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How did you get to Zagreb and what did it cost? Were they much possibilty damaging the bike in a Rinko bag?
PBoynton-
How did you get to Zagreb and what did it cost? Were they much possibilty damaging the bike in a Rinko bag?
I just did what he said:
https://www.seat61.com/Croatia.htm#london-to-zagreb-by-trainIt all worked more or less to plan.
Also got a local train from Zagreb to the Bosnian border. Croatian trains are excellent for bikes.
I could have damaged my bike if I hadn't packed it up properly, dropped it, etc - but no-one else touched it, so all risks were under my control. My biggest concern was losing a critical bit when rebuilding on the platform at Zagreb, and I think I managed to leave my (cheap) watch there.
If I was doing it again I would get an interrail pass, but didn't think of it this year so probably paid slightly more - can't remember exactly what.
frank9755
UK train travel with bikes is a pain - other than maybe going to Scotland when you have bike reservations lined up. And it takes more time both to plan a train journey and to do it - so it simply doesn't work for some people or for some trips.
But I do have a thing about doing long journeys across Europe by train - in many ways its at least as much fun as doing it by bike. Sure it takes more research and preparation, but it is fun in a way that travelling by plane never is.
I got hooked on it after I had to quit the TCR in 2019. The train journey back from Austria was both fun and a good opportunity to spend time reflecting.
Going to Zagreb and back last year worