How to travel Croatia the entertaining way. Best camping, transit, and more.

James

If you’re looking on how to travel, take the bus, and adventure around Croatia, this little guide will tell you some of the things I’ve learnt about travelling Croatia.

I’ll get into details, good spots for camping around Krk, adventuring, the best busses, and other ways to get around Rijeka and Croatia! I’ll start with transport and busses in Croatia.

Rijeka bus lines map
Rijeka bus lines map in low resolution

Transportation

Bus around Croatia – Rijeka, Pula, Zadar, Zagreb, and more

Taking the bus is the most economical way to get around Croatia and was the method I’d use for 70% of cases. The rest of times I would use BlaBlaCar or even hitchhike.

FlixBus – They’re all over Europe and offer alright prices to get from place to place. They have operations between major cities which come from other European areas. FlixBus is reliable, of decent quality, and has a toilet and sometimes limited free WiFi on the rides (not on all).

Baska Croatia beach
One of the many gorgeous spots Baška, Krk island, Croatia.

Arriva – Excellent prices, reliable, effective, and I would use them often for travelling in Croatia. They have lines that span everywhere and sometimes subcontract rides to other bus services. Note: You often have to pay to add luggage to a ride.

Rijeka bus ticket 3 zone
Rijeka bus ticket 3 zone

Train – Poor prices, okay quality, not my preferred way to travel in Croatia. If you take the train in Croatia be prepared to pay higher amounts and for it to be slow. Only would recommend if you’re interested in the scenery and experience.

Local transit – These are very effective, often cost around ~10kn for a single ticket, and fast. Google Maps however doesn’t show much on their routes so you should ask locals or do your research beforehand on the website (Autotrolej Rijeka for example)

BlaBlaCar and ridesharing in Croatia

I love BlaBlaCar and would use it often! It’ll cost about the same as Flixbus or Arriva in many cases but with the benefit of just sharing a car with a couple people. You may make friends even this way as I have and I highly recommend BlaBlaCar.

Hitchhiking is also an option and almost every single time I put my thumb up, I had a ride within 10 minutes. Amazing time!

Hitchhiking Croatia
Hitchhiking Croatia works amazingly well!

Taxi in Croatia?

Taxi and Uber are sometimes great ways to get around, but be careful! If you’re a tourist you can expect tourist pricing – especially to and from airports or major tourist destinations.

For example, taxis in the city Cammeo and similars cost only 25kn for 5km. Make sure to tip your driver!

Flying around Croatia?

Ryanair, EasyJet, EuroWings, and WizAir often have excellent prices for flights in, out, and within Croatia.

However, these prices often go up quickly around warmer months and tourist season. From times I’ve been able to fly from Zadar to Poland for only 3 euros and from Stuttgart to Rijeka (Krk) for 7 eur!

If you fly to Rijeka, you will actually land in Krk. You will need to take a shuttle bus from Krk to the city center of Rijeka. This often costs around 50kn from my memory. There is an exchange at the airport with unfavorable fees. There is no other easy way from Krk to Rijeka except by taxi which would cost a lot.

Camping in Croatia

I’m a huge lover of nature and the outdoors, and camping in Croatia is amazing. However, there are two types of camping – legal and slightly less legal camping!

Paid campsites

You pay for a spot at a campsite and sometimes have access to water, bathroom, and electricity. Prices vary from 50kn to 500kn a night depending on location and luxury. They often have parking spots and sometimes showers.

Wild camping in Croatia

While not technically legal, wild camping in Croatia fine in 90% of cases. Be out of the way, be respectful, and don’t trespass and you’ll be fine. Friends and I have camped around Rijeka, camping Krk, Pula, etc without a worry. Often by the sea and in amazingly beautiful places.

Clean up after yourself, don’t litter, and please be respectful to the local environment if you wild camp in Croatia. Use Google Maps to scout out for spots and ask some locals.

Camping Krk

Krk island is a gorgeous and very large place. You’ll find good camping spots all over, though if you’re looking to go be camping in Krk city center, you’ll have a hard time finding a spot. We went to a local beach and walked into the trees until we found a nice spot.

Camping in Baška

Camping Baska Croatia
Our view from where we were wild camping Baška Croatia.

There is not much areas to camp around Baška for free. My partner and I walked to the top of the hill and setup secretly. Baška is a very touristy area and so there is lots of paid camping, hostels, hotels, and AirBnB.

Camping elsewhere in Croatia

The entire coastline is full of gorgeous scenery, so you really have a world of possibilities for camping. Inland too, there is a ton of unused space which is great to setup a tent or hammock, or sleep in your vehicle. Be respectful, discreet, and kind.

Adventuring Croatia

There are an incredible amount of places to explore and travel in Croatia. From war-torn and abandoned buildings like Hotel Haludovo to the sub-tropical coastline, exploring Croatia is full of possibilities.

Hotel Haludovo

One of my favorite spots, Hotel Haludovo is an abandoned 5-star casino and resort turned derelict during the Yugoslav war. Many people adventure and visit this place and while it’s not world-famous, there is certainly word about it going around.

Hotel Haludovo Krk
Hotel Haludovo Krk island – we did airsoft here!

Plitvice national park

Plitvice national park is a paid national park but well worth it. It’s well-maintained, accessible, and family friendly. Amazing sights of nature can be found here and I highly recommend it to all.

Other national parks

Not just Plitvice, but other national parks are truly excellent. Beautiful sights all around – Croatia is a gem nestled within the Adriatic and everywhere you go you’ll enjoy the fresh air, comfortable climate, and lush vegetation.

The entire coastline

Seriously, just about anywhere you go will be photo worthy and is a joy to be around. Spend countless days on the beach enjoying drinks, burek, ice cream, and more!

To conclude

Croatia is an amazing place and my article on living in Croatia demonstrates exactly why.

If you have questions about travel in Croatia, taking the bus in Rijeka, or other camping/adventure related themes, please feel free to comment down below or on my social media channels – always glad to help!

Rijeka Bunker
Rijeka Bunker – a cool spot to check out and we even had a rave here!

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