phoebeellis12
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 8 years ago
Hi! Myself and 2 friends are looking at going Interrailing this summer (Late Aug/Sept.) We have planned to travel [b]Krakow-Prague-Budapest-Vienna- Bled- Plitvice Lakes- (Maybe an island in Croatia)- Venice- Rome.
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I think the Krakow to Bled part will be relatively straight forward and I have already read many suggestions about these routes. However I am finding it hard to work out a way of getting from [b]Bled to Croatia and then to Italy. [/b]
We would really like to see the Plitvice Lakes and also maybe spend time of one of the islands for a couple of days relaxing (and partying…) Can anyone suggest the best way for us to do this? I have been to Pag previously and that could be an option, but I know maybe it would have to be a bus from the lakes to Pag and then a bus from Pag to Venice?? Which seems an awful lot of effort!
Also open to other Croatian Island suggestions, but preferably in the North, we don´t want to travel too far south on this trip.
Any help would be greatly appreciated! :D
Thanks,
Phoebe
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi Phoebe!
Krakow to Bled indeed is very straightforward - keep in mind that you will need reservations for trains in Poland and trains from Poland to Czech Republic though.
However, I would recommend to travel like this: Prague - Vienna - Budapest - Zagreb; then visit Plitvice by bus from Zagreb (either as day trip or as an overnight stay).
Pag might be not ideal as it again would require getting there/away by bus. Instead I'd have a look at the island of Krk - which is easily accessible by bus from Rijeka (which itself you could reach by train from Zagreb and leave by train to Ljubljana).
From Ljubljana frequent direct trains run to Bled. From Bled, take the train to Nova Gorica; there you can cross the town (on foot or by bus) to get to the Italian part of the town, Gorizia, from where frequent trains run to Venice (no reservation required).
We are official partners of interrail.eu - to support the free information and the forum on railcc, please be fair and buy your official Interrail pass via our railcc partner link: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux]
Thank you! :)
Flo 8)
phoebeellis12
Traveller
1 comments
Hi, many thanks for your reply!
Yes I will be sure to buy the tickets through this link :D
After speaking with my friends last night, we have decided to maybe forget about Italy and travel down through Croatia instead (Flying back from either Split or Dubrovnik to the UK)
Therefore, would it be cheaper to buy a 5 days within 15 days interrail ticket and use the trains for the first half of our journey, through to Bled. And then allow the buses to take over? I have had a quick look at the bus prices in Croatia and they seem very reasonable- and probably cheaper than buying a more expensive interrail ticket and taking trains in Croatia (I´ve heard they are not too great!).
If we were to choose this option, we would probably get train or bus to Zagreb from Bled and then make our way down to Split. Can you recommend a route Bled to Zagreb?
Also is it worth the trip to Bled if we are spending a lot of time in Croatia anyway (Planning on seeing the waterfalls and lakes in Croatia) ? Or shall we miss Bled all together and travel direct from Budapest to Zagreb?
Thanks again for the help!
Phoebe
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi Phoebe,
thanks for supporting - that way we can continue offering free advice to travellers. :)
Dont forget to spread the word ;)
Actually, going for the 5in15 and combining it with regular tickets (bus or train) towards the end of your trip is a good idea and no problem at all.
Personally, I dont like Bled that much - but since I am living in a region not very different regarding nature and culture that may be a reason. It definitely is no hidden gem anymore, there are lots of tourists in summer. Nature is quite different from Croatia though so I still would recommend going there.
In case that you want to maximise your time in each city and are fine with travelling overnight you could now think about travelling like this: Krakow - Budapest - Prague - Vienna (all by night train) - Bled - Zagreb. This would all be covered by the 5in15 ticket.
Bled - Zagreb is easy - there are several direct trains from Lesce Bled station (about 4km from Bled, frequent buses connect town and station) via Ljubljana. If you want, leave Bled early, spend the day in Ljubljana and take a train to Zagreb in the evening.
Then, go by bus from Zagreb to Plitvice - Split - Dubrovnik. In that case the bus is the better option since going to Plitvice by train is painfully awkward and time consuming and there is no rail connection to Dubrovnik at all.
Keep in mind that Dubrovnik is quite expensive. While you're in the area you could also have a look at going to Mostar (Bosnia) or to Kotor (Montenegro) too.
Flo 8)