We will be traveling from Venice to Slovenia the first two weeks in July and plan to visit Slovenia & northern Croatia. We will then need to get back to Milan for our flight home. We have an Italian Railpass. We plan to rent a car, which I am assuming we can bring between the two countries. We plan to spend some time in the Julian alps, some beaches, some interesting towns, etc. I need to read the posts to figure out an exact itinerary, but to begin with, does anyone have a suggestion of what makes the most sense of where to take the train, and where to rent a car?
Many thanks!
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
Based on your current description and you previous posts, I see no need to take a train within either Slovenia or Croatia. As I suggested before, you can pick up a car in Venice, Trieste, or Portoroz, with Venice being the simplest solution and Portoroz (or Ljubljana) needing the most transport connections. The only reason to pick up the car in Slovenia would be if you wanted to drop it in Slovenia or if you couldn't find a rental company that would allow you to drive across the border. Neither one of these seems to be the case.
Posted by
OP
33 posts
Thanks for your advice! So, just to confirm, there is no problem taking a car from Italy into Slovenia and Croatia? If not, that sure sounds like the best solution! Thanks! Are there any car companies you would recommend? I have heard from some folks here that it is cheaper to reserve from the U.S. and others that it is cheaper to reserve in Europe. What do you think?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
We usually reserve ahead through AutoEurope.com, which is a consolidator that will show your prices for several companies. Bookings can be changed until a couple of days ahead with no penalty and that gives you better assurance of a car that fits your party. Do be sure to indicate the countries where you will drive during the booking process, so that all the paperwork is complete.