Above:  The Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana.  Ljubljana is a wonderful city to visit, easy to reach from the UK by train without flying...

UK to Slovenia by train in 24 hours, from €98...

It's easy, comfortable, affordable and safe to travel from the UK to Ljubljana by train, and it takes just 24 wonderful hours, with a bed at night in a cosy sleeping-car.  This page will explain the routes, train times, fares and how to buy tickets.

Train times, fares & information...

London to Lake Bled & Ljubljana

London to Koper

Train service between Venice & Ljubljana via Trieste.

Train service between Venice & Lake Bled via Nova Gorica

Useful country information - currency, time zone, dialling code

Hotels in Ljubljana & Slovenia

On other pages...

General information about European train travel

Taking your bike    Taking a dog    Luggage

Buying tickets from UK towns & cities to connect with Eurostar

Holidays to Slovenia & Croatia by train not plane

Route map:  UK to Lake Bled & Ljubljana by train

Sponsored links...

Useful country information

London to Lake Bled & Ljubljana

Option 1:  Eurostar to Paris, sleeper to Munich, EuroCity train to Bled & Ljubljana...

This is the easiest, most time-effective and affordable way to travel from the UK to Slovenia by train.  Take an afternoon Eurostar to Paris, the excellent City Night Line sleeper train to Munich, then a scenic EuroCity train ride over the Austrian Alps and along the River Sava into Slovenia.  Wonderful!  If you prefer daytime trains, see option 2 below, which uses daytime trains all the way with an overnight stop in Munich.

London ► Lake Bled & Ljubljana

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:31 (14:01 on Saturdays), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  On Fridays, there's also a 16:01 Eurostar arriving 19:17.  In Paris, it's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Day 1:  Travel from Paris to Munich overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 and arriving in Munich at 07:10 next morning.  It has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, economy with washbasin or deluxe with toilet & shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information below.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.

• Day 2:  Travel from Munich to Villach by modern, air-conditioned Austrian EuroCity train, leaving Munich at 08:27 and arriving in Villach, near the Austrian-Slovenian border, at 12:43.  A restaurant car is available for breakfast.  At Villach it's a simple cross-platform change onto the waiting Slovenian/Croatian/Serbian EuroCity train to Ljubljana.

• Day 2:  Travel from Villach to Bled & Ljubljana on a modern, air-conditioned EuroCity train, the Sava, leaving Villach at 12:52 and arriving at Lesce-Bled at 13:51 and Ljubljana at 14:31.  If you want a hot lunch, eat early in the Austrian restaurant car.  At Lesce-Bled, the station is 4km southeast of Bled town, taxis are available for around €10 or there's a bus between Lesce-Bled station & Bled town every 30 minutes for around €2.

What's the journey like?  After leaving the Munich suburbs the train snakes through pretty Bavarian scenery to Salzburg, past churches and picturesque villages.  Just before arriving at Salzburg, look to your right as you cross the River Salzach for great views of Salzburg citadel.  Soon after Salzburg, the train enters the Austrian Alps proper, climbing through vast mountains.  Look out for the magnificent fortress at Werfen (although the train doesn't call here), perched on its hilltop on the right hand side, guarding the approaches to Salzburg along the Salzachtal valley.  After entering Slovenia, the scenery flattens out, and the train snakes along the pretty river Sava all the way into Ljubljana.

Ljubljana & Lake Bled  ► London

• Travel from Ljubljana or Bled to Munich by air-conditioned EuroCity train Sava, leaving Ljubljana at 15:05 or Lesce-Bled at 15:52, you need to make a simple cross-platform change of train at Villach (arrive 17:03, depart 17:16) and you arrive in Munich at 21:33.  Enjoy the excellent scenery.   The station at Lesce-Bled is 4km southeast of Bled town, taxis available for around €10 or bus every 30 minutes for around €2.

• Alternatively, you could take the earlier EuroCity train and spend the afternoon in Munich, leaving Ljubljana at 09:12 or Lesce-Bled at 09:53, arriving Munich at 15:33.  This is an Austrian train with 6-seater compartments in both 1st & 2nd class, and it's direct Zagreb-Ljubljana-Munich with no need to change trains at Villach.  Take your own provisions as there's no restaurant or buffet car until the Austrian frontier, reached around 10:58.  This is a safer connection into the sleeper from Munich to Paris, as the afternoon Sava has been known to miss the connection at Villach.  Left luggage lockers are available in Munich.

