The best museums in Rijeka

Rijeka is Croatia's great port city — industrial, layered and a little underrated — and as European Capital of Culture in 2020 it reinvented old factories into museums. Here are the ones worth your time.

The Maritime and History Museum

Set in the grand Governor's Palace, the Maritime and History Museum of the Croatian Littoral tells the story of Rijeka's seafaring and shipbuilding past in suitably opulent surroundings — the building alone justifies the visit.

The City Museum in the Sugar Palace

The Rijeka City Museum now occupies the restored Sugar Refinery Palace in the Benčić cultural quarter — the heart of the city's 2020 regeneration, where old industrial halls have become galleries and a library. A good place to read the city's modern story.

MMSU & the Natural History Museum

The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMSU) is among the most adventurous art institutions in Croatia, also based in the Benčić quarter. For a gentler hour, the Natural History Museum sits in a villa with a botanical garden and an Adriatic aquarium.

Peek&Poke & Trsat Castle

For something offbeat, Peek&Poke is a joyful museum of retro computers and games — heaven for anyone who grew up in the 8-bit era. Above the city, Trsat Castle (Gradina) gives the best view over Rijeka and the Kvarner bay, reached by a long historic stairway.

Staying — or working remotely — from here? See our boutique hotels in Rijeka, our guide to working remotely from Croatia, and getting in from the airport.