Behind the curtain of metallic cranes and port hoists that looms over the waterfront of Rijeka, a pretty patchwork of historic, Austro-Hungarian buildings and boulevards plays host to rustic Dalmatian konobas and Croatian souvenir shops. Along with this, curious exhibitions at the Peek & Poke Computer Museum and the Governor’s Palace forge links between this town’s maritime-centric past and its modern, edgy place as the nation’s third-largest urban centre overall.

Rijeka tour guides often recommend that visitors start with heading to the ancient Roman hill-fort cum Hapsburg stronghold of the Trsat Castle, to survey the town in all its glory. Here, one is treated to sweeping views of the Adriatic sea, the rolling olive groves of Istria in the distance and the red-tiled roofs of Rijeka town below, where it’s possible to spy out the looming City Tower, the rotund St Vitus Cathedral and the aging apses of the ancient Roman Arch. In Korzo, the pedestrian main street, earthy trattorias serving up northern Croatia’s trademark Italian-cum-Slavic cuisine rub shoulders with shops and bars, making it a popular rendezvous point, especially during the Karneval held here in February. A little further afield from town lie the pristine beaches of Opatija and the rugged fjords of the Istrian peninsula—wild and largely untouched by the hands of modern tourism.