Field report: By night train to Slovenia: What should you know?
Slovenia is a wonderful holiday destination. Nestled between mountains and crossed by beautiful rivers, a holiday in Slovenia is an unforgettable experience. However, many people wonder whether it makes sense to forgo the car or the plane for a trip from Germany to Slovenia and instead take the climate-friendly alternative of the train. The night train option in particular also promises a time advantage, as it offers the chance to spend a large part of the journey asleep and arrive at your destination refreshed.
Using a travel report of a trip from Osnabrück to Ljubljana/Tolmin, we would like to give you information on what to look out for when travelling by train from Germany to Slovenia (during the peak summer holiday season). Depending on the route, you should definitely allow for a good amount of preparation time, generous transfer times, and be prepared for a few surprises.
How to research train connections
Travellers from Germany may appreciate one aspect of Deutsche Bahn: the journey planner, which not only allows you to enter a desired destination station but even individual streets, even in smaller villages. As a rule, the connection overview also shows buses, regional trains, and walking routes. Unfortunately, you will miss this feature when searching across borders.
Tips for research
When trying to find connections using a starting point and destination, it is essential to select a destination with a train station, otherwise no connection can be displayed. Before planning possible train routes, it's best to research several options for your destination station and, if necessary, options for local onward travel, which can prove rather cumbersome depending on your language skills.
For international travel, Deutsche Bahn offers an international website where you can book a trip with the railway. The advantage: if you miss a connecting train, there may be the option to use other means of transport or even hotels. When choosing a route, however, you should still make sure to allow generous transfer times: after all, who wants to take a night train only to have to book a hotel due to delays? In our case, it turned out that it was not possible to book a trip including the Nightjet via Deutsche Bahn's international website, which is why all journeys were ultimately booked with the individual providers.
Travel option with the night train: ÖBB Nightjet
For the trip to Slovenia by night train, the ÖBB Nightjet was the obvious choice, as it operates several night trains that travel through Germany all the way to Italy and Croatia, among other destinations, making it a suitable option for a destination in Slovenia. Due to not overly extensive research, the decision was made in favour of the night train from Stuttgart to Zagreb, more precisely from Munich to Ljubljana, since a shuttle bus option to the destination Tolmin was also directly available. A deeper investigation would also have revealed options for a night train to Austria (e.g. Amsterdam – Innsbruck) with a day trip 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 look much more deeply into the Austrian and Slovenian rail and bus networks. However, for the optimal route, it can be worthwhile to invest more time researching possible (alternative) connections.
In addition, of course, the train from Germany to Munich and the shuttle bus from Tolmin to Slovenia also had to be booked.
The booking
Reservation options on the night train
When choosing the night train, the next decision had to be made: seat, couchette, or sleeper.
The sleeper offers maximum comfort at the highest price (in our case, over €200 per journey and person for the trip from Munich to Ljubljana), with a maximum of 3 berths, its own washbasin (or even its own bathroom, if booked), and an extensive breakfast.
The couchette car offers 4–6 seats in a small compartment. At the time of booking, only couchette places in 4-berth compartments were still available, at a price of €100 per person and route. In our case, the couchette was a 6-berth compartment, but the top berths remained empty, leaving room for luggage. Anyone travelling with larger backpacks or suitcases should keep in mind that with all 6 places booked, there is hardly any room left for your own luggage.
By far the cheapest category was the seat, available for under €35 per person and route, but offering very little comfort. Those who want to save as much as possible and are willing to accept considerable loss of comfort can also opt for the seating car.
Construction works as a minor nuisance
However, there was a first setback when booking: for the return journey, it was indicated that the night trains would be diverted at the border via Spielfeld due to construction works (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 stated over the phone that, based on experience, delays of 60–90 minutes were common, in rare cases over 120 minutes, but not more than 180 minutes.
Did the booking go smoothly?
After careful consideration of sensible buffer times (due to the possibility of attending a festival, a very large buffer of 5 hours was factored in for the outbound journey), 4 hours were planned for the return journey due to the expected delay. Booking from Osnabrück to Munich via Hanover proved to be unproblematic and was also shown directly in the Deutsche Bahn app. The cost of a discounted ticket (train-bound, no cancellation possible), including seat reservation, came to €60 per person and route.
With the booking of the shuttle bus from Ljubljana to Tolmin for €27 per person and route, the trip was fully booked just under half a year before departure and, at under €200 per route and person, was also cheaper than a flight (at least €300 due to the lack of a direct flight) and, according to fuel cost calculators, cheaper than driving for up to 2 people, especially when toll stickers are factored in. In terms of price, train travel can therefore actually compete with driving under certain conditions (early booking, no possibility of cancellation), and those willing to accept a loss of comfort can spend considerably less.
Surprises
The trip was booked, and the transfer times were generously planned – even with longer delays, there shouldn't be any stress. So what could possibly happen, apart from a complete cancellation of the night train?
Unexpected problems
Although the train wasn't cancelled entirely, three months before departure we received an email informing us that the booked couchette car would be replaced by a seating car due to maintenance work. We were offered either a free cancellation or a 50% compensation after the trip. Since the price for the seating car, even taking the compensation into account, was still cheaper than the original couchette price, we decided (not least out of convenience) to go ahead with the trip and apply for compensation afterwards.
