The Student Backpacker

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This may be a contender for one of the most interesting and diverse regions of Europe, both culturally and geographically. I initially wanted to get to Zagreb from Manchester, but the flights to Zagreb were £45+ direct! Now I won’t spoil too much, as I’ll explain things more clearly towards the bottom, but with this route, I managed to actually save money rather than spend more, spending a mere £18 for all of the transport. And the best part? It’s all public transport.

This road trip took me between Venice and Zagreb, with layovers in Trieste and Ljubljana, along what used to be the Habsburg Hinterland. It took me through the flat Vineyard-heavy countryside of the Eastern Po Valley, threading between the Northern Adriatic coastline and the Dolomite Alps, and down into Trieste for some Mediterranean vibes. Continuing up and skirting around the Julian Alps, it then goes down into the Pannonian Basin and Zagreb. If you want to make one day feel legitimately like three days of loaded travel, then this should be your next budget trip!

As a sidenote, this was the start of a week of travel. As of right now, I’m still working on 3 more main blogs, but the whole trip in order is Venice, this blog, Zagreb in a day, 1 day, 3 countries, 3 meals, and Palma.

This one ended up being quite a long one! I figured I didn’t have much to say about Trieste & Ljubljana, as I didn’t spend long in either place, and I was wrong! Because of that, and the fact that the blog kind of acts as a triple-blog about the road trip itself, Trieste and Ljubljana, I’ve added a table of contents to help find what you want:

• Leg 1: Venice → Trieste
• Trieste
• Leg 2: Trieste → Ljubljana
• Ljubljana
• Leg 3: Ljubljana → Zagreb
• More Details & Cost Breakdown

leg 1: venice to trieste

I won’t get into the start and end destinations too much here, but for context reasons, the route does ‘theoretically’ begin at Marco Polo airport, just outside Venice, but you’d be silly to not visit the city itself. If you’re keeping a budget, the flight from Manchester to Venice, one way, costs a whopping £14. I don’t feel the need to explain how pretty Venice is, but if you do want to know more, just keep waiting, I have a future blog coming out on how to keep budgets low and maximise your time in the city!

The first leg, for me, started at 8:30AM. I made my way from Mestre or the mainland city, to Venice Tronchetto Coach Station. This gave me plenty of time to grab a pastry in the city… Or it would have, if I didn’t sleep in and nurse a mild hangover, miss the first few buses, rock up to the city with 20 minutes spare and walk to the station, grab a panino (ham and cheese toastie), sip an espresso at the bar round the corner from the station andddd wait 30 minutes for a delayed Flixbus. Luckily I knew I’d sleep in, and I didn’t book the very first coach out anyway. It may not have been the most picturesque, perfect start, but I had my coffee, grabbed a snack for the road, caught up with friends while travelling, and the weather was 20° and sunny, so hard to complain.

The roads through to Trieste pass through the stunning Venetian or Friuli Plain, the Easternmost point of the Po Valley. The region is characterised by the expanses of vineyards producing Prosecco, charming Italian towns dotted around everywhere, each with Roman history, fancy architecture & statues, winding, narrow cobble streets and buildings wrapped in vines & capped with terracotta, the Adriatic Sea to the south with long, sandy beaches broken up by lagoons, and the Julian alps looming over to the north. In fact, on a clear day, you can see the Alps from Venice at certain viewpoints! The day I went, sadly, the vicinity to the Alps as well as the autumn weather caused the area to be a bit hazy, but as soon as I turned southbound towards Trieste, the haze went and never came back that day.

As the coach turned southbound and just passed Trieste airport, the terrain changed in an instant. The valley gave way to the Karst Plateau, a limestone-based mountain formation that just looks absolutely beautiful. Now I’ve never been there, but it reminded me of seemingly what the Dalmation Coastline of Croatia looks like, but the abruptness of the change is what thre me off guard. The mountains are bare along the steep faces and peaks, making them look just so much more dramatic. The mountains dive straight into the sea, meaning the towns and Trieste itsself are situated on a slope and are completely surrounded by mountain and coast. It also meant that the main road in and out of Trieste is a high mountain pass, that meanders around hairpins and offers spectacular views of the city, coastline and surrounding cliffs.

trieste

This town is an absolute gem. It has a harbour, it has a castle, it has a main square, it has old Roman ruins, and it has a really interesting mix of culture and terrain. The first thing you notice being there is, despite looking and feeling ‘Italian’, there’s an undeniable Austro-Hungarian influence in the architecture.

