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Vienna to Zagreb, Croatia

Is a train a good way to get from Vienna to Zagreb, Croatia? How long of a ride is it? Do you have a preferred car rental agency in Croatia (Zagreb)? If touring from Zagreb to Dubrovnik, is the quickest way back to Zagreb from Dubrovnik via train or rental car? Do you know the length of time on the train from Dubrovnik to Zagreb? Do you know the length of time via car? Thanks for any suggestions that you may have!

Posted by
1596 posts

You may want to check the bus for the Vienna - Zagreb route since I think the train takes about 6 hours. A big chunk of that time is spent crossing the borders - i.e. into Slovenia, and then into Croatia. At each border crossing they change crews and change engines etc. which adds a lot of time. At least this was the case when we traveled this route about 5 years ago.

I believe the bus will be quicker but run a check on this. I believe DBV-ZAG is close to a 9 hr train ride (going from memory). You will need to check out the deutsche bahn website for all the details on trains in Europe. www.bahn.de

Posted by
811 posts

Hi, Walt,

I haven't done Vienna-Zagreb so I'm unable to help you there, but we were recently in Croatia with a car so I have a few tips:

-There is no train Dubrovnik to Zagreb, as the farthest south the trains go in Croatia is to Split. The infrastructure just isn't built.

You would have to take either A) a bus from Dubrovnik to Split (about 5 hours, according to Rick), then catch the train (about 5.5 hours, according to Rail Europe's website), or B) just take a bus all the way from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, about 10 hours, according to Rick.

-You can also fly Dubrovnik to Zagreb, which is clearly the fastest (and possibly most economical) option (Air Croatia is the country's airline)

-We used AutoEurope to book cars in Europe, have never had a problem and their customer service has been great

-The highways in Croatia (the Autocestas) are beautiful and efficient (they look brand new)

-ViaMichelin.com can help with driving routes/times

Have fun!