• Travel from Munich to Paris by the City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Munich daily at 22:50 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est 09:24 next morning.  The trains has ordinary seats, couchettes (4 & 6-bunk) and sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-bed compartments, deluxe with toilet & shower or economy with washbasin).  More pictures & information about this City Night Line sleeper train.  Walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.

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 a modern Comfortline sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe compartments with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth economy compartments 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.  There are also 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 & information about this train. 

Dinner before you board?  For a good meal in a classic Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in Paris, why not catch the earlier 14:01 Eurostar from London & dine at the Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road from the Gare du Nord.  For a cooked breakfast in Munich or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound sleeper on your return, try the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof itself.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable option, economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		"Night train to Munich..."  The Comfortline sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est... More pictures & information about this train...

On board the EuroCity train from Munich to Ljubljana... This is actually two trains, a smart modern Austrian EuroCity train with restaurant car from Munich to Villach on the Austrian/Slovenian border, then an equally smart air-conditioned Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian EuroCity train from Villach to Ljubljana and Zagreb.  The scenery along this route is superb, taking you from the Bavaria through the Austrian Alps, into Slovenia and along the Sava river to Croatia.  Sit back with a glass of red, catch up on your reading and enjoy the views...
The EuroCity train from Munich to Villach, about to leave Munich.  It connects at Villach for Ljubljana & Zagreb...		An early lunch in the Austrian restaurant car as the Alpine scenery flies by...

Through the Austrian Alps...  Clinging to the mountainside high in the Austrian Alps, the train snakes along between snow-capped mountains, wonderful...		Lesce-Bled station in Slovenia, reached not long after crossing the Slovenian border.  The train follows the pretty river Sava...

The EuroCity train Sava from Villach to Ljubljana & Zagreb.  This is a Slovenian air-conditioned coach...		Comfortable seats:  Some 2nd class seats are also arranged 2+1 abreast, the same as 1st class!

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets online...

The cheapest way to book this journey is online, as there's no booking fees and all the cheap deals are there for you to see.  There are two ways to book it, and I'd suggest trying both as prices vary between the two:

How to buy tickets using www.eurostar.com + www.bahn.de...

• This is the cheapest way to book, buying online direct from the operators.

• Booking usually opens 92 days ahead for City Night Line & the EuroCity train, 120 days ahead for Eurostar.  However, I strongly recommend waiting until 92 days so you can buy all tickets together, doing a dry run on both sites first to confirm the sleeper train times before booking a non-refundable, non-changeable Eurostar ticket.  It's not unknown for engineering work to mean an earlier departure from Paris.  Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to Munich and back, looking for the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  Availability of cheap Savings fares ('sparnight' in German, limited refunds, no changes) 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!  The prices shown on www.bahn.de are the total cost in euros for all passengers selected, not per person.   I strongly recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily make the next booking and retrieve and re-print any tickets later, from any PC anywhere.

• Step 2, still on www.bahn.de, enter Munich to Ljubljana in the journey planner, looking for the trains shown in the train times above.  It will show if any cheap 'spezial' fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address or often printed out yourself.

• Step 3, finally go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris.  Use the Eurostar times above as a guide, but 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.  The easiest option is simply to print out your own ticket.

• If you don't live in London, www.eurostar.com can book cheap through tickets from 130 other UK towns and cities to Paris.  If your town isn't listed, you can buy a separate ticket up to London to connect with Eurostar, see the advice on buying connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities here.

• Want to choose your exact seat on Eurostar?  www.eurostar.com allows you to choose an exact seat this towards the end of the process, look closely for the 'choose exact seat' link.  See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

Buy tickets using www.raileurope.co.uk + www.bahn.de...

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.  If you have children aged 4- 5 or 12-14, please read this note before booking the City Night Line sleeper train at Rail Europe.

• 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 www.bahn.de, use the journey planner to bring up the connecting trains from Munich to Ljubljana 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.   I recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.

How to buy tickets by email...

If you'd prefer to have someone book it all for you, just click here and a booking form will appear which lists all the trains you need to book.  Fill it in & email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  European Rail will make the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost.  If you're okay with the price you can give them your credit card details and they'll send you the tickets.  European Rail is an experienced agency equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing system, so they have access to all the cheap fares for travel via Germany.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form.