I got dropped off at the main transportation hub just to the South of the centre just gone midday, with a short 10-minute walk to the centre. I bee-lined to the coast, as my mid-autumn self wanted to savour any ounce of seaside ‘summertime’ vibes possible, and ended up seeing the ‘grand canal’ first. Here’s where I noticed, at least when I went, some sort of fitness event was clearly happening, something that would be a running theme as I later realised it was likely a marathon, but more on that to come.

The canal site is pretty, grand and very imperial, in that classic Habsburg architectural style. However, there were some oddities; the roofs were a sea of terracotta, and a lot of the design was incredibly Roman-inspired, more so than most former Austro-Hungarian cities. Just by the canal is a little square called the ‘Piazza del Ponte Rosso’, where some funfair-style attractions and food stalls were laid out. Again, hard to say what this was for, but it seemed temporary and linked to the sporting event.

Right on the corner of where the canal ends inland, to the south, is even more confusingly a Serbian Orthodox church called the ‘Saint Spyridon Church’, which welcomed Serb-traders and Greek people. At the time of construction in the mid 18th century, the city was a free port owned by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the only real link to the seas the empire had. The neighbouring Serbian empire was massive compared to modern-day Serbia, and the people from all around the Balkans migrated to Trieste, as a free port, to organise trade.

The permanent population was significant enough to warrant the church’s construction in 1748, and it’s eventual reconstruction in 1868, which is what stands today. After the Yugoslav wars of the 90’s, the church has remained a functioning Orthodox place of worship and is, if anything, more important today, not just a fun, historical oddity. This also makes it an Orthodox church, surrounded by imperial Habsburg buildings, in Italy. A weird, but nevertheless interesting mix.

Heading southeast down and past the road parallel to the church, I skimmed the old Roman Amphitheatre and reached the Piazza dell’Unità d’Italia. Standing from the coast and looking in, to the left is the ‘Prefettura – Ufficio Territoriale del Governo di Trieste’, or the national government representation building for nationwide issues. To the right is the ‘Palazzo della Regione’, essentially a county council for the wider Trieste prefecture. Behind each is some equally grand and in-style hotels and other type buildings. In the middle of the square is the ‘Fontana dei Quattro Continenti’, the fountain of four continents resembling the unity between Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Behind it, and the focal point of the square, is the ‘Comune di Trieste’, or the local town hall. Each building, in terms of seeming optical focus, narrows in terms of bureaucratic focus.

I got wrapped up in the square for a bit, seeing temporary fencing and such being stowed away. Bear in mind this was around 1PM at this point, and I was, and still am, so confused as to why all these seemingly special event-linked things were being packed away so early. Either way, I headed further west to explore the harbour some more, walking past small fishing boats and big cruise ships, missing out on some of the smaller independent shops inland, which I later walked straight past, and seeking out a supermarket for some cheap baked goods.

I reached a Lidl just inland a bit, near the westernmost point of the city, grabbed some food, and looped back up along a little peninsula. I saw some crumbling walls protecting what I now realise to be a military site, with an arsenal museum inside, looped back eastwards to the coast and eventually south and east, following the coast. Along the way I saw a striking art deco building, with a similar seaside British town vibe and decay level to Portsmouth, Brighton and other UK seaside towns, places I grew up around and something that caught me off-guard. Turns out, it was a railway yard for the harbour and is now a railway museum housing old rolling stock. I also saw an old lighthouse within the port grounds, sadly not the main one in Trieste (which is in the complete opposite direction), but still cool nevertheless. So, with some more energy, I hiked back to the main square and through towards the Comune.

