England - Switzerland - Italy - Croatia - Slovenia ...

NatureOne
Traveller
273 comments

Hi,
Croatia is included in the IR-ticket. As you said you want to visit Slovenia, it's easy to reach from Venice.
Have a look at lake Bled. [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/venice-to-ljubljana[/u]
Otherwise you can go directly to Rijeka [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/venice-to-rijeka[/u] Maybe I come up with Pula, which has a nice Arena.

From Pula you can go back to Rijeka, further to Ogulin, where you can change the train to reach Split. [u]https://rail.cc/en/train/zagreb-to-split[/u]
From Split you have no option to continue to Dubrovnik via train. So you have to use a bus. I searched for connections on google: www.libertasdubrovnik.com/voznired.pdf there are serval busses each day, but I can't verify that information.
But I don't think that these cities are less obvious tourist traps in Europe :D
I don't know, where you are going to catch your fly home, but you maybe can to futher to Montenegro & Serbia or Bosnia Hercegovina. Up to you :)

TravellerTim
Traveller
4 comments

Thanks for replying - that's very helpful. As we're totally new to all this, any help we can get is much appreciated.

Since I last posted, my girlfriend and I have developed a bit more of a plan for our trip. However, after Switzerland and France, we're unsure of which route to take next. After these two countries we're planning on visiting Italy but we have a couple of options:

Option 1:
Venice - Florence - getting the ferry from Bari across to Dubrovnik - bus or ferry from Dubrovnik up to Split - fly home to England

Option 2:
Florence - Venice - get the train from Italy and travel through Slovenia before getting to Split - get the ferry from Split down to Dubrovnik - fly home to England

Has anyone here done either of these trips or anything similar? If so, could you please offer any recommendations which you may have?

Essentially, we're trying to decide how to get to Croatia: do we get the ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik or travel by train through Slovenia?

Responses would be much appreciated :D

Tomthebear
Traveller
138 comments

The ferry is free with interrail, if you don`t want a cabin. But you`ll have to pay taxes for the port, oil, whatever..

Why not take the train and have some stop-overs in Ljubljana, Bled, maybe Postojna, to visit the famous cave?

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

@Tomthebear: Which ferry are you referring to?

Tom, have you any thoughts on which pass you want to buy? I think it might make sense to choose between the 5in10 and the 10in22, depending on where exactly you want to go in the second half of your trip: If you are heading towards Austria/Hungary/Slovakia/Czech Republic the 10in22 would make sense, otherwise you should better go with the 5in10 until you reach Croatia and then make your way with tickets bought locally/going by bus, depending on the exact route.

Have you thought about using Eurostar to get to the continent? You might find cheap offers if you buy in advance. Then you could use a night train from Paris to St Gervais and travel with the Mont Blanc express to Martigny in Switzerland (6€ reservation for the night train plus ~7,50€ for the Mont Blanc Express extra costs), then to Genève.

Have you thought about a particular route through the Swiss Alps to Milano yet? I'd recommend the route via Albula and Bernina Railway: :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/de/zug/zuerich-nach-mailand[/u] :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/zurich-milano-albula-bernina/[/u]

Within Italy I think it is best to use either regional trains or Intercity trains (3€ reservation recommended) as the high speed trains would require a 10€ reservation fee which is quite expensive for these rather short distances.

From Venice there are no trains to Slovenia; you could think about crossing the border at Gorizia/Nova Gorica :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/travel-lake-bled-train/[/u] or do so at Trieste/Sezana (the latter option would require a bus or taxi across the border, the distance is a bit long to walk).
If you start in the morning you can get to Zagreb in the evening. Or make an additional stop in Slovenia: Lake Bled or Ljubljana maybe... :)

From Zagreb you could go by train down to Split where the railway lines end. From there to Dubrovnik by bus.

Afterwards you could go by train again from Ploce to Sarajevo via Mostar (then back to Zagreb to continue your trip) or down to Montenegro (Kotor/Budva/Sutomore) and from Bar/Podgorica to Belgrade.


Flo 8)

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TravellerTim
Traveller
4 comments

Thanks for getting back to me guys.

Tom, have you been to Ljubljana or Bled? If so, which one do you think is best if we were to travel through Slovenia and spend a night there?

