Check before you go Routes checked 9 Oct 2026. Trains, fares and borders change: confirm every leg with its operator before you book. Why

SZLAK Plan a szlak →

niebieski · The Adriatic line

Szlak Adriatycki

Down through the Alps until the water turns the wrong colour.

  • Days18
  • About, a day€56
  • Legs6
  • Nights on board0
Lisboa Porto Sevilla Donostia Bordeaux Paris Bruxelles Amsterdam Hamburg Berlin Wien Ljubljana Zagreb Split Mostar Kotor Sofia Veliko Tarnovo Brașov Budapest Košice Praha Kraków Warszawa Zakopane Vilnius Rīga Tartu Tallinn Helsinki

The one with the most swimming in it. Austria, Slovenia and Croatia are easy rail; the last week leaves the EU — Bosnia and Herzegovina, then Montenegro — where the trains stop being an option and the buses take over. Carry your passport, some cash and a little patience.

When. June and September: warm sea, fewer people. July and August are hot, full and expensive on the coast; from November the coastal buses thin out.

For whom. Someone who wants cities first and the sea last, and does not mind a few long bus days at the end.

The hardest leg is Mostar → Kotor. One direct bus a day, about six hours via Trebinje, with a border into Montenegro. Otherwise two buses and two borders via Dubrovnik.

The 6 legs come to about €159 in fares bought a few weeks ahead, and 29 h on the move. With a dorm bed, food and local transport every day, the whole szlak is about €1,015 — €56 a day. How we count.

Plan this szlak →

  1. Kraków 2 nights then train, 5 h 50
  2. Wien 3 nights then train, 6 h
  3. Ljubljana 3 nights then train, 2 h 20
  4. Zagreb 2 nights then coach, 5 h
  5. Split 3 nights then coach, 4 h
  6. Mostar 2 nights then coach, 6 h
  7. Kotor 3 nights the end of the line

Before you go, on this szlak

Borders, money, phones.

Borders

Austria, Slovenia and Croatia are in the Schengen area. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro are outside the EU and Schengen: passport control at each border, and the bus waits for everyone.

Money

Złoty in Kraków; euro in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro; the convertible mark (KM, about 1.96 to the euro) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where euros are often taken at a poor rate.

Phone

EU roaming covers Poland to Croatia. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro are not included (EU talks to change that began in 2026), so buy a local SIM or eSIM, or check your plan.

Clock

One time zone all the way.

Book ahead

  • Kraków → Wien: the direct EuroCity is cheapest weeks ahead.
  • Beds in Split and Kotor in July and August.

Buy on the day

  • Ljubljana → Zagreb: the fixed €9 fare is sold at the station.
  • Coaches from Split and Mostar: buy at the bus station a day ahead if online sales are thin.

Noclegi i odcinki (the nights and the legs)

The whole trail, stop by stop.

Times are the usual fastest journey. Fares run from booked early to bought late; dorm beds from low season to high. Prices in euro, 9 Oct 2026.

  1. Nights 1–2 · Poland

    Kraków

    2 nights

    Same start, other direction. Get the pack right here; the next cheap city is a week away.

    Arrive
    Kraków Główny (trains) and the MDA bus station sit side by side under Galeria Krakowska; the Rynek, the main square, is ten minutes on foot. From the airport the train takes about 20 minutes.
    Sleep
    Stare Miasto (Old Town) or Kazimierz. A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • Walk the Planty, the park ring where the walls stood, then the Rynek and the Cloth Hall. Free.
    • Wawel hill: the courtyards and the walls are free; the cathedral and the royal rooms are paid.
    • Kazimierz, then the footbridge to Podgórze and Schindler's Factory museum (book a time).
    • The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, about 1½ hours away. Entry must be reserved in advance at visit.auschwitz.org, and it books out.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours (you tip what it was worth) leave from the Rynek every day, and most Old Town hostels run a pub crawl or a shared dinner.
    Worth knowing
    Eat in a bar mleczny, a cheap canteen: soup and pierogi for roughly 25–35 zł.