I walked through the open arches of the Comune, where a small book market was propped up. I passed through and up the ‘Medaglie d’Oro’ staircase, or the ‘gold medals’, to directly translate, oftentimes considered a treasure of the city. It props up the view of the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great, or ‘Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore’. I didn’t get to go in, but the facade is classical Baroque Italian, and the water from the nearby fountain is crisp. I veered left and up some tight, weaving alleyways, up San Giusto Hill.

The hill is a complex weaving of periods, most of which are either Ancient Roman or Habsburg, and some are modern times. The main focal point is the old 1st Century Roman forum, with what’s remaining being the ground-down columns and large plinth it wouldve sit on, along with some surrounding walls. The whole forum grounds isn’t exposed, as part of it has been built on, kinda. During Roman times in the 6th century, the first religious structure was built. It was quickly demolished during the Lombard invasion, and during the 9th and 11th centuries, two basilicas were constructed. In 1302, they got merged into one cathedral, the same one that stands today, known as the ‘Basilica cattedrale di San Giusto Martire‘, named after The Saint Giusto, whom everything on the hill is named after.

The present-day cathedral was consecrated (essentially set aside to god) in 1380, with parts of the structure being made out of the original 6th century structure, and parts of the mosaic floor on the inside being 5th-century too. The Campanile di San Giusto, or the church’s bell tower, stands around 30m high and is open to visitors. I paid €2 cash, and the views were worth every single penny.

To the east of the forum, there’s the Castillo de San Giusto, or St Giusto’s castle. It was constructed about a century after the Austrian Empire’s seizure, with works starting in 1480 and construction finishing in the 1600’s. It’s a very imposing structure, and the front half is free to enter, with plenty of military tokens on display from the time, like armour and weaponry. Now I may have got this place a little confused at the time, it’s in fact NOT Roman. What are you gonna do when you only have 4 hours in a place, though?

The main grounds seemingly have a lot to offer in terms of activities, exhibits and a walk around the castle walls. It is a paid entry to the main bit, and being both budget and time-conscious, I gave it a miss. If you miss out the walk to the Lidl, or somehow make a better pace than me, then tickets are €6, and you could spend seemingly ages in there. I caught a slight glimpse from the bell tower, and sadly that’s all I got.

After touring the grounds, I stepped off the forum, examined the War Memorial commemorating the lives lost during both world wars, and found a little coffee stand, just to the west of the Cathedral. It was sheltered by trees and offered incredible views of the city, serving food, snacks, and hot & cold drinks. I couldn’t choose what drink I wanted, so I chose both a beer and an espresso, for some reason not taking the opportunity to have some much-needed lunch.

Heading north down the hill towards the city centre, I stumbled through a collection of old, medieval to early modern houses. This would’ve been the central area along medieval Trieste, and they built it sort of between the forum and the theatre. It was basically the old village outline, and a lot of the houses were built along a Roman road layout, using leftover Roman-age materials. I’m sure there were tons that I was missing, but I craved seeing Roman ruins, and it had gone 4PM at this point, where my next transport left before 4:30.

At the bottom of the hill to the northwest, there are current ongoing excavations. They are shop foundations, the Roman street layout, and the general lower part of the old town. Front and centre is the Roman theatre, I believe a fairly common size and shape, being a semi-circular open theatre, not a colosseum and therefore NOT an amphitheatre, like I repeatedly called it in the moment. It was used for shows and plays, and was able to sit around 2,500-3,000 spectators.

After getting so distracted by Roman-age goodness, I literally walked into a bench and fell onto it, then onto the ground (not my proudest moment but still pretty funny to look back on and remember the locals’ reactions to the dumb tourist), I headed northbound quickly back to the coach station, with one more stop in mind; the Piazzo Vittorio Veneto. The square is called such, as it marks the WW1 battle of Veneto, where Italy faced a decisive victory against the Austrian Empire, reclaiming Trieste for the Italians in 1918. The square is flanked by very Habsburg-inspired buildings, looking like a scene straight from Vienna, even featuring some of the only non-terracotta roofs in the city centre. It has a nice fountain setting the square off nicely, and the square name and surrounding street names being renamed to Italian names is a deliberate mark of power, something I find very interesting. I stopped and examined, then moved on to my next transport.

