As far as I’m aware, there are eight buses a day that run from Zadar to Rijeka, with the earliest bus being the 08:18 and the latest being the 00:25. The distance between the towns along the coast road is around 220 km. Our bus was scheduled to take 5 hours but actually took 4.5 hours. Tickets were 150 kn each ($22.50).
Buying The Bus Tickets
We only decided to leave for Rijeka at the last minute, so bought our tickets at the bus station just before we left. During high season I’d suggest booking in advance if you can, just in case the bus is fully booked. We usually use getbybus.com to buy our bus tickets in Croatia.
The Bus
This was the third bus journey in a row that we got a Cazmatrans bus, and we recognized the driver from an earlier journey. The bus was the usual good quality and had two drivers. They swapped over about half way.
The bus looked like it had recently be refurbished, as all the seats were newly re-upholstered. The seats were comfortable and there was enough leg room. As usual it cost 7 kn ($1) for each piece of luggage placed in the hold.
The Journey
The bus traveled along the coast road, so we had a view of the sea for almost the entire journey. Some of the scenery was pretty spectacular, such as when we passed the above islands.
We also had views of many small towns and villages dotted along the coast. The bus traveled through Starigrad Paklenica, Karlobag, Senj, Novi Vinodolski, and Crikvenica. We stopped for 10 minutes at Karlobag so that passengers could use the toilet, stretch their legs or grab a coffee or some snacks.
The bus was pretty empty for almost the whole journey, with only 9 passengers at the start and 3 left when we arrived in Rijeka. But a few extra passengers got on and off along the route. The bus that we got originated in Split and was headed for a final destination of Pula.
Rijeka Bus Station
Rijeka bus station is in the city center, so you can probably walk to your hotel if that’s where you’re staying.
Map Of Zadar To Rijeka Bus Journey
Summary
Ticket Websites: getbybus.com or buscroatia.com
Bus Departure Times: 08:18, 12:00, 12:45, 16:00, 18:15, 23:21, 23:30, 00:25 (check locally or online for up to date times)
Journey Time: 4.5-5 hours
Cost: Around 150 kn ($22.50) – exact cost depends on bus company
Where To Stay In Rijeka
We stayed in a fantastic, brand new apartment right next to the bus station. The apartment is on the second floor of the above building. The bus station is to the left of the building. This was one of the best apartments we’ve stayed in recently. It also had the fastest wifi we’ve had in Croatia, at over 30 Mbps. See Apartment Molo Longo for a review of our stay. For other apartments and hotels in Rijeka, see Agoda Rijeka.
