kit

Hello,

I'm traveling at some point on May 9th. I probably won't know until that day the time when I can see how many things I've checked off my list already. I've figured out the ride is about 2.5 hours and I just buy the unreserved ticket at the station. I'm wondering what the available departure times are all day long so I can be sure to plan accordingly. But I am a little thick when it comes to this Bahn site:

What station names should I choose when I go to https://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml

In Ljlubljana, I am staying at the Best Western Slon and in Zagreb, I am staying at the Hotel Dubrovnik, if I am choosing anything other than a main train station.

Also, does anyone know if I can walk to/from either of these hotels to the train station? I haven't tried to look this up yet; the question just occurred to me while this window for typing was open!

Appreciate anyone who can advise!

Andrew

Use this for train schedules:

http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/passe...croatia/zagreb

Yes, you can buy a train ticket at the station in Ljubljana.

There are also buses to Zagreb if the train schedules aren't ideal, but I certainly prefer a train myself given the choice.

(I use the Bahn site all the time for early planning, but I prefer to use the actual country's websites when making final plans. FYI, you don't want "Ljubljana Tivoli - that's a tiny station near Tivoli park.)

Ljubljana is small and very walkable. The train/bus station is at the northern end of town. I have always walked (three visits) from the train/bus station to my lodgings, but I travel with only carry-on bags and am using to dragging them 10-15 minutes or so. Many people would never do that or have heavy bags. (Or it could be pouring rain.) Look on Google Maps to see where the train station is relative to the Best Western Ston and get walking directions - don't recall exactly where that is but think it's near the Grand Union where I stayed last April, close to the center.

If you wind up using GoOpti to come over from Italy, they can drop you at certain hotels for a little extra. Or you could get a taxi at the station.

Zagreb is bigger than Ljubljana, and unless your hotel is right at the train station you won't be walking to it most likely. But Zagreb has a good network of trams that take you from the train station to the center (or to your typical lodgings) quickly. Again, consult Google Maps; it will probably even show you the trams you would take from the train station to your hotel.

kit

Thanks, Andrew! I had not found that train site. I am thick, thick, thick on the train portion of traveling -- so your help is appreciated! I'm usually pretty relaxed about it and just check schedules ahead of time when I'm actually on the road. But I have so little time in Ljubljana and Zagreb this trip...

That is a good thought about getting the GoOpti to drop me off at the hotel. I hadn't yet picked a hotel when I started investigating them, but now I see that Hotel Slon is one of the drop-off points. Excellent. FWIW, I also like to walk as long as it is not raining. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Be...7df06c4599bece

And the Dubrovnik Hotel is a 14 minute walk out the front door of the train station, across a park and straight to the main square. I'm set! https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ho...1e3fe0a5ace31b

I know none is this is interesting to anyone, but I record it here should I need it on the road or in the future. I usually return to places and like to stay in the same hotels unless they've completely disappointed me. (Hello, future Kit!)

kja

Sounds like you already got the information you needed! For future reference, you can generally get information on transit options, times, and station names on rome2rio.com or even googlemaps (although I always double check each).

Just one question: If it matters to you, have you asked the Dubrovnik Hotel for a quiet room? That square is a great location, but I suspect the noise of the crowds and trams would bother some people....

Enjoy!

Andrew

Ljubljana looks very ordinary near the train station, but once you get to the center - to the triple bridge and across to the old town - it's just lovely. What I love about it is that is is a real town with a large college population, so it feels young, but not very touristy yet still charming. Walking along the tiny river at night when everything is all lit up is probably my favorite thing to do.

On my last visit (only one night) I was lucky that the Grand Union Hotel - normally a pricey hotel - went on sale near the last minute, only about $90 USD a night, so I canceled the B&B I had booked (not much less than that). I usually don't stay at such nice places - but wow, what a treat! It's a nice hotel right in the center of town, but the best part was the amazing view from the room!

One thing I did on my very first visit that I enjoyed was to tour the Jože Plečnik house. He was the city's most important architect who designed many of the bridges and buildings you see in town today. The house where he lived at the end of his life is now open sometimes for tours but has been under renovation in recent years, not sure if it is open again or not. The tour was only about 30 minutes. I'm really not a museum person, but I enjoyed his quirky house, which is otherwise pretty ordinary, and the examples of his little inventions and the stories about him.

Take a walk up to Tivoli Park if you have time. (One of the museums is up there but I've never visited.) In the park itself is an outdoor photography exhibit, something you can enjoy even in the rain (as I once did!). A hike up to the castle is also worthwhile. There's a daily walking tour of Ljubljana that might include a funicular ride up to the castle, but it's an easy walk up without it. The views down are great from up there, but the castle itself as I recall wasn't anything special inside.

And do explore all of the city's little bridges. The Dragon Bridge is at the northeast end of the central pedestrian, with four dragons on it. (The dragon is the symbol of Ljubljana.) The city's outdoor market is near there too.

kit

Thank you, Andrew. I have the architect's house on my list and even the little funicular. I am drawn to them, even if I am not particularly interested in where they are going. I think they make good photographs and generally speak to a sort of ugly efficiency that I like. I also want to get out to one of those caves -- I think the one that is heavily marketed, near a castle? -- because I also like it's little indoor tramway. Some have derided it in online comments section as over-the-top touristy; I think the little people mover looks great. And yes, I do want to wander around quite a bit -- the river, the cafes, the bridges. I have some things to think over and am hoping the answers will rise to the top given the right inspiration

I will look up some info on the walking tour. Hadn't thought of that. Good idea.

