Slovenia is a beautiful holiday destination. Nestled between mountains and crisscrossed by stunning rivers, a holiday in Slovenia is an unforgettable experience. For many, however, the question arises whether it makes sense to forgo the car or plane for a journey from Germany to Slovenia and instead opt for the eco-friendly alternative of train travel. The night train option in particular promises a time advantage, given the possibility of sleeping through most of the journey and arriving at your destination feeling refreshed.
Based on a travel report of a trip from Osnabrück to Ljubljana/Tolmin, we would like to share information on what to look out for when travelling by train from Germany to Slovenia (during the peak holiday season in summer). Depending on the route, you should definitely allow for a good amount of preparation time, generous transfer times, and an openness to surprises.
Travellers from Germany may appreciate one aspect of Deutsche Bahn: its connection search, which allows you not only to enter a desired destination station, but even individual streets in smaller villages. The connection overview typically also displays buses, regional trains, and walking routes. Unfortunately, this feature is sorely missed when searching across borders.
When attempting to find connections based on a starting point and destination, it is essential to select a destination that has a train station; otherwise no connection can be displayed. Before planning possible train routes, it is best to research several options for your destination station and, where applicable, local onward travel options – which, depending on your own language skills, can prove quite cumbersome.
For international travel, Deutsche Bahn offers an international website where journeys can be booked. The advantage: if you miss a connecting train, there may be the option to use other means of transport or even hotels. Nevertheless, when choosing a route, you should still make sure to plan generous transfer times – after all, who wants to take the night train only to end up having to book a hotel due to a delay? In our case, it turned out to be impossible to make a booking including the Nightjet via the international Deutsche Bahn website, which is why all legs were ultimately booked separately with the individual providers.
For the night train journey to Slovenia, the ÖBB's Nightjet presented itself as the obvious choice. ÖBB operates several night trains that travel through Germany to Italy and Croatia, among other destinations, making them suitable for a destination in Slovenia. Due to research that was not particularly extensive, the decision fell on the night train from Stuttgart to Zagreb – more precisely Munich to Ljubljana – as there was also a direct shuttle bus option to the destination of Tolmin. More thorough research would have also revealed options for a night train to Austria (e.g. Amsterdam – Innsbruck) with a daytime journey through Austria and Slovenia. In that case, we would have seen more of the beautiful landscapes of Austria and Slovenia, but would also have had to engage much more deeply with the Austrian and Slovenian rail and bus networks. For the optimal route, however, it can be worthwhile to invest more time in researching possible (alternative) connections.
In addition, the train from Germany to Munich and the shuttle bus from Tolmin through Slovenia of course also had to be booked.
When selecting the night train, the next decision had to be made: seat, couchette, or sleeper. The sleeper car offers maximum comfort at the highest price – with a maximum of 3 sleeping berths, a private washbasin (or even a private bathroom if booked), and a generous breakfast (in our case over €200 per journey per person for the trip from Munich to Ljubljana). The couchette car offers 4–6 berths in a small compartment. At the time of booking, only couchette places in 4-berth carriages were still available at a price of €100 per person per leg. The couchette car in question was a 6-berth carriage, whose upper berths remained unoccupied, leaving room for luggage. Those travelling with larger backpacks or suitcases should bear in mind that with 6 occupied berths, there is barely any space for personal luggage. By far the most affordable category was the seat, available for under €35 per person per leg, though offering very little comfort. Those who want to save as much as possible and are willing to accept significant comfort trade-offs can also opt for the seat carriage.
However, the first setback came at the time of booking: for the return journey, it was shown that the night trains would be rerouted via Spielfeld due to construction works at the border (on the other side of Austria), and the expected delay would naturally have an impact on the choice of connecting train. Unfortunately, no information about a possible delay was available on the website. A friendly ÖBB employee provided figures by telephone, estimating delays of 60–90 minutes, and in rare cases over 120 minutes, but no more than 180 minutes.
After careful consideration of sensible buffer times (due to the opportunity to attend a festival, a very generous buffer of 5 hours was factored in for the outward journey, while 4 hours were planned for the return leg given the expected delays), the booking from Osnabrück to Munich via Hanover proved straightforward and was displayed directly in the Deutsche Bahn app. The cost of a saver fare ticket (train-bound, cancellation excluded) including seat reservation came to €60 per person per leg.
With the shuttle bus from Ljubljana to Tolmin booked for €27 per person per leg, the entire journey was fully booked almost half a year before departure and, at under €200 per leg per person, also cheaper than a flight (at least €300 due to the lack of a direct flight) and, according to a fuel cost calculator, also cheaper than driving for up to 2 people – especially when vignettes are factored in. In this respect, train travel can actually compete with car travel under certain conditions (early booking, no cancellation option), and those willing to accept comfort trade-offs can spend considerably less.
The journey was booked, the transfer times generously planned – even with major delays, there should be no stress. So what could possibly happen, apart from a complete cancellation of the night train?
