Hi! We'll be traveling throughout Croatia, Slovenia and Italy during mid-May to Mid-June this summer, and I'm hoping to get a little input about a few transportation connections I'm having trouble understanding. I'l be leaving Rovinj for Ljubljana on May 27, and from what I understand, there is a bus connection but it doesn't start running until June. Does anyone know of alternative means of transport? Also, we'll be leaving Ljubljana for Florence, Italy on June 1, and I was hoping for a little advice as to what would be be the best mode of transportation. I know there's an early morning train option, and also an overnight train option, but I just wanted to make sure I'm not overlooking anything. Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
I'm traveling in Croatia & Slovenia in May, too, and I agree - there are lots of transport options that don't start up until June 1 - it definitely complicates things. I originally investigated train connections, but eventually gave up on them since they won't work for us. But based on what I found, I'm pretty sure there's passenger rail service from parts of Istria (although not from Rovinj) to Ljubljana. You could probably catch a bus from Rovinj to Rijeka, and connect there to a train to Ljubljana (even in May). There may be other points in Istria where you could catch the train, but connections to Rijeka are probably most plentiful. Check out the Slovenian national rail system (http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/passengers/slovenia) and see where it connects to western Croatia. Their route map (http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/uploads/Zemljevid.jpg) shows 2 lines to Istria: one to Rijeka, and another to Pula (closer to Rovinj, but maybe not with service as frequent as to Rijeka). Hope that helps - good luck.
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Posted by
OP
baton rouge, la, US
269 posts
Thanks, this does help a lot! I'm assuming I'll also have to just finalize some things when I get there by talking to the TI/Train station reps, but that goes against my over-planning nature :)
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6788 posts
How firmly you need to plan depends on how much time you have for your trip - if you've got plenty of time, I think it's fine to figure things out as you go along. If your trip is short and carefully orchestrated, then you better check details carefully. As an example, we're renting a car for the Slovenia portion of our trip, then continuing south to Croatia, where we'll need a car for another week. But the drop-off fee for renting in Slovenia and dropping off in Croatia was astronomical (like 1000 Euro), so I decided to rent two cars, one for each country, and find a way across the border. We're taking a bus, but in May that bus only runs one day a week. The timing worked out OK for us, but if we miss that bus, we would have to wait a week or find some other way to connect. The point is, if you find some option, don't assume that option will be available to you at the particular time that's most convenient for you - unless you're prepared to wait a long time or figure out some other way. Personally, I'm all about over-planning (since our trip is short, and tightly-scripted). Good luck.