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Africa
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to China & Japan by
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or silk route
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overland
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The luxury
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UK to Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia by train?
|
Why not? It's very easy and affordable to travel
from the UK to Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik or
Sarajevo overland by train. It's safe and comfortable,
too. This page will explain the options, train times,
fares and how to buy tickets.
On this page:
London to Ljubljana
& Zagreb by train
London to Split by train
London to Dubrovnik by
train+bus or train+ferry
London to Sarajevo by train
London ► Ljubljana, Zagreb:
-
Travel from
London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 18:00 (17:31 on Saturdays) arriving Paris 21:20
(20:53 on Saturdays). The Eurostar arrives at the
Gare du Nord, from where it is a
10 minute walk
to the Gare de l'Est.
-
Travel from Paris to Munich
overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train
'Cassiopeia', leaving
Paris Gare de l'Est at 22:45 and arriving in Munich at
08:58 next morning. This excellent train has sleeping-cars,
couchettes & seats, see the photos & information
below. Important: On certain dates
the Cassiopeia leaves Paris earlier, at
21:45, so double-check times for your date of travel
using
www.bahn.de/citynightline. On these dates,
you'll need to catch an earlier Eurostar from London, at
16:25 arriving Paris 19:47.
Click for more pictures and information about this train.
-
Travel from Munich to
Ljubljana and Zagreb on modern, air-conditioned EuroCity train
'Mimara', leaving Munich at 11:26
and arriving in Ljubljana at 17:42 and Zagreb at 20:04.
A restaurant car is available until about 15:45, serving drinks, snacks and
full meals.
Introducing
the City Night Line sleeper from Paris to Munich...
The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent
City Night Line sleeper trains. Called the
'Cassiopeia', it has brand-new 'Comfortline' sleeping-cars
(1, 2 and 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and
toilet, 1, 2 and
3-berth standard rooms with washbasin. There is a shower at
the end of the corridor for passengers in standard rooms,
and all rooms have powerpoints for laptop computers),
and
modern air-conditioned couchettes
(choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment),
and ordinary seats (not recommended).
Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus
sleeping accommodation. The sleeping-car fare includes
a light breakfast.
Click for more pictures and information about this train.
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1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, standard with
washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet. |
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4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes. |
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6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more... |
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Above: One of the new
'Comfortline' sleeping-cars on the Paris-Munich City Night Line sleeper train
'Cassiopeia'.
More pictures... |
On board the
EuroCity train from Munich to Ljubljana & Zagreb...
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Above: A modern, air-conditioned Croatian Railways
coach on a EuroCity train from Germany/Austria to
Ljubljana and Zagreb. These trains use a mixture
of the best Austrian, Croatian and Slovenian coaches -
this is just one example. A restaurant car is
available for much of the journey serving drinks, snacks
and full meals. Photos courtesy of Tobias B Köhler. |
Zagreb & Ljubljana ► London:
-
Travel
from Zagreb or Ljubljana to Munich by air-conditioned EuroCity train,
leaving Zagreb at 07:50 and Ljubljana at 10:12 and arriving in
Munich at 16:32.
-
Travel from Munich to Paris by
the City Night Line sleeper train 'Cassiopeia', leaving
Munich at 20:53 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est
between 06:46 & 09:38 next
morning. Arrival times vary on different dates, so
check times for your date of travel using
www.bahn.de/citynightline. Couchettes (6-bunk and 4-bunk) and
sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-bed rooms, deluxe with shower or standard
with washbasin)
are available.
Click for more pictures and information about this train.
Walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.
-
On dates when the
Cassiopeia arrives in Paris at 06:46, a Eurostar leaves Paris Nord at 08:07 and
arrives London St Pancras at 09:34. When it arrives
at 08:15, a Eurostar leaves Paris Nord at 10:13 arriving
London at 11:28. On dates when it arrives at 09:38,
a Eurostar leaves Paris Nord at 11:13 on Sats & Suns
(arriving London 1228) or 12:13 on Mon-Fri (arriving
London 13:28).
Fares:
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1. London
to Paris
by
Eurostar: |
Return fares
start at £59 2nd class, £149 1st class.
One-way fares start at £44 2nd class.
Advice on one-way Eurostar fares. Child, youth & senior fares
|
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2.
Paris to
Munich by
sleeper train (per person) |
In a
seat |
In
a couchette |
In
the sleeping-car (standard room) |
|
6-bunk |
4-bunk |
3-bed |
2-bed |
1-bed |
|
Savings fare, one way * |
29 euro (£21) |
39 euro (£29) |
49 euro (£36) |
- |
- |
- |
|
Savings fare, return * |
58 euro (£42) |
78 euro (£58) |
98 euro (£72) |
- |
- |
- |
|
Normal fare, one-way: |
110 euro (£81) |
122 euro (£90) |
127 euro (£94) |
139 euro (£103) |
156 euro (£116) |
258 euro (£191) |
|
Normal fare, return: |
220 euro (£162) |
244 euro (£180) |
254 euro (£188) |
278 euro (£206) |
312 euro (£232) |
516 euro (£382) |
|
Child under 14 with own berth: |
55 euro (£39) |
61 euro (£44) |
64 euro (£46) |
70 euro (£50) |
78 euro (£56) |
- |
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Child under 6 without own berth: |
Child under 6 sharing a berth travels free... |
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3. Munich
to Ljubljana |
£52
one-way 2nd class, £81 one-way 1st class.
