We are two seniors of good mobility traveling on our own in-between two RS tours. We want to go from Bern, Switzerland, to Ljubljana, Slovenia, by public transit on October 8-12th, 2026. We will need to cross eastern Switzerland and southern Austria. Any suggestions will be welcome on the route to take, the means of public transportation available, beautiful villages, and sites along the way. We would like to travel a route through Innsbruck and southern Austria to Ljubljana, though I don't know how difficult it would be to cross Austria in the south with the national park in that area and the availability of buses and trains. We would prefer not to go through Munich, Salzburg and Hallstatt as we have already been there and will have already spent time in Lucerne. We love the mountains and small mountain villages and easy hikes. So--how and where should we cross eastern Switzerland and southern Austria with stops in either country along the way in the 4-5 days we will have between tours? Thank you.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1944 posts
Thinking out loud: you must follow railway routes. From Bern you connect in Zurich to trains going direction Innsbruck-Salzburg-Wien.
Innsbruck may be a good stop (I am in Innsbruck now as I write these words). Once you are there you have to reach Villach that has train connections to Ljubljana every two hours, but there isn't a direct itinerary as the bird flies. You have to go north trough Salzburg, and this is a possibility. But there is also a minor railway itinerary going south through Italy: Innsbruck - Brenner - Franzenfeste - Innichen/San Candido - Lienz - Villach and then to Ljubljana. You will be mostly on local trains (quite nice) and you will have a lot of changes, but mostly in scenic little stations.
Along this itinerary you could consider to stop at Bruneck/Brunico, a nice town, Toblach/Dobbiaco, a mountain village or the slightly larger Innichen/San Candido. All three places are in Italy but in the German speaking region and are very much like Austria (even better than Austria for shopping).
Personally, I am not too keen on Lienz and Villach but they may be stops as well.
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5871 posts
You can avoid Munich and Hallstatt (off the beaten path anyway), but I think you will need to go through Salzburg to get from Bern to Ljubljana unless you want to spend two days getting from one city to the other. I suggest stopping in the Austrian Tirol region, focusing on the many small villages nestled in valleys around Innsbruck. My favorite is Seefeld/Mittenwald, but Mayrhofen or Neustift im Stubaital are also nice.
As an alternative, I notice that the Best of the Adriatic tour barely touches the beautiful Julian Alps, which might be a better fit for October (October can already be very wet and cold in the northern Alps, making hiking muddy and challenging). Have you considered flying? It is an easy 3 hour trip with one stop vs. 12+ hours on a train. Around Ljubljana for hiking, I cannot recommend the Lake Bohinj area enough. Absolutely stunning hiking, on the south side of the Alps. There are also other great sights, such as the Postojna Cave and nearby Predjama Castle. Just a thought.
Posted by
2568 posts
You have to go north trough Salzburg, ... Innsbruck to Villach
No, this is not the best way. Having one change in Schwarzach-St.Veit you can go from Innsbruck to Villach by express trains, crossing the Alps via the Tauern tunnel.