Overnight express from the UK to Ljubljana
If you consider the journey as part of the vacation experience, then visiting Slovenia by train might be a great solution. This isn’t a method that I’ve tried yet, but it’s the way my mother travelled to the UK in the 1960s and it seems to be becoming an option again. The costs are cheaper than you might imagine and as usual, the excellent man in seat 61 website has the detail you need.
As you’d imagine, all routes start with the Eurostar to either Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam. From there you travel south via Zurich, Munich or Vienna and all this could cost less than a flight. Each of these cities is worth visiting so stopping off for a day on the way there and back would make for an amazing round-Europe trip.
The train options include day travel and overnight sleepers but the most expensive leg by far is the cross-channel part. Looking for advanced deals will be well worth while if you have the flexibility to choose your dates. If your budget is a little more generous, complete packages are available that take in multiple countries on luxurious or historic trains. You can for example take a six day trip to Lake Bled, stay three days and fly home as a single package tour. It’s not for me, but I would imagine it could be quite the experience.
In many ways, travelling from the UK to Slovenia by train is a similar journey to driving. You see a little of the countries in between and have the chance to stop off and explore new cities. You also avoid the stress of driving long distances if that isn’t something you enjoy. Whether the costs make sense will depend largely on how many people you’re paying for.
MAP
Links
- The man in seat 61 (start here)
- Eurostar
- RailEurope
- RailBookers
