A wartime shelter beneath the Old Town

The tunnel (Riječki tunel) lies directly under Rijeka's Old Town, close to the Cathedral of St. Vitus. It was dug at the beginning of the Second World War as a public air-raid shelter, and the present entrance sits in the heart of the historic core. Allow for a sight that is short and plain rather than a museum with displays: the passage itself is the exhibit.

Inside, the passage retains original signage reading "Reserved for air defence" in a few places, a small detail that gives the space its weight. Visit Rijeka notes that the tunnel was used during the Allied air attacks on the city in 1944 and 1945, which is the context worth holding in mind as you walk through. Look for the lettering rather than expecting an exhibition; for the surrounding streets, see our guide to Korzo, Rijeka.

Where the entrances are and how to find them

The visitor entrance is at Grivica, beside the Cathedral of St. Vitus, with the passage running beneath the Old Town to the courtyard of Dolac Primary School at the other end. That second exit matters when planning your walk: you can enter near the cathedral and come out at the school courtyard, or work the route in reverse.

From the main pedestrian street, head into the Old Town and look for the cathedral; the tunnel mouth sits beside it rather than on a wide public square. If you are coming from the other side of the old core, the school courtyard end is the alternative way in, so you can choose whichever end suits your route.

Use the cathedral spire as your landmark rather than a street number, since the entrance is signed at the site itself. Allow a few minutes to find it on a first visit; the Old Town lanes are narrow and the entrance is easy to pass.

Opening hours and what it costs

Visit Rijeka lists the tunnel as open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Those are the hours of the ticketed visitor passage rather than the surrounding streets, so plan a weekday or Saturday slot if the tunnel is the reason for the detour.

Prices are seasonal in euros. From 1 October to 31 March, adults pay €1.50, children aged 7 to 18, students and pensioners €0.50, and a family ticket for two adults and two children over seven is €3.50. From 1 April to 30 September those figures rise to €2.00, €1.00 and €5.00 respectively. Children under seven and persons with disabilities enter free in both seasons, and groups of 15 or more get a 10% discount.

At these levels the tunnel is one of the cheapest indoor stops in the city, which makes it easy to justify even for a short look. Budget cash or card for a small sum and treat the ticket as part of an Old Town hour rather than a destination in itself.

What you see inside

Expect a long, unadorned pedestrian passage: concrete walls, original wartime lettering and little else in the way of interpretation. The appeal is the sense of standing inside a civil-defence structure rather than a curated gallery, and the whole visit is essentially a walk from one end to the other.

Because it is a shelter dug for civilians, the passage reads as infrastructure rather than architecture — worth a pause to look at the surviving signs and the finish of the walls. Photographers will find the light and bare surfaces more documentary than picturesque, so set expectations accordingly.

How long to allow

Treat the tunnel as a 20 to 30 minute addition to an Old Town walk, including the time to find the entrance and read the signage. The 330-metre length is a few minutes of walking, so most of the visit is spent looking rather than covering ground.

The passage is a flat, level route between its two ends, which keeps the walking itself simple. For anything beyond that — step-free access at the entrances, lighting, or how the space handles wheelchairs and pushchairs — ask at the Tourist Information Centre on Korzo or at the entrance before buying a ticket, as no published accessibility details are given.

Pairing it with the Old Town and Korzo

The natural pairing is the cathedral first, then the tunnel, then a slow loop through the Old Town back down to the pedestrian street. Add the Rijeka clock tower on the way through, since it sits on the same lower-town circuit and takes only minutes to see.

If you have an afternoon rather than an hour, take the bus or a taxi up to Trsat Castle for the view over the city and the bay, then come back down for the tunnel. That splits the day between an outdoor panorama and an underground space, which suits mixed weather.

For a longer walk, the Molo Longo breakwater gives you sea air and a view back at the port after the enclosed passage. It is a straightforward way to end an Old Town morning without adding another ticketed sight.

The best time to go

The passage is narrow and enclosed, so a weekday morning close to the 9 a.m. opening gives the quietest experience; Sundays are closed in any case. In July and August, aim for the first hour rather than midday, when the Old Town lanes are busiest and the tunnel fills quickly.

Off season the tunnel is cheaper and calmer: the adult ticket is €1.50 from 1 October to 31 March against €2.00 from 1 April to 30 September, so you pay less and share the passage with fewer people. Rainy days are the exception: the tunnel is covered, which makes it a sensible fallback when the bura or a shower rules out the waterfront.

Is the tunnel worth the stop?

Yes, if you are already in the Old Town and want something short, cheap and genuinely of the place. It is not a stand-alone attraction and does not need a dedicated trip, but as a 20 to 30 minute add-on beside St. Vitus Cathedral it earns its small ticket price and gives the streets above a second layer.

Build it into a walk that also takes in the clock tower and the waterfront, and check the current hours and seasonal prices on the Visit Rijeka page before you set out.