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How to travel by train from London to

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How to travel by train from the UK to Ljubljana in Slovenia

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 Country information

Train operators:

SZ (Slovenske Zeleznice) www.slo-zeleznice.siEurostar times & fares   All-Europe train times

 

 

Railpasses:

Beginner's guide to European railpasses    Buy a rail pass online

Time:

GMT+1 (GMT+2 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday in October)

Currency:

£1 = 1.15 euros in Slovenia.  Currency converter

Tourist information:

www.tourist-board.si      Recommended guidebooks

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Find a hotel in Ljubljana or Slovenia

Visas:

UK citizens do not need a visa to visit Slovenia.

Page last updated:

10 June 2010.  Train times valid from 13 June to 11 December 2010.


 UK to Slovenia by train?

  Ljubljana's Dragon Bridge

Above:  The Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana.  Ljubljana is a wonderful city to visit, easy to reach from the UK by train without flying...

   

Why not?  It's very easy and affordable to travel from the UK to Ljubljana by train.  It's safe and comfortable, too.  This page will explain the routes, train times, fares and how to buy tickets.

On this page...

Train times, fares & how to buy tickets for:

London to Ljubljana

London to Koper

Venice & Trieste to/from Ljubljana

On other pages...

General information about European train travel

Taking your bike    Dogs    Luggage

Buying tickets from UK towns & cities to connect with Eurostar

Holidays to Slovenia & Croatia by train not plane

Sponsored links...

 


 London to Ljubljana

Option 1:  Using the Paris-Munich City Night Line sleeper train...

This is the easiest, cheapest & most time-effective way to travel from the UK to Croatia by train.  If you prefer daytime trains, or need to travel on the few off-season days when the Paris-Munich sleeper isn't running, see option 2 below, which uses daytime trains all the way with an overnight stop in Munich.

London ► Ljubljana

  • Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 16:02 (15:32 at weekends), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 19:17 (18:47 at weekends).  It's then a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

  • Travel from Paris to Munich overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train 'Cassiopeia', leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 20:20 and arriving in Munich at 07:16 next morning.  This excellent train runs daily for most of the year, but only 4 times a week in winter.  It runs on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays until 18 March 2010, then daily for the summer until 8 November 2010, then on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays again until March 2011.  It has sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information below.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.

  • Travel from Munich to Ljubljana on a modern, air-conditioned EuroCity train, the "Sava", leaving Munich at 08:27 and arriving in Ljubljana at 14:31.  An Austrian restaurant car is available from Munich to Villach (reached at 12:43), and a Serbian restaurant car is usually available between Villach and Ljubljana.  However, don't expect the Serbian restaurant to sell any hot food, just sandwiches, cheap beer and coffee.  If you want a hot lunch, eat early in the Austrian restaurant car.  On paper there are through coaches from Munich to Ljubljana, but in reality you may have to make a simple cross-platform change of train at Villach.  I have not yet discovered the reason!

About the journey:  After leaving the Munich suburbs the train snakes through pretty Bavarian scenery to Salzburg, past churches and picturesque villages.  Just before arriving at Salzburg, look to your right as you cross the River Salzach for great views of Salzburg citadel.  Soon after Salzburg, the train enters the Austrian Alps proper, climbing through vast mountains.  Look out for the magnificent fortress at Werfen (although the train doesn't call here), perched on its hilltop on the right hand side, guarding the approaches to Salzburg along the Salzachtal valley.  After entering Slovenia, the scenery flattens out, and the train snakes along the pretty river Sava all the way into Ljubljana.

Ljubljana  ► London

  • Travel from Ljubljana to Munich by air-conditioned EuroCity train "Sava", leaving Zagreb at 13:00, Ljubljana at 15:25 and arriving in Munich at 21:33.  Enjoy the excellent scenery, a Serbian restaurant car is (usually) available until Villach on the Austrian frontier, reached about 16:29.  This train usually gets delayed a bit at the various frontiers, so expect a 10-40 minute late arrival in Munich.  Note that although on paper there are through coaches Ljubljana-Munich, in reality you may have to make a simple cross-platform change of train at Villach.

