Ljubljana to Vienna by train or bus

Stops? Oh, yes. The train makes a large number of them. The 9:23 AM, 3:27 PM and 4 PM departures have the fewest and only one connection (or none in the case of the 4 PM train). But that's still at least 15 stops. The other departures have at least three times that many! You can see this info on the Deutsche Bahn webpage. Click on Details, then on Intermediate Stops.

Buses may well be non-stop. It would be difficult to make those relatively short travel times if they had to get off the highway and make a bunch of stops. It's about 230 miles, according to viamichelin.com. Correction: I think there has to be at least one stop for a smoke/toilet break.

Checking now (say for Monday), the quickest bus time I see is 4:45. I see a train with one connection that takes about 6:00. So not quite two hours longer - and you do get to get off and stretch your feet for almost 20 minutes in the middle of your ride. But you do have to get off to change trains, lug your bags from one platform to another, switch tracks, worry about being late (20 minutes isn't exactly a tight connection - but who knows?).

I personally find long train rides relaxing and fun and dislike long bus rides, so the choice would be easy for me. I like to get up and stretch my legs, even on the train, and I hate feeling stuck in a tiny bus seat. Some people really don't mind a long bus ride or don't see any real difference vs. a train - so they'd rather take the bus to get there faster and without a change. Personal preference!

Checking the train now, the one 8:05-14:02 with a change in Pragersko that goes through Maribor doesn't seem to make that many stops (twelve total?). Not exactly a local train stopping all the time. I took a similar train ride between Maribor and Salzburg a few years ago, and the scenery from the train was lovely. Could be from the bus too - who knows?

I think I set my search to start at 9 AM, so I missed the earlier departure. I am so not a morning person.

Thank you both for your replies to my post.
We will probably end up taking the bus, just because it seems to be more convenient with our bags and all.
Changing trains, with bags, might be a hassle.
Ellen

I do find buses easier to manage where luggage is concerned. You always know where your suitcases go; not always the case on a train. And there are no steps to navigate.

You have also option for shuttle transfer with GoOpti. It's probably worth it if you not travel solo.

Thank You both.
I'll check out Go Opti.

I would take the train. It is nice to be able to move around, etc. 20 minutes for a train change is an eternity. I did this route with a toddler and had no issues.

It is worth noting that between Vienna and Graz the train will be on the famous Semmering line which passes through beautiful scenery. You don't get that in the road.

Thank you all for your replies.
Ellen

Depending on when you are going, you may be better off with the bus. Our mid-September trip from Ljubljana to Vienna has a portion of the segment between Villa h and Vienna replaced with a bus---there must be track work. So we would have two additional transfers on this part, from train to bus and then back to train. We opted to change to the longer but simpler journey via Salzburg, without the bus replacement part.

Thanks everyone. After reviewing everything, we decided to try the GoOpti shuttle. They'll pickup at our hotel in Ljubljana and drop off at our hotel in Vienna. This saves the hassle and expense of getting to and from either the train or bus station. We leave for our trip August 22, but won't be in Ljubljana until mid September.