Ljubljana to Split

If money is no object, either rent a car in Ljubljana and drive to Split and pay the huge drop fee. Or hire a driver. Either one is not going to be cheap.

If money is an object: take a combination of buses and trains.

Last fall, I took the train from Split to Ljubljana, with a stop overnight at the connection in Zagreb. I love trains, but the train from Split to Zagreb was awful: very short train, and the seats were tight (even in so-called "first class" seats were cramped, I had to stand half of the time to avoid being wedged next to my seatmate). So I can't really recommend the train. The bus was a quicker ride, but I don't care for buses. No bus could be worse than that train ride, though.

The train from Zagreb to Ljubljana (9 euros per person) was not cramped at all and was a beautiful ride.

If it were me, I'd take the train to Zagreb and then either take the bus or fly to Split. I would price out renting a car in Zagreb and dropping it in Split too - still a one-way drop fee most likely but cheaper than dropping a Slovenian car in Split no doubt.

We have done this journey in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the train schedule was not conducive to our plans, and I abhor bus rides. We rented a car in Split and dropped it off in Zagreb. Used "My Day Trip" for a shuttle to Ljubljana. Yes, it was more expensive than trains or buses, but it worked for our time constraints, and for us it was worth the extra expense.

Thank you both for the response - they are helpful.

GoOpti might be another possibility. I know several posters here have been happy with GoOpti shuttles--either private or shared. I know the company serves Ljubljana, but I don't know that it goes as far south as Split.

Flights from Ljubljana to Split tend to be expensive, but that's the most convenient way to travel between the two cities. Private transfers are great too, but they are also time consuming and somewhat expensive. GetTransfer is a company that does such services. If you don't mind to drive I would recommend you to hire a car. Rentalcars.com is a great site where you can find all the major car rentals in Slovenia.

We took the train from Zagreb to Ljubljana, and it was a very pretty ride on a comfortable train. We had our own compartment/cabin. IIRC, it's about a 2 to 2.5 hour ride. Regarding rental cars, we picked up our car in Dubrovnik and dropped it off in Zagreb, and I don't remember paying an exorbitant drop-off fee. Either there was no drop-off fee or it was very inexpensive.

So I would recommend taking the train from Ljubljana to Zagreb, and then picking up your rental car in Zagreb to drive to Split.

Thank you all several great ideas.

I'd train from Ljub to Zagreb, and then use Flixbus to go to Split. You could also stop midway between in Plitvice.

Having basically just done this via bus and train, I would vote for renting a car. If you’re just trying to get from A to B, you can bypass Zagreb and take a more efficient route. You also have the option to stop when and where you like. Zagreb to Split is a LONG ride by bus or train. If you’re not doing an overnight in Plitvice, you’ll be on transport basically all day. That’s rough.

A flight out of Zagreb is a good alternative. The airport is small and modern, and maybe a 20€ taxi from the train/bus stations.

My experience with the busses in general, and the train from Ljubljana to Zagreb, was pretty dismal. They were often hot, uncomfortable, and late getting where they were supposed to. The train was particularly bad, packed to the absolute gills without air conditioning for the first 20min of the journey. Flixbus was the best out of all of them, no problems.

I’ll just note that there are great places en route here, Zagreb particularly. If you can spare an overnight somewhere, it makes the overland route much more enjoyable.

Thank you all for the very helpful responses.

awrzesinski, the problem with renting the car is the cost. E.g. I just checked Sixt for car rental from Ljubljana to Split in September. They are charging a one-way drop fee of 400 euros. Plus the cost of renting the car, the gas, etc. I'd guess it might cost less to hire a driver.

The train from Ljubljana to Split is 9 euros. The bus is about 25 euros. Is it worth probably an extra 500 euros or so by renting the car? Wouldn't be to me.

My bad experience with the trains was between Split and Zagreb: awful ride (small seats, even in first class). But the trains between Slovenia and Croatia I've taken (twice between Zagreb and Ljubljana, once from Ljubljana to Rijeka) have been excellent: not crowded, comfortable rides.