum

I really want to go to Croatia this september but I have no idea what to do about planning. Im going with 3 mates and we are just happy walking/cycling/seeing a few sights and importantly some good food. We want the trip to be quite cheap.

I am currently considering not booking any accomodation and just finding a new place to stay each night, then get on a bus and come back (possibly go somewhere new) and stay there. Is it going to be easy to find places to sleep in most hotels/hostels at this time or do I need to book?

Finally is a week a reasonable amount of time to spend there? And is it quite a safe place to visit?

Thanks,

Chris

First of all, yes of course it's perfectly safe. Secondly, I wouldn't make my base Rijeka, whhich isn't the most interesting of towns. In September, you don't need to worry about advance reservations. I'd base myself in Dalmatia (eg Sibenik, Split, Trogir, Dubrovnik) or Istria (eg Porec or Rovinj). Or, if your flight is into Rijeka and you don't want to travel far, Opatija. You'll eat decently everywhere.

Are there frequent buses? Id assume its £50+ return down to Dubrovnik given the distance... We could fly to Split but the flight is £120 instead of £50. Maybe we could fly into Rijeka and after a day or so go down the coast if we get bored and find a place to stay there? Then travel back up the coast to fly home. If so is 7 days long enough would you say? Obviously the longer the better but what with work and uni I cant fit much more in...

There are frequent coastal buses if you decide to leave Rijeka toward south.

Split bus station site lists more than 10 daily arrivals from Rijeka (coastal line, drives through Zadar, Sibenik).
http://www.ak-split.hr/EN/vozni.red/

Map of Croatia:
http://www.inet.hr/~amodric/autokartahrv.jpg


Istria peninsula is closer to Rijeka and it has a lot to offer (central Istria, coastal towns like Rovinj, Porec, Pula, etc.)



In September the highest season is over and it should be easy to find an accommodation (private rooms, etc.) without booking in advance. Just look for the local tourist office (Turisticka zajednica, usually located in the town centre) and they will help you with that.

If you decide to fly more south, low-cost Wizzair flies London to Split.
http://wizzair.com/index.shtml

Also EasyJet:
http://www.easyjet.com/en/book/new_to_croatia.html

Info about Croatia:
http://www.croatia.hr/English/Default.aspx

Two final questions if I may... :-)

Firstly, my flight lands at 10pm, so by the time Im through customs and the like it could be quite late. What do you think is the best thing to do about accomodation on this first night? Will I still be able to walk into a hostel or similar and get a room?

Secondly, is language an issue? I am english and speak spanish quite well and a little french but this obviously doesnt help me much...

Thanks again :-)

Sure you may... Yep, that's quite late to knock on people's doors to ask for a room to rent, so I suggest to book (at least) the first night in advance.

If you'll fly into Rijeka, here are some options for private accommodation on Krk island (where Rijeka airport is located).
http://www.apartmani-hrvatska.com/KRK_EN/INDEX.HTM

The closest place to the airport is Omisalj.

Language is not an issue, German, English and Italian are widely spoken. But, if it fails, international gesture language will always help...