We will be traveling to Slovenia and Croatia in September, 2017 and want to finish by spending a couple of days at Lake Como (which we missed on our trip to Italy. What is the best way to get there? I assume it might be best to get to Venice and connect to a train which goes on to Milan and then to Como? The trickier part seems to be getting from Ljublijana to Venice. Is there train service between them or is the GoOpti service the best option? Some of the posts on this topic are from several years ago, so I didn't know if there were more recent developments. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Posted by
Slovenia
470 posts
Besides the GoOpti service, there are also Flixbus bus services from Ljubljana to Venice or Arriva bus services to Trieste. The latter are in cooperation with the Slovenian Railways, which means that your train ticket to Italy is valid on the bus and the service can also be found in the international train timetables at www.bahn.com. From Trieste, there are regular trains to Venice and onwards to Milan.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
This is quite a detour if more of Italy is not in your plan. Between Plitvice National Park in Croatia and the popular lakes Bled and Bohinj in Slovenia, I think you'd have that category covered and could save Lake Como for yet another future trip.
Posted by
OP
Kenmore, WA, United States
24 posts
Laura, we will be doing more of Italy after Lake Como - going through Milan down to Rome, Naples, and Amalfi coast. Is Lake Como similar to Lake Bled and Bohinj? Dejan, do you recommend one of the options over the others?
Posted by
Slovenia
470 posts
This is a personal preference but I would go for the bus to Trieste. The schedule should work better with train departures, it maximises your time on a comfortable train and while most likely not as fast as GoOpti straight to Venice, the shuttle service has a 4-hour pickup window unless you pay extra. That said, going via Trieste may result in an additional change unless you catch a direct Trieste-Milan service.
Posted by
Washington DC
28140 posts
Since you have more of Italy to see, I'd proceed with the plans to see Lake Como. Lake Bled is tiny. One can easily walk around it; I did. Lake Bohinj is a bit larger, but nothing like Lake Como. To me, the visitor's experience is quite different at Lake Como.
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1410 posts
It's easy to take the train from Venice to Milano to Lake Como (we did it to Varenna). Not sure the best way to get from Ljublijana to Venice - the RS Croatia & Slovenia Guide recommends the DRD bus (to Venice Mestre train station) or GoOpti shuttle bus (referenced earlier).
Posted by
Ohio
171 posts
If you decide to go to Lake Como I would not stay in Como the town. Instead I would recommend Bellagio. It can be reached by boat or bus from Como. Bellagio probably has the most scenic location on the lake. It has good access to ferries. Ferries are the best way to tour the lake. September should be close to ideal from a weather standpoint. Bellagio also offers good shopping for silks. But the view and ferry access are its best features.