things i missed in trieste

Admittedly, 4 hours and change isn’t ages, and although I believe I did the city justice, there were some obvious, and some slightly unachievable things that I would have done if given more time (and potentially things I would do in a second visit):

• Enter the castle. At €6 entry, it does definitely seem worth it, if not for the wall walks, or the entry to the guard towers, then for the historical exhibits and activities. I know I touched on this earlier, but it had to be said again.
• See the OTHER castle; Miramare castle. This was constructed for an Austrian royal named Ferdinand Maximilian of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, the brother of the emperor of the Austrian Empire at the time. He became the emperor of Mexico while construction of his castle was underway, as he had Spanish descent from the Mexican conquest, and was approached by Mexican conservatives while meeting Napoleon III (yes, that Napoleon), in Paris. All of this to say the castle’s grounds reflect this heavily. They are covered in exotic plants, and the castle itself is an eclectic Austro-Germanic-influenced structure with heavy English influences too. It looks like a very worthwhile visit, but it’s out of the city a bit. Tickets are around €15, but you can also find full cycling tours to the castle here on GetYourGuide, too, which looks so fun during the warmer months.
• The old tram to Opicina. It starts in the very city centre, has stops along the way and takes you to a nearby, quaint Italian town with a charming centre. Apparently, Slovenian and Italian are spoken in equal parts here, and for €1.50 each way in person, I’d definitely try it out and see the sights.
• Along the way to Miramare Castle, as the industrial port gives way to beaches, one of the world’s tallest lighthouses appears. Built after WWI by the Italians, the Vittoria Light (Victorious Lighthouse) sits on top of the Hill of Gretta, and is an active lighthouse symbolising the recapture of Trieste by the Italians.
• Lastly, a simple one that I really should have done: have lunch. There were so many windy streets flanked with bars, restaurants, cafes and outdoor seating. All I had eaten up until now was pastries, and I had so much left to go, with just some crisps for the road trip.

Leg 2: trieste to ljubljana

Onto the next leg. I had a minibus booked to Slovenia. The Flixbus was a whopping £12, so I booked the cheaper £9.49 option, not realising it was a minibus. As a sidebar, you can get a cheaper £8 train; I’m not sure it’s quite as scenic as the bus, but it certainly does take you from A to B. Suffice to say, the pickup confused me. I spent ages trying to find the coach, talking to locals, and by the time I found the rough area, the bus driver called me and directed me to a side stand. Despite the confusion, the weather was almost poetic, sunny but juuuust starting to rain as the minibus left the square, and the rain stopped as soon as we climbed the hill out of the city.

The Karst Plateau was in full force here. Beautiful views over Trieste, a final glimpse of the Adriatic, and straight into winding valley paths, with towering, jagged peaks engulfing them. The peaks there are rough, bare-faced and dramatic, even if they aren’t anywhere near as tall as the Julian Alps. I didn’t get the best photos of the mountains- that minibus was very… intimate, but the views did look a lot better in person. They shortly give way to the more rolling hills and tree-lined mountains of the Carnolia region. This region is pretty expansive, but the classical central valley does look pretty distinctive. These mountains persisted, reminding me somewhat of a beefed-up Black Forest, with the terrain quickly giving way to the Ljubljana valley. It’s not a long drive, but still very pretty, especially at golden hour.

ljubljana

Pronounced Loo-blee-anna, the Slovenian capital was a place I was all too unfortunately ignorant of. Ljubljana is a charming, central European-style city. The minibus took us through the suburbs, with the Balkan influence around the outskirts being very evident. It did look a bit rough, but honestly, I loved the vibe. The main road takes you literally underneath the whole city and castle, before emerging to the north, and the minibus dropped us off at what can only be described as a sorry excuse of a station. It was a few lay-bys outside a tatty ex-Soviet construction site. The main train station building is an impressive piece of Habsburg architecture, though, and the coach station is right outside it, in a slightly better quality lay-by.