  2. Train

    Kraków to Wien

    ČD / ÖBB EuroCity

    Time
    5 h 50
    Runs
    1 direct day train — 14:00 → 19:49 — and a night train
    Fare
    €33–60

    The EuroCity Porta Moravica runs direct from Kraków Główny to Wien Hauptbahnhof, from €32.90 booked ahead. The night train leaves Kraków at 20:57 and arrives at 05:25 — early, but a bed (couchettes from about €39).

    Other day trains need a change, usually at Ostrava or Břeclav.

    Check and book on ÖBBČeské dráhy

  3. Nights 3–5 · Austria

    Wien

    3 nights

    Expensive, and worth three nights: the city is best on foot, and its cheap pleasures are very good.

    Arrive
    Trains from Kraków arrive at Wien Hauptbahnhof; the U1 underground reaches Stephansplatz in about five minutes.
    Sleep
    Neubau or near the Hauptbahnhof. A dorm bed costs about €24–40 a night.
    Do
    • A standing-room ticket at the State Opera: a fraction of the price of a seat, sold before each performance.
    • The Naschmarkt, the MuseumsQuartier courtyard and the Danube Canal. Free.
    • Schönbrunn's gardens and the Gloriette hill (free; the palace is paid).
    • The Prater: the park is free, the giant wheel is not.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours from the centre daily; in summer, the bars along the Danube Canal.
    Worth knowing
    Vienna's tap water is mountain spring water piped from the Alps. Refill, don't buy.

  4. Train

    Wien to Ljubljana

    ÖBB / SŽ EuroCity Emona

    Time
    6 h
    Runs
    1 direct a day — 07:53 → 13:53; others change
    Fare
    €29–70

    The direct Emona crosses the Semmering, a UNESCO-listed mountain railway, then Graz and Maribor. Later in the day, change at Maribor or Villach.

    The restaurant car takes cash. Coaches (FlixBus) are quicker, about five hours, and cheaper.

    Check and book on ÖBBSlovenske železnice

  5. Nights 6–8 · Slovenia

    Ljubljana

    3 nights

    A small capital, easy and friendly, and the base for Lake Bled.

    Arrive
    The railway and bus stations are side by side; Prešeren Square is a 10-minute walk.
    Sleep
    The centre or around Metelkova. A dorm bed costs about €20–32 a night.
    Do
    • The riverbanks and the Triple Bridge; walk up to the castle (the funicular is paid).
    • Metelkova Mesto, the old army barracks turned into an autonomous art and music quarter.
    • Odprta kuhna, the Friday street-food market, from spring to autumn.
    • Lake Bled by bus, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Go early.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours from Prešeren Square; Metelkova at night.
    Worth knowing
    The centre is car-free. Walk it.

  6. Train

    Ljubljana to Zagreb

    SŽ / HŽPP

    Time
    2 h 20
    Runs
    about 5–7 a day
    Fare
    €9–15

    Direct trains between the two capitals; ask at the station for the fixed €9 one-way fare (the 'Spezial'). Coaches take about two hours and run often.

    The €9 fare is sold at the station, not online.

    Check and book on Slovenske železniceHŽPP

  7. Nights 9–10 · Croatia

    Zagreb

    2 nights

    Two nights: better than its reputation and cheaper than the coast.

    Arrive
    Trains arrive at the main station (Glavni kolodvor), 10 minutes through the parks to Ban Jelačić Square. The bus station is about 20 minutes east by tram.
    Sleep
    Donji Grad (the Lower Town). A dorm bed costs about €18–30 a night.
    Do
    • The Upper Town: St Mark's church and the Lotrščak tower.
    • Dolac market, every morning.
    • The Museum of Broken Relationships (paid) — more than it sounds.
    • The Sunday antiques market on Britanski trg.
    Meet people
    Tkalčićeva street in the evening; free walking tours from the main square.
    Worth knowing
    For Split, the coach (about five hours, frequent) is faster than the one daily train (eight hours, scenic).

  8. Coach

    Zagreb to Split

    several companies

    Time
    5 h
    Runs
    every hour or two
    Fare
    €20–35

    Coaches from Zagreb bus station take about five hours on the motorway. The one daily train (Monday to Saturday, plus summer Sundays; 13:49 → 21:47, from about €16 with its reservation) is slower and prettier.

