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Travel Krakow/Bratislava, Dubrovnik/Sarajevo, Sarajevo/Belgrade

I'm going on a whirlwind trip of Eastern Europe in April 2013. For the most part I'm flying between cities, especially ones for which there are decent low-cost, reliable air carriers, but three sets of city connections are causing me grief - I think it's mainly because I'm slightly OCD and want to book everything now and not wait until I'm there (or at least get a good idea/schedule in mind). If anyone has any ideas of the best ways to get between the following cities for a reasonable cost/reasonable time commitment, it would be greatly appreciated! Krakow/BratislavaDubrovnik/SarajevoSarajevo/Belgrade Thanks!

Posted by
17632 posts

There are direct flights between Krakow and Vienna. Vienna is 30 miles from Bratislava. Or you cold take Orangeways Bus to Budapest, spend a few days then take the train to Bratislava. You could also make a reservation for a night or two at the Kempinski High Tatras hotel in Slovakia. They will send a car into Krakow to pick you up, then when you check out they will drop yo off in Bratislava ($$$$ but worth it if you can) As for " decent low-cost, reliable air carriers ", I have yet to find that particular combination of attributes. Check Orbitz and Ryanair and Wizzair for a start. Ilja, you are correct, the Kempinski is somewhat expensive. Off season (not ski season) it runs something in the neighborhood of 300 euro a night. The car service I spoke of will cost another 500 euro or so; but you pretty much own it for the day so you can use it to do a little sightseeing as well. But it is one of the nicer hotels/resorts that we have ever stayed in. For a night or two it's sort of nice to be spoiled. I threw it out because different people have different budgets and expectations. Our style? Mostly the train 2nd class.

Posted by
11294 posts

Connections in this region cause grief simply becuase they aren't what people expect. We look at a map, see that they're "close together," and assume that they will have good connections. As you're learning, this is not always the case. This often comes up on this board for Dubrovnik, which has no train station and is a long bus or car ride from many other destinations in the region. For flights, look at http://www.skyscanner.com. For train schedules, look at the Bahn website. For Bratislava, remember that Vienna is not too far away, and its airport is larger and will get more flights. You may want to fly there instead. There should be buses for Dubrovnik to Sarajevo and Sarajevo to Belgrade, and these may actually be the best way between them. My sister used to live in Sarajevo, so I can confirm that the airport has few flights; I can add that if your final destination involves a connection, the connections are often very tight (she's not sure why that is, but she came to expect it in Budapest, Munich, and Zagreb; she almost always had to change in one of these to get anywhere). By the time you connect on flights, you could probably take the bus, even if it seems "slow."

Posted by
4637 posts

It's easier to figure it out once you are there. There are many different bus companies and problem is they are not on one website. But locally is very easy to find connections. From Krakow to Bratislava you can go by train with some train changes (probably Katowice and Breclav). It's a long ride. Check Deutsche Bahn website. Shorter would be what James suggests but you can do it much cheaper. There used to be bus from Krakow to Poprad (in Slovakia), from there direct train to Bratislava. If that bus is not going any more then they can advice you in Krakow. Krakow - Zakopane - Lysa Polana - Stary Smokovec - Poprad. Probably with one change of bus. You don't have to go to hotel Kempinski (which is very expensive), there are plenty of accommodation in beautiful Stary Smokovec (resort in High Tatras). Little electrical train would then take you to Poprad train station. I never did Dubrovnik-Sarajevo and Sarajevo-Belgrade. I am sure there is public transport for these destinations and it would be much easier to find it once you are there. When I am in Europe I always do it that way. Never problem.

Posted by
118 posts

hi carmen. im booking a similar trip right now so i have some information although there might be better info out there since im still in the research phase. from sarajevo to belgrade, if you have the time, you can go from sarajevo to bar and then take the scenic train from bar to belgrade. i have no reason to go to belgrade but im trying to work it in just to take this scenic train trip. it runs overnight or daytime. i would pick day time because going overnight is pointless since i would miss the scenery! theres a LOT of videos of this route on youtube if you want a sneak preview. this is the site i have book marked for tickets. please note: i have not used this website myself as i have not booked yet so you may want to look into it further before booking. http://www.zeleznicesrbije.com/active/en/home/glavna_navigacija/putnicki_saobracaj/medjunarodni_saobracaj/cene_prevoza_v01.html happy travels!

Posted by
42 posts

I am pretty sure the train connection from Belgrade to Sarajevo and back in cancelled indefinitely. You will have to take the bus. http://www.bas.co.rs/ (Main Bus Station link)

Posted by
1547 posts

Sarajevo-Belgrade (this is from about 3.5 years ago). The train between the two cities was a very long ride that involved a change in the middle of the night. Hence, I took the bus. There are two or more bus stations in Sarajevo. There was only one direct bus from the bus station near town (close to the Holiday Inn) while there are 5-6 buses to Belgrade from another bus station that was on the outskirts of town. The bus left early (around 6 am) and took about 6 hrs to get to Belgrade. For more info, you should check out the Thorn Tree forum on the Lonely Planet website.

Posted by
86 posts

Best way from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo is by bus. You can just get your ticket the day of at the bus station. I was worried about this too, but it's not an issue. If you are really worried you could book it when you get to Dubrovnik. The only thing is is that the bus station is out near the cruise ship port, far from the old town. Also the busses to Bosnia ALWAYS run late. I don't know why it just is the way it is. If you can, stop in Mostar. It's halfway Between the two and my favorite place in the world. I love BiH. I've had my favorite travel moments here-from scaling waterfalls to being licked by an old man (mortifying then, but funny now).