Rijeka Airport gives you three realistic ways out: the airport's own shuttle bus, a taxi, or a pre-booked private transfer. Which one works depends mostly on where you are going — the shuttle only covers one corridor — and on when you land.
There is a bus, and it is the cheapest published option
A lot of advice about Rijeka Airport claims there is no usable bus. That is wrong, and it is worth correcting because the shuttle is inexpensive and it is run by the airport itself.
Fixed-price private transfer
RJK Rijeka City Center
From€90for 2 passengers
Other destinations
The shuttle leaves the terminal, calls at Omišalj on Krk and Kraljevica on the mainland, and ends at the small bus station on Jelačić Square in central Rijeka, by the harbourfront.
- To Rijeka: 15.00 EUR one way, VAT included
- To Omišalj or Kraljevica: 8.00 EUR one way, VAT included
Source: Rijeka Airport price list, effective 1 May 2025. Fares are revised — check the current one before you travel.
Unlike a general public bus route, the timetable is built around the scheduled flights, and the airport republishes it every month as a PDF. Two caveats: some departures run only on request and must be booked by email at least 24 hours ahead (if nobody books, they do not run), and the shuttle serves the Rijeka corridor only — not Krk Town, Punat, Malinska, Baška or Opatija.
Airport taxis
Taxis are available outside the terminal. Rijeka Airport handles a moderate volume of seasonal traffic, and in peak summer (July-August) taxis are usually at the rank when flights arrive.
On price, be clear-eyed: the airport does not publish a taxi tariff. What it publishes is a list of licensed taxi drivers, along with a warning that taxi business from the airport without a valid parking licence is forbidden. So use a licensed operator, and agree the fare before you set off. Anyone quoting you a confident "standard" airport taxi price is quoting their own price, not an official one.
The advantages: no advance booking required, immediate departure once you have your luggage, and it goes anywhere — not just the shuttle corridor.
The disadvantage: outside peak season, or for early morning and late evening arrivals, the rank may have very few or no cars waiting. Rijeka Airport does not have the consistent taxi availability that Split or Dubrovnik do. This is a meaningful difference.
Pre-booked private transfer
A driver assigned to your specific flight waits in the arrivals hall with your name. This is particularly useful at Rijeka Airport because:
1. Taxi availability is not guaranteed, especially outside summer peak hours. 2. The airport serves a spread of destinations — Rijeka, several Krk island towns, Opatija and beyond — and most of them are not on the shuttle route. 3. The price is fixed and shown to you when you book, so there is nothing to agree at the kerb and nothing to settle at the end.
How to choose
Going to central Rijeka, travelling light, flight matches the timetable: Take the shuttle. At 15.00 EUR it is far cheaper than any car, and it is run by the airport.
Going to central Rijeka but late, loaded with luggage, or your flight does not match a departure: Taxi or transfer.
Going anywhere on Krk island — Krk Town, Malinska, Punat, Baška: The shuttle does not help. These are short drives, so a taxi or transfer is straightforward. Agree the taxi fare first.
Going to Opatija or further afield: Taxi or pre-booked transfer.
Arriving in the shoulder season (May-June, September-October), in winter, or late in the evening: Pre-book. Emerging from a quiet terminal to find no taxis waiting is a real scenario at this airport, and outside the summer timetable the shuttle may not have a matching departure either.
Families, or anyone going to a less central destination: Pre-booking is the simpler, more certain approach regardless of season — and it is the only way to arrange a child seat, which Croatian taxis do not carry as standard.