  • Alternatively, you could take the earlier EuroCity train and spend the afternoon in Munich, leaving Ljubljana at 09:27, arriving Munich at 15:33.  This is an Austrian train with 6-seater compartments in both 1st & 2nd class.  Take your own provisions as there's no restaurant or buffet car until the Austrian frontier.  This is a safer connection, as the afternoon "Sava" has been known to miss the connection with the sleeper in Munich.  Left luggage lockers are available in Munich.

  • Travel from Munich to Paris by the City Night Line sleeper train 'Cassiopeia', leaving Munich at 22:43 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est 09:23 next morning.  This excellent train runs daily for most of the year, but only 4 times a week in winter.  It runs on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays until 17 March 2010, then daily until 7 November 2010, then on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays again until March 2011.  The trains has ordinary seats, couchettes (4 & 6-bunk) and sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard with washbasin).  More pictures & information about this City Night Line sleeper trainWalk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

  • Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:29.

Introducing the City Night Line sleeper from Paris to Munich...

The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  Called the 'Cassiopeia', it has modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth standard rooms with washbasin).  There is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms, and all rooms have powerpoints for laptop computers.  There are also modern air-conditioned couchettes, choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment, and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. Click for more pictures & information about this train.

Sleeping-car room - Paris-Munich night train   4-berth couchette compartment on Paris-Munich overnight train   6-berth couchette compartment on Paris-Munich overnight train  

The sleeping-car on the Paris-Munich overnight train boarding at the Gare de l'Est

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.

 

4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.

 

6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...

 

Above:  The 'Comfortline' sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est...

More pictures & information about this train...

On board the EuroCity train from Munich to Ljubljana...

This is a smart modern EuroCity train, with air-conditioned Slovenian & Serbian coaches.  An Austrian restaurant car is attached between Munich & Villach, and (usually, but not always) a Serbian restaurant car is attached between Villach & Zagreb.  The scenery along this route is superb, taking you from the Bavaria through the Austrian Alps, into Slovenia and along the Sava river to Croatia.  Sit back with a glass of red, catch up on your reading and enjoy the views...

The EuroCity train 'Sava' from Munich to Ljubljana, Zagreb & Belgrade   Scenery in the Austrian Alps between Munich & Ljubljana

Above:  This is the EuroCity train "Sava" from Munich to Ljubljana & Zagreb.  This is the Slovenian air-conditioned coach, the one to sit in if you can.  The Serbian coaches are two-tone grey.

  Above:  The journey across Austria is a real treat.  High in the Austrian Alps, the train snakes along between snow-capped mountains on its way to the Slovenian frontier...
Serbian restaurant car on the Munich-Ljubljana-Belgrade EuroCity train 'Sava'   2nd class seats on the Munich-Ljubljana-Belgrade EuroCity train
Above:  A beer in the Serbian restaurant car.  Now across the border in Slovenia, the EuroCity train runs along the pretty River Sava all the way to Ljubljana...   Above:  Half the seats in the Slovenian coach are 1st class, the rest 2nd class (seen here), but as the 2nd class seats are also arranged 2+1 abreast, they're as good as 1st class!

How much does it cost?

 1. London to Paris

 by Eurostar:

From £39 one-way or £69 return 2nd class.   Child, youth & senior fares

From £107 one-way or £189 return 1st class.

 
 2. Paris to Munich by

 sleeper train (per person):

In a

seat

In a couchette In the sleeping-car (standard room) Deluxe sleeper
6-bunk  4-bunk  3-bed  2-bed  1-bed  2-bed 1-bed
 Savings fare* one way from: £27 £45 69 euros (£60) £64 £73 £128 £91 £174
 Savings fare* return from: £54 £90 138 euros (£120) £128 £146 £256 £182 £348
 Normal fare, one-way: £110 £124 197 euros (£171) £143 £161 £198 £213 £250
 Normal fare, return: £186 £212 394 euros (£342) £244 £274 £336 £362 £424
 Child under 12 with own berth: £55 £62 74-95 euros (£64-82) £71 £80 £98 £106 £124
 Child under 4 without own berth: Child under 4 sharing berth travels free...
 
