Motorhome Rental in Rijeka

Camping around Rijeka and the Kvarner Bay

Rijeka sits at the head of the Kvarner Bay, one of Croatia's strongest camping regions. Kvarner has well over thirty registered campsites, with a cluster on the mainland and the larger, better-equipped resorts spread across the islands of Krk, Cres, Lošinj and Rab. Camping here is long established, so even mid-range sites tend to have proper sanitary blocks, electric hook-ups, a restaurant and direct sea or beach access.

Most sites run from mid-April to early October and peak in July and August. The big Krk resorts near Krk town, such as Valamar's Ježevac, run a much longer season, opening from late March and staying open until early January, but outside high summer your island options narrow sharply and many smaller sites shut completely. In July and August the coast and islands fill fast, so book a pitch ahead.

What you'll pay

Croatia is no longer the bargain it once was. Its campsites are now the most expensive in Europe, with peak-season pitch-plus-vehicle prices averaging above €70 a night nationally. Around Rijeka, expect a standard pitch for a campervan and two adults to run roughly €30 to €50 in the shoulder season, rising to about €60 to €90 in July and August at the four- and five-star sites on the Opatija Riviera and Krk. Simpler mainland sites and the quieter islands of Cres and Lošinj sit at the lower end.

Watch the extras. On top of the base pitch you'll usually pay a tourist tax of roughly €1 to €1.50 per adult per night (children under 12 are exempt), plus separate charges for electricity, and sometimes for pets, hot showers or Wi-Fi. Prices fall noticeably either side of high summer, so late May, June and September give you the same warm sea for a good deal less.

Camper stops and aires

Alongside full campsites, Croatia has a growing network of dedicated camper stops (listed locally as kamp odmorište, or stellplätze on German sites) — small, no-frills overnight areas with the basics: a place to park, fresh water, and grey- and black-water disposal. They work well if you move on most days and want a quick, cheap stop rather than a resort with pools and entertainment.

The network is still far thinner than in Germany, France or Italy. Croatia has only around 240 designated motorhome pitches nationwide, of which roughly 30 are in the wider Kvarner region, so they take planning rather than improvising. Near Rijeka, Autocamp Preluk on the coast towards Opatija doubles as a handy stop, and Krk has several municipal camper stops near Krk town with water, power and sanitary points, typically charging from around €30 in the shoulder season to €50 or more in peak.

Wild camping and the rules

Croatia has no right-to-roam tradition and no general freedom to camp on open land. Wild camping is illegal across the country, on private and state land alike, and the ban applies equally to tents and to campervans parked up overnight — sleeping in your vehicle outside an official campsite or camper stop counts as wild camping. Fines typically run from a couple of hundred euros into the low four figures, and enforcement tightens in summer.

It is strictest exactly where you'll be travelling: along the coast, on the Kvarner islands and in the national parks such as nearby Risnjak, where rangers and police patrol in peak season. Things are looser in remote inland areas, where an overnight stop is sometimes quietly tolerated, but it is never a right and always a gamble. The reliable approach is to use one of the region's many campsites or a designated camper stop, or to ask a private landowner's permission first.

Best activities and adventures near Rijeka

Rijeka is the gateway to the Kvarner Bay, where the Adriatic meets the forested mountains of Gorski Kotar. From your campervan base you can reach the elegant Opatija Riviera, hop between the Kvarner islands of Krk, Cres and Rab, hike the bear-and-lynx country of Risnjak National Park, and climb to the summit of Učka, where the view stretches from the Julian Alps to the open sea.

Opatija Riviera and the Lungomare

Just 13 km west of the city, the Opatija Riviera is Croatia's grand old seaside resort, a strip of Austro-Hungarian villas, palm-lined parks and waterfront cafés that was the winter playground of Vienna's aristocracy. The centrepiece is the Lungomare, the 12 km coastal promenade (officially the Franz Joseph I Promenade) that hugs the shore from the old fishing port of Volosko through Opatija to laurel-scented Lovran.