Flow, I think we will be choosing the 10 in 22 ticket. We have already booked flights from England to Geneva so we'll definitely be starting in Switzerland at the start of July and we have both booked 3 weeks off work so we have 20/21 days to do as we please. At the moment, the thinking is:

UK - Geneva, Switzerland (via plane)
Geneva, Switzerland - Annecy, France (via friend's car)
Annecy, France - Wengen, Switzerland (via train)
Wengen, Switzerland - Como, Italy (via train)
Como, Italy - [Option 1] or [Option 2]

Option 1:
Como, Italy - Florence, Italy (via train)
Florence, Italy - Venice, Italy (via train)
Venice, Italy - Bari, Italy (via train)
Bari, Italy - Dubrovnik, Croatia (via ferry)
Dubrovnik, Croatia - Split, Croatia (via bus/ferry)
Split, Croatia - UK (via plane)

Option 2:
Como, Italy - Florence, Italy (via train)
Florence, Italy - Venice, Italy (via train)
Venice, Italy - Ljubljana or Bled, Slovenia (via train)
Ljubljana or Bled, Slovenia - Split, Croatia (via train)
Split, Croatia - Dubrovnik, Croatia (via bus/ferry)
Dubrovnik, Croatia - UK (via plane)

I would like to spend a 2/3 days in each place so, with us only having 3 weeks to fit everything in, it's difficult. I think perhaps it may be best to add a third option? This one does not involve Dubrovnik but would allow us to spend a decent amount of time in each place?

Option 3:
Como, Italy - Florence, Italy (via train)
Florence, Italy - Venice, Italy (via train)
Venice, Italy - Ljubljana or Bled, Slovenia (via train)
Ljubljana or Bled, Slovenia - Split, Croatia (via train)
Split, Croatia - UK (via plane)

What do you think?

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej,

if you are interested in nature, Lake Bled proably is more interesting - and definitely worth a short visit anyway. Ljubljana is a pretty city, although rather small so that you can see most important stuff in about half a day.

OK, if you start in Annecy you could still think of using Mont Blanc Express. Although there is a replacement bus service on the French part of the route it still is a scenic ride.
Keep in mind that the railways in the Jungfrau area are not included in InterRail... so you may rethink about going to Wengen and head for somewhere else instead.

I'd go for option 2...you should take care to use many of your 10 travel days, otherwise you could also think about a 5in10 InterRail pass for the beginning of your trip (regular tickets in Switzerland are expensive so a pass normally pays off there).

I could think of something like this: Annecy - Luzern - Como (via Gotthard or if you want to spend more time via Bernina) - (possible stopver in Pisa -) Florence - Venice - (stopover in Bled -) Ljubljana...if you can fit this in a 10 day timeframe it really is worth considering the 5in10 I think...then buy a regular ticket to Zagreb and finally down to Split/Dubrovnik.


Flo 8

TravellerTim
Traveller
4 comments

Hi Flow,

Thank you for your advice.

Since my last post, we've now booked our return flights home from Split, Croatia so the plan for the second half of our journey is now as follows:
Florence - Venice - Ljublijana - Split

I have worked out how to get to all of these places via train (e.g. changing at Zagreb in order to get from Ljublijana to Split) but I could do with some help regarding the start of our trip.

After we arrive in Geneva, we are travelling to Annecy, France by car and the plan after that is to visit the following places:
Annecy - Wengen - Como - Florence

Could you - or anyone else - please help with this?

From carrying out some research, I can see that the Como - Florence journey involves a change at Milan station but, although I can get train times for Milan - Florence, I can't seem to find any for Como - Milan?

Also, I have no idea for the Annecy - Wengen - Como route so any advice would be much appreciated :D

Thanks again for your help.

Tim

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej Tim!

Best way to get from Italy to Ljubljana: :arr: [u]https://rail.cc/blog/travel-lake-bled-train/[/u]

To get to Wengen you will need a regular ticket from Interlaken Ost to Wengen as BOB, who operate the lines to Grindelwald and Kleine Scheidegg (Wengen a stop on the latter) does not accept InterRail tickets. A return is 28 CHF (but buy separate one way tickets if you are staying overnight in Wengen for 14 CHF each).
:arr: [u]https://rail.cc/en/maps/railcc-switzerland-railway-network-map.pdf[/u]

The best way to get there is via Genève - Lausanne - Bern:

Annecy 0753 - 0830 Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains 0855 - 0957 Genève
Genève 1015 - 1156 Bern
Bern 1204 - 1257 Interlaken Ost

Alternatively there is a direct bus service Annecy - Annemasse - Genève Eaux Vives operated by SNCF (which means that IR should be valid) however this would require you to either cross Genève on foot or by tram (extra ticket needed) to get to the main station, Genève Cornavin.

To get from Wengen to Como, go to Spiez via Interlaken; then either by direct EC train (11€ reservation) to Milano and back to Como from there.
Alternatively, take a slower regional train from Spiez across old Lötschberg route (more scenic than the tunnel underneath used by the EC) to Brig, then by regional train to Domodossola and make your way to Como via Busto Arsizio - Saronno (look for schedules on Trenord website).
Another option would be to use Centovalli Railway from Domodossola to Locarno, then go to Como via Bellinzona/Giubiasco - Lugano - Chiasso.


Flo 8)

Como - Milano is operated by Trenord; the schedules of this company are not included in the database of the common schedule planners - you will have to check timings directly on Trenord website.