 3. Munich to Ljubljana  £52 one-way 2nd class, £81 one-way 1st class.

 £104 return 2nd class, £162 return 1st class.

 Special fare just 29 euros (£25) one-way, 58 euros (£50) return 2nd class

 if you book in advance (limited availability).

* Savings fares = Special cheap fares, book in advance, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans. 

Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.

How to buy tickets online...

The cheapest way to book this journey is online, as there's no booking fees and all the cheap deals are there for you to see.  There are two ways to book it, and I'd suggest trying both as prices vary between the two:

Buy tickets using www.raileurope.co.uk + www.bahn.de...

This involves two websites, so do a 'dry run' first on both sites to check prices and availability before booking for real.

  • Go to www.raileurope.co.uk.

  • It's best to book London-Munich in two stages.  Step 1, book the sleeper from Paris to Munich.  Enter 'Paris' to 'Munich' and your dates of travel.

  • Step 2, after booking the Paris-Munich train, stay on www.raileurope.co.uk and click 'continue shopping'.  Now book a Eurostar ticket from London to Paris and back to connect with the sleeper.  Use the recommended Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outward or a later Eurostar on the way back if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris.

  • Step 3, now go to the German Railways website www.bahn.de, use the journey planner to bring up the connecting trains from Munich to Ljubljana shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.   I recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.

Buy tickets using www.eurostar.com + www.bahn.de...

If you have any problems with www.raileurope.co.uk, try this option instead.  It involves 3 websites, so do a 'dry run' first on all 3 sites to check prices & availability before booking for real.

  • Step 1, go to www.bahn.de, the German Railways website.

  • Book from Paris to Munich and back on the overnight sleeper train.  Availability of cheap 'Savings' fares ('sparnight' in German) and fully-flexible normal fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.   I recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily make the next booking and retrieve any bookings later.

  • Step 2, go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times above as a guide.  By all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK address, self-printed, or collected at the station.

  • Step 3, now go back to www.bahn.de and use the journey planner to bring up the connecting trains from Munich to Ljubljana shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.

How to buy tickets by email...

If you'd prefer to have someone book it all for you, just click here and a booking form will appear which lists all the trains you need to book.  Fill it in & email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  European Rail will make the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail is an experienced agency equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing system, so they have access to all the cheap fares for travel via Germany.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

How to buy tickets by phone...

If you prefer to book by phone, just call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge but no charge for debit cards), or a booking agency such as European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee).


Option 2:  Using daytime trains (with overnight stop)...

This option is useful on days when the Paris-Munich sleeper isn't running, or if you prefer daytime travel.

London ► Ljubljana

  • Day 1, travel from London to Munich by daytime trains either via Paris or via Brussels & Cologne.  See the London to Germany page for train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

  • Spend the night in Munich.

  • Day 2, travel from Munich to Ljubljana on modern, air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Munich at 08:27 and arriving in Ljubljana at 14:31.  An Austrian restaurant car is available from Munich to Villach (reached at 12:43), and a Serbian restaurant car is usually available between Villach & Ljubljana.  However, don't expect the Serbian restaurant to sell any hot food, just sandwiches, cheap beer and coffee.  If you want a hot lunch, eat early in the Austrian restaurant car.  On paper there are through coaches from Munich to Ljubljana, but in reality you may have to make a simple cross-platform change of train at Villach.  I have not yet discovered the reason!  The scenery through southeast Germany & Slovenia is wonderful, with views of snow capped mountains, lush meadows & winding rivers, see above.