Don’t let initial impressions fool you though. Ljubljana is a true hidden gem within Europe. Walking south towards the historic centre, I passed by many brand shops and independent ones. The city centre is a very close 10-minute walk, and once you reach it, you can tell. Asphalt gives way to cobble, grids to winding old-town streets, and concrete and glass become colourful, pastel and very ornate Austrian-styled facades.

The town centre has everything you want from a European city. It has a central square, it has nearby parks, it has a beautiful church, a castle, a river, shops, bars and an iconic landmark. The Franciscan church is the grand, decorated red building in the central square of Prešernov trg, and the real showstopper. It’s a 17th-century church, with several older churches thought to have occupied the site prior. Significant work was carried out through the 19-20th century, s a part of a city-wide plan, and the red colour symbolises the church’s ownership by the Franciscan Monastic Order. I got to the area literally dead-on 6PM, which is sadly when the church closes, at least in late October on a Sunday. The interior looks incredible in photos though, and it’s free!

Expanding with the 20th century redesign led by Jože Plečnik, the city saw many tweaks with lamp posts, benches, railings and river walks being the main targets of redevelopment and an emphasis on ornate, human design being taken, something deeply reflected in the current-day streets. He also designed the iconic ‘three bridges’ we see today, acting as the very central crossing in the city for the Ljubljanica river (later merging into the Sava river, which flows through Zagreb). Just around the corner of the central square, on the southern riverbank, is Saint Nicholas’ Cathedral, another notable bit of baroque architecture, constructed in 1701, in a pastel yellow colour. It has a similar story to the Franciscan church, replacing a 12th-century Romanesque, turned Gothic church after a fire, which was then fully burnt down in the 15th century due to presumed arson from the Turks. Again, free entry, but closed when I went.

Although rich in history, the main ‘vibe’ from Ljubljana was more-so people oriented. I got a sense that the city was very walkable and pleasant to be around, with a slower pace of life, and a kind of direct mix of worlds clashing, with a distinct Slovenian culture prevailing. This translated directly into the architecture, which, while very Austrian, isn’t so imposing as in Trieste, but takes on a more human-scale, with more ornate frontings, decorated in pastel colours and almost playful and magical roofs.

On the south bank of the river, just behind the river walk and next to the castle hill, there is a curved, wide shopping street I dived into next. I figured, being later on a Sunday, if I wanted to get any souvenirs, now would be the time. There were so many independent, small shops selling food, homemade goods, and the basic European souvenirs. The prices were varied, but on the whole, a lot cheaper than Venice, and similar to Trieste, except for the food, which looked to be far cheaper. I wandered down the length of the street, went down a couple allies, and as thesun was setting, I made my way up the castle hill.

Now it was at this point that I got a little lost. I was following the maps, and it took me up a wrong path to someone’s driveway. I was losing light and in a forested area, and I was craving the sunset colours over the city. Especially in a valley, the sunlight was vanishing quick, so I ended up going up a path the maps wanted me to go up, which was bordered off with fencing for some type of renovation work or because the path had degraded too much, I’m not too sure. If not for that shortcut partly through the forest, I’m not convinced I would have made it to the castle grounds before the light went!

I climbed up onto the main path from a ditch I probably wasn’t meant to be in, and explored the surrounding paths of the castle. I didn’t know if you could just go in, especially at that time of day, and I wanted a good view, so I headed down a small path. I think I got pretty lucky seeing a bit of a sunset view, but it had gotten fairly dark by the time I took my photos. Yeah, if I had gone earlier in the year, I would have had a better time, or if I didn’t sleep in in Venice and planned my day better, but the view was still beautiful.

I made my way back around, and as people were still wandering around the grounds and seemingly going into the castle, I tried my luck. I was pleasantly surprised to see that; not only was it fully open, but it was lit up, renovated as a museum, and fully, 100% free. What followed was an hour’s worth of just looking around, photo taking, sign reading, looking at artifacts and trying to navigate the maze it was. There was a set of old spiral staircases, along with a lift, inside the castle. It took me up a tower first, to the castle walls, where there was a wide terrace you could walk across and get amazing views of the city. By the time I reached this bit, it was dusk and the city was a nightscape. It was very pretty to be fair and lucky, but I would have loved to see the view at a proper sunset or during the daytime, especially because on a clear day, you can see the snow-capped Julian Alps in the distance looming over the city.

