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Trip planning Confusion

So I have to admit I'm confused.

I like the idea of the car train, but I'm confused where it drops off and begins, and the path it takes.

Does it begin by Lake Bohinj and end in Soca? I've got the travel guide, but cant' tell as the dotted line actually looks like it goes into Austria. Does anyone know the path? I've gone to website, but still in dark :(

And is it 2 morning trains only or is this going the other direction? How long os the train ride? Does it end near Bovec as I'd like to stay there for a night.

Is the drive to the train station doable in morning from Ljubljana or should we stay closer?

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3847 posts

I'm going to use the Motorail mentioned above on my fall trip. My understanding is that it is designed to shorten the transportation time from the Kobarid/Tolmin area to the Lake Bohinj area (or vice versa) by going through mountains [via tunnel(s)] instead of over/around them. I plan to get on the train at Most na Soči (just south of Tolmin) and take it to Bohinjska Bistrica, which lies 7-8 km east of Lake Bohinj.

Posted by
127 posts

Dave...Please post about your trip when you return, since we seem to be planning similiar paths. I've chatted with Vesna and I'm so excited about the day trips she is offering, thanks for recommending her. I think we will take the train from Bohinj over to Most ni soci (sp?). Maybe take the train from Salzburg to Lake Bled stay the first night after we rent a car, and head over the following day.

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Ricki...

Glad to hear that you were able to connect with Vesna. I'm really looking forward to the two days I will spend with her. I found her after signing up for a food tour with LubljanaYum in Ljubljana. Pia was my connection there -- she has a list of recommendations for less-commercial, off-the-beaten track things to do in Slovenia, and Vesna was on the list.

There are some videos of the Motorail on YouTube, if you want to get some idea of what the ride is like and what the loading/unloading process is like. Just search "Slovenia Motorail" on YouTube, and you should be able to find the videos.

Posted by
127 posts

The autotrain reminds me of taking the ferries in WA state, it looks like an adventure!

Posted by
3847 posts

So... I did the Motorail today. I thought it was awesome!

(Keep in mind that i find all things plane/train/transportation cool AND I tend to like everything).

It was super easy to do from Most na Soči, and it looked similarly easy at Bohinjska Bistrica (where I got off). You buy your ticket from the train conductor right before driving your car on the train. My conductor spoke great English; there was zero language barrier. The ride was fun and one of the tunnels goes on and on and on.

The train that arrived at Most na Soči was full; this would have been the 9:13 departure from Bohinjska Bistrica. Only 3 cars got on the train for the 11:37 departure from Bohinjska Bistrica.

Also... Vesna is an awesome guide. If you do a tour with her, I think you will enjoy it. She wants you to ask about her life and what it's like growing up/living in Slovenia.

Posted by
3847 posts

I re-read your original post. To answer, a couple of questions... the train ride is about 40 minutes. You would drive another 40-45 minutes to Bovec. The link listed by Laura above has the train schedule -- 5 trains daily from late April to mid-December.

The other option that I suspect you've found would be to drive the Vršič Pass from the Bohinj area to Bovec.

Posted by
127 posts

Did you end up staying with Vesna or elsewhere? Did she meet you or did you drive to her house? What tour did you do? We are thinking of 2 days with her, to include wine, cheese and ham making farms. About what time did you get going in the morning? Thinking of only staying the one night with her between the two tours, since we will be coming from Vienna the day before and will most likely be late. Train timing is still up in the air as we are trying to coordinate schedules between our son and us while we are there. So glad the tour met your expectations, and thanks do much for the update!

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3847 posts

I did not stay with her. I stayed at Tourist Farm Kranjc, which is near Drežnica, which is above Kobarid. Vesna has just two rooms to rent; it's worth noting they share a bathroom, which may turn off some.

Hiking is high on my list of interests, so that was a major thrust of our time together. I also expressed an interest in beekeeping. My days with Vesna were as follows:

Day 1: I drove up from Piran and met her at her Homestay at 10 am. She gave me some herbal tea, and then we set out for the Brda region in her car. We visited a beekeeper (included a honey tasting -- who knew that was a thing?), climbed a tower with great views over the region, visited Šmartno (a small medieval walled town/village), had a great lunch in a 2-3 table restaurant with a lovely owner at the village (included drinking a glass of orange wine), walked through vineyards (eating grapes straight off the vine [it's legal, so she tells me] and other fruit along the way), went back to the Homestay, traded her car for my car, and drove to Tolmin Gorges for hiking. I dropped her off at a bus station at about 5:30 so she could catch a bus back to her village while I drove on to Koseč.

Day 2: This was mostly a hiking day that included a visit to the very cool Memorial Church of the Holy Spirit at Javorca (one of my requests). She met me at Kobarid at 8:45, and we finished around 5:30.

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How did you like the Tourist Farm...since we are small farmers in the states this idea appeals to me.

You had very long days it sounds like. You would do it again?

I'm on the fence about staying at Herbal Homestays since it will be cold when we are there, and I don't really want to feel like I'm in someone's home in the evenings. I'm also concerned about the weather, I'm wondering if roads will be closed.

How did you like Piran? Not sure if we'll have time to get there or not. I really want to see the Holy Trinity fresco's...but the website indicates they are typically closed on Monday and Tuesday which is when we will be in the area.

We will be heading down to the Postojna cave area when we are finished with the tours, so our second day needs to be shorter than yours was.

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3847 posts

The tourist farm was great, but it didn't seem very farmy. I guess there was farming going on somewhere, but it felt more like a large B&B/small independent hotel. Breakfast was awesome, and they offered dinner every night -- good, home-cooked Slovenian food with effort to serve what is in season. It is about a 15-minute drive up a somewhat narrow, quite curvy mountain road. If you are worried about weather on your trip, I wouldn't want to drive that road if there is snow.

My tour days with Vesna were long, but I honestly enjoyed every minute of them. She is a great conversationalist and an interesting person. I would not change a thing.

The Herbal Homestay is just off the main road. It would be very much like being someone's houseguest. If that gives you heartburn, I think it's probably best for you to look at other options. (And I understand your reluctance!).

I liked Piran quite a bit. The place where I stayed (Memento B&B) was one of my favorite places I have ever stayed. Some of my reasons for liking Piran were unique to the time I was there. The Tartini Festival was going on, so I went to very good chamber orchestra concerts 2 of my 4 nights there. The maritime secondary school was also having its initiation of new students which involved Neptune and his pirates taking over the town for the weekend; it was fun!

I found the frescoes at the Holy Trinity Church at Hrastovlje very special. The Istria Tourist Board website has a contact and phone number for visiting the church by appointment. Perhaps, that person can work our a visit for you. https://www.istria-culture.com/en/the-holy-trinity-church-in-hrastovlje-i13

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127 posts

Thanks for the link and the information Dave. Sounds like you are having a wonderful vacation!