Is ÖBB more reliable than Deutsche Bahn?
At this point, it became clear that ÖBB was not necessarily better organised than its often criticised counterpart, Deutsche Bahn. Delays were already expected for the return journey, and here too the couchette car was to be replaced by a seating car. Apart from an email about the diversion via Spielfeld, communication overall remained rather sparse.
Experience with Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn didn't consistently shine in terms of organisation either. The trip was planned for early August (i.e. during peak travel season), including a change of trains in Hanover. To our surprise, the IC was almost on time, so the connection seemed reachable. However, previous cancellations and delays significantly delayed boarding, so we were only able to take our reserved seats after about 20 minutes. In addition, the Deutsche Bahn app indicated that the booked train from Hanover would be cancelled, while at the same time the same ICE was shown 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 applied to the part of the train that was actually running. At the information desk, it was finally confirmed that we should board despite the contradictory displays (provided seats had been reserved). The platform was accordingly overcrowded due to previous cancellations.
After a rather adventurous boarding process, we were fortunately able to quickly take our reserved seats. Once you're seated, travelling on the ICE is actually quite pleasant. Even the air conditioning worked reliably. Despite a delay of just over an hour in Munich, our time buffer was enough to store our luggage in a locker at Ostbahnhof and visit the festival for almost two hours. Here too we were lucky: while there were hardly any larger lockers available at the main station, we found free ones at Ostbahnhof.
Thanks to the frequent S-Bahn service, we remained well on schedule. Finding the right platform for the night train, however, once again proved complicated. The departure board did not list the booked night train to Zagreb via Ljubljana – instead, a train number with the destination Venice appeared. A railway employee eventually explained: the carriages heading to Venice would be coupled on in Austria, while the existing carriages would continue towards Croatia. So the train was to be split during the night.
Experience with the night train (ÖBB)
When the night train arrived, there was a pleasant surprise: the booked carriage was indeed a couchette car. Although space is limited, two free upper berths provided a little extra storage space for luggage. However, don't expect a peaceful night's sleep. Especially at stations, noise levels can be disruptive, and without air conditioning the compartment quickly got warm. Nevertheless, the journey was noticeably more comfortable than travelling by seat. The next morning, we arrived in Ljubljana relatively on time and reasonably well-rested.
Two hours later, the shuttle bus towards Tolmin took us along scenic but sometimes winding mountain and country roads. Anyone travelling through Slovenia by car should therefore consider getting a digital toll sticker. After almost exactly 24 hours of total travel time, we arrived in Tolmin relaxed (thanks to generous buffer times).
Return journey
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 was planned. However, upon our arrival, all lockers were occupied, and private providers had unusual opening hours. After a café visit at the station, lockers fortunately became free again, so nothing stood in the way of our city visit in the summery 30-degree heat.
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 short delay. According to the conductor, the diversion via Spielfeld was not due to start until the following weekend, so despite the later departure, no major delay was expected.
We eventually arrived in Munich around 40 minutes late and had enough time for breakfast before continuing on the ICE to Hanover. Occupancy on the return journey was noticeably lower, so we had no trouble taking our reserved seats and arrived at our respective destination stations almost on time.
Overall, the trip from Germany to Slovenia went relatively smoothly despite some uncertainties. What matters most is planning generous transfer times to cushion delays or train cancellations.
Pros and cons of night train travel
Night train journeys are generally comfortable, but they do not replace a hotel stay. The biggest challenges lay less in comfort and more in the sometimes inadequate communication from the railway companies. Those who are willing to inform themselves thoroughly in advance, allow for generous time buffers, and respond flexibly to surprises can travel relatively relaxed and cost-effectively even during peak travel season.
However, the time advantage of the night train is somewhat offset by the necessary buffer times. From four people onwards, driving can also be more economically attractive.
Car as an alternative
Travelling by car from Germany to Slovenia mainly offers planning certainty and flexibility. A one-time route plan including alternatives for traffic jams is enough, modern navigation systems minimise the risk of detours, and comfort as well as luggage capacity are significantly higher. Toll stickers for Austria as well as toll stickers for Slovenia can be conveniently registered online.
Important notes
Anyone who still decides to travel by train should keep the following points in mind:
Early and careful planning is essential.
Plan generous transfer times.
Expect limited communication and possible changes.
Seat reservations on long-distance trains are strongly recommended.
Couchette cars offer comfort but cannot be compared to hotel rooms.
Luggage capacity is limited.
The train is particularly attractive price-wise if booked very early.
Anyone who takes these aspects into account can experience a long-distance train journey including a night train that is scenically appealing and climate-friendly. Nevertheless, due to organisational weaknesses in European rail travel, certain limitations must be accepted, which is why this mode of travel cannot be recommended without reservation.
The Europamaut team wishes you a pleasant journey!
We wish you a pleasant journey and hope that our insight into a night train journey has provided you with all the relevant information. If you are considering travelling by car, you can find detailed information on the toll in Slovenia and vehicle classes in our guide. You are also welcome to purchase your digital toll sticker from us. Should any of your questions remain unanswered, feel free to contact our support team at any time via email.