Going downwards, the lift & stairs took me to a labrynth underneath the castle. It was a basement level with 2-3 different levels to it, all of which had half-level sections, all peppered with historical displays and other inetresting details and info. Bare in mind it was nearly 7PM, things like this in the UK don’t exist on this scale, for free, and always close at 4PM, so this was such a shock to me. After looking around more, I only just realised there was a funicular going back to the market in the city, and I was lucky enough to have caught the very last one just gone 7. I bid my farewells, got a ticket for €3.30 (which I kept of course) and took my very first ride on a funicular.

At the bottom of the railway, the central market was there, and it was packing up. It looked pretty big and good, and I would’ve loved to have been able to have a look around. Yet another reason to maybeee start the day a tad earlier, but you live and you learn! By the time I reached the river again, one thing, and one thing only, was of interest. I had seen an Irish pub while walking down the riverside earlier, and as I walked past it, I noticed how many Irish and English accents I heard; I figured due to the university being right around the corner. So, wanting to meet some like-minded people, that’s where I went, intending to stay for 1 or 2, and find food after.

The pub had a great vibe and was pretty hectic. All the bartenders were, in fact, Irish, which is an amazing sign for such a pub abroad. They had Guinness on tap, the basic big brand pilsners from the broad region, along with a healthy selection of locally brewed craft beers, which I opted for. It was after I ordered and started looking for a place, where someone from a group of people all dressed the same approached me, and we got to chatting. Turns out, he was from a running club based, from memory, in Reading, not too far from where I live.

This is where things start to make more sense from earlier. The group were all wearing matching club running jerseys, many of them wearing medals. They go around Europe, the same rough time every year, sometimes twice, and they do a half-marathon / marathon in the place they pick, and use it as a way to travel; it sounds like such a good idea. They did the Ljubljana marathon that morning, so putting 2 and 2 together, the event in Trieste must have been a marathon too; they must have coordinated it at the same time. Correct me if I’m wrong, though! Now I don’t remember specifics, and I’ve forgotten all of their names, of course… but it was a nice surprise, and I ended up getting sucked into the shared stories so much, I had 4 pints total and was low on time. I wanted some food, and I was slightly buzzed, so attempting to avoid Maccies, I prowled the streets looking for some street food at 9:30PM.

Surprisingly, I did find one place that was open, and I spent a bit checking the menu for anything savoury, but it being a pancake place, I kinda just thought I had to get just some sustenance and quick, maybe I could get some Maccies after if the vendor was quick, which they were not. So, I had a waffle I believe, 15 minutes left, and a 10-minute walk to the coach. Not my proudest moment, but maybe just don’t spend half your time in an Irish bar and plan the day better!

things i missed in ljubljana

Now, yeah, this will be quite a long list if I go ahead and list everything I can think of. I didn’t do nearly as much as Trieste; partly because of the time of day/weekday, partly because I only had 4 hours, but mostly because of my poor planning and incompetence. I did manage to see a fair bit, nevertheless, but I will list below some of the main things I’d do on a very much needed second visit.

• Yet again, pretty obvious, but the riverside open-air seating is dying to be dined in. This one especially hurts, because there are just so many restaurants by the river that I walked past with hours to spare, and I didn’t go in any. Next time, I’m eating out every day. Slovenian cuisine looks mouth-watering, and the prices are low.
• I would 100% recommend going inside any of the churches you can; they are all free, and it’s something I would also be doing next time.
• The central market looks large, and from online sources, as well as my ‘vibe check’ of the city, it’s definitely worth a visit as a cheaper alternative to Western/Central European markets.
• Trivoli Park is right in the city centre, just to the West. It looks beautifully landscaped and I couldn’t think of a much better place to stroll around and have a picnic. There’s also a zoo around the corner!
• As tough as it is not to name specific city attractions/sights, I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention the Julian Alps. There are cycling trails, there are waterfalls, parks, snowy peaks, towering forests, flower-filled meadows and massive lakes too. You could do a cycle backpacking trip, hiking trip, day trips on GetYourGuide, or just take buses/trains out to the famous Lake Bled and go for a wander. Regardless of how you get there, the surrounding area is on my bucket list.

