There are many ways of getting around Kvarner, and our Kvarner Transfer and Transportation Guide below gives you all the transport advice you need for your holiday there. Booking one of our interesting Kvarner tours is a great way to learn more bout this fascinating region. See our Croatia Transportation Guide for general information about travelling in Croatia.

Kvarner Transfer and Transportation Guide

Getting to Kvarner

By Air

There are two international airports serving the region - Rijeka on Krk Island and another at Lošinj. The Rijeka airport functions mainly during summer. There is also a sports airport at Grobnik and an air dock at Unija. Rijeka airport's capacity is highly underutilised; there are only two international flights from here - to Hanover and Köln. However, new flights to Munich and Stuttgart are scheduled to begin from 23rd April 2009. From 1st April 2009, an Oslo-Rijeka air link will commence operations.

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By Rail

Kvarner Bay is connected by two rail links - to Ljubljana and Zagreb. This is because the Zagreb-Rijeka link is a part of the Budapest-Zagreb-Rijeka international rail corridor. Daily trains leave from Rijeka to Zagreb, Ljubljana, Munich and Budapest.

By Boat

Rijeka Port is the busiest and most important, with terminals to handle international cargo and passengers. Another international port is in Mali Lošinji; the rest are local ports used to ferry tourists between the islands. Among these ports, Brestova (Istria) connects to Porozina on Krk island, and Valbiska on Cres island connects to Merag port on Losinj island. The Baška-Lopar link is between the Krk and Rab islands. To arrive at Mišnjak port on Rab Island, you'll have to cross the Adriatic Sea from Jablanac on the mainland.

From Rijeka, there are international ferry services to Bari (Italy) via Zadar, Korcula and Dubrovnik.

By Road

Rijeka is Kvarner's transport hub. A large bus terminal serves both national and international destinations like Dubrovnik, Split, Trieste and Sarajevo. From Rijeka, highways radiate north towards Slovenia, west towards Istria and east in the direction of Zagreb.

The road network is reasonably good in terms of connectivity and appropriate signage. Technically, however, road quality is only average. The region also lacks in sufficient highways.

Getting Around Kvarner Bay & Its Islands

Krk

The island is connected to the mainland by bridge. It is also accessible by ferry. Krk's airport serves the neighbouring islands and Rijeka.

Rab

One of the islands that form part of the Kvarner Bay archipelago, Rab is located midway in the Adriatic Sea. It is well connected to the mainland by road as well as regular ferry services. Between Jablanac on the mainland and the port of Mišnjak on Rab, there are 8-20 ferry services a day and even more, if required - it's just a 15-minute crossing.

From Jablanac, roads head towards Zagreb, Pula, Ljubljana and Trieste. Travel into the hinterland is possible on the "Jozefinska cesta", the road that leads from Senj (50 km from Rab) through Vratnik, Velika, Mala Kapela and Lika, to Karlovac and Zagreb.

Island of Susak

South of the Istrian peninsula, around 7 km west of Losinj is the island of Susak. Regular ferry services from Losinj, Cres and Rijeka connect Susak to the Croatian mainland.

Opatija

At the foot of Mount Učka, one of Croatia's nature parks, is the town of Opatija, which is named after the 14-century Benedictine abbey. Opatija means "abbey" and this one is dedicated to Saint Jacob. The nearest large town is Rijeka. To reach Opatija, take Bus No. 32 from Rijeka's town centre. The 14 km journey is covered in 25 minutes, a very pleasant ride along the scenic coast. There are three bus services every hour on this route. For Rijeka, Opatija and Krk transfers check TAXI services list below. 

Whilst visiting Kvarner you have many options for Kvarner accommodation and Kvarner Hotels. Our local company offers Hotels in Rijeka, Hotels in Opatija, Hotels in Krk Island, as well as Hotels in Rab Island! Also, be sure to check out a Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park or a Tour of Krk Island.