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 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge but no charge for debit cards), or a booking agency such as European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee).

Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...

If you want a compete tailor-made trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free.  They get very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.  Browse suggested holiday itineraries & prices.

Option 2:  By daytime trains with overnight stop in Munich...

This option takes longer, but is useful if you prefer daytime travel.  It can cost as little as €98, although the hotel costs extra!

London ► Ljubljana

• Day 1, travel from London to Munich by daytime trains either via Paris or via Brussels & Cologne.  See the London to Germany page for train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

• Spend the night in Munich.

• Day 2, travel from Munich to Ljubljana on modern, air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Munich at 08:27 by smart Austrian EuroCity train.  You need to make a simple cross-platform change of train at Villach on the Austrian/Slovenian border (arrive 12:43, depart 12:52) and you arrive in Lesce-Bled at 13:51 and Ljubljana at 14:31.  A restaurant car is available on the Austrian train serving drinks, snacks and affordable full meals (treat yourself to an early lunch!), and there's usually a Serbian restaurant car with more limited food on the Villach-Ljubljana part of the journey.  The scenery through southeast Germany & Slovenia is stunning, with views of snow capped mountains, lush meadows & winding rivers, see the photos above.

Ljubljana  ► London

• Day 1, travel from Ljubljana to Munich by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Ljubljana at 15:05 or Lesce-Bled at 15:52 and arriving in Munich at 21:33.  You need to make a simple cross-platform change of train at Villach on the Austrian/Slovenian border, arrive 17:03, depart 17:16.  Enjoy the excellent scenery over lunch in the restaurant car.

• Spend the night in Munich.

• Day 2, travel from Munich to London by daytime trains, either via Paris or via Cologne & Brussels.  See the London to Germany page for train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

How much does it cost?

• London to Munich start at €59 (£49) each way with a London Spezial ticket.

• Munich to Ljubljana starts at €39 (£34) each way.

How to buy tickets...

• See the London to Germany page for train times, fares & how to buy tickets between London & Munich.

• Then use the journey planner at the German Railways website www.bahn.de to bring up the Munich-Ljubljana-Zagreb train shown 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.

Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...

If you want a compete tailor-made travel service with all your rail travel booked for you and hotels arranged, contact www.railbookers.com, 020 3327 0761.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get very positive reviews.  Browse suggested holiday itineraries & prices.

Option 3:  London to Ljubljana or Lake Bled via Venice...

The direct EuroCity train Casanova between Venice and Ljubljana was withdrawn some years ago, as the Italians insisted on all trains being fitted with a special Italian signalling system, and it wasn't economic for the Slovenians to fit this to their entire Pendolino fleet just for one pendolino train a day into Italy.  This left one remaining conventional train a day between Italy & Slovenia, a sleeper train to Budapest which passed through Ljubljana at 1am.  This was itself withdrawn in December 2011 due to high charges imposed by the Italians, meaning that there are now no trains whatsoever crossing the border between Italy & Slovenia.  So much for EU transport policy!  For railway purposes, this border is closed, and it seems that EU transport policy and incompetent Italian Railway authorities have done what 50 years of Communism failed to do, bring an Iron Curtain down across this border...

However, here is a cunning plan...  You can still travel by train from London to Venice, stop off for a day or two in Venice, then travel from Venice to Ljubljana. You simply use an Italian regional train to Trieste, then take the historic tram from Trieste up the escarpment to Villa Opicina (an experience in itself), take a short taxi ride across the border to Sezana and then a comfortable Slovenian domestic train to Ljubljana.  If this sounds complicated, it isn't.  It's actually cheap, very scenic, interesting, and runs every couple of hours through the day.  This Venice-Ljubljana journey is explained in detail here.

There's also a cunning way to get from Venice or Trieste to Lake Bled, via Gorizia and Nova Gorica, where Italian and Slovenian stations are just a few km apart.  The Venice-Lake Bled journey is explained here.

Visiting Ljubljana...

