Venice to Rijeka public transport

Venice to Rijeka

view from the air

Before I start I should add that it is only possible to get direct flights from Dublin to Zadar on Ryanair and also on Aer Lingus to Dubrovnik however this year they are both adding a new destination but the dates dont suit.  The Zadar route is not available year round and ended in August so it was not possible for me to do this however last year I did take this option.  The Aer Lingus choice was 8 times more expensive and I would still have been at the wrong end of the country so it would have cost even more and a very long bus journey to get to Rijeka.  This trip I am going sailing and starting in Rijeka.  I couldn’t do it via Stansted to Pula Airport either as I was traveling in September.  Ryanair have starting flying to Pula from Ireland but not until later in May. Last year in July I did fly from Dublin to Zadar for 20 Euro then I took a bus.  I was going to Dubrovnik and I broke the journey in Mostar which is Bosnia.  My son did that trip direct, its long 14 hours in total but it cost 11 euro and the direct Dublin Dubrovnik flight on Aer Lingus was roughly 350 euro.

I started the adventure last night really but for me it was 15 hours before that, I started my journey at 3  am in Athy, Co. Kildare I took a taxi to the bus stop, from there I took a bus that was 30 minutes late to Dublin airport and checked in for a Ryanair flight to Venice, well Ryanair’s Venice actually located in Treviso Italy. venice train ticket I arrived there at 10 am local time and made my way to the airport information desk where the staff spoke fluent Italian, French, German, English and more I’m sure.  VeniceIt was here I got all the information about the buses and trains I need to take.   As I need to go to Rijeka I must take a bus to the train station, a train to Trieste (still in Italy) and from there another bus to Rijeka.  I have to purchase the tickets as I travel as in Italy there are several different companies who operate the train system and buses.  It does get confusing on this issue but it is easy to get around and they are remarkably good value compared to some countries.  I took a bus to the train station and purchased my ticket. There is no need to book in advance as reservations are not available on these trains.  Prices have doubled in the last 8 years but prices do vary at different times of the day as different companies operate in Italy and while it makes no sense to me how this works you can save money by checking the times etc.

Many people I read about and talk to have this so well researched and planned and have spent hours, days, months even planning every detail of their trip that it’s almost military precision planning and I just can’t travel that way as for me it removes the sense of adventure.  I rarely have plans set in stone, I always tell people I live my life somewhere between plan D and Z.  Plan A is like a foreign continent that I’ve never traveled to and the most definitely wouldn’t recognize me there.   Mostly I tend to plan as I travel and if a local or fellow traveler tells me of a great place they know of  I can go there if I wish and stay longer if I love it or accordingly leave early if I’m not particularly enamored  with the place.  Luckily for me, as on this particular day and many other days in Italy there was a problem with the train system.  venice trainThis resulted in several trains being cancelled.  Eventually I made my way with the help of people on the platform, who, at one point jumped and ran in unison across platforms and boarded a bockety old train with standing room only and very crowded at that.  The train leaked a lot from the AC unit and I’m sure by some European standards it was dangerously overcrowded but people didn’t seem to mind and considering the delay everyone was in very good spirits.  The noise of constant loud chatter in Italian added to the excitement of the trip I had just begun.

venice to RijekaI’ve never been to this area before.  I’m not particularly sure where I’m going I just know I have to make my way to Rijeka in Croatia.  If everything had gone according to plan I should have arrived around 4 pm.  That is of course never going to happen now.   I arrived just in time to purchase a bus ticket and board a bus to Rijeka.  Buses are not expensive here but keep your passport out as you will be going in and out of Bosnia and also entering Slovenia and you will need it, you will come across border controls at the most unusual spots and you wont get any warning so keep your passport on your person, bus drivers are grumpy here:)

The Bosnian border control is eventful to say the least.  Without question the rudest people I have ever encountered in this profession.  Definitely a bit of power play going on here and over compensating for something.  Sometimes going into these countries you will have to get off the bus while it’s searched and moved all of 20 feet across a border while you go through immigration and get back on the bus.  Croatia is now part of the EU as is Italy but Bosnia is not and really from what I witnessed on several occasions the people they seem to target with their rudeness which extends to shouting and verbal abuse is people who once lived with them under the Yugoslavian flag.

Once you begin your journey on a Croatian bus the bus drivers charge for putting your bag in the hold, the fee is normally 3 Euro and they give you a ticket for your bag.  This charge is non negotiable but when you purchase your ticket you are told this is the only charge.  This practice of being unable to challenge the fee or even argue it exists is an example of Croatia under old communistic ways rather than a modern European society.  It will be a while before they are at that point.

I wasn’t even sure it the bus was going my direction but fellow passengers with broken limited English assured me it was.  The bus journey took about 2 hours and I arrived into a bustling and crowded Rijeka station, Rijeka is a port city, some people love it and others think it’s a kip.  I really like it.  More importantly as a woman travelling alone I feel perfectly safe and no one hassles me at all.  I find the captain of my boat and the man who will hold his life in my hands for the next month.  I made it.  I’ve arrived safely to Croatia.

Venice to Rijeka

Cost:  The entire trip from Dublin to Rijeka cost me 65.00 Euro.

  • This included a one way ticket on Ryanair Dublin to Treviso (Venice),
  • a bus from Treviso airport to the train station,
  • the train to Trieste and
  • the bus from Trieste to Rijeka.

Rijeka Airport is actually near Omisalj on the island of Krk. However, it is an easy transfer to Rijeka and other places in the Kvarner Riviera. See the airport website for bus timetables (under the “How to Find Us” heading).

http://www.rome2rio.com/s/Treviso/Rijeka


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About Sandra

Just a girl from Ireland who wants to live everywhere. Not a planner, a winger when it comes to travel. I don't even like people who plan too much. Without spontaneity there is no depth. A jack of all trades. A great friend, loyal and passionate and I expect the same in return. Always ready for the next adventure at a moments notice.
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