£104
return 2nd class, £162 return 1st class.
Special fare
just £21
one-way, £42 return 2nd class if you book in advance
(limited availability). |
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3. Munich
to Zagreb |
£64
one-way 2nd class, £92 one-way 1st class.
£128
return 2nd class, £184 return 1st class.
Special
fare just £21 one-way, £42 return 2nd class if you book
in advance (limited
availability). |
* Savings fares =
Special cheap fares, book in advance, limited availability,
no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Normal fare =
fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
Couchettes are sold individually in shared 4 or 6 berth
compartments, but as from 9 December 2007, only whole
sleeper compartments on this route can be booked, it will no
longer be possible for solo passengers to book one sleeper
berth in a 2 or 3 bed compartment and share with other
passengers. Call DB's UK office for prices for
sleepers with private shower.
How to
buy tickets online...
The cheapest and easiest way to book this journey is online.
Buying tickets online, option 1...
This involves two websites, so do
a 'dry run' first on both sites to check prices and
availability before booking for real.
-
Go
to
www.raileurope.co.uk.
-
It's best to book London-Munich in two stages. Step 1,
book the sleeper from Paris to Munich. Enter 'Paris'
to 'Munich' and your dates of travel.
-
Step 2, after booking the Paris-Munich train, stay on
www.raileurope.co.uk
and click 'continue shopping'. Now book a Eurostar ticket from London to
Paris and back to connect with the sleeper. Use the recommended
Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an
earlier Eurostar outward or a later Eurostar on the way back
if these have cheaper seats available or if you'd like to
stop off in Paris.
-
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways website
http://bahn.hafas.de, use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Ljubljana or Munich-Zagreb trains
shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket. It
will show if any cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent to any address,
or in some cases printed out yourself.
Buying tickets online, option 2...
If you have any problems with
www.raileurope.co.uk,
try this option instead. It involves three websites, so do
a 'dry run' first on all three sites to check prices and
availability before booking for real.
-
Step 1, go to
www.bahn.de/citynightline, the German Railways official
sleeper train website. Select 'English' top right.
-
Book from Paris Est to
Munich Hbf and back on the overnight sleeper train.
Availability of cheap 'Savings' fares ('sparnight' in
German) and
fully-flexible normal fares will be shown, for each type of
seat, couchette & sleeper. You pay by credit card and print out
your own tickets in .pdf format. Easy! Note that
the prices shown on
www.bahn.de/citynightline are in euros, and are the total cost for
all passengers selected, not per person. Top tip:
If the 29/39/49 euro special fares are sold out on
www.bahn.de/citynightline so only full fares are available, you
can sometimes find a 55-80 euro couchette fare for this
train using
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.voyages-sncf.com, which is still cheaper than the
full fare.
-
Step 2, go to
www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar
tickets between London and Paris, using the Eurostar times
above as a guide. By all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Return fares start at £59,
for one-way fares on Eurostar
see this
advice. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, or picked up at the station if you're travelling at
short notice or booking from overseas.
-
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways main website
http://bahn.hafas.de, use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Ljubljana or Munich-Zagreb trains
shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket. It
will show if any cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent to any address,
or in some cases printed out yourself.
How to buy tickets by phone...
If
you prefer to book by phone, just call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday, no
booking fee, £3 credit card fee), or a booking agency such
as
European Rail
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 09:00-17:00
Monday-Friday, £25 booking fee applies).
London to Ljubljana via Venice...
As
the direct EuroCity train 'Casanova' has been withdrawn
between Venice and the Slovenia frontier. This route
is no longer recommended.
To
be updated...
By train all the way...
Travel from London to Zagreb
as shown in the London
to Zagreb section above. An overnight train leaves
Zagreb daily at 22:55, arriving at Split next morning at
06:57. Brand-new air-conditioned sleeping-cars with 1- 2- and 3-berth
compartments are available, but no couchettes.
Returning, leave Split at
22:22 on train 824, arriving Zagreb at 06:31 next
morning. Brand-new sleeping-cars with 1- 2- and 3-berth
compartments are available, but no couchettes. See the
London to Zagreb
section above for the connection to London.
By train to Ancona, then ship...
Several
shipping lines run ferries overnight on various days of the
week between Ancona and Split, including
www.jadrolinija.hr,
www.bli-ferry.com.
