Field report: By night train to Slovenia: What should you know?
Slovenia is a wonderful holiday destination. Nestled between mountains and crisscrossed by beautiful rivers, a Slovenia holiday is an unforgettable experience. For many, however, the question arises 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 promises a time advantage, as it offers the possibility of spending a large part of the journey asleep and arriving fresh at your destination.
Based on a travel report of a journey 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 main summer holiday season). Depending on the route, you should definitely plan for a good amount of preparation time, generous transfer times, and look forward to a few surprises.
How to research train connections
Travellers from Germany may appreciate one aspect of Deutsche Bahn: the connection search, 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 for cross-border connections.
Tips for researching
When trying to obtain connections via the starting point and destination, it is absolutely necessary to select a destination with a train station, otherwise a connection cannot be displayed. Before planning possible train routes, it's best to research several options for your destination station and, if applicable, options for local onward travel, which can prove quite cumbersome depending on your own language skills.
For international travel, Deutsche Bahn offers an international website where a trip with Deutsche Bahn can be booked. The advantage: if you miss a connecting train, there may be the option of using other means of transport or even hotels. When choosing a route, you should still make sure to plan 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 make a booking including the Nightjet via Deutsche Bahn's international website, which is why all trips were ultimately booked directly with the individual providers.
Travel option by night train: ÖBB Nightjet
For the journey to Slovenia by night train, the ÖBB Nightjet was the obvious choice, as it operates several night trains that run through Germany all the way to Italy and Croatia, among other destinations, making it suitable 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, or more precisely, Munich to Ljubljana, as there was also a direct shuttle bus option to the destination Tolmin. A more in-depth search would also have revealed options for a night train to Austria (e.g. Amsterdam–Innsbruck) with a day journey through Austria and Slovenia. In that case, we would have seen more of the beautiful landscapes of Austria and Slovenia, but we 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, 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 selecting the night train, the next decision had to be made: seat, couchette, or sleeping car.
The sleeping car offers, with a maximum of 3 berths, its own washbasin (or even its own bathroom, if booked), and an extensive breakfast, the maximum comfort at the most expensive price (in our case, over €200 per journey and person for the trip from Munich to Ljubljana).
The couchette car offers 4-6 places 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. The couchette car in question was a 6-berth compartment, whose top berths remained empty, leaving room for luggage. Anyone carrying larger backpacks or suitcases should bear in mind that with all 6 places booked, there is barely any room for your own luggage.
By far the cheapest category was the seat, which was available for under €35 per person and route, but offers hardly any comfort. Anyone wanting to save as much as possible and willing to accept significant comfort trade-offs can also choose the seating car.
Construction work as a minor inconvenience
However, there was a first setback during booking: For the return journey, it was indicated that the night trains would be rerouted at the border via Spielfeld due to construction work (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 gave, over the phone, experience-based estimates of 60-90 minutes, in rare cases even over 120 minutes, but no 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 turned out to be unproblematic and was also displayed directly in the Deutsche Bahn app. The cost for a discounted ticket (train-bound, cancellation excluded) 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 six months before departure, and at under €200 per route and person, it was also cheaper than a flight (at least €300 due to the lack of a direct flight) and, according to a fuel cost calculator, cheaper than driving for up to 2 people, especially when vignettes are factored in. In terms of price, train travel can therefore actually compete with the car under certain conditions (early booking, no possibility of cancellation), and anyone willing to accept a loss of comfort can spend considerably less.
Surprises
The trip was booked, transfer times were generously planned – even in the event of longer delays, there should be no stress. So what could possibly happen, other than a complete cancellation of the night train?
Unexpected problems
Although 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 seating car due to maintenance work. We were offered either a free cancellation or compensation of 50% after the trip. Since the price for the seating car, even taking the compensation into account, remained cheaper than the original couchette price, we decided (not least out of convenience) to go ahead with the trip and apply for the compensation afterwards.
Is ÖBB more reliable than DB?
At this point, it became clear that ÖBB was not necessarily better organised than its often-criticised counterpart, Deutsche Bahn. Delays were already to be 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 rerouting via Spielfeld, communication overall remained rather sparse.
Experience with Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn, too, did not consistently shine in terms of organisation. The trip was planned for early August (i.e. during the main travel season), including a change of train in Hanover. To our surprise, the IC was almost on time, so the connection seemed reachable. However, previous cancellations and delays significantly delayed boarding, meaning we were only able to take our reserved seats after around 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 ICEs. 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 correspondingly overcrowded due to previous cancellations.
After a rather adventurous boarding process, we were fortunately able to take our reserved seats quickly. Once 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 at the main station there were hardly any larger lockers available, we found free spaces at Ostbahnhof.
Thanks to the frequent S-Bahn service, we remained well on schedule. Finding the right platform for the night train, however, proved complicated once again. 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 finally clarified the matter: the train sections to Venice would be coupled on in Austria, while the existing carriages would continue towards Croatia. The train was therefore to be split during the night.
Experience with the night train (ÖBB)
When the night train pulled in, a pleasant surprise followed: the booked carriage was in fact a couchette car. Although space is limited, two free upper berths provided some extra storage space for luggage. However, you shouldn't expect a peaceful sleep. Especially at stations, the noise level can be disruptive, 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 towards Tolmin took us over scenically impressive but at times winding mountain and country roads. Anyone travelling through Slovenia by car should therefore consider a digital vignette. After almost exactly 24 hours of total travel time, we arrived (thanks to generous buffer times) relaxed in Tolmin.
Return journey
On the return journey, surprises were kept to a minimum. The shuttle bus took us back to Ljubljana starting at 11 a.m., where a day trip was planned. Upon our arrival, however, 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 rerouting via Spielfeld was not due to begin until the following weekend, so despite the later departure, no major delay was to be expected.
We finally arrived in Munich around 40 minutes late and had enough time for breakfast before continuing with the ICE to Hanover. Occupancy was significantly lower on the return journey, so we were able to take our reserved seats without any problems and arrived almost on time at our respective destination stations.
Overall, the journey from Germany to Slovenia went relatively smoothly despite a few uncertainties. The key factor is planning generous transfer times in order to cushion delays or train cancellations.
Advantages and disadvantages of night train travel
Night train journeys are fundamentally comfortable, but do not replace a hotel stay. The biggest challenges lay less in comfort and more in the sometimes inadequate communication from the railway companies. Anyone willing to research thoroughly in advance, plan generous time buffers, and respond flexibly to surprises can travel comparatively relaxed and cost-effectively even during the main travel season.
However, the time advantage of the night train is diminished by the necessary buffer times. From four people onwards, driving can also be economically more attractive.
Car as an alternative
Travelling by car from Germany to Slovenia above all offers planning certainty and flexibility. A one-time route planning including alternatives for traffic jams is sufficient, modern navigation systems minimise the risk of detours, and comfort as well as luggage capacity are significantly higher. Vignettes for Austria as well as vignettes for Slovenia can be conveniently registered online.
Important notes
Anyone who still decides on a train journey 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 are not comparable to hotel rooms.
Luggage volume is limited.
Train travel is particularly attractive in terms of price when booked very early.
Anyone who takes these aspects into account can experience a scenic and climate-friendly journey with a long-distance train trip including a night train. Nevertheless, certain limitations must be accepted due to organisational weaknesses in European rail transport, which is why this form 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 the vehicle classes in our guide. Feel free to purchase your digital vignette from us. Should any of your questions remain unanswered, you can always contact our support team by email.