    Croatian coaches often charge a euro or two for a bag in the hold.

    Check and book on Zagreb bus stationHŽPP

  9. Nights 11–13 · Croatia

    Split

    3 nights

    A Roman emperor's palace that people still live in, and the ferries to the islands.

    Arrive
    The bus station, the railway station and the ferry port are next to each other on the harbour, five minutes from Diocletian's Palace.
    Sleep
    Varoš or by the palace. A dorm bed costs about €22–45 a night.
    Do
    • Diocletian's Palace: the streets inside are free.
    • Marjan hill, up the steps from Varoš: shade and views over the islands. Free.
    • Bačvice beach and the local game of picigin; Kašjuni for quieter water.
    • A day ferry to Brač or Hvar with Jadrolinija.
    Meet people
    Split's hostels are social, some loudly so, and the island ferries are full of people travelling alone.
    Worth knowing
    Buy the coach to Mostar a day ahead in summer, and keep your passport handy: the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the way.

  10. Coach

    Split to Mostar

    several companies

    Time
    4 h
    Runs
    several a day
    Fare
    €15–25

    Coaches from Split's main bus station into Bosnia and Herzegovina, with passport control at the border.

    Bosnia and Herzegovina is outside the EU: have your passport out at the border.

    Check and book on Split bus stationGetByBus

  11. Nights 14–15 · Bosnia and Herzegovina

    Mostar

    2 nights

    Stay the second night. Most visitors leave after seeing the bridge, and the town is better once they have.

    Arrive
    Most coaches stop at the main bus station by the railway station on the east bank, 15 minutes' walk from the Old Bridge.
    Sleep
    Near the old town. A dorm bed costs about €12–20 a night.
    Do
    • Stari Most, the Old Bridge, destroyed in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004; in summer the divers jump for tips.
    • Climb the minaret of the Koski Mehmed Pasha mosque for the view of the bridge (paid).
    • Blagaj's dervish house and the Kravica waterfalls: a half day by tour or shared taxi.
    • Walk the Bulevar, the former front line, where the war of the 1990s is still visible.
    Meet people
    Mostar's small family-run hostels often cook for their guests — ask at the desk.
    Worth knowing
    The currency is the convertible mark (KM). EU roaming does not work here.

  12. Coach

    Mostar to Kotor

    several companies

    Time
    6 h
    Runs
    1 direct a day, more in summer
    Fare
    €20–35

    The direct coach runs via Trebinje into Montenegro. Otherwise: a coach to Dubrovnik (about three hours), then another to Kotor (about two).

    Timetables here change with the season and are not always online. Ask at the bus station the day before.

    Check and book on GetByBus

  13. Nights 16–18 · Montenegro

    Kotor

    3 nights

    It ends at the bay because there is nowhere better to stop.

    Arrive
    Kotor's bus station is about ten minutes' walk south of the Old Town.
    Sleep
    The Old Town or Dobrota. A dorm bed costs about €18–35 a night.
    Do
    • The Old Town (UNESCO), early, before the cruise ships unload.
    • The climb to San Giovanni fortress (paid; go at 7 am or at sunset), or the free Ladder of Kotor path behind the walls.
    • Perast and the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks, by bus or boat.
    • Swim anywhere along the bay.
    Meet people
    Old Town hostels run boat trips and hikes; the fortress steps at sunrise are a queue of people on their own.
    Worth knowing
    Montenegro uses the euro but is not in the EU: no EU roaming. Going home: buses to Dubrovnik (about two hours) or the airports at Tivat and Podgorica.

The end of the Szlak Adriatycki: 18 days, about €1,015. Checked 9 October 2026 — confirm every leg with its operator before you book.

The other four

Not this one?

Szlak Bałtycki Up the eastern edge until the land runs out, then across the water. 16days €49a day Szlak Karpacki Three weeks along the mountains, on the cheapest money in Europe. 21days €41a day Szlak Zachodni Six capitals in fourteen days, and it is the expensive one on purpose. 14days €70a day Szlak Atlantycki The one you join rather than the one you start. Down the western edge. 15days €66a day