Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Throughout this topic, I've suggested whether trains, buses, or boats are better for a par-
ticular destination (in the “Connections” section at the end of each chapter). When check-
ing timetables
(vozni red)
, arrivals are
prihodi
and departures are
odhodi; svaki dan
means
“daily,”butsometransitdoesn'trunonSundays
(nedjeljom)
orholidays
(praznikom)
.You'll
notice that many posted schedules list departure times, but not the duration of the trip; try
asking for this information at the ticket window.
Trains
Trains are ideal for certain routes in Croatia and Slovenia (such as between Ljubljana and
Zagreb)andforconnectingtoothercountries.Buttheirusefulnessislimited,andyou'llfind
buses, boats, and flights better for most journeys.
Schedules and Tickets:
Pick up train schedules from stations as you go. To study ahead
on the Web, check
www.bahn.com
(Germany's excellent Europe-wide timetable). You can
also check
www.slo-zeleznice.si
for Slovenia, and
www.hznet.hr
for Croatia. Buy tickets at
the train station (or on board, if the station is unattended)—you rarely need a reservation.
Rail Passes:
While railpasses can be a good deal in some parts of Europe, they usually
aren't as useful in Croatia or Slovenia. Point-to-point tickets are affordable and often the
better option. If your travels are taking you beyond Croatia and Slovenia, consider the flex-
ible Eurail Select Pass, which covers unlimited travel forupto15travel days (within atwo-
month period) in three, four, or five adjacent countries (Croatia and Slovenia are considered
a single “country”). A separate combo-pass covers Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia, and an-
other pass covers Austria, Slovenia, and Croatia. Again, none of these passes is likely to
save you much money, but if a pass matches your itinerary, give it a look and crunch the
numbers. For options and prices on pertinent Eurail passes, see
www.ricksteves.com/rail
.
Buses
Buses often take you where trains don't. For example, train tracks run only as far south as
Split; for destinations on the Dalmatian Coast farther south, you'll rely on buses (or boats).
Even on some routes that are served by trains, buses can be a better option. For instance,
Ljubljana and Lake Bled are connected by both train and bus—but the bus station is right
in the town center of Bled, while the train station is a few miles away. Buses can even be
convenient for connecting to islands (via ferry, of course). For example, if heading from the
island of Kor
č
ula to Dubrovnik, the bus connection runs more frequently than the compar-
able boat connection, and takes about the same amount of time.
