Croatia's Industrial Port — Europe's largest Carnival, Trsat Castle, Kvarner Gulf seafood, and the gateway to the Dalmatian coast
Rijeka is Croatia's third-largest city and main seaport — an industrial port town with a more authentic, less-touristed feel than Dubrovnik or Split. The Kvarner Gulf immediately offshore is one of Croatia's best seafood zones: scampi, sea bass, and the native bowfish (škarpina) are staples of the city's konobas. Trsat Castle, perched on a limestone cliff above the city, commands sweeping views of the Kvarner Gulf. The Rijeka Carnival — held each February — is one of the largest carnivals in Europe, an eight-week street festival with masked processions dating to the 14th century. The Opatija…
Rijeka's history is one of contested identity — the city was claimed by both Croatia and Italy for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Under the Habsburgs it was a major commercial port; after World War I, the Italian poet-soldier Gabriele D'Annunzio seized Rijeka in 1919 with a force of Italian nationalists and declared the Italian Regency of Carnaro — a proto-fascist city-state that influenced Mussolini's later political style. The city changed hands between Italy and Yugoslavia after World War II, becoming part of Yugoslavia in 1947 and ultimately independent Croatia in 1991. The industri…