Train from Venice to Split, Croatia

Hi, Gerald. Don't be worried about the train wreck. It's still an infinitely safer mode of travel than your drive to the airport.

RailEurope being cheaper than any of the train sites would be bizarre, can't say I've ever heard of it. Most sites are specific. If it says 6, expect to pay for the whole thing if you want it, or share it.

A lot of people who have done with route will recommend ferry, car of bus. Ferries leave from Venice strait to the Dalmation Coast (just google Venice Ferries). It's an easy drive by car, almost all freeway, and pretty straight forward - for 4 people, it's an effective option. Ask about 1 way drop off fees though. Bus is another great option. It's straightforward, and inexpensive.

Training that route, you either go all the way up around Slovenia to Villach Austria (usually), OR go thru Trieste, where you have to disembark, wait for a bus, take the bus 45 minutes into the hills, and then board another train - not too much fun.

In any case, I'd say check out those options real quick. You might find something you like a lot.

Thanks Chris for the response. I have done a lot of research on the various ways to get from Venice to Split. I am not that concerned about the train accident anymore.

There are no ferries that go from Venice to anywhere near Split. The best option I found was train to Trieste, bus to Rijeka and overnight ferry to Split; the connections are OK but any delays could be problematic.

The overnight train (#421) from Venice to Zagreb has a good connection to the train to Split although it is very early in the morning. That train leaves Venice at 21:20 and I can't imagine passengers being off boarded in Trieste and bused to another train at midnight. How do you know this? Is that what happened to you?

I looked into car rental but the drop-off fee in Split is excessive and many companies don't even allow it. Plus we need an overnight hotel adding to the cost.

As for the Rail Europe price, it seemed odd to me that it would be cheap but maybe it's the Trenitalia site that I am misinterpreting as they offer many different fares.

I need to keep researching this and help from anyone who has done the Venice to Split trip would be most appreciated. Gerry

Gerry - Another option to investigate would be train from Venice to Ancona and an overnight ferry to Split. Ferries drop to about twice weekly after September, so sailing dates from either Ancona or Rijeka will be somewhat limited. When in Split, be sure to eat at Fife - good food and inexpensive.

Hi Gerald,

There are no ferries that go from Venice to anywhere near Split.

There was one through 2006 run by Eranmar (spelling?) I think it was. Sadly, it looks like it's been canceled. Sorry.

The overnight train (#421) from Venice to Zagreb has a good connection to the train to Split although it is very early in the morning.

That trip is also 15-16 hours, which is why I recommended car...

That train leaves Venice at 21:20 and I can't imagine passengers being off boarded in Trieste and bused to another train at midnight.

Please reread my original post. As I stated there are two options, "either go all the way up around Slovenia to Villach Austria (usually), OR go thru Trieste, where you have to disembark," You don't do this on the EN 241, as it routes completely up and around Slovenia to Villach, Austria.

My point being, both train choices are inconvenient: A, the "Trieste Shuffle", or B, a 15-16 hour train trip.

And yes, if you chose a route that went through Treiste night-train or not, you have to disembark (though this is not the case with the 241 as it routes around). The tracks through Trieste were blown in WWII and never rebuilt, due to the Cold War. Hence, all the bus/train recommendations you'll find on other sites.

If you're happy with what you've found, go for it! :)

If the RailEurope site it's lower, that would be a first! :-D

Chris - sorry for the misunderstanding on the train via Trieste. I did not realize that there was a missing segment on the train tracks - one just doesn't expect that with European trains systems.

The 15 hour train trip is one of the shortest of 5 travel options for the Venice - Split segment of my trip - they range from 14 to 22 hours. There is a potential 10 hour trip by flying from Zagreb to Split but the connection is quite tight and we'd have to get from the train station at 04:30 to the airport for a 06:20 flight.

There is a daily bus from Trieste to Split but the trip is 10 hours and it arrives at midnight - UGH! I prefer a travel option that combines travel with sleeping, hence the train or an overnight ferry. There is one on Jadrolinija from Rejika to Split and we could get to Rejika from Trieste by bus but if there were any delays the trip could become a problem.

I must admit I gave up early on the rented car option as I didn't come across a company that rented in Venice and allowed a drop-off in Split. I will look into that more closely. It might mean an overnight hotel somewhere along the way but that's not a problem - I have Rick Steves' Croatia book.

Thanks for the ideas and the help. Gerry

Hi,
I agree with Frank's suggestion. Take the train to ancona. There's a night ferry crossing and you arrive in Split early the next day. Pescara also has a crossing into Split, but that's further down the italian coast.

Do you know if there is any problem renting a car in Venice and driving it into Croatia? How many hour drive is it from Venice to Split?
Thanks.

I looked into renting a car in Venice, driving to Croatia and dropping the car in Split or Dubrovnik. I could only find one company that allowed that (I think it was Hertz) and it was quite expensive.

I have taken the advice of others here and I am taking the train to Ancona and a ferry to Croatia. If Croatia is anything like Italy, a car is a disadvantage.

4 of us spent 3 weeks in Croatia last April and it was wonderful.We took a ferry from Porec to Venice ,only on Saturday a 2 1/2 hour voyage.The ferry goes back in late afternoon.A rental car in Porec would get you to Split in a few hours on excellent roads.We rented a car in Dubronvik and left it in Porec with no problem.You could do the reverse.Good Luck Nancy