Ljubljana  ► London

  • Day 1, travel from Ljubljana to Munich by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Ljubljana at 15:25 and arriving in Munich at 21:33.  Enjoy the excellent scenery over lunch in the restaurant car.

  • Spend the night in Munich.

  • Day 2, travel from Munich to London by daytime trains, either via Paris or via Cologne & Brussels.  See the London to Germany page for train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

Fares & how to buy tickets...

  • See the London to Germany page for train times, fares & how to buy tickets between London & Munich.

  • Then use the journey planner at the German Railways website www.bahn.de to bring up the Munich-Ljubljana-Zagreb train shown above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.


Option 3:  London to Ljubljana via Venice...

The direct EuroCity train 'Casanova' was withdrawn between Venice and the Slovenia frontier, leaving one train a day between Italy & Slovenia, a sleeper train to Budapest which passes through Ljubljana at 2am!  The incompetent Italian Railway authorities have proved more effective than the communists at creating an iron curtain at this point!

However, here is a cunning plan...  You can still travel by train from London to Venice, stop off for a day or two in Venice, then travel from Venice to Ljubljana. You simply use an Italian regional train to Trieste, then take the historic tram from Trieste up the escarpment to Villa Opicina (an experience in itself), take a short taxi ride across the border to Sezana and then a comfortable Slovenian domestic train to Ljubljana.  If this sounds complicated, it isn't.  It's actually cheap, very scenic, interesting, and runs every couple of hours through the day.  This Venice-Ljubljana journey is explained in detail here.


Visiting Ljubljana...

Ljubljana is a wonderful city to visit, you'll find tourist information at www.visitljubljana.si.  The station is just a few minutes walk from all the central hotels and you can easily walk between all the sights and places of interest.  See the Dragon Bridge, the Franciscan church, the triple bridge, and of course take the funicular railway up to the castle.  The Best Western Premier Hotel Slon and City Hotel are both good choices.  Try the traditional Slovenian dishes served in the Sokol restaurant just to the left of the town hall, one of Ljubljana's best-know eateries.  Map of Ljubljana.

Ljubljana railway station   Ljubljana's Dragon Bridge   Castle watchtower

You arrive at Ljubljana railway station, only a few minutes walk from the city centre and all its hotels.

  The famous Dragon Bridge, guarded by four dragons...   Ljubljana Castle watchtower...
Ljubljana castle   Ljubljana main square & town hall
Take the funicular railway up to the castle and climb the watchtower for spectacular views over the city to the ring of mountains beyond.   The old town main square, town hall & cathedral.  The excellent Sokol restaurant is in the background.

 London to Koper

London Koper

  • Travel from London to Ljubljana as shown above.

  • Trains link Ljubljana with Koper five or six times daily, journey time 2.5 hours, fare 10 euros.  No reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  If you arrive in Ljubljana off the EuroCity from Munich, a train leaves Ljubljana at 15:40 arriving Koper at 18:11.  For other options, see www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si.

Koper ► London

  • Trains link Koper with Ljubljana five or six times daily, journey time 2.5 hours, fare 10 euros.  No reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  You can check times at either www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si.  Allow plenty of time for connections at Ljubljana, at least an hour.

  • Travel from London to Ljubljana as shown above.

Fares & how to buy tickets

Buy tickets and check fares from London to Ljubljana as shown above.  then simply buy a Ljubljana to Koper ticket at the station when you reach Ljubljana.

Regional train from Ljubljana to Koper   Inside these Slovenian regional trains
..The train to Koper, at Ljubljana.  Most trains to Koper are modern, air-conditioned regional trains like this.   Inside, these regional trains have comfy seats, air-conditioning and information displays...

 Ljubljana to/from Trieste & Venice

Thanks to Trenitalia, Europe's most incompetent railway operator, there's now only one train a day across the border between Ljubljana and Italy, namely the Venice-Budapest overnight sleeper which passes through Ljubljana at 2am.  So much for Slovenia and Italy both being in the EU, it was easier to travel between them in communist times.  But there's a clever way to travel between Venice, Trieste & Ljubljana that's frequent, cheap, historically interesting and very scenic.  I haven't seen this wonderful journey explained anywhere, so I'll explain the secret here!