It is an easy, flat walk past 19th-century mansions and rocky swimming spots, with Opatija's bronze Maiden with the Seagull statue as the classic photo stop. Park the campervan in Opatija or Ičići and spend a half-day strolling, swimming and lingering over coffee by the sea.

Krk, Cres and Rab: the Kvarner islands

Kvarner Bay's islands each have their own character and most are reachable without leaving the campervan for long. Krk is the simplest, linked to the mainland by a toll-free bridge; head for the long pebble beach at Baška and the walled medieval lanes of Krk Town. Wilder Cres is reached by the Valbiska–Merag ferry and is one of the few places in Europe where you can watch griffon vultures nesting on cliffs straight above the sea, best seen from the village of Beli.

Rab is the surprise of the group, home to some of the country's rare sandy beaches, including the shallow, family-friendly Paradise Beach (Rajska plaža) on the Lopar peninsula. Ferries run from the mainland and from Krk, so an island loop of two or three days fits neatly around Rijeka.

Mountains: Risnjak National Park and Učka

Inland, the highlands of Gorski Kotar are sometimes called the green heart of Croatia. Risnjak National Park, whose headquarters and main entrance sit at Crni Lug, reached via the Delnice exit on the A6 Zagreb–Rijeka motorway, protects deep beech-and-fir forest that is genuine brown bear, lynx and wolf country. For a gentle visit, walk the 4.2 km Leska educational loop; for a full day, the rocky climb to the 1,528 m summit of Veliki Risnjak rewards you with views from the Alps to the sea. A small entry fee applies and the best hiking season runs roughly May to October.

Closer to the coast, Učka rises like a wall between Rijeka and Istria. Drive the steep, asphalted road up to the Poklon pass and park there; the final stretch to the 1,401 m Vojak peak is closed to private vehicles, so it is a walk or a cycle to the top. The summit is crowned by a stone lookout tower from 1911, and on a clear day the panorama takes in Istria, the Kvarner islands, the Alps and Italy. Paragliders launch from here too.

Rijeka Carnival

If you can plan around it, Rijeka's Carnival (roughly mid-January to February) is one of Europe's biggest and most colourful, a weeks-long run of masked balls, the wild local Zvončari bell-ringers and street parties that fill the old town. The climax is the International Carnival Parade, when more than a hundred thousand spectators and thousands of costumed performers from across the continent take over the city centre. Book a campsite or pitch well ahead, as the city fills up fast.

Currency and everyday costs

Croatia adopted the euro (€) on 1 January 2023, retiring the kuna, so there is no longer a separate Croatian currency to exchange. Cards work almost everywhere, including supermarkets, fuel stations and most Kvarner campsites, but keep some cash for small konobas, island ferries and village markets. ATMs are plentiful in Rijeka and the larger coastal towns. Croatia's motorways are not covered by a vignette: on the A6 from Zagreb and the A7 into Rijeka you take a ticket and pay by distance at the exit booth, in cash or by card.

Prices are moderate by Western European standards and noticeably lower inland than on the busy summer coast. A simple meal in a local konoba runs roughly €10–15 per person, a coffee €2–3, and self-catering from Lidl, Konzum or Spar keeps a campervan trip cheap. Rates on Krk, Rab and in Opatija climb sharply in July and August, so May, June and September go further.

Language and getting by in English

Croatian is the official language, and English is widely spoken along the Kvarner coast and in Rijeka, particularly by younger people and anyone in tourism, restaurants or campsites. Italian and German turn up often in this region thanks to its history and its visitors. In the small inland villages of Gorski Kotar you will meet older locals with little English.

"Dobar dan" (good day) and "Hvala" (thank you) go down well. Road signs use the Latin alphabet and standard European symbols, so navigating by van presents no surprises.

