After some time in Italy, we'll be departing from Venice to spend 1 week in Slovenia this fall. We're trying to figure out the best travel arrangement to get into Slovenia and rent a car. In no particular order, we will be staying in these areas: 3 nights Ljubljana 3 nights Lake Bled/Julian Alps
1 night Piran Should we take a train from Venice to Ljubljana to rent a car there, or is there somewhere right over the border where we can rent a car and then do our driving before we end in Ljubljana? All suggestions welcome! Thank you!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16068 posts
I would rent it in Venice and drive there from Venice, or at most Trieste, especially if you have to come back to Italy to catch your flight back to the US? If you plan to fly out of Slovenia then rent in Slovenia because the off fees in a different country from where you rented would be high.
I've driven in Slovenia only with my own car (when I was living in Italy). Roads are very good. If you take a rental across borders, even temporarily, inquire with the rental company because of insurance coverage rules. Not sure if you still need the insurance Pink Sheet (folio rosa). Inquire.
Posted by
OP
Santa Barbara, CA, United States
23 posts
Thanks for your reply, Roberto. We are flying out of Ljubljana so I was trying to keep the rental pick up and drop off in Slovenia as you suggested. Any ideas of locations right over the border that we could rent a car? So far I haven't been able to find anywhere closer to border than Ljubljana. Thanks again!
Posted by
OP
Santa Barbara, CA, United States
23 posts
After looking into it a bit more, it looks like we can bus from Venice to Villach, and then train down to Lake Bled. There we can rent a car to start our journey around Slovenia. Has anyone done the bus to Villach, train to Lake Bled leg?
Posted by
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
353 posts
"Has anyone done the bus to Villach, train to Lake Bled leg?" Yep, although we trained into Ljubljana, not Bled. The bus is very comfortable and the scenery is beautiful. Train departures in Villach are timed to the bus arrival, so it is a pretty easy connection. If I remember correctly, we booked ahead and the tickets were delivered to us in the US before departure.
Posted by
OP
Santa Barbara, CA, United States
23 posts
Thanks HK! It looks like we're going to go with this option.
Posted by
Sonora, CA, USA
6 posts
We travelled from Venice to Ljubljana in 2011. The bus from Venice to Villach was easy, comfortable and scenic. We have been to all of the major Europe capitals, and Ljubljana was our favorite. We rented a car after two nights in the city and went to Lake Bled and on to Croatia. The roads are excellent, with numerous tolls. English is widely spoken in Slovenia and many of the raod signs were in english.
Posted by
jasper, il, usa
64 posts
Last September we trained to Trieste then took a bus to Koper and on to Piran. Very simple - walk out of the Trieste train station, go right 50 yards and walk into the bus station. Koper is a stopover for many cruise lines and would have rental cars. At that point you're less than an hour from Piran ( a truly wonderful experience) or about 75 minutes from Ljubljana.
Wherever you go you will love Slovenia.