Ljubljana Trieste & Venice

  • Take a local train from Ljubljana to Sezana, the Slovenian border town.  Trains run every hour or two, journey time 2 hours, the fare is just 6.68 euros, no reservation is necessary you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  You can check train times at either www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si, the latter will also confirm the price.  The journey is relaxing and very scenic as the train first crosses the plain, then wends its way up into the hills past pretty villages.  At one point it enters, circumnavigates then leaves a long green valley, climbing for height all the while.  Lovely!  Example:  I left Ljubljana on the 08:08, arriving Sezana at 10:01.  Later trains are available too, throughout the day.
  • Now take a taxi the 4 miles from Sezana across the border to Villa Opicina, the Italian border town.  Slovenia & Italy are both 'Shengen' countries, so there's no border control.  The taxi costs only 10-11 euros.  You're unlikely to find a taxi waiting at Sezana station, so pre-book one via slavisa.jovic1@siol.net, website www.taxikras.com/kontakti.htmlExample:  The taxi was waiting for me when I arrived at Sezana at 10:01, and I was at the Villa Opicina tram stop by 10:15.

  • Travel on the historic Villa Opicina to Trieste tram.  This runs every 20 minutes 07:00-20:00, journey time 25 minutes, fare 1.10 euros.  Easy!  The tram is an old-fashioned piece of Trieste heritage, and unique in that for 10 minutes of the journey it buffers up to a 'drogue' and becomes a funicular railway down the steep escarpment into Trieste.  Leaving the drogue behind, it runs a few hundred yards more to the Trieste Piazza Oberdan tram terminus.  This is only 3 minutes walk from Trieste Centrale station (walk back a few yards along the tram tracks, then turn left).  Map of Trieste.  Example:  I bought a ticket in the tram terminus buffet, and caught the 10:20 tram to Trieste, arriving in central Trieste by 10:45.  The tram website is www.tramdeopcina.it/tram.

  • Travel from Trieste to Venice by hourly regional train.  Cost around 14 euros.  I could have caught the 11:44, arriving Venice at 13:49.  You can check train times and prices at www.trenitalia.com (pick a date within the next 7 days to see prices for regional trains).  No reservation is necessary for regional trains, you buy a ticket at the station and hop on.

  • Easy!  A good, cheap, scenic and interesting way to travel between Italy & Slovenia!  Total cost Ljubljana-Venice around 32 euros.

Trieste & Venice Ljubljana

  • Travel from Venice to Trieste by hourly regional train.  Cost around 14 euros.  You can check train times and prices at www.trenitalia.com (pick a date within the next 7 days to see prices for regional trains).  No reservation is necessary for regional trains, you buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  On arrival in Trieste, walk 3 minutes from Trieste Centrale to the Piazza Oberdam tram terminus. Map of Trieste

  • Travel on the historic tram from Trieste Piazza Oberdan tram terminus to Villa Opicina, the Italian border town.  The tram runs every 20 minutes 07:00-20:00, journey time 25 minutes, fare 1.10 euros.  Easy!  The tram is an old-fashioned piece of Trieste heritage, and unique in that for 10 minutes of the journey it buffers up to a 'drogue' and becomes a funicular railway up the steep escarpment out of Trieste.  The tram website is www.tramdeopcina.it/tram.

  • Now take a taxi the 4 miles from Villa Opicina the 4 miles across the border to Sezana, the Slovenian border town.  Slovenia & Italy are both 'Shengen' countries, so there's no border control.  The taxi costs only 10-11 euros.  You're unlikely to find a taxi waiting at Villa Opicina station, so pre-book one by email to slavisa.jovic1@siol.net, website www.taxikras.com/kontakti.html.  If you want, you can cut out the tram and take a taxi from Trieste station to Villa Opicina, it's a shame to miss out the tram ride but you'll find lots of taxis waiting outside Trieste Centrale station.

