Free tours at the same time across Croatia: “Get to Know Your Country” arrives in Kvarner at noon on 18 January
On Sunday, 18 January 2026, exactly at 12:00, the project “Get to Know Your Country” starts again in numerous Croatian cities – a national initiative of free guided tours intended primarily for the domestic population. The organizer is the Association of Tourist Guide Societies of Croatia, with the support of the Croatian National Tourist Board, and the goal is simple and ambitious: to encourage citizens to become more curious “tourists” in their own city or town, to get to know the stories they pass by every day, and to become aware of the value of professional tourist guiding.
The project has been implemented in Croatia since 2018 and over the years has grown into a tradition linked to the commemoration on 15 January – the Day of International Recognition of the Republic of Croatia. This year as well, the tours are organized a few days after that date, on the weekend when many citizens have more time for walking, sightseeing and conversations about local history, cultural heritage, urban transformations and the identity of space.
In Kvarner, the program takes place at multiple locations, and Rijeka and Trsat stand out in particular – two points that symbolically and in terms of content cover a wide range of Rijeka’s story: from the bustling city center and the historic theatre square to the pilgrimage and historic hill that above the city preserves layers of memory, tradition and architecture. If you plan to come from another area or combine the tour with a weekend trip, you can already take a look at
accommodation for visitors to Rijeka or
accommodation near the event location to make logistics easier.
Why the tours are tied to 15 January: a date with strong state symbolism
Although the tours themselves take place on 18 January, the context builds on 15 January – a day that in Croatia’s public calendar carries a double weight. On that date in 1992, Croatia received international recognition by the states of the then European Community, thereby confirming its international subjectivity and opening the path to full affirmation in the international community. The same commemoration also marks the Day of the Peaceful Reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region, as a reminder of the completion of the process by which the country’s territorial integrity was restored peacefully and conditions were created for the peacetime development of the whole country.
That is precisely why the project “Get to Know Your Country” year after year emphasizes the idea of national identity through local stories. Instead of big slogans, the focus is on places, buildings, streets, squares, people and events that form a living network of Croatian history and culture. The organizers also point out that tourist guides are not just “companions” through the city, but expert interpreters of heritage: they connect archival fact and personal story, grand history and a detail on a facade, and help citizens better understand their own space.
What the 2026 edition brings: goals, messages and highlights from the organizers
According to the organizers and the Croatian National Tourist Board, this year’s program has several clear emphases. First, promoting Croatia’s cultural heritage through direct experience and an “on-site” walk. Second, strengthening awareness of the value of professional tourist guiding – because quality guiding is not just listing data, but interpreting context, verifying facts and responsibly guiding through historically sensitive topics.
Third, the project also points to the challenges faced by domestic tourist guides and encourages the development of sustainable tourism, especially in cities and destinations where there is increasingly talk about pressures on space, infrastructure and quality of life. In that sense, the free tours are not just a pleasant Sunday walk: they are also a public message about the need for professional standards, the preservation of heritage, and balanced tourism that is not in conflict with the local community.
The project is traditionally carried out in a large number of cities and destinations across the country – in more than 50 communities – which gives it additional strength: at the same time, from north to south, citizens listen to stories about their area and, in their own way, “stitch together” the mosaic of national heritage. If you plan to link a tour in Kvarner with a visit to neighboring places or islands, you will find
accommodation offers in Kvarner useful, which you can adapt to your own itinerary.
Kvarner in focus: Rijeka and Trsat as two key points of the program
In the Kvarner area this year, free tours starting at 12:00 are announced, organized by the Kvarner Tourist Guides Association. These are guided tours aimed at citizens, but also open to visitors, with the note that the number of participants is limited and prior registration is required.
Rijeka gains particular importance in such a format. A city with a strong industrial, port and cultural identity opens up during the walk through layers: from urban development in the 19th century and urban transformations, through periods of intense migration and multiculturalism, to contemporary topics such as the renewal of public spaces and heritage management in a modern city. That is why the starting point – the area in front of the theatre – is not accidental: it is where city representation, cultural life and the “faces” of Rijeka meet through architecture and public space.
Trsat, on the other hand, brings a different atmosphere: it is a hill that combines tradition, pilgrimage heritage and a strong local identity. In practice, a tour of Trsat is often also a walk through the city’s history “from above”, with a view that helps understand Rijeka’s geography and its position between the sea and the hinterland. If you are coming from outside and want to have more time for sightseeing, a practical option is
accommodation near Trsat or
weekend accommodation in Rijeka, depending on whether you want to be closer to the tour’s starting point or in the center of events.
