Air Serbia...Belgrade to Ljubljana

[Scash]

Merry Christmas to all and apologies if this is in the wrong forum

We're doing a tour of the Balkans in June '25 which starts in Bucharest and finishes in Belgrade (Treasures of the Balkans Guided Tour | Insight Vacations AU). Slovenia is not in the itinerary so our plan is to head there after the tour finishes in Belgrade. We are looking at transport options with flying being the quickest and possibly cheapest. Air Serbia has the only direct flight but they don't review well.

Other options are :-

. Fly with different airline but this would entail a stopover
. Bus but this takes a much longer time
. Private transport but this can be expensive

I am leaning towards the private transport option as by the time you add transport to and from airports (both cost and time) it doesn't work out too bad. Also I imagine we'll get to see a bit more of the country on the road trip. I know a few AFF'rs have been in the Balkans in recent times (@Matt Graham and @kileskus) and I was wondering if anyone has any recent experience with Air Serbia or suggestions on the best way to travel from Belgrade to Ljubljana.

Thanks all.

 

[Mwenenzi]

500km/310miles is a short flight. Time to airport, waiting, security, immigration, etc would be as long as the flight
Train? But currently not operating. By June 2025 it may be different. Trains tend to leave from city centres. Low cost. Train better than a bus, and may be slower, but a more elegant way to travel.

Not a site recommended, but from https://www.raileurope.com/en/destinations/belgrade-ljubljana-train
Distance 485 kilometres
Fastest journey 9hr 38m
Avg. journey time 10hr 1m
Trains per day 5

Seat61--->

Trains from Belgrade to other European cities | Times, fares, tickets

A guide to train travel from Belgrade to other European cities, including Belgrade to Sofia, Belgrade to Zagreb & Ljubljana, Belgarde to Budapest & Vienna, Belgrade to Paris, Belgrade to Bucharest.

www.seat61.com

Option 1, by day train, every day all year round

• A train leaves Belgrade Centar station at 10:05 &Novi Beograd at 10:19 every day, arriving Zagreb at 18:13 and Ljubljana at 20:56.
  A Ljubljana Special ticket costs €29, good for either Belgrade-Ljubljana or Belgrade-Zagreb.
  You can't buy tickets online, but they're easy to buy at the station, always places available.
  While the train is suspended, take a bus from Belgrade to Zagreb
  A Flixbus leaves Belgrade bus station at 11:30, arriving Zagreb bus station at 17:00
  The fare is around €21, buy a ticket at www.flixbus.com.
  It's a 17-minute 1.3 km walk from Zagreb bus station to Zagreb station,see walking map.
  A train leavesZagreb at 19:40 and arrives Ljubljana at 21:47. Fare €9, buy at the station it cannot be bought online.
  In summer when it's light this is a lovely scenic run along the Sava river.
  This train was suspended during the pandemic and remains suspended in 2024 due to Serbian & Croatian incompetence.
  It's a leisurely trip across the former Yugoslavia on a route once used by theSimplon Orient Express. 2nd class only, but in two comfortable air-conditioned Serbian EuroCity cars. There's no catering, so bring your own picnic and perhaps some beer or wine.
  
  You can check train times atint.bahn.de or the Serbian Railways website w3.srbvoz.rs/redvoznje.

https://www.omio.com/trains/belgrade/ljubljana-ydhcv

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Belgrade/Ljubljana

 

[Scash]

500km is a short flight. Time to airport, waiting, security, immigration, etc would be as long as the flight
Train? But currently not operating. By June 2025 it may be different. Trains tend to leave from city centres. Low cost. Train better than a bus, and may be slower, but a more elegant way to travel.

Not a site recommended, but from https://www.raileurope.com/en/destinations/belgrade-ljubljana-train
Distance 485 kilometres
Fastest journey 9hr 38m
Avg. journey time 10hr 1m
Trains per day 5

Seat61--->

Trains from Belgrade to other European cities | Times, fares, tickets

A guide to train travel from Belgrade to other European cities, including Belgrade to Sofia, Belgrade to Zagreb & Ljubljana, Belgarde to Budapest & Vienna, Belgrade to Paris, Belgrade to Bucharest.

www.seat61.com

https://www.omio.com/trains/belgrade/ljubljana-ydhcv

https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Belgrade/Ljubljana

Thanks @Mwenenzi

 

[jase05]

It sometimes costs a little more but I prefer to self drive if possible and it’s a very easy place to drive and allows you to get off the beaten track and travel at your own pace. You get to see a lot of places you wouldn’t normally see and experience a lot more of the local culture. We have driven around that region but on a longer trip where we had a hire car for a lengthy period and the pricing was decent so not sure if it’s feasible or not renting in Belgrade and dropping off in Slovenia. If you are on a time sensitive trip I can’t vouch for Air Serbia but such a short flight shouldn’t be an issue

 

[Scash]

It sometimes costs a little more but I prefer to self drive if possible and it’s a very easy place to drive and allows you to get off the beaten track and travel at your own pace. You get to see a lot of places you wouldn’t normally see and experience a lot more of the local culture. We have driven around that region but on a longer trip where we had a hire car for a lengthy period and the pricing was decent so not sure if it’s feasible or not renting in Belgrade and dropping off in Slovenia. If you are on a time sensitive trip I can’t vouch for Air Serbia but such a short flight shouldn’t be an issue

Thanks @jase05

 

[Mattg]

I have flown Air Serbia and thought they were pretty good. If it's more convenient than the other options, I would not hesitate to book with them.

