Italy/Slovenia
The Interail does a trip from Venice to Postojna as easy as counting 1,2,3. But you do how to pay price for the ease. Interail coming from/going to Western Europe is expensive if you do not have an Interail pass.
So I looked for an alternative and found one from seat61.com. It's definitely a long trip, but I was in no rush to get to Slovenia anyway.
I started off from Venicia Maestre (mainland Venice). It was quite a walk from my accommodation (Jolly Camping Village - approx 30min). The hot & humid weather didn't help either.
When taking TrenItalia, remember to validate you ticket. There's a clause at the back of the ticket which states the consequence of not validating your ticket; €30 fine per ticket.
"The whole ticket is written in Italian and suddenly there's a clause for validation at the back of the ticket in English amongst the sea of Italian, fine print to boot!"
Unfortunately, the validation machines are scarcely placed on the train platforms and to be honest, they are not even obvious.
From Venicia Maestre, I head to Trieste Central(e). This is almost at the border between Venice and Slovenia. You'll spot road signs in Trieste showing you directions to Slovenia, that's how close it is.
From Trieste Central (train station), walk to the tram station (approx 20min for me, including the time I used to find my lost-ass un-lost).
Google told me that this tram is a relic of the city and it was only re-activated a few years back. It was super ancient and slow but it was only €1.35 from one end to the other. Ancient as it was, it was enjoyable as it climbs the steep hill to give you a hilltop view of Trieste.
Get off the tram at the last stop, Villa Opicina. The tram stop is about 30min walk away from your next train. You'll be walking pass housing areas, wondering if you've got the correct directions. When you reach the Villa Opicina train station, you'll be wondering if the the train station is still in service at all! It's a long and lonely walk.
At the train station, you'll be 5min train ride away from Slovenia. There's no ticketing counter there, only a vending station and a coffee machine. Not even a toilet.
Take the train from Villa Opicina train station to Sezena, Slovenia. You can get you train tickets on the train itself for €1.00. But make sure you check the train times. The train from Villa Opicina to Sezena is really rare. I end up waiting at the station for about 3 hours because I missed the one 30min before.
From Sezena, you can continue to take your train from Postojna, Ljublana and other destinations.
During my trip, the trains connecting Sezana to other destinations were down. Fortunately, the Slovenian rail was very responsible in arranging alternatives to transport passengers to other destinations. They had busses and vans stand by and the took almost the same time as the train.
So kudos to the Slovenian rail!
Summary of the alternative trail between Venice-Postojna/other Slovenian destination:
1. Train from Venicia Maestre to Trieste Centrale = €12.50/p bought on the spot at the train station ticket booth. You can also buy this ticket online before the trip and may get cheaper prices.
2. Walk from Trieste Centrale train station to tram station
3. Tram from Trieste tram station to Villa Opicina = €1.35/p bought on the spot at the shop in the tram station
4. Walk from Villa Opicina tram station to Villa Opicina train station
5. Train from Villa Opicina (Italy) to Sezena (Slovenia) = €1.00/p bought on the spot in the train from the conductor
5. Train from Sezena to other Slovenia destinations = Price varies, you can even buy your ticket from the train conductor in the train heading to Sezena. Instead of telling him Sezena, tell him wherever you want to go, as long as the train line serves that destination. My ticket from Sezena to Postojna was €4/p.
Took almost 5 hours to get from Italy to Slovenia on a budget, with plenty of stops. But the view along the way was worth it.
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