Getting around Slovenia (and maybe Croatia)

[humkint]

Does anyone have any experience travelling around Slovenia? There seem to be plenty of trains, at least around to/from Ljubljana. Any particular hints/tricks that would be useful? I don't have any special inter-rail tickets or anything.
Or would bus work better? I understand that's the way to travel in Croatia.
Tips welcome. Thankss

 

[70014IronDuke]

Does anyone have any experience travelling around Slovenia? There seem to be plenty of trains, at least around to/from Ljubljana. Any particular hints/tricks that would be useful? I don't have any special inter-rail tickets or anything.
Or would bus work better? I understand that's the way to travel in Croatia.
Tips welcome. Thankss

It depends. Ljubljana - Maribor has a decent-ish service. But trying to go to, eg Koper takes hours by train.

Commuter lines like, eg Ljubljana - Kranj - Jesenice suffer like some in the UK, ie they have a decent service into Ljulbjana for workers, but then a big gap - as all the stock has been used for peak demand.

Then reverse that problem in the evening peak.

See their timetables here:

http://en.slo-zeleznice.si/en/passengers/slovenia/timetable/timetable-according-to-route

The main line through the Sava Valley to Zidani Most and on to Celje is spectacular, IMO.

Another fun line is Jesenice - Nova Gorica - though I have not done that.

They are electrifying Pragersko to Hodos in the north-east - The international train to Budapest is still GM diesel hauled - great roar up the banks between Ormoz and Hodos.

Most branches are railcar worked - pretty scenery, eg to Metlika.

In general, lovely people, lovely wine, lovely food. Don't spoil it. Nazdravje.

 

[Romilly]

I had a holiday, with family members but no car, in Ljubljana a few years ago. We used the trains to travel out to places of interest most days. So long as you had checked the timetable, it was straightforward and relaxing. Occasionally, e.g. to get to Lake Bled, we used a bus for the last few miles from the nearest station. I'd do it all again.

 

[cb a1]

My only rail experience was a return from Zagreb (Croatia) to Ljubljana [in 2011 I think]

Although pretty cheap, it wasn't particularly fast. 70014IronDuke noted the route is spectacular and I would wholly agree that it's one of the most stunning rail journeys I've ever taken.

I was particularly taken with all these blokes going around tapping the wheels with a long hammer ... only found out what that was all about when I asked a colleague who works in rail!

 

[30907]

.

Another fun line is Jesenice - Nova Gorca - though I have not done that.

Definitely recommended, though ive not been Bled Jezero-Jesenice. Look out for the motorail trains, and the seasonal steam workings. Ordinary passenger are DMU.

Fares are good value too.

 

[johnnychips]

Ptui is a lovely, if unpronounceable, town.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Ptui is a lovely, if unpronounceable, town.

Visited Ptuj (Ptuj) and Murska Sobota in the late nineties on a highly unnecessary visit to one of Jože Plečnik's remoter churches in Bogojina, right up in the North-East. I definitely rode the international train to/from Budapest on either the outbound or return. It felt very remote back then, and I was the first English person many of my B&B hosts had met.

 

[33056]

Look out for the motorail trains...

Can definitely recommend doing this but make sure that you get on at Most na Soči (leaves about 10:30 and you can get there from Ljubljana in a day) the trains are shown in the timetable as AVT.

Podbrdo to Bohinjska Bistrica is only about 4 1/2 miles and is nearly all in tunnel.

 

[hulabaloo]

I took the train from Villach to Kranj last year. Was a beautiful journey, not fast, but then again you can't admire the scenery at 160 kmh!

 

[humkint]

Thanks, these all sound like great tips.
On a more pragmatic level - anything special to bear in mind with ticketing? Is their system as farcical as ours (when's peak time again? ) or do they have a flat fare? TVM's or buy on board or...?

I'm arriving and leaving on the overnight from Zurich; it's really cheap in couchette; shame I'll miss the alps

 

[Panceltic]

Thanks, these all sound like great tips.
On a more pragmatic level - anything special to bear in mind with ticketing? Is their system as farcical as ours (when's peak time again? ) or do they have a flat fare? TVM's or buy on board or...?

I'm arriving and leaving on the overnight from Zurich; it's really cheap in couchette; shame I'll miss the alps

Hi,

as others have already mentioned, the scenery is beautiful but our trains are not that fast and not that modern (especially on non-electrified lines). But if you plan carefully, you can have some lovely days out.

Ticketing is simple, distance-based, no peak/off-peak distinction. Local and regional trains 2nd class only, InterCity, EuroCity & ICS (InterCity Slovenija) 1st & 2nd class.

If there is no ticket office at the station open at the time you board, you simply buy from the guard. If there is a ticket office, you can still buy from the guard but there will be a surcharge of €2.50.

 

[johnnychips]

Just a warning about buying tickets if you need to as Panceltic has pointed out above. We were once at the station of a place with a huge limestone cave - begins with P - and the ticket office wasn't open with ten minutes to go before the train, and didn't look like it was going to ( we were going to Ljubliana). As my mum was a bit slow on her legs we went to the platform. On the train the inspector insisted we should have been able to have bought a ticket as it would have opened before the train left ( this conversation conducted in pidgin German on both sides) and we got some sort of a penalty, but it wasn't that much as the fares were very cheap anyway. This was all very civilised, and we really enjoyed using the railways in Slovenia.

What was I thinking?! It's Ptuj, not Ptui!

 

[Panceltic]

Just a warning about buying tickets if you need to as Panceltic has pointed out above. We were once at the station of a place with a huge limestone cave - begins with P - and the ticket office wasn't open with ten minutes to go before the train, and didn't look like it was going to ( we were going to Ljubliana). As my mum was a bit slow on her legs we went to the platform. On the train the inspector insisted we should have been able to have bought a ticket as it would have opened before the train left ( this conversation conducted in pidgin German on both sides) and we got some sort of a penalty, but it wasn't that much as the fares were very cheap anyway. This was all very civilised, and we really enjoyed using the railways in Slovenia.

What was I thinking?! It's Ptuj, not Ptui!

I was once waiting for a train at a rural station that has a ticket office, though it is only open 15 minutes before each departure. This was on a weekend when trains are particularly sparse, so 5 minutes before the departure time, a car pulled by the station (with quite an inappropriate speed!), the ticket person jumped out, opened the office and sold the tickets to 3-4 persons waiting in line. Then he sped off, I suppose to the next station down the line. This will also give you an impression of car/train speed ratio in Slovenia

However in Postojna (where Johnnyclips was waiting) this should not be the case as it's a pretty major station on the mainline!

 

[70014IronDuke]

Not sure when, but Slovenia has revamped its website - done quite a nice job.

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/

Map only works on the Slovene pages, however.