Power, plugs and charging the van

Croatia runs on 230 V, 50 Hz with Type C and Type F (European two-round-pin) sockets, the same standard as Germany, France and most of mainland Europe. Travellers from the UK, US, Australia or anywhere outside continental Europe need a travel adapter, and US devices may also need a voltage converter for anything not dual-voltage.

Campsite hook-ups use the standard blue CEE camping connector, so bring the cable supplied with your van. Hook-ups are common across Kvarner campsites for running the fridge, lights and devices.

Staying connected on the road

Croatia is an EU member, so visitors on an EU or EEA plan roam at no extra cost under "Roam Like at Home". Travellers from outside the EU should buy a local SIM or eSIM to dodge steep roaming charges. Hrvatski Telekom (HT), A1 and Telemach all sell affordable tourist data, and HT, the largest network, has the broadest coast and island coverage.

4G and 5G are strong across Rijeka and the main coast, though the signal can drop on remote parts of Cres, Lošinj and in the Gorski Kotar mountains, so download offline maps before heading inland. Reaching the islands is easy: the Krk Bridge has been toll-free since 2020, putting Krk and Rijeka Airport a short drive from the city. Free Wi-Fi is common at campsites and cafés. Tap water is safe to drink throughout Croatia, including Rijeka, so refill from campsite taps, and 112 reaches all emergency services.

Popular events and festivals near Rijeka

Rijeka was European Capital of Culture in 2020, sharing the title with Galway, and it has held onto a full cultural calendar since. The standout is the Rijeka Carnival, one of the largest in Europe, but the wider Kvarner region runs festivals from midwinter through summer and into autumn. Parking the campervan near one of these turns a Kvarner Bay road trip into something you actually remember.

Rijeka Carnival (January–February)

The Rijeka Carnival is the biggest in Croatia and ranks among the largest in Europe. The modern event was revived in 1982 with just three masked groups walking the Korzo, and it has since grown into a weeks-long season of balls, masked parties and street parades that locals call the city's fifth season. The peak is the International Carnival Parade on the Sunday before Lent, when up to 100,000 spectators line the route through the centre to watch more than 10,000 costumed participants pass by over several hours.

The most striking are the zvončari, bell-ringers wrapped in sheepskins and horned animal masks with lolling red tongues, heavy brass bells strapped around their waists that clang as they lurch through the streets to drive off winter. The Kastav-area bell-ringers' pageant was inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Most street events are free to watch, but Rijeka in February is cold and often wet, so pack warm, waterproof layers.

Rijeka Summer Nights (June–July)

Riječke ljetne noći turns the city's squares, streets and terraces into open-air stages from mid-June to late July, run by the Ivan pl. Zajc National Theatre. The programme is theatre-led but folds in opera, ballet and concerts across roughly 20 locations around the centre, much of it free or cheap.

It is also a good window for Rijeka's industrial heritage on foot. The huge former Hartera paper mill, founded in 1821 down in the Rječina canyon, hosted a cult music festival of the same name until the late 2010s and still stands as one of the city's most striking abandoned landmarks.

Nearby summer and autumn festivals

Rabska fjera, Rab Island (25–27 July): Croatia's oldest medieval summer festival, rooted in a 1364 tribute to King Louis the Great for freeing Rab from Venice. Costumed townsfolk, craft stalls and a knights' crossbow tournament fill the old town across the feast days of St James, St Anne and St Christopher, closing with cannon fire and fireworks.

Krk Fair – Lovrečeva, Krk Island (8–10 August): A fair granted its charter back in 1524 for the feast of St Lawrence, staged along the Krk waterfront and on Trg Kamplin. It pairs a market of local food and crafts with knightly reenactments, staged battles and a busy evening programme.

Marunada, Lovran (October): A sweet-chestnut festival held over October weekends in Lovran and the nearby villages of Liganj and Dobreć, running since 1973. Stalls and restaurants work the local marun chestnut into everything from cakes and purées to goulash, washed down with local wine and medica, a homemade honey brandy.