TravellerTim
Traveller
4 comments

Hi again Flo,

Thank you very much for that - you've been such a great help.

Based on all your advise, I've put together a plan of the routes we're going to take. Please could you check this looks ok?

Day 1 UK - Geneva
Flying from Liverpool, UK to Geneva, Switzerland
Flight times: 13:25-16:15

Day 2 (evening) Geneva - Annecy
Friend is driving us (25 miles) from Geneva, Switzerland to Annecy, France

Day 4 (evening) Annecy - Wengen
Friend is driving us (25 miles) from Annecy, France to Geneva, Switzerland.
The best way to get to Wengen is via Genève - Lausanne – Bern:
Genève 10:15 – 11:56 Bern
Bern 12:04 – 12:57 Interlaken Ost

Interlaken Ost to Wengen (via BOB who operate the Kleine Scheidegg line which does not accept InterRail tickets). One way tickets are 14 CHF each.

Day 7 Wengen - Como
Train from Wengen, Switzerland to Como, Italy

To get from Wengen to Como, go to Spiez via Interlaken; then either by direct EC train (11€ reservation) to Milano and back to Como from there. Alternatively, take a slower regional train from Spiez across old Lötschberg route (more scenic than the tunnel underneath used by the EC) to Brig, then by regional train to Domodossola and make your way to Como via Busto Arsizio - Saronno (look for schedules on Trenord website). Another option would be to use Centovalli Railway from Domodossola to Locarno, then go to Como via Bellinzona/Giubiasco - Lugano - Chiasso.

Day 9 Como - Florence
Train from Como, Italy to Florence, Italy

Train from Como San Giovanni, Italy to Milan
Train times:

Como - Milano is operated by Trenord; the schedules of this company are not included in the database of the common schedule planners - you will have to check timings directly on Trenord website.

Train from Milan, Italy to Florence, Italy
Train times: 06:45-10:21, 07:20-09:05 (Running every hour until 19:20), 09:20-15:13, 10:45-14:20, 17:45-21:30

Day 13 Florence - Venice
Train from Florence, Italy to Venice, Italy
Train times: 07:10-11:03 (Not on Sunday), 08:25-10:33 (Running every hour until 19:25), 09:47-14:03 (Not on Sunday), 12:10-16:03 (Only on Sunday), 17:10-21:03

Day 16 Venice - Ljubljana
Train from Venice, Italy to Ljubljana, Slovenia
Train times: 05:26-12:35 (Only Monday-Friday), 07:18-14:31 (Sunday departure 07:04), 10:04-17:02, 11:20-17:09, 12:04-18:31, 14:04-21:33 (Only Saturday and Sunday), 15:11-21:46, 15:20-21:06

Day 19 Ljubljana - Split
Train from Ljubljana, Slovenia - Zagreb, Croatia
Train times: 06:35-08:53, 08:15-10:35, 14:45-17:13, 18:35-20:55, 19:50-22:42

Train from Zagreb, Croatia - Split, Croatia
Train times: 06:30-12:55, 12:45-19:06, 22:00-06:36*, 23:20-08:02*
*Night trains

Day 22 Split - UK
Flying from Split, Croatia to Manchester, UK
Flight times: 19:35-21:35



Also, could I ask you how it is best to book seats on our chosen train routes? For the longer journeys in particular, I'd like to ensure that we have a seat wherever possible.

Thanks again,

Tim

Flo
Traveller
10724 comments

Hej Tim!

Well, I see you have used the timings from our travel connections - they are usually up to date, but I cant check all of them for you personally right now. You can check timings for the date of your travel with the online schedule planner, as we advice for each travel connection: [u]https://rail.cc/en/search-interrail-route[/u]

Overall your route looks totally ok - you just should decide at one point over your exact route when travelling from Wengen to Como and Como - Florence. But this is no big issue. ;)

Reservations are needed:
For any direct Eurocity (EC) trains from Switzerland to Italy (on the route Spiez - Brig - Domodossola - Milan. It is 11€ and can be purchased for instance at any staffed Swiss station.
For all high speed trains on the Milan - Florence route. These are called Frecciarossa and run at least hourly, reservation is 10€ and can be purchased at a railway station with Trenitalia counter, Trenitalia ticket machines in Italy or also in Switzerland already. Alternative slower connections with IC (3€ reservation recommended) or regional trains available as well.
For Florence - Venice the same applies as above - the hourly high speed trains are called Frecciargento in this case, 10€ reservation. Or with slower IC or regional trains.
For the Zagreb - Split day trains a 1€ reservation is needed, buy locally in Zagreb

If you are happy with all the info you got on railcc, help us helping you and purchase your IR tickets in our online shop: [ux]https://rail.shop/interrail[/ux] - thank you. :)


Flo 8)