New overnight train launched between Poland and Croatia’s Adriatic coast
Poland’s state rail operator PKP Intercity has inaugurated a direct overnight train service linking Warsaw to Rijeka on Croatia’s Adriatic coast, marking a significant step forward in seasonal rail tourism.
The new Adriatic Express completed its maiden journey on Saturday, connecting the Polish capital with the Croatian port city in just under 19 hours for the 1,200 km-long rail route.
39 stops in 5 countries
Running four times a week, the train travels through the Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia. It has a total of 39 stops from Warsaw Central. The train stops among others in Katowice (Poland), Ostrava (Czech Rep.), Vienna and Graz (Austria), Maribor and Ljubljana (Slovenia), Opatija (Croatia) to finally reach Rijeka.
With a total of 172 seats—132 in second class and 40 in couchettes—the service is among the longest cross-border train routes in Europe.
The launch caters to strong tourism demand. A total of over 1.2 million Poles visited Croatia in 2024, according to the Travel Croatia portal. The route is expected to not only bolster Polish tourism to Croatia but also encourage Croatian visitors to explore Poland.
Initial interest has been strong. PKP Intercity reports that booking reached over 90% of the available seats for the first journey. The success was even bigger for couchettes entirely sold out!
“This is the beginning of a new chapter for holiday rail travel,” Poland’s Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak posted on X. It calls the service “a symbol of accessible European holidays—even from smaller towns.”
Seasonal rail link
Discussions about this new rail link started four years ago. But they slowed down due to the Covid-19 crisis. It gained however momentum last May when Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed the summer launch on social media.
The Adriatic Express departs Warsaw four times weekly at 14:00 and arrives in Rijeka before 09:00 the following morning. Meanwhile, the return service leaves Rijeka at 19:00 and reaches Warsaw before 14:00 the next day. One-way fares start at approximately PLN 200 (€50/USD58). Days of departure from Warsaw are on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
The route will run through the end of the summer holiday season, with the final departure from Warsaw set for August 28.
TravelMole Editorial Team
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