While the train was not cancelled entirely, three months before departure we received an email informing us that the booked couchette car would be replaced by a seat carriage due to maintenance work. We were offered either a free cancellation or compensation of 50% after the journey commenced. Since the price of the seat carriage – even taking the compensation into account – was still lower than the original couchette price, we decided – not least out of convenience – to continue with the journey and apply for the compensation afterwards.
At this point, it became clear that ÖBB was not necessarily better organised than its often-criticised counterpart, Deutsche Bahn. Delays were already expected on the return journey, and here too the couchette car was to be replaced by a seat carriage. Apart from an email about the rerouting via Spielfeld, overall communication remained rather sparse.
Deutsche Bahn, too, did not consistently shine in terms of organisation. The journey was planned for early August – peak travel season – including a change in Hanover. To our surprise, the IC was almost on time, making the connection seem reachable. However, previous cancellations and delays significantly impeded boarding, meaning we were unable to take our reserved seats for around 20 minutes. In addition, the Deutsche Bahn app indicated that the booked train from Hanover would be cancelled – while simultaneously displaying the same ICE as an alternative.
In Hanover, the information was contradictory. The departure board advised against boarding, even though the booked train consisted of two coupled ICE units. According to an external source of information, our reservations were valid for the section of the train that was actually running. At the information desk, it was ultimately confirmed that we should board despite the contradictory displays – provided we had seat reservations. The platform was correspondingly overcrowded due to previous cancellations.
After a rather eventful boarding process, we were fortunately able to find our reserved seats quickly. Once seated, travelling on the ICE is genuinely pleasant – the air conditioning worked reliably. Despite arriving in Munich just over an hour late, our time buffer was sufficient to store our luggage in a locker at the Ostbahnhof and visit the festival for just under two hours. Here too, we were lucky: while almost no larger lockers were available at the main station, we found free ones at the Ostbahnhof.
Thanks to frequent S-Bahn services, we remained well on schedule. However, finding the correct platform for the night train once again proved complicated. The departure board did not list the booked night train to Zagreb via Ljubljana – instead, a train number with Venice as its destination appeared. A railway employee eventually clarified the situation: the carriages to Venice would be coupled on in Austria, while the existing carriages were to continue towards Croatia. The train was therefore to be split during the night.
When the night train arrived, a pleasant surprise followed: the booked carriage was in fact a couchette car. Space is limited, but two free upper berths provided some additional storage for luggage. However, you should not expect a peaceful night's sleep. Noise levels can be disruptive, especially at stations, and without air conditioning the compartment quickly became warm. Nevertheless, the journey was significantly more comfortable than a seat. The next morning, we arrived in Ljubljana relatively on time and reasonably well-rested.
Two hours later, the shuttle bus took us towards Tolmin – along scenic but at times winding mountain and country roads. Those travelling by car through Slovenia should therefore consider purchasing a motorway vignette. After almost exactly 24 hours of total travel time, we arrived in Tolmin relaxed – thanks to our generous time buffers.
On the return journey, surprises were kept to a minimum. The shuttle bus took us back to Ljubljana from 11 a.m., where a day trip had been planned. On arrival, however, all lockers were occupied, and private providers had unusual opening hours. After a café visit at the station, lockers fortunately became available again, so nothing stood in the way of a city visit in the summer heat of 30 degrees.
The night train was scheduled to depart at around 10:15 p.m. This time, the correct train number was displayed, and boarding the once again booked couchette car went smoothly with only a brief delay. According to the conductor, the rerouting via Spielfeld was not due to begin until the following weekend, so no major delay was expected despite the later departure.
We arrived in Munich approximately 40 minutes late and had ample time for breakfast before continuing by ICE to Hanover. Occupancy was significantly lower on the return journey, meaning we were able to take our reserved seats without any issues and arrived at our respective destination stations almost on time.
Overall, the journey from Germany to Slovenia went comparatively smoothly despite individual uncertainties. The key factor above all is planning generous transfer times to cushion the impact of delays or train cancellations.
Night train journeys are generally comfortable, but they do not replace a hotel stay. The greatest challenges lay less in comfort and more in the at times inadequate communication from the rail operators. Those who are willing to research thoroughly in advance, plan generous time buffers, and respond flexibly to surprises can travel comparatively comfortably and affordably even during peak season.
However, the time advantage of the night train is offset by the necessary buffer times. From four people onwards, travelling by car may also be more economically attractive.
Travelling by car from Germany to Slovenia offers above all planning certainty and flexibility. A single route plan including congestion alternatives is sufficient, modern navigation systems minimise the risk of detours, and both comfort and luggage capacity are considerably higher. Vignettes for Austria and vignettes for Slovenia can be conveniently registered online.
Those who still choose to travel by train should bear the following points in mind:
Early and thorough planning is essential.
Plan generous transfer times.
Expect limited communication and possible changes.
Seat reservations on long-distance services are strongly recommended.
Couchette cars offer comfort, but are not comparable to hotel rooms.
Luggage capacity is limited.
Train travel is most price-competitive when booked very early.
Those who take these aspects into account can enjoy a scenically attractive and eco-friendly journey with a long-distance train trip including a night train. However, due to organisational weaknesses in European rail transport, certain limitations must be accepted, which is why this form of travel cannot be recommended without reservation.