Where and when the gatherings are: official departure points in the Rijeka area
The organizers announced that all tours start at the same time, at 12:00, and for the Rijeka area the following gathering points have been highlighted:
- Rijeka tour – gathering in front of the Croatian National Theatre Ivan pl. Zajc.
- Trsat tour – gathering in front of the Sanctuary, by the statue of John Paul II
The announcements for the Rijeka area also state that the Kvarner Tourist Guides Association on the same day organizes tours at additional locations in Kvarner, including Krk and Opatija, which opens up the possibility for many to choose a destination that is closer to them or more attractive in terms of content. For guests who want to combine the tour with a short break on the coast or on an island, a sensible choice can be
accommodation for visitors to Opatija or
accommodation on the island of Krk, depending on the travel plan.
Why registration is important: limited number of participants and organizational rules
Unlike spontaneous city walks, here the emphasis is on organized guiding, which means that the group capacity must be kept within limits in which the guide can communicate the content well, and participants can safely follow the route. That is precisely why the organizers ask interested citizens to
register in advance, because the number of participants is limited.
Registration, according to the published instructions, is carried out via the email address of the Kvarner Tourist Guides Association:
kvarner.guides@gmail.comPractically, registration helps organizers assess interest, adjust logistics if necessary and ensure that the tour remains content-wise high-quality. Participants are generally advised to arrive a few minutes early, wear comfortable footwear, and count on a walk that includes stops and explanations in an open space. If you are planning to come from another county or want to avoid rushing,
accommodation in Rijeka for one night can be the simplest solution.
Rijeka and Trsat as an “open-air classroom”: what is actually learned through such guided tours
The project “Get to Know Your Country” has a quiet but important ambition: to change the way the local community looks at its own space. At a time when tourism is often viewed through numbers, overnight stays and seasonality, such guided tours return the focus to content – to understanding the city and to story as the foundation of the tourist experience. This is especially important in environments such as Rijeka and Kvarner, where identity cannot be reduced to a single image or a single postcard.
Through a guided tour, citizens get the opportunity to hear verified information, but also to understand how heritage is interpreted: why a building is important, how a certain square was created, what determined the city’s development in different historical periods, and which topics open today when we talk about the preservation of cultural assets. The organizers also emphasize the broader meaning: tourism professionals and guides have a role in Croatia’s international reputation, because they are often the first “voice” of the destination toward guests, but also toward their own community.
Within this framework, Kvarner also emerges as an ideal stage: it is an area that combines an urban center, a riviera, the hinterland and islands, and each of these units has its own history, architecture, customs and natural features. That is why interest in such guided tours regularly goes beyond the boundaries of a single city walk – it becomes an incentive to continue exploring the local story even after the tour ends, whether through museums, archives, cultural programs or new walks. And when that curiosity is combined with a weekend break,
accommodation for exploring Kvarner is often the first step toward planning.
How to participate: what to remember before Sunday
To make participation simple and without ambiguity, the most important information can be summarized in a few points:
- Date and time: Sunday, 18 January 2026, start at 12:00 (at the same time across Croatia).
- Rijeka: gathering in front of HNK Ivan pl. Zajc.
- Trsat: gathering in front of the Sanctuary, by the statue of John Paul II
- Registration: due to the limited number of participants, registration is required at kvarner.guides@gmail.com.
At a time when local identity is often discussed in general terms, “Get to Know Your Country” offers a concrete experience: the city is read through a story, and the story becomes a way to better understand the present as well. In Kvarner, where industrial history, the cultural scene, pilgrimage tradition and the Mediterranean rhythm meet in the same space, such a Sunday walk easily becomes more than a program – it becomes a small but valuable investment in one’s own knowledge about the place where we live or that we visit.
Sources:- Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) – press release on the project and the date of 18 January 2026 at 12:00 (link)
- Visit Rijeka (Rijeka Tourist Board) – program announcement for the Rijeka area, gathering locations and registration (link)
- Association of Tourist Guide Societies of Croatia – official website and information about the project implemented since 2018 (link)
- Croatian Parliament – overview of the commemoration on 15 January (Day of International Recognition of the Republic of Croatia and Day of the Peaceful Reintegration of the Croatian Danube Region) and historical data on international recognition in 1992 (link)
- HNK Ivan pl. Zajc – official information about the theatre and historical data about the building (link)
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