How to Get From Rijeka to Ljubljana by Train?
Bell | 30th April 2024
Rijeka is the gateway to the beautiful islands of Krk and Cres as well as stunning seaside towns such as Rovinj and Opatija. It is also a great stop on the way up from Split or Dubrovnik when you are heading towards Slovenia or Italy.
The most common next stop from Rijeka would be Ljubljana, however when you search the connections, you will likely only find buses or websites that talk about rather expensive trains.
In reality, there is a direct train connection between Rijeka and Ljubljana which is super affordable and offers a scenic, 3-hour journey from city to city.
Read on to find out how to book the train from Rijeka to Ljubljana, how much it costs and any additional tips and tricks we learned while tacking this route:
Booking this train was really interesting. I had read about it on some random blogs, but the official Croatian rail website would not allow me to book it – Ljubljana just wasn’t one of their destinations. So, I emailed them and lo and behold, the train exists and departs daily!
When I first enquired with Croatia Rail, I was told the price would be roughly 9.03 EUR one-way or 18.85 EUR return. When we bought the ticket at the station, we were charged 18 EUR for two tickets, so 9 EUR per one-way ticket.
They allowed payment by card or cash, though cash must be in euros.
You can buy the tickets directly at the train station in Rijeka, which is just a short walk from the city centre. The entrance is kind of hidden to the right, not the huge central entrance you’d expect, and looks abandoned, so don’t be put off by that. Look for the enterprise rent a car sign. There are ladies at the ticket office who speak English and are knowledgeable.
I was also told that you can see the timetable and pay on the German train website. The timetable worked great, but I wasn’t able to pay for tickets, it just led me to the Interrail website.
It was so easy to just buy the tickets directly in Rijeka though and this train is a route that is mostly only known to locals, so I would just buy in person. If you are in Croatia the days before, even in a different city, you could buy the tickets at the local train station there in advance too.
Interestingly, when I enquired via email about times directly with Croatia rail, I was given different arrival times to the ones on the Deutsche Bahn website. Our train ended up arriving around 14.45, so I guess neither is quite correct:
- 482: Rijeka 11.50am – Ljubljana 14.59pm
- 480: Rijeka 18.48pm – Ljubljana 21.47pm
It takes around 3 hours, a bit less if everything goes perfectly.
Our train did stop at the border for passport checks, so this could add some time during the busy season. If you are getting further transport from Ljubljana, I’d add at least 1 hour in between just in case something doesn’t go to plan or there are any issues.
The train stops in Opatija Matulji, Sapjane, Ilirska Bistrica, Pivka, Postojna, Rakek (only early train), Logatec (only early train), Borovnica, Ljubljana Tivoli (only early train) and Ljubljana. Exact stop times can be checked at bahn.de.
Why go by train and not bus?
We chose to go by train as when wanted to book, there were only buses at 5 am and 10 pm, both of which were less than ideal.
It looks like they have added a few additional times for buses now. Buses are around 17 Euros, so almost double what we paid for the trains and take between 2-3 hours.
I think the train is a great option if you want to save some money or the buses are sold out in peak season. It seemed that the trains are only really known about by locals, especially due to the run-down train station which gives off the wrong impression.
The train route was also super scenic and relaxed, so can highly recommend it!
What amenities do trains in Croatia have?
Our train had 6-person rooms with plenty of luggage storage above the seats and little tables at the side. There were functioning toilets on the trains. Our train had no plugs anywhere so make sure to bring a power bank.
We got a pretty old train that had little to no air-conditioning, which was fine as it was pretty cold when we went but may get a bit sweaty in summer. I have heard from others though that their trains were air-conditioned, so maybe they bring them out for summer!
Hi, I'm Bell
My blog is here to show you that there isn’t one correct way to travel the world. Together, we can figure out what that means for you. Learn more about me here!