 

[Arkana]

Air Serbia were fine to fly. I flew Belgrade to Budapest after that same Insight trip in June 2024.
If your Tour Director is Danilo and coach driver is Deyan you are in for real treat. Fantastic experience and knowledge.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

agree… 10 hours by train or four hours to fly once you include the airpor and end-to-end formalities/transport.

I’d take the plane!

 

[Scash]

Thanks all for your replies. The poor reviews mainly focus on reliability/delays, lost or damaged luggage and poor service. We will have check in so fingers crossed we'll be OK!

 

[Scash]

Air Serbia were fine to fly. I flew Belgrade to Budapest after that same Insight trip in June 2024.
If your Tour Director is Danilo and coach driver is Deyan you are in for real treat. Fantastic experience and knowledge.

Thanks @Arkana. Good to hear you enjoyed the trip and we're really looking forward to it. We chose this tour as it covered most of the places we wanted to see but wasn't overly heavy on Croatia as we visited there last year. It's a bit dearer than some other tours but the accommodation looks amazing and a lot of meals are provided.

 

[SCM]

I've flown Air Serbia this year, it was a prop jet due to thin route, overall I'd say it's a very nice airline with nice service, no issues at all, no reason to avoid it.

One tip I will give you, if you're flying out of Belgrade airport with air serbia, just go to the business/priority counter and pay $10 or whatever it is (around that much) to skip the queue which can sometimes be 1-2 hours long for check-in at the airport (also allows you to fast track security). Best way to spend $10 at an airport.

I think you can also do this online beforehand, but if you forget or can't - just go to the priority counter and you can do it in person as well.

 

[Scash]

I've flown Air Serbia this year, it was a prop jet due to thin route, overall I'd say it's a very nice airline with nice service, no issues at all, no reason to avoid it.

One tip I will give you, if you're flying out of Belgrade airport with air serbia, just go to the business/priority counter and pay $10 or whatever it is (around that much) to skip the queue which can sometimes be 1-2 hours long for check-in at the airport (also allows you to fast track security). Best way to spend $10 at an airport.

I think you can also do this online beforehand, but if you forget or can't - just go to the priority counter and you can do it in person as well.

Thanks for the reply @SCM. Great advice re priority. For $10 definitely worth it.

 

[kileskus]

I think you've probably got enough answers to make up your mind.

To add a data point, I flew Air Serbia twice this year and found it very pleasant. Easy to get to Belgrade airport, on time and good service on the flights. Reliable app for digital boarding pass. Didn't have luggage though

If you have *A status/miles, you could fly Swiss with a 3-5 hr layover in Zurich for pretty much the same price and get some lounge access/ff perks.

Personally I'd fly to Zagreb on Air Serbia (it's about $100-200 cheaper) and then take the train to Ljubljana on ÖBB. It is a scenic ride alongside the Sava River (the most significant river in the Balkans.) I have not done this but have read good things about it

 

[Scash]

I think you've probably got enough answers to make up your mind.

To add a data point, I flew Air Serbia twice this year and found it very pleasant. Easy to get to Belgrade airport, on time and good service on the flights. Reliable app for digital boarding pass. Didn't have luggage though

If you have *A status/miles, you could fly Swiss with a 3-5 hr layover in Zurich for pretty much the same price and get some lounge access/ff perks.

Personally I'd fly to Zagreb on Air Serbia (it's about $100-200 cheaper) and then take the train to Ljubljana on ÖBB. It is a scenic ride alongside the Sava River (the most significant river in the Balkans.) I have not done this but have read good things about it

Thanks @kileskus. The idea of the train from Zagreb sounds good.

 

[clifford]

take the train to Ljubljana on ÖBB. It is a scenic ride alongside the Sava River (the most significant river in the Balkans.) I have not done this but have read good things about it

In June I need to get from AMS to LJU. I have a ticket AMS-LHR-LJU on BA, which I booked a while ago, when the schedule would get me in at a sensible time. However, BA have made a schedule change (!) so I would now arrive at stupid o'clock, which I really don't want to do.

So I'm looking at alternatives. There are flights from AMS/BRU for about $250, and I might opt for the BRU-LJU flight on SN as it gives me lounge access (although a train ride is needed from AMS to BRU), and it gets in to LJU at a reasonable time.

I've looked at flying to ZAG and then overland to LJU, but this would not be cost-effective. However, if I were to do this, the best option apparently would be the bus, which takes about 2.5 hours. You can take a train which takes about the same time (but more expensive) and there are only 2-3 direct trains a day.

So, in the end, I thought the ZAG opton, for me, was a no go, but I haven't yet decided on the best option. I may well stick with LHR, as I do enjoy the self-pour champagne in the BA FCL, and the Qantas points would be handy.

 

[k_sheep]

I've done several flights with them. No complaints at all.