ISTRIA - Croatia and Slovenia - page 279

Rijeka Connections
From Rijeka by Boat to the Dalmatian Coast: The very slow Jadrolinija car ferry plods
to Dalmatia twice each week in summer (June-Sept only, departs in the evening and goes
overnight to Split, then onward down the coast; figure 11 hours to Split, 18 hours to
Kor č ula, 21 hours to Dubrovnik ).
From Rijeka by Train to: Zagreb (3/day direct, 4-5 hours), Ljubljana (2/day direct, 3
hours).
From Rijeka by Bus to: Opatija (2/hour, 30 minutes), Senj (hourly, 1.5 hours), Pula
(nearly hourly, 2-2.5 hours), Rovinj (4-5/day, 2-3.5 hours), Zagreb (hourly, 2-3.5 hours),
Split (7-10/day including some night buses, 6-8 hours), Dubrovnik (4/day, 12.5-13 hours,
includes night buses), Ljubljana (1/day in summer, none off-season, 2.5 hours). For sched-
ules, see www.autotrans.hr or call 051/213-821.
Route Tips for Drivers: Driving Between Northern Croatia and
Dalmatia
ThelongstretchofCroatian coastfromIstriatoDalmatia—between thecities ofRijeka and
Zadar—offers twisty seaside roads, functional port towns and fishing villages, some of the
country's most rugged scenery, and no real knockout sights. South of Opatija and Rijeka,
the Kvarner coastline is stark and desolate—most traces of settlement have been long since
blown away by the battering Bora wind (see sidebar on here ) . But offshore, sheltered from
theelements,areseveralislands—Krk,Cres,Lošinj,Rab,andPag—eachwithitsownchar-
acter and appeal. Still, Croatia offers more bang for your buck to the north (Istria) and the
south (Dalmatia).
If you're driving between northern Croatia (Zagreb, Plitvice, Istria, or Opatija) and the
Dalmatian Coast (Zadar, from where the expressway zips to Split), you have two options:
Use the fast inland A-1 expressway, or follow the slow Kvarner Gulf coastal road all the
way down.
The A-1 expressway option is boring but faster and far more efficient, especially from
Zagreb or Plitvice. If you're coming from Zagreb, just take A-1 directly to Split; from Pl-
itvice, drivesouththroughKorenica toaccess A-1atGornjaPlo č a(see here ) .FromIstria or
Opatija, you have two options for accessing A-1 that take about the same amount of time:
Headeast(inland)fromRijekaonA-6tojoinA-1;or,moreinteresting(andbetterforsouth-
ern destinations), drive the Kvarner coastal road as far south as Senj, then cut inland and up
over the mountains to Oto č ac, where you can get on A-1.
The two-lane Kvarner coastal road (national road #8, a.k.a. E-65) is twisty and slow,
but more scenic. Speedy sightseers won't find it worth the time. Compared to the express-
way, you'll lose at least an hour if you're coming from Istria or Opatija, and much more if