Let us take you on a journey to Slovenia

....to Slovenia by the EuroNight sleeper

The EuroNight sleeper ranks among our favourite European sleeper trains, and travelling via Zürich adds Swiss clockwork efficiency to the journey, making it simple to reach our Slovenian holidays.

Leave London mid-morning, changing in Paris. Crossing Paris to the Gare de Lyon is simple when you know how; we include directions with your metro tickets and allow ample time between the arrival of your Eurostar and the departure of your TGV.

The Franco-Swiss TGV Lyria links Paris Gare de Lyon with Zürich in just four hours. It travels at 186mph most of the way, slowing down for a short section of the journey around Dijon before gathering speed and crossing the River Rhine on the approach to Basel, a city which sits at the meeting point of three countries. In fact, its station forms part of the border between France and Switzerland.

Across the Swiss border, it’s just 50 minutes to Zürich. On the shores of its eponymous lake, this graceful city is affectionately known to its inhabitants (or Zürcher) as the City of a Thousand Fountains, with top-quality drinking water flowing from over 1200 unique public fountains in the city. There are only a few ornamental fountains so unless there is a sign stating “kein trinkwasser”, feel free to top up your water bottle. There are several fountains around the main station, including a popular small one on the main concourse near the meeting point, featuring a sculpture of a child holding a fish, plus a large elaborate fountain outside the main entrance topped with a statue of Alfred Escher, a Swiss railway pioneer. The underground concourse of Zürich’s main station has a wide array of places to dine before boarding and to gather picnic supplies for your onward journey.

From Zürich HB, just before 9pm, you board the EuroNight sleeper which winds through the moonlit mountains towards Ljubljana and Zagreb. We recommend the private sleeper cabins which are compact, with space for your luggage, and up to 3 bunk beds, accessed by step ladder, and a wash basin. You are provided with a towel, duvet, pillow and a wake-up call with a hot drink brought to your cabin. These are popular cabins, so you need to book in good time, especially as these trains become available to book 6 months in advance. The Euronight trains don’t feature cabins with ensuite bathrooms but there are shared washing facilities and toilets at the end of each carriage. There is no restaurant on board, so you should dine before boarding the train, or bring a picnic tea with you.
 
Shortly after 7am you alight at Jesenice amid mountain panoramas, for a 25-minute transfer to the The Lakes & Julian Alps walking holiday. You could alight at Villach a little earlier but our suggested arrival in Jesenice affords you a few more minutes' sleep! For the In the Shadow of the Julian Alps cycling holiday and our winter holiday at the Sunrose 7, Bohinjska Bistrica, you continue on the train for another hour to Lake Bled, where you have a short taxi ride to your hotel.

….or by scenic daytime trains with an overnight stay in Munich

For a relaxed daytime route to our holidays in the Julian Alps, take a mid-morning Eurostar to Paris, then stretch your legs with a short stroll to Paris' Gare de l'Est station to catch a direct afternoon TGV to Munich on France's fastest high-speed line.

The journey takes just over 5-and-a-half hours, starting on a section on which the train reaches 200mph as it crosses flat plains and wheat fields dotted with wind turbines. After traversing Champagne and the Verdun forests, the TGV slows just before calling at Strasbourg. Next it crosses the Rhine and heads towards Stuttgart. Leaving the high-speed line behind, the train winds through prettier scenery before arriving in Munich at around 9.30pm.

Located in Munich's Old Town, the family-run Hotel Torbrau is one of the city's most historic inns and is close to an atmospheric square lined with cafés and traditional beerhalls serving hearty Bavarian specialities.

From Munich to the Julian Alps
The following day, take a lunchtime Eurocity departure towards Ljubljana and Zagreb.
 
You are treated to 4-and-a-half hours of picturesque scenery on a series of historic railways, starting with the Bavarian Maximilian’s Railway, opened in 1840 and named after King Maximilian II of Bavaria. The line crosses a patchwork of fields and passes the ancient Ebersberg Forests.

The next hour-long stretch of scenery to Salzburg is more interesting, crossing the River Inn then, a few minutes later, passing along the northern shore of Lake Simssee, before passing through more farmland and forest. This is followed by a section of marshland with views towards the pine-cloaked Chiemgau Alps. These mountains accompany you almost as far as the Salzach River which forms the border with Austria. Shortly after crossing the border, the train rolls into Salzburg’s Hauptbahnhof.

From Salzburg, you follow the Salzburg-Tyrol railway, commissioned in the 1870s for Emperor Franz Joseph II. Heading due south from Mozart's city, the train follows the course of the Salzach River between Bavaria’s Berchtesgadener Mountains on the right of the train and Austria’s Salzkammergut Mountains on the left.

Eventually, the Tyrol railway gives way to the Tauern line that follows the narrow, winding Gastein Valley towards the high mountains. An 8-kilometre tunnel whisks you under the Tauern Pass and you emerge in Austrian Carinthia with views to the snow-capped Hohe Tauern Mountains.

You arrive in Villach in the late afternoon for a 40-minute transfer across the border to The Lakes & Julian Alps walking holiday. For the In the Shadow of the Julian Alps cycling holiday and our winter holiday at the Sunrose 7, Bohinjska Bistrica, you continue on the train for another hour to Lake Bled, where you have a short taxi ride to your hotel.