Together with the nearby National Theatre and its park, the Modello Palace and numerous residential, commercial and industrial buildings, the City Market forms a super urban architectural complex. At its core are beautiful art nouveau market halls, especially the lively fish market, which is in an imposing Liberty style building with charming mouldings by famous Venetian sculptor Urbano Bottasso of the poor crustaceans destined soon to hit your plate.

Don't miss the city's central market if you love to get the feel for real local atmosphere. Stalls piled high with fresh local produce and the cheery banter of traders and their customers are one of the everyday pleasures of this part of the world. The market is a good place for speciality delicatessen, and the lively fish market at the end closest to the sea is a must if you have the means to cook your own! The pleasant streets of the market area are lined with fast food takeaways and inexpensive konoba for a quick and authentic lunch – see the “Where to eat” section - plus a few pleasant cafés with leafy terraces. [...]

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“Rijeka” means “river”, and the city didn’t get its name by chance – many waters sourcing in those mountains you see there wind their way through the city, underground and overground. The Rječina is the big sister of all of these. Downtown Rijeka lies west of the river, and east is the old neighbourhood Sušak (once a separate town, and at one time in a separate country), the dockland Brajdica and Pećine.

The mouth of the Rječina provided shelter for seafarers since before Roman times. When the port was developed, the Rječina was diverted, leaving its original course abandoned – you’ll see it on the map marked as “Mrtvi kanal” – “Dead canal”. In the middle of these is an area called Delta, where there’s a pleasant park, with its bandstand and café. The two sides are connected by bridges. Just in front of the Hotel Continental is the bridge where you’ll find a statue of the writer Kamov (see Landmarks) leaning against the railings. Further south, you’ll spot the brand new bridge built as a monument to the soldiers who defended Croatia in the recent war (see Landmarks ). Fans of WW II history may also be interested to see the plaque commemorating Rijeka’s liberation from fascist rule by Tito’s partizans.
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The neighbourhood of Sušak that lies across the river was once a separate settlement. It got its name from the Croatian verb sušiti – “to dry”, since once upon a time there were large areas used for drying the laundry washed in the many springs here. The coming of the railway brought wealth and expansion, and a host of fine buildings and palaces grew up and today line the bank on the east side of the Rječina. The area of land between the centre of Rijeka and Sušak, called the Delta, was the dividing line between two states between the World Wars. Rijeka fell under the jurisdiction of Italy, and died a death due to competition from the larger Italian ports, while Sušak prospered as the main port of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Take a walk through the atmospheric streets and you come to the neighbourhood of Pećine that lies on the shore. It was the elite residential during Austro-Hungarian rule, and it’s worth a wander. The Ružić villa, where members of the political and literary families Ružić and Mažuranić lived, is particularly noted (Pećine no. 5). Industrialist Đuro Ružić was responsible for building many of Sušak’s fine houses. His relative by marriage, Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić, was an author of much-loved children’s books. She wrote one book, “Tales of Long Ago”. You can see a beautifully illustrated edition in English translation in the family’s library, which is listed as a cultural monument. [...]

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The “Corso” is Rijeka’s main pedestrian street. Lined by elegant period buildings, shops and cafés, interspersed with refreshing fountains, this is where the locals gather by day to catch up on the latest, and to enjoy a promenade. Just behind the seafront, Korzo is the very [...]

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One of Rijeka’s important landmarks is the Maritime and Historical Museum which is located in one of the most beautiful architectonic buildings from 19th century Rijeka. A former palace, it was originally designed and built as the residency for king’s emissaries and governors.
Today it is a Museum which collects, keeps, handles and presents artefacts connected to the history and culture of the Primorsko-goranska County and the city of Rijeka. The be all and end all is here, starting with the first settlers in pre-historical time through to the 20th century.
Divided into categories, the museum’s collection contains the Archaeological Department with pre-historical, antique, medieval and numismatic collections. For those fascinated by aquatic forms of transport, the History of Maritime Department consists of historical reconstructions of ships, ship equipment, nautical instruments, maps, pictures and prints as well as material from the Ethnographical, Cultural and Historical Departments. [...]

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Perched on a hill overlooking the harbour area and keeping watch over the hinterland is the fortress Trsat, which has stood guard over the city since Illyrian times. Trsat is the site of the first settlement of Rijeka, inhabited since prehistoric times. It’s one of the best known symbols of the city.
You may also notice from a distance the elegant spire of a white church. Trsat is a complex comprising the fortress and church, a Franciscan monastery, a smaller church, a sports hall and exhibition centre (where many concerts are held), landscaped park gardens and a charming huddle of houses. It’s a serene place to linger over a coffee, and the ecclesiastical heart of Rijeka. The church, St Mary of Trsat, has been a shrine to the Virgin Mary and a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of years. The story goes that when, at the end of the 13th century, the Crusaders were taking Mary’s house from Nazareth to Loretto, where they would set it up as a pilgrim shrine, they stopped and rested at Trsat. A church was then built on the site by the Frankopans (who played a large role in the entire development of Trsat), and also became a place of pilgrimage. The church contains a great number of renowned religious paintings and a 14th century icon of Our Lady, reputed to be miraculous. It was presented to Croatian pilgrims in Loretto, and is venerated to this day. For more on the church and its sacral art collection see below. The fort has had many facelifts over the centuries, notably by local influential families, the Frankopans of Krk, the Captains of Bakar and the Hapsburgs. The last and most romantic alterations were made by Irish-born Count Laval Nugent, a commander of the Austro-Hungarian empire, who eventually made his home here and established a museum. Sadly, the museum no longer exists. There are attractive underground spaces (one of which once housed prison cells) which are now used as exhibition spaces, and apparently a secret passageway leads to the Rječina river. The Grecian style Nugent family mausoleum is also now a gallery space. The fort is well worth visiting for its architectural beauty and the stunning views over Rijeka and the Kvarner Gulf. It’s part of a chain of defences across the mountains that protected the Roman Empire from barbarian invasion.
You can reach Trsat using the 16th century stairs of Captain Petar Kružić – the traditional route for pilgrims. Before you start complaining, pilgrims often climb them on their knees as a mark of devotion. But if it’s hot or you’re feeling parky, you can also reach Trsat by road from the east of the centre, or take bus 1 or 1a. [...]

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