Ljubljana is a wonderful city to visit, you'll find tourist information at www.visitljubljana.si.  The station is just a few minutes walk from all the central hotels and you can easily walk between all the sights and places of interest.  See the Dragon Bridge, the Franciscan church, the triple bridge, and of course take the funicular railway up to the castle.  The Best Western Premier Hotel Slon and City Hotel are both good choices.  Try the traditional Slovenian dishes served in the Sokol restaurant just to the left of the town hall, one of Ljubljana's best-know eateries.  Map of Ljubljana.

You arrive at Ljubljana railway station, only a few minutes walk from the city centre and all its hotels.		The famous Dragon Bridge, guarded by four dragons...		Ljubljana Castle watchtower...

Take the funicular railway up to the castle and climb the watchtower for spectacular views over the city to the ring of mountains beyond.		The old town main square, town hall & cathedral.  The excellent Sokol restaurant is in the background.

London ► Koper

• Travel from London to Ljubljana as shown above.

• Trains link Ljubljana with Koper five or six times daily, journey time 2½ hours, fare €9.  No reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  If you arrive in Ljubljana off the EuroCity from Munich, a train leaves Ljubljana at 15:40 arriving Koper at 18:08, 2nd class only.  For other options, see www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si.

Koper ► London

• Trains link Koper with Ljubljana five or six times daily, journey time 2½ hours, fare €9.  No reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  You can check times at either www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si.  Allow plenty of time for connections at Ljubljana, at least an hour.

• Travel from London to Ljubljana as shown above.

Fares & how to buy tickets

Buy tickets and check fares from London to Ljubljana as shown above.  then simply buy a Ljubljana to Koper ticket at the station when you reach Ljubljana.

...The train to Koper, at Ljubljana.  Most trains to Koper are modern, air-conditioned regional trains like this.		Inside, these modern regional trains have comfortable seats, air-conditioning and information displays...

Ljubljana to/from Trieste & Venice

Thanks to Trenitalia, Europe's most incompetent railway operator, there are now no trains at all across the border linking Ljubljana with Italy.  EU policy and Trenitalia's disinterest have succeeded where 50 years of Communism failed, closing the border to rail transport.  So much for Slovenia and Italy both being in the EU!  But there's a clever way to travel between Venice, Trieste & Ljubljana that's frequent, cheap, historically interesting and very scenic.  I haven't seen this wonderful journey explained anywhere, so I'll explain the secret here!  If you want to travel direct between Lake Bled and Trieste or Venice, see the next section.

Ljubljana ► Trieste & Venice

Trieste & Venice ► Ljubljana

• Travel from Venice to Trieste by hourly regional train, journey time 2 hours 5 minutes, fare €11.40.  You can check train times and prices at www.trenitalia.com (pick a date within the next 7 days to see prices for regional trains).  No reservation is necessary for regional trains, you buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  On arrival in Trieste, walk 3 minutes from Trieste Centrale to the Piazza Oberdam tram terminus.  Map of Trieste

• Travel on the historic tram from Trieste Piazza Oberdan tram terminus to Villa Opicina, the Italian border town.  The tram runs every 20 minutes 07:00-20:00, journey time 25 minutes, fare €1.10.  Easy!  The tram is an old-fashioned piece of Trieste heritage, and unique in that for 10 minutes of the journey it buffers up to a 'drogue' and becomes a funicular railway up the steep escarpment out of Trieste.  The tram website is www.tramdeopcina.it.

• Update:  The tram is apparently closed for refurbishment Sept 2012 to March or April 2013, so take a taxi all the way from Trieste station to Sezana instead, or use the local tram replacement bus.

• Now take a taxi the 4 miles from Villa Opicina the 4 miles across the border to Sezana, the Slovenian border town.  Slovenia & Italy are both Shengen countries, so there's no border control.  The taxi costs only €11-€12.  You're unlikely to find a taxi waiting at Villa Opicina station, so pre-book one by email to slavisa.jovic1@siol.net.  If you want, you can cut out the tram and take a taxi from Trieste station to Villa Opicina, it's a shame to miss out the tram ride but you'll find lots of taxis waiting outside Trieste Centrale station.

• Take a local train from Sezana to Ljubljana.  Trains run every hour or two, journey time 2 hours, the fare is just €7.27, no reservation is necessary you just buy a ticket at the station and hop on.  You can check train times at either www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si, the latter will also confirm the price.  The journey is relaxing and very scenic as the train wends its way through the hills past pretty villages, and finally down into the plain to Ljubljana.  At one point it enters, circumnavigates then leaves a long green valley, climbing for height all the while.  Lovely!

