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Forget about trains in Croatia. Maybe, and I emphasize maybe if you arrive to Zagreb by train from Slovenia and are a diehard railfan with a penchant for noisy, smokey old diesel locomotives from the 1970s. Now that the adriatic motorway has been completed, the best way to go around is by bus - there are shuttle buses between Zagreb and Split departing every 30 minutes (outside of the tourist season, mind you) and this is doubled, if not tripled during the summer. The buses are generally good, modern and airconditioned. Most buses run directly between Zagreb and Split without any stops in between, if your bus is going all the way to Dubrovnik (most of them do) after Split you'll get to travel on the Adriatic magistralle which runs right by the shore and sees some pretty insane traffic during the summer. Better yet, the driver will be happy to drop you off anywhere you'd like. Zagreb is decidedly underwhelming. It's reasonable to spend maybe one morning in the city and then take an evening bus to the coast - there isn't really all that much to do in Zagreb once you're here. Cheap hostels are abound, and the downtown area around the train/bus station is absolutely littered with them. The place is tourist friendly, most young people speak at least some english, so it's easy to find your way around, even if you get lost. Once again, don't expect too much or you're gonna leave kinda disappointed.
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Jun 7, 2015 15:57
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GAY 4 ORGANS 
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The coolest single thing I did in Zagreb was went to see some shows in this multi-stage punky squat-like venue build into an old pharmaceutical factory. I'm not stumbling across the name on google, but I found it by seeing the flyers around town, and it seems to be a pretty established institution. Anyone know what I'm talking about? [/quote] It's "Medika". http://www.spottedbylocals.com/zagreb/medika/
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Jun 8, 2015 11:30
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Ah yes, that's the one! Have you been as well, or just google better than I? Nah, I'm living in Zagreb and I'm interested in urban exploration and stuff. I haven't been in Medika personally, but I've read about it on some of my favorite urbex blogs.
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Jun 11, 2015 22:18
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Sergiu64 posted:Took the train from Vienna to Zagreb, it was ok. Rented a car after. Drove it all the way down to Dubrovnik then flew to Budapest. Not the cheapest, but worked out fine. I think you did the right thing. Allow me to elaborate on the "don't travel by train in Croatia" thing. The railway that leads from Slovenia (and Vienna) is modern and electrified, no problems there. However, the southward railway that goes to split has been completed in 1921 (!) and well... it hasn't changed much, if at all. To add an insult to an injury, the railway is electrified only till Perusic (or Perkovic, can't remember) anyway, your train will be pulled by an electric locomotive through the plains and it will go deceptively fast, making you think you'll get to Split in a reasonable amount of time. However, when the railway reaches the mountains of Lika, bam - no more electric traction and you're doomed to Diesel. The funny thing about the locomotive change is that they'll couple a Diesel engine on the opposite side of the composition so the train will be moving backwards. This causes no end of confusion to some people. The old Diesel locomotive will struggle uphill for hours, and in many areas the train will go no faster than 20 km/h, due to dangerously decrepit tracks. The train trip from Zagreb to Split takes nine hours, provided that the locomotive doesn't crap out somewhere in the boonies - compared to this, going by bus from Zagreb to Split now takes around four hours. Furthermore, if you're going further down south from Split, you're going to take a bus anyway so you might as well board in Zagreb. I'll agree that there are some pretty spectacular views from the train. Here is a cab ride video from the Lika railway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa6sJTmWbXQ
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Jun 16, 2015 08:55
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Disco Infiva posted:At around 2007-2008, I was travelling Zagreb-Split semi-regularly by train and it took me 6-7 hours. Are you saying it's even worse now? Yes. The tracks have deteriorated even further, and in some locations the train runs at 5 km/h (usually over very questionable viaducts which haven't been repaired since 1945), an old man with a walker could catch up with the train. Another thing, since Zagreb-Split railway has only one gauge, the "express" train to Split often has to wait for some local train (which is ALWAYS late) to clear the track so your Split-bound train can continue the journey. And finally, since our locomotives are around 50 years old, breakdowns are woefully common. Interestingly, back in the 70s, Yugoslav government decided that the old Lika railway is done for, so an entirely new, electrified and modern railway was built along the Una river. The problem with this is, that the new railway crosses the bosnian border several times (and in many cases, the railways itself is a demarcation zone between the countries, and even though the Una railway is modern, it's legally impossible for passenger trains to use that railway since it crosses the national border quite a few times. These days, the modern Una railway lies mostly abandoned, and the spotlight has turned back to the ancient Lika railway because there is no alternative. All of this mess was caused by the breakup of Yugoslavia. What a sad ending to a great railway.
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Jun 16, 2015 23:34
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