Is A Rail Pass The Key To Slovenia's Scenic Routes? Here's What Rick Steves Says

Getting around Slovenia by train is a joy. The petite, underrated nation sits at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe; Austria and Italy are perched to its west, while Croatia and Hungary are just a strong javelin throw to the east. And much like its colossal neighbor Austria, Slovenia's landscape is packed with alpine mountain beauty. Expect sprawling mountain vistas, crystal blue lakes, and pretty, wooden, highly decorative houses in idyllic small towns and villages — all within very close proximity to the country's cities. Consequently, train journeys across the country are awash with gorgeous scenery rolling by, no matter where you're going. But is it worth getting a Eurail pass to enjoy the journeys between towns, complete with resplendent lush green views? Main man with the travel plan Rick Steves says no.

"Point-to-point train tickets are cheap in Slovenia, and because distances within the borders of this small country are so short, a rail pass isn't likely to save you much money" Steves says on his website, Rick Steves' Europe. Given that the M.O of Eurail passes is to save your bucks in countries where rail travel prices are steep, we see Steves' point, but has he considered all the passes available?

In his expert decision-making, Rick Steves has considered the two main rail passes: the Slovenia Eurail Pass and the Eurail Global Pass. The former is for exclusive use within Slovenia and can be purchased for various amounts of total days (three, four, five, six, and eight), but you don't necessarily need to use it on consecutive days. A nice perk to the pass. The amount of days purchased just need to be used within a month of the first day you activate it. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

But with pass prices starting at $80 at the time of writing for three days and individual journeys within the country being so cheap, Rick Steves says on his website that this pass may not be worth splurging on. He's kindly illustrated his point for us in this handy map where route prices are listed in dollars — some intercity routes cost as little as $5.

The other pass Steves mentions is the Eurail Global Pass, which is extremely useful if you plan to bounce around multiple European countries on your trip. It includes use of the train services in 33 countries and gives you mountains of flexibility. You can choose between flex plans that offer nonconsecutive travel days or consecutive travel plans. But with prices starting from $336.50 at the time of writing, it's a hefty price tag compared to the $10 ride from Slovenia's underrated capital city Ljubljana to the infamously stunning Lake Bled. But there's one more local rail pass in Slovenia that Steves hasn't considered.

For just €15 (about $17 at the time of writing) for a standard pass, the IZLETka ticket is a rather genius and extremely generous local rail pass that's valid for use on weekends and public holidays. Essentially, on any non-work day you're good to go anywhere on Slovenia's rail network with this unlimited flat-rate ticket that can last for up to five days. 

Time your visit to Slovenia wisely and you could be traveling from the vineyards of inland Maribor to the gorgeous, coastal hamlet of Koper and back again for just $17 for the whole weekend. (The family pass is twice that price for the same five-day period.) And if all the days are holiday days, which is plausible a few times a year over Easter and Christmas in Europe, you can enjoy this pass for less than $5 a day. Wild.

What's the catch? You've got to purchase the pass within Slovenia, in person, at one of the ticket offices, and they're only in Ljubljana, Koper, Celje, and Maribor, and maintain office working hours. But if you're entering the country via Ljubljana in the daytime and nearing the weekend, this is a Slovenian rail pass to buy. Sorry, Rick Steves — we say go for it.