We are planning to travel from Milan to Slovenia in June. On the way we would like to stop in Venice. Would it be best to travel by train, car or bus?
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
You get easily get from Milan to Venice by train. However, I only see on train from Venice to Ljubljana on Trenitalia. And, it's a night train that departs at 21:20 and arrives 4hrs 21min later at 01:41. That's the middle of the night. One option may be to take a train from Venice-Mestre to Villach in Austria and then take a more reasonable Austrian train to Slovenia. The Austrian train site is www.obb.at
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
The DB website: http://www.bahn.de/international/view/en/index.shtml
shows several trains during the day from Venice Mestre to Ljubljana connecting through Trieste. The trip takes 6.5-7 hrs.
Posted by
Puyallup, WA, USA
881 posts
Hi, Christine. How man of you are traveling, and where in Slovenia are you heading? Car might not be bad if more than 2.
Train from Venice to Slovenia gets a bit tricky as the tracks were never rebuilt after WWII. (Milan to Venice is quite nice, actually.) You'll take a train from Venice to Trieste, a bus up to the hills near Trieste, and then hope on another train to continue your trip. This is usually included in your fare. It's just a time-suck, and kind of a pain, as you're taking care of your own luggage.
Depending on where you're going in Slovenia, you might want a car to begin with. If you're going outside Ljubljana, or Bled, I'd recommend one.
If you can - the freeways aren't bad at all in Northern Italy or Slovenia, and there are several huge parking lots outside of Venice. Or a train/car combo might be an idea.
Make sure to check for drop off fees on cars (in my experience, quite steep in that area), and there usually is a charge for "Eastern Europe" for Slovenia, again in my experience $60-100ish, varies by company.
Slovenia's my favorite place in the world. If you have any other questions, please let me know! :)
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5850 posts
Christine, If you are going to Bled or Ljubljana, look at the train route via Villach. There is a train that leaves Venice around 3:30 pm and goes to Villach and then from Villach you can travel on to Lesce-Bled or Ljubljana. It arrives in Ljubljana around 9. Take a look at the Deutsche Bahn site for options. I took this route last year ... no problems.
Posted by
OP
Portland, OR, United States
4 posts
Thanks for the replies. We will be traveling to villages in Slovenia so a car may be the best bet. We are considering a visit to Dobrava and Mokro Polje to visit distant relatives. We have driven in europe on numerous occasions but have always stayed in one country--so I will need to find out more info on the issue of the drop off fee. Our time is also limited so a 6.5 hour train ride would take most of the day!