How to get from Zadar to Rijeka by bus
After 6 nights in Zadar, it was time to move on yet again. Our next stop was Rijeka, which is a journey of around 5 hours by bus.
There is an Arriva bus that travels from Split to Rijeka and this is the bus we got. We already traveled on this bus from Split to Sibernik and from Sibernik to Zadar.
The current bus times are as follows:
There are 4 or 5 buses running from Zadar to Rijeka from around 07:30 to 16:00. We bought our tickets in advance from GetByBus.com. You can check the current bus times on their website.
We opted to get the 12:45 Arriva bus that was due to arrive in Rijeka at 17:34. The tickets cost 21.70 EUR. There was an additional charge of 1.30 EUR for each piece of large luggage. This was paid to the driver’s assistant.
The bus was 25 minutes’ late leaving Zadar and around 15 minutes’ late arriving in Rijeka.
Getting from Zadar Old Town to the Bus Station
We used Uber to get a taxi from the old town to the bus station. It was a reasonably priced 3.50 EUR. The bus station is around 1.6 km from the old town, so it’s possible to walk if you don’t have much luggage.
Zadar Bus Station
Zadar bus station is pretty big and has numerous cafes and shops. So don’t worry if you arrive early, as you can also grab a coffee or a bite to eat while waiting for your bus.
The Bus
Just like on the previous journey, we got an Arriva bus. There was free wifi on board. Password if ‘arrivabus’. Me managed to guess this.
There wasn’t a toilet on the bus but it was possible to get off and use a toilet at some of the stops along the way.
As you can see from the above route map, there is a scheduled 3-minute stop at Karlobag and a 10-minute stop at Senj.
When we stopped at Karlobag, the only toilet was at a restaurant across the road. They told passengers that they could only use the toilets if the bought a drink. Someone suggested paying 1 EUR, so everyone that wanted to use the toilet had to pay that.
We later stopped at Senj and passengers had to pay 0.50 EUR to use the toilet at a café. Make sure you have some change with you for the journey.
The bus runs along the coast the whole way and the views are awesome. Sit on the left hand side for the best views.
Bus Wifi
The wifi speed was fairly slow but worked well for checking emails, maps, social media, etc.
Rijeka Bus Station
Rijeka bus station is in the city center, so it’s an easy walk if your accommodation is also in the center, as was ours. See Rijeka Airbnb near Palach Club.
The bus station is near the railway station. This is where we’ll be heading to when we take a train from Rijeka to Ljubljana in Slovenia in a few days time.
Book your hotel in Rijeka
When not staying at Airbnb apartments, our favorite booking website is agoda.com.