June-September, there is also a daily fast ferry, taking 4
hours, leaving Ancona at around 11:00 and returning from
Split at 17:00 - see
www.snav.it. For train times and fares
between London and Ancona, see the London
to Italy page. To
book Jadrolinija ships from the UK, contact their UK
agents, Viamare
Travel on 020
8343 5810.
There is no rail link to
Dubrovnik, so you will need to reach it either by bus or
ship. There are three options:
-
Train to
Italy + ferry: This is probably the most
civilised option. Travel
by train to Bari in Italy (see the London
to Italy page for train times and fares) then travel by sea to
Dubrovnik. Ships sail several times a week,
Jadrolinija sailing up to 6 times weekly in summer -
see www.jadrolinija.hr
(all year round) &
www.azzurraline.com (summer)
for sailing days, times and fares.
- Train + bus via Split: Travel by train to Split -
see the London to Split section above. Buses link
Split with Dubrovnik every hour or two, taking about 4-5
hours. Bus information can be found at
www.ak-split.hr (Split bus station arrivals &
departures), www.dubrovnik-online.com
or
www.libertasdubrovnik.hr (Dubrovnik bus station
departures).
-
Train +
coastal ferry: Travel
by train to either Rijeka, Zadar or Split, then travel
by sea, using the twice-weekly Jadrolinija ship along
the coast to Dubrovnik - visit www.jadrolinija.hr
for sailing days, times and fares. The slowest
option, but a pleasant way to get there.
To book
Jadrolinija ships from the UK, contact their UK agents Viamare
Travel on 020
8343 5810.
London ► Sarajevo
-
Travel from London to Zagreb
as shown in the London
to Zagreb section above.
-
Spend the night in Zagreb.
- A train leaves Zagreb daily at 08:57 arriving Sarajevo
at 18:05. The train has 1st & 2nd class seats, but
no buffet or restaurant car, so take your own supplies
of food, water and wine or beer...
-
There is also now an overnight
Zagreb-Sarajevo train, which now has a couchette car
(6-berth compartments) as well as seats. It leaves
Zagreb at 20:49 and arrives Sarajevo at 06:11 next
morning. However, don't risk a tight 45 minute
connection in Zagreb between the train from Munich and the
night train to Sarajevo.
Sarajevo ► London
-
A train leaves Sarajevo daily
at 10:27 arriving Zagreb at 19:47. The train has 1st
& 2nd class seats, but no buffet or restaurant car, so
take your own supplies of food, water and wine or beer...
-
Spend the night in Zagreb.
- Travel from Zagreb to London
as shown above.
-
There is also now an overnight
Sarajevo-Zagreb train, which now has a couchette car as
well as seats. It leaves Sarajevo at 21:20 and
arrives Zagreb at 06:43. However, Im not sure I'd
risk the connection with the 07:50 train from Zagreb to
Munich.
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The Thomas Cook European Timetable
|
  The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe, plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873 and costing £13.50, it's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery, or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change).
Or
buy the independent traveller's edition from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter 2007/8 edition (December 2007 to June 2008) or
Summer 2008 edition (June to December 2008).
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
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    You
should take a good guidebook. I think that the Lonely
Planets and the Rough Guides are easily the best for the
independent traveller. Both guides have plenty of
background historical and cultural information, plus lots of
practical information. You won't regret buying one of
these guides..!
Click the images to buy at Amazon...
Or buy direct from the
Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.
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 Find a hotel in
Croatia, Slovenia or anywhere in
Europe...
It's
easy to book hotels online to go with your train tickets.
Just use the search box below. This links to
www.hotelscombined.com, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms, Opodo, Venere,
Asiarooms and many
others) to find just about the widest range of hotels with the cheapest rates on the net. Set
up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place
to start for booking any hotel online in any country,
worldwide.
Search all major
hotel booking sites at once...
Backpacker hostels...
 If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget the hostels. For a dorm bed or an
ultra-cheap private room in backpacker hostels in most
European cities use
www.hostelbookers.com.
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Travel insurance & health card...
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Compare
quotes from both Direct Line & Columbus... |
Travel insurance..
Travel insurance is a boring subject, but it's a real necessity, so make sure you
budget for it. Make sure you get adequate cover -
for example, at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover,
from a reliable insurer. Remember that an annual
multi-trip policy is often cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just two or three trips
a year. Here are some suggested insurers to try.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy after clicking these
links.
If you live in the UK, get quotes from
Direct Line
(whom I've used myself) and
Columbus Direct.
If
you live in
Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try
Columbus Direct Australia.
 
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
Travel Guard USA.
EU health card...
UK citizens travelling in Europe should carry a European
Health Insurance Card. This replaces the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available free
from
www.ehic.org.uk and entitles you to free or reduced rate
health care if you become ill or get injured in many European
countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the UK's NHS.
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Back
to 'Rail travel to Europe'
general page
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