Again -- thank you so much for all this help! I need to go back and look at your photos again! Did you do a trip report, too? You've probably linked it. I need to re-read my own posts, here

kit

kja --

I really like that RometoRio site! I have seen it come up search so many times, but I guess I just thought/assumed it was a site about attractions in Rome. (Unsure what my mind thought the Rio part was for...) I am going to play around with it a little more. And I think my family -- who is planning to head west from Verona when we depart -- may find it useful, too. Again, thank you!

Re: the Dubrovnik Hotel and the noise: Apparently, all the single rooms (which is what I booked) are at the end of a very long corridor at the back of the hotel and have a terrible view. They are thusly marketed as "quiet."

People on TA have alternately been very pleased by this and very upset by this. Me? I like the hotel to be well located, safe and for the room to be very clean with great wi-fi. I'll be fine. At the end of my alley.

Andrew

Kit, you can read my trip reports by clicking on my name to get to my profile. I've written and posted trip reports for all three of my trips that have included Slovenia (2009 and 2015 were brief stops in Ljubljana; 2011 was a much longer trip focused largely on Slovenia).

I had a car in 2011 and visited the Škocjan Caves, the "less touristy" caves. (It seems to be more challenging to visit these caves by public transportation than the Postojna Cave, which is the one you are thinking of.) I was disappointed that I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside. (I had my tripod; would have been easy.) Otherwise, the caves were really interesting but not really a highlight for me - probably just my preference for caves in general. I did not drive far out of my way to stop, though, on the way to Piran, so it was well worth my time.

kja

Yes, isn't rome2rio a great resource? It took me a while to realize just how useful it could be, too (after all, Rome has a river, and I wasn't traveling to Italy). Once I gave it a try, I became an overnight convert.

As for your lodging, if it works for you, I certainly don't see a problem!

I visited the Škocjan Caves and thought them absolutely stunning. I had a car at the time, but it can be reached by public transpiration -- if you are willing to walk about 3 km. The website has directions; scroll down this page to the bottom:
http://www.park-skocjanske-jame.si/e...ow-to-reach-us
I also stopped by Predjama Castle -- the castle that is partially built into a cave, but I didn't visit either the castle or the cave -- I wasn't enthralled by what I had read, and there are only so many things one can fit into one's time, so I just stopped long enough to see it from the outside.

BTW, I didn't experience any need to join a walking tour of any of the cities you are contemplating. If you want to do so, go for it! But with a good guidebook or two, there really is no need. JMO.

PaoloCast2

Thanks Kit and Andrew and kja. You’ve been a great help so far, and Kit’s question on trains from Ljubjana to Zagreb is great – but raises a question. My wife and I plan to take a train from Ljubljana to Zagreb on May 13. We will be Ljubljana for a few days prior to departure, so we plan to go to the station at least a day earlier to get tickets. I believe I read somewhere that it was not possible to book on-line in advance. Here’s the question:

The DB Bahn site https://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/index.shtml shows a 9:30 AM departure to Zagreb.

The slo-zeleznice site(http://www.slo-zeleznice.si/en/passe...ia/zagreb)does not show that departure – only one at 8:25 and 14:45. The mid-morning train would be best. Am I missing something? (the slo-zenznice site says the times are valid until December 2016).


Thanks in advance for any clarification.

Andrew

There is a 9:30AM departure from Ljubljana, but it has two connections and takes 4:53 total according to Bahn.com .

The other trains are direct and take about 2:30 or less.

If you really want to leave at a different time, there are buses as well. Try www.BusCroatia.com to look them up.

PaoloCast2

Thanks, Andrew. I checked BusCroatia, and there's a 10:30 bus to Zagreb arriving at 12:45 -- hugely better than a five hour, two connection train. The pictures show very nice looking buses -- is that your experience -- and how's their on-time reliability?
If they're okay, it seems like the way to go. I see that I can buy tickets on-line. That looks like a good idea since we are definite about the date and departure time.

Thanks again.

Andrew

I've only been on a few buses in Croatia and Slovenia, but they were fine: very modern and comfortable. It might even have WiFi, and some of them have tiny bathrooms. (I try to avoid long bus rides myself because I get motion sickness on a bus and can't read or do much besides look out the window, but I am fine on a train.)

The bus station in Ljubljana is right next to the bus station, but in Zagreb they are not adjacent. Probably doesn't mean much to you unless you have reserved a car or something at the train station. You can still take a tram from either station into the center of Zagreb.

kja

I took a number of intercity buses in the area -- easy, convenient, and comfortable! And the luggage goes in an under-carriage compartment, so no need to negotiate getting it onto the train.

Andrew

Sometimes there is a fee (a Euro or a few Kuna) for stowing your bags under a bus, FYI. I assume a bus going from Slovenia to Croatia would accept payment in Euros or Kuna, but it might be nice to have a few remaining Euro coins in Ljubljana just in case.

kja

Interesting! I've never encountered a fee for baggage storage on a bus. That said, I would hate to encounter it without forewarning, and am glad that Andrew has warned of the possibility.

northie

We did a walking tour of Ljubljana- just went to the tourist info office near the bridge , asked if anyone could do a tour showing the art nouveau buildings . They arranged an architect student to do a 2 hour tour - we did give the student a payment. I was amazed at how many there were - the city was largely rebuilt in early 1900s after either a fire or earthquake - can't remember which. It's an incredible example of an art nouveau city.
We loved Ljubljana .