leg 3: ljubljana to zagreb

Now for me, I could only kind of see the views and silhouettes in this stretch, and my camera could certainly not pick up on much, so you’re just gonna have to take my word for it. The views from the roads heading out of the Ljubljana valley are beautiful; the same Carniolan mountains tower around as you follow the Sava River Valley towards Zagreb. The Carnolian range slowly discipates and transitions into rolling hills, and eventually it gives way to the Pannonean Basin, on which Zagreb sits on the far western lip of. Again, I barely saw glimpses of this, but I can just imagine how pretty this would be at sunset and dusk.

The coach left just before 10PM and cost £8.49, or £8.00 if you wanted to try the trains. I’m sure the views would be as good, and it would be a bit quicker too! As for me, I got into Zagreb around midnight. I won’t go too much into the place, partly because I just walked 20 minutes to my Hostel and went into hibernation, but also because I’m doing another blog about the city coming soon. However, the coach and train station isn’t far from the Main retail Street and the old town (Gornji Grad), which, from my experience, will offer quaint, hidden seating, cheap and tasty food, regardless of what time of day it is.

more details & cost breakdown

Now if you’re keeping track of what I spent, you may be thinking: ‘But all in all that cost £22!’, and yes, looking back, that’s what my exact route would cost if I was booking it for February. When I went, however, in October, i think the coach timetables were the end of the ‘Summer period’, and thus coaches were maybe more abundant and cheaper in the off-season. At the time, I paid £17.79 for all three coaches, which I booked all at once on Omio. If you did it in the summertime, you may have more luck. You can also start the trip earlier, plan your time more strategically, and ride the sunset into Zagreb where you can have a proper dinner. If my version felt like 2 days in 1, that would feel like 3.

If you do plan the trip differently, you can also take trains to make it cheaper. I don’t know if the Trieste-Zagreb route will be as nice as the trains that follow the sea out of the Karst Plateau, but if you don’t mind that, then it is cheaper and quicker. Alternatively, you could just rent a car for cheap if you’re at least 21, maybe do it as a group and split the costs to make it more of a £10 trip, just bare in mind A to B car rentals can be very pricey, so maybe a round trip up around and through the Alps from Venice could be good, and maybe I’ve just given myself a future road trip idea! Either way, prices can be checked here on Lastminute.com to compare every car rental company. Each stint will be arguably more immersive and scenic, while being cheaper and potentially quicker.

If I ever recreated this trip, I would definitely jump to that option and do it either in the late springtime or very early autumn, or summer months, and try to do it juuuust in the off-peak period. Especially for the Adriatic coast and Lake Bled, May-September would be sunny with warm enough waters to swim. I might even go to Pula and Rijeka along the way, just out of the way south of the Trieste-Ljubljana route, giving some true Istrian Peninsula culture and being able to see the Dalmatian coast, even getting glimpses of those terracotta, walled coastal towns Croatia is famous for.

They may not be as big as Dubrovnik, but Lovran and especially Rovinj do have a seemingly similar energy, and looking at the size of those places, this may be a local bus or exclusively cycling/car option. The detour is a couple of hours south, an hour between any of the cities, and a couple of hours up, though, and could be done in a day, or probably stretched out to a few. It’s also almost entirely dramatic coastal roads, so this may even be the best part of the whole trip if you do it!

Either way, the key takeaway is that this is a totally doable trip, regardless of time, budget or ability to drive. It is 100% worth it. It felt as ambitious as my 1-day, 3-countries, 3-meals trip, just less intense budget-wise or stress-wise, with more time to explore each place and transportation that offered more comfort and better views for a lower price.

And if you wanted a slower-paced and longer city break idea, why not read my Budapest Blog? The city combines the best of eastern and western Europe, feeling nearly as diverse as this road trip did.