Ljubljana to Sezana by train...  The train from Ljubljana, arrived at Sezana.  Most trains to Sezana are modern, air-conditioned regional trains like this.		Inside, these regional trains have comfy seats, air-conditioning and information displays.  You can find train times at www.slo-zeleznice.si.

The train to Sezana wends its way through the hills, though great Slovenian scenery.  A treat!  Then take a taxi 4 miles from Sezana to Villa Opicina...		Villa Opicina to Trieste by historic tram.  An experience in itself!  This is the tram terminus at Villa Opicina.  See www.tramdeopcina.it.

Lake Bled to/from Trieste & Venice

There's also a cunning, cheap and scenic way to travel from Venice or Trieste to Lake Bled in northern Slovenia, via Gorizia and Nova Gorica, where Italian and Slovenian railway stations are just a few kilometres apart.

Trieste & Venice ► Lake Bled

Lake Bled ► Trieste & Venice

• Step 1, take a Slovenian domestic train from Bled Jezero to Nova Gorica.  Trains leave Bled Jezero for Nova Gorica every couple of hours, journey time 1 hour 50 minutes, fare €6.22.  You can check train times at either www.bahn.de or www.slo-zeleznice.si, the latter will also confirm the price.

• Step 2, at Nova Gorica, walk 100 metres across the border into Italy to the Piazza Transalpina and take bus number 1 to Gorizia Central station.  Fare €1.60, buses run every 10-15 minutes.  Nova Gorica station to Gorizia station is 2.44 miles, 3.93 kilometres, you could walk it in 45 minutes.  Bus information for this frequent Gorizia domestic bus is at www.aptgorizia.it (select 'Servizi' then 'Urbano Gorizia').

• Alternatively, there's also a direct international bus from Nova Gorica station to Gorizia station leaving every hour from 08:16 until 17:16 then 19:01.  To catch this bus (which starts at the bus station, but stops outside the rail station), cross the square outside the station and go to the bus stop on the right side of the road - the small hotel/bar opposite the bus stop sells bus tickets, they cannot be bought on the bus.  Bus information for this hourly international bus is at www.aptgorizia.it (select 'Servizi' then 'Urbano Gorizia').

• Step 3, travel from Gorizia Centrale to Venice Santa Lucia station by regional train.  Trains run direct every 2 hours, journey time between 2 hours 15 minutes and 2 hours 40 minutes, fare €12.90 in 2nd class or €19.35 in 1st class.  No reservation necessary or possible, just turn up and buy tickets at the station.  You can check times and fares at www.trenitalia.com, use a date within the next 7 days to see fares or buy a self-print ticket.

• For Trieste, regional trains link Gorizia Centrale with Trieste every hour or half-hour, journey time 43-52 minutes, fare €4.50 in 2nd class, check times and fares at www.trenitalia.com using a date within the next 7 days to see fares or buy a self-print ticket.

Recommended guidebooks

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...

My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and is available from Amazon.co.uk with shipping worldwide.

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, it costs £14.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascookpublishing.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from selected UK branches of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria station in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2012/13 edition (Dec 2012 to June 2013) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2013 edition (June to Dec 2013)

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.

Find hotels in Ljubljana & Slovenia...

Other hotel sites worth trying...

• www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

• www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system (Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system).  It has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one price, then charge you another!).

Backpacker hostels...

• www.hostelbookers.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelbookers offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

020 3327 0761 (UK) 1-800-408-3280 (USA) 1300 971 526 (Aus) 0800 002 034 (NZ)

Railbookers for tailor-made holidays & breaks to Slovenia by train...

Railbookers can tailor-make a flight-free holiday to Ljubljana & Zagreb, or indeed a train-based tour of Eastern Europe, with train travel, transfers & hotels all arranged for you, for however long you like, leaving on any date you like.  If you tell them what you want, they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you.  They get a lot of repeat business and a lot of recommendation by word of mouth!

In the UK, call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.com. 

In the USA & Canada call toll-free 1-800-408-3280 or www.us.railbookers.com.

In Australia, call toll-free 1300 971 526, www.railbookers.com.au. 

In New Zealand call toll-free 0800 002 034 or see website.

Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which 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 NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.