Slovenia
Slovenia is a Central European country of about 2.1 million people, bordered by Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, with forty-seven kilometres of Adriatic coastline in the south-west. Into 20,271 square kilometres — mostly mountainous, and more than half of it forest — it fits the Julian Alps, the limestone plateau of the Karst that gave the word to the world, and a short strip of Mediterranean coast. Ljubljana, the capital and largest city, sits close to the geographical centre of it all.
Everything is therefore within a few hours of everything else by train. Slovenske železnice runs an inexpensive, unhurried network on which it is possible to leave the Alps in the morning and reach the sea in the afternoon. The two lines a visitor is likeliest to want were both laid by Austria-Hungary to connect Vienna with the Adriatic, which is why they take the scenic way — through the mountains and over the Karst — rather than the easy way round.
Rail journeys in Slovenia
The Bohinj Railway — Lake Bled, the Alps and the Solkan Bridge
A great Alpine railway of the old empire runs past Lake Bled, burrows six kilometres under the mountains, and crosses the longest stone arch bridge on earth.
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Ljubljana to Koper — over the Karst to the Adriatic
Slovenia's only railway to the sea climbs over the Karst — the limestone country that gave the word to geography — and drops to the blue of the Adriatic.
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What is the best train journey in Slovenia?
The Bohinj Railway from Jesenice to Nova Gorica is the standout — an Austro-Hungarian Alpine line that runs past Lake Bled, through the 6.3 km Bohinj Tunnel and down the Soča valley to the record-breaking Solkan Bridge. For something completely different, the line from Ljubljana to Koper crosses the Karst to the Adriatic coast.
Can you take a steam train in Slovenia?
Yes. Slovenske železnice runs a vintage museum train on the Bohinj Railway, hauled by early-20th-century steam locomotives with restored period carriages. It runs only on selected dates in a short season (with no summer runs because of fire-safety rules), so check the operator's calendar before you plan around it.
How do you get to the Slovenian coast by train?
Take the train from Ljubljana to Koper, the only town on Slovenia's short Adriatic coast with a railway station — about six direct trains a day make the roughly two-hour-forty-minute run over the Karst. For Piran and Portorož, continue from Koper by a short local bus.
What is the Solkan Bridge?
The Solkan Bridge, near Nova Gorica on the Bohinj Railway, carries the line over the emerald Soča river on a single stone arch spanning 85 metres — the longest stone arch railway bridge in the world. It was built from over 4,500 blocks of local limestone and opened in 1906; blown up in the First World War, it was faithfully rebuilt in the 1920s.