A train journey from Spain to Slovenia showcases some of Europe’s most charming landscapes and cities. Stop for some Game of Thrones scenes in Girona, feast your eyes on the Mediterranean coastline, and taste delicious coffee in Trieste before jumping onto the Bohinj Railway taking you to Lake Bled and beyond.
How to get from Madrid to Ljubljana on a train?
1 From Madrid to Girona
Madrid–Barcelona–Girona
2h30min + 1h15min
Eurail Pass, or ticket 55–89€
I first took a train from Madrid-Puerta De Atocha to Barcelona-Sants station. It took 2.5 hours. I then tried to go straight to Nimes but all the trains were fully booked due to the Easter holidays. So I continued to Girona. My schedule was quite flexible so I decided to skip staying in France and dedicate three days to exploring this Spanish city – and I highly recommend that you should too!
Girona was declared a city in the 11th century by Alfonso II of Aragon and I of Barcelona. However, the area had been inhabited by the Iberians more than a thousand years before. Girona has been sieged 27 times and captured 7 times. No wonder that the rather war-ridden, epic TV series Game of Thrones was also filmed here, (think of the “Shame! Shame!” scene).
Girona has slightly more than 100,000 inhabitants and the historic centre spreading on both sides of River Onyar is beautiful. Apart from enchanting architecture, there are also plenty of foodie finds to make.
I recommend staying in Girona for at least two days.
I travelled this leg of the journey as a part of my epic train journey from Finland to Portugal and back. You can read more about it in this link.
2. From Girona to Marseille
Girona–Nimes–Marseille
3h5min + 1h10min train journeys, c. 1h 10 min transfer time in Nimes station
Eurail Pass, or tickets 35–55€
Having travelled around the French Riviera several times, I decided to go as quickly as possible straight to Trieste, where I was scheduled to write an article and spend some more time. I left Girona in the afternoon, which allowed me to enjoy a pleasant breakfast and stroll in the beautiful city (yes, I truly enjoyed my time in Girona!). Eventually, I departed from Girona at 3.13 pm and arrived at Marseille St Charles at 8.36 pm. I usually avoid arriving in a new city in the evening, but this time it was fine as my hotel was only a few steps away from the train station. I didn’t explore Marseille but continued straight to Italy the next morning.
3 From Marseille to Milan
Marseille–Nice–Ventimiglia–Genoa–Milan
3h50min + 2h20min + 2h, 15 min transfer time in Nice
Eurail Pass, or tickets 63–134€
This must have been one of my longest train journeys with most transfers to date.
I left Marseille at 9.57 am and arrived in Milan around 8 pm. I don’t normally schedule 15-minute transfer times on long journeys, as I’m worried about the domino effect: missing one connection which, in turn, might make you miss your end destination. However, from previous trips, I knew that the Nice train station is not large, and the transfer would be fine. There are also frequent connections between the Côte d’Azur cities so I wasn’t too worried.
I did leave booking the Genoa to Milan ticket till I got to Genoa as there are departures almost every 30 minutes or so.
The day was long but spectacular: the train journey along the Mediterranean coastline is one of the best stretches of tracks in Europe.
4. From Milan to Trieste
Milan–Venezia Mestre–Trieste
2h30min + 1 h 50min
Eurail Pass, or tickets 39–205€
On this journey, I didn’t stay in Milan as I have spent time there on my previous, van trip in Italy.
I tend to be quite active on Instagram on my solo train trips and I got a lovely tip from a follower to enjoy breakfast at the Milan Centrale station. So I had my cup of coffee and a pastry by the platforms, watching fellow travellers shuffling with their luggage.
The train trip itself was fun too: there was an espresso machine on the snack trolley and the trip went quickly as I enjoyed watching the pastoral landscape of Italy rolling around the window. The transfer in Venezia Mestre is very smooth too, as all the information about platforms and departure times is clearly, and frequently, presented.
After Monfalcone, the tracks curve towards the coastline and follow it to Trieste. The train will pass Miramare Castle, which makes a great little trip from Trieste Central if you decide to spend more time here.
5. Trieste to Ljubljana
Trieste–Sezana–Jesenice–Ljubljana
50min + 3h 30 min + 50 min
Eurail Pass, or tickets around 20–30 euros
As Trieste is one of my absolute favourite cities in Europe, I stayed here for a couple of days. Trieste used to be the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s only port, and there’s still some old-world grandeur here. I had several cups of coffee in Antico Caffe San Marco, shopped some nice foods at Eataly, visited the Miramare Castle, and overall, enjoyed a few slow days in this seaside city before continuing to the end station of my train journey, Ljubljana.
You can go straight from Trieste to the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. The train trip takes 2 hours and 37 minutes and costs 10–20 euros. But as I was on an assignment to write about the Bohinj Railway, I made a detour via Lake Bled and Jesenice. You can read more about the Bohinj Railway in this article I wrote for The Sunday Times and see more photos of the trip in this guide I wrote for retro-travels.
I enjoyed this quaint train trip, taking me past several little Slovenian villages up to the Julian Alps and the country’s most visited sight, Lake Bled. If you wish, it’s easy to stop here and explore the region for a few days. I will on my next trip, but this time, I continued straight to Jesenice and then to Ljubljana.
Are you interested in travelling in the Baltic countries by train? Read my two-week train itinerary across the three states in this link!
How did my journey continue?
From Ljubljana, I started to use more buses to make my way back to Finland. The first stop was Zagreb, after which I headed toward the north. I even took some night buses on this trip – they are a horror for me as I cannot normally sleep on them (whereas I’m an expert in sleeping on trains!). I will write about this leg of the journey on a later day, but for now:
Bon voyage!