  • Take a local train from Sezana to Ljubljana.  Trains run every hour or two, journey time 2 hours, the fare is just 6.68 euros, no reservation is necessary you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  You can check train times at either www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si, the latter will also confirm the price.  The journey is relaxing and very scenic as the train wends its way through the hills past pretty villages, and finally down into the plain to Ljubljana.  At one point it enters, circumnavigates then leaves a long green valley, climbing for height all the while.  Lovely!

Train from Ljubljana to Sezana   Inside the regional train from Ljubljana to Sezana

Ljubljana to Sezana by train...  The train from Ljubljana, arrived at Sezana.  Most trains to Sezana are modern, air-conditioned regional trains like this.

  Inside, these regional trains have comfy seats, air-conditioning and information displays.  You can find train times at www.slo-zeleznice.si.
Scenery in Slovenia on the way from Ljubljana to Trieste & Venice   The historic tram from Villa Opicina to Trieste
The train to Sezana wends its way through the hills, though great Slovenian scenery.  A treat!  Then take a taxi 4 miles from Sezana to Villa Opicina...   Villa Opicina to Trieste by historic tram.  An experience in itself!  This is the tram terminus at Villa Opicina.  See www.tramdeopcina.it/tram.
 

 

 The Thomas Cook European Timetable

Thomas Cook European Timetable -  click to buy onlineThomas Cook Rail Map of Europe - buy onlineThe Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings Cross stations in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Summer 2010 edition (June to December 2010)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.



 

 Recommended guidebooks

Rough Guide Slovenia - click to buy at AmazonLonely Planet Slovenia - click to buy at AmazonLonely Planet Eastern Europe - buy online at AmazonYou should take a good guidebook.  I think that the Lonely Planets and the Rough Guides are easily the best for the independent traveller.  Both guides have plenty of background historical and cultural information, plus lots of practical information.  You won't regret buying one of these guides..!

Click the images to buy at Amazon...

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and is available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.


 

 Hotels & accommodation

Find a hotel in Slovenia or anywhere in Europe...

It's easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets.  Just use the search box below.  This links to www.hotelscombined.com, a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere, Asiarooms and many others) to find just about the widest range of hotels with the cheapest rates on the net.  Set up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

Personal recommendations:  The Best Western Premier Hotel Slon and City Hotel in Ljubljana are both excellent choices, 5-10 minutes walk from the station and 2 minutes walk from the old town main square.

 

◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel

booking websites at once...

Hotel reservations? Find the right hotel first. Compare here.

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Backpacker hostels...

If you're on a tight budget, don't forget the hostels.  For a dorm bed or an ultra-cheap private room in backpacker hostels in most European cities use www.hostelbookers.com.


 

   
 

020 3327 0761

Railbookers, www.railbookers.com, 020 3327 0761....

Railbookers can tailor-make a flight-free holiday to Ljubljana & Zagreb, with train travel, transfers & hotels all arranged for you, for however long you like, leaving on any date you like.  If you tell them what you want, they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get a lot of repeat business and a lot of recommendation by word of mouth!  See the Railbookers website for suggested itineraries and prices.


 

 Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance..

 
   

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

If you live in the UK, get quotes from Columbus Direct or Go Travel Insurance, or go to Confused.com to run a price comparison on a whole range of travel insurance providers for your dates of travel, seeing their policy's features at a glance.

Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, but European international rail conditions of carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and non-changeable.  Feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, see Columbus Direct Australia.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, see Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a pre-paid euro currency MasterCard from Caxton FX...

You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a Caxton FX euro currency MasterCard, or indeed the multi-currency 'Global Traveller' MasterCard.   Find out about these cards & sign up here.

Get an international SIM card...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find some huge bills waiting for you.  I've known people run up over £1,000 in data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a simple trip to Europe.  However, if you buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company such as www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.

 

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