Hello all,
My husband and I will be in Ljublijana and planning to jump on a train over to Piran for a day trip but I'm a little concerned about the refugee crisis and if the trains will be too packed to make that quick trip. Would hate to get stranded in Piran when we leave the next day. Has anyone been in the area this week to give any advice as to how bad the crowds are?
If anything we may just hangout in Bled for another day.
Thanks for your help!
Last I checked, the train from Ljubljana only goes to Koper, not Piran - you'd have to take a bus or catch a taxi on to Piran from there. You may also find the buses to/from Ljubljana are quicker and more frequent as well. You may find a direct bus to Piran from Ljubljana. Check the schedules here:
http://www.ap-ljubljana.si/en/vozni_eng.php?uIfr=1
http://en.slo-zeleznice.si/en/passengers/slovenia
Even so, refugees are trying to get through Slovenia and Croatia on to other countries on international trains that cross borders. (Though I think Slovenia may take some refugees, Germany has pledged to take the most, so I think that's where most are headed.) The trains and buses that go between Ljubljana and Koper/Piran are national trains within Slovenia that don't cross borders. I would not expect to find many refugees on them.
That said, Piran is a lovely town.
You might also consider renting a car for the day to go to Piran, unless you can work out good bus/train schedules.
Refugee crisis or not, just rent a car for the day. We use Sixt, which is a German car rental company. Taking a bus or train will be tedious and time consuming. The highways in Slovenia are excellent and it is a pleasant and quick drive down to Piran (one of my favorite towns in all of Europe). During the drive, it is fascinating how the landscape changes so quickly from Alpine to Mediterranean.
Thank you so much! You guys have helped out a ton and I think renting a car would be the best way to go. I also want to try and stop and see the Predjama Castle so I know the only way to see that is if we rent a car. So, thank you guys so much for your help!
Do you know what the best way would be to get from Salzburg to Ljubljana? I'm looking at busses or private transfers?
we rented a car in venice Italy and drove to Lake Bled. my two cent is that we found the road signs in Slovenia to be very confusing (we did not have trouble in Italy) (or in Germany, different trip)
(edit, after reading Andrews post) I think he's absolutely right, and that makes sense. we had a paper map, but weren't thinking thru that bit about other big towns, it was late, it was dark, we were cranky & hungry.....but , like a lot of traveling crises, I bet a handful of peanuts, and to 10 deep cleansing breathes would have helped a lot......
Unlike doric8, I found driving in Slovenia easy. I found the road signs useful once I adjusted to the difference in navigation philosophy. On the roads (except for the big highways) there aren't big prominent signs saying what road you are currently driving on, but there are directional signs telling you which towns are in which direction. So it helps to know which towns are en route to your destination. Then if you see signs pointing to the towns that are on the way to your destination, follow them and you won't get lost. Once I started thinking like that, I never got lost, even without a GPS. I did have a decent (free) tourist map obtained from the TI at the Ljubljana train station, however.
From Salzburg to Ljubljana, there is a direct afternoon train, as well as others with one connection. Austrian rail is currently selling tickets and this is opposite of the current direction of migrant travel.
I was in Slovenia just 10 days ago and at that time there were no transportation problems regarding the refugee crisis, although I have heard from a Slovenian friend that since we left some cross border trains have been cancelled and that has effected some internal train schedules as well. As others have suggested, I would recommend renting a car. Driving in Slovenia is extremely easy and convenient. Like everywhere in Europe, it is best to navigate by knowing the towns along your route, since they are well posted, and not depend on highway numbers.
Ljublijana is a wonderful town. Great for walking around, great food, a very helpful people. You mentioned Bled. It was not our favorite stop on our visit. Much too touristy for our taste. Within an easy drive of Ljublijana, we enjoyed Lake Bohinj, Kranjska Gora, and Radovljica.
We drove across the border from Croatia to Slovenia and visited Piran on September 26. There were no crowds at all. We found the roads driving through Slovenia very easy to navigate. Just a bit of road construction for a short stretch between Piran to Ljubljana. Everything is well marked and if you rent a car and get a GPS, you shouldn't have any troubles. Crowds were not bad in Ljubljana either. We also travelled by train from Ljubljana to Graz, Austria on September 29. We had to change trains along the route and the second train actually originated in Zagreb. There was hardly anyone on the trains. We didn't see any refugees at all.
