Flew Air France from LHR - CDS - VCE. Uneventful, on time. First class on AF in Europe is kind of trippy, because there are 3 seats across but they just put a tray over the middle one. My first time on an Airbus, they are very wide planes.

Took a taxi from VCE Marco Polo airport (which is very new-looking) to Venice Mestre train station to catch a train to Trieste. EXPENSIVE taxi - about $40. Maybe we were ripped off? Who knows.

Train was cheap - about $10 each. Went 2nd class, which was fine. No a/c but it wasn't too hot. This was on 9/8. Pretty trip the last 1/2 hour or so to Trieste. Had never been there.

Stayed at Hotel Colombia, very near train station. 120 euros for 2 twin beds, TV, LARGE bathroom with nice shower, a/c and free breakfast. It was fine, nothing outstanding.

Beautiful walk to the large Piazza along the Adriatic Sea. Piazza and area surrounding very pretty. Had the best gelato of my entire life at Zampoli, very close to the train station. AMAZING! Also had one of the best pizzas ever at Trattoria Barottolo along the canal. Caprese pizza with capers, olives, mushrooms & fresh mozz. Yummy.

Enjoyed a night out at Sangre de Uva behind the Piazza. Wine bar. Good prosecco. Also went to Bar Unita in the Piazza. Eh.

Ljubljana next!

9/10, took the train from Trieste to Ljubljana. About $20/person in 2nd class, with a/c, nice train. We got our passports stamped twice, which is always fun, expecially in an "eastern european" country like Slovenia.

What can I say about Ljubljana? It is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CITY I HAVE EVER VISITED, and that includes Paris, Venice, Rome, Florence, Prague, Bruges, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco...even Gary, Indiana! (ha ha)

It is small, clean, picturesque and friendly. We stayed at The Grand Union Executive hotel, which is right off Preseren Square. About $175/night, but I HIGHLY recommend this hotel. Huge rooms, gigantic bathrooms, balcony, super-clean and the largest (included in the price) breakfast I've ever seen. I know I'm raging with the superlatives here but Ljubljana deserves it.

Visited the castle, old town, various squares & bridges. Symbol of the town is a dragon - cool! - and everywhere. Enjoyed eating at Cerin Pizzaria (they have Internet), Sokol (traditional Slovenian food), Cafe Zvedna (the chocolatina cake is a must-have for chocolate lovers), Pr'Skelet (great salads) and Cafe Romeo (shockingly - very, very good spinach quesadilla!) Cafe Macek was nice for coffee/drinks. Cutty Sark is a good pub for the expatriate scene.

I can't say enough about this city. If you are anywhere close, you should definitely visit.

Venice next!

9/12 - train from LJU-VCE. About $38/person, 2nd class, nicest train so far. Arrived VCE St. Lucia train station (don't get off in Mestre) and took the vaporetto #1 to San Marco. Nice ride, great views. Be sure to buy an extra ticket for your luggage.

Stayed at the Westin Europa & Regina hotel (with points). "Grand" building, and even had the Westin curved shower curtain & double showerhead (yay!). Nice big room.

Great gelato at Nico's on Zattere (thought not quite as good as Trieste). None of the other gelato places in Venice were even close to this one. It's a very short walk from the Accademia bridge.

Enjoyed dinner at Trattoria il Fiore, absolutely OUTSTANDING caprese salad. We went back the next day and had it again for lunch. Great little place.

Nice bar/lounge place called Centrale near San Marco. Hip. Also serves food, although we didn't have any.

Flew home on AF (via Boston). Not as nice as Delta in business class.

Great trip! I'd be happy to answer any questions.

I really enjoyed your report. I will be flying from Atlanta to Venice in October with time in Ljubljana and Pula. I'd love to hear more about Ljubljana. We will be driving so things might be a touch different. Did you go to the market?

Thanks for sharing, steph.

Hi Timtodd -

You are going to LOVE Ljubljana! There was a craft market along the river (old town side, mostly between the triple bridge and the cobblers bridge) on Saturday, which we browsed around. Looking back, I wish I would have bought some art. Lots of pottery. Prices seemed very reasonable to what I'd see at a similar event in the USA.

We also went to Market Square on Saturday afternoon (after the castle), but most of the stalls were closing. The produce looked great, but we were obviously eating out the entire time!

Although, we did shop at a grocery in the bottom of the "Maxi-Markt" department store, one block past Kongressi Trg (away from Preseren Square). There was lots of parking there, fyi, and a great selection for a DIY breakfast or lunch. Also good selection of chocolates for gifts.

I envy your having a car in Slovenia. Please let me know how it goes! I'm sure there are many cute little towns to explore.

Thanks for the information... especially about the parking. I know that this can be a big issue in European cities.

Great trip report on places most of us have not been--and much more interesting than the usual "My week in Paris/London" report. Makes me hanker for a trip to Ljubljana.

How did you deal with the language problem? Many people speak English?

Streph, Great, thanks !

YAY! on your experience in Ljubljana. It really is a little jewel and not many know it. (hmmm...maybe that is a good thing!)

Cheers,
Jan (in Ljubljana!)

Any recommendations for hotels in the old town?

We were also in Ljubljana three weeks ago. We stayed in the Gostilna Pri Mraku which is described as "central". The hotel was not expensive and fine in terms of furnishings comfort and location. However there was a degree of noise which reminded me that I swore I would always travel with earplugs in future! It was on a side road but near to a junction with a more main road and apart from Sunday, the traffic started up at about 6.30-7.00a.m. Also our room was right next to reception(24 hour) and people were checking out early and talking loudly.
The checkout problem could be overcome by asking for a room on the 2nd floor. Whether you could avoid the traffic noise by a room in the back I don't know as the main road ran at right angles to the hotel and so would have been as close to the back as the front.

stephpaige,
Thank you so much for your wonderful trip report. One question--how long is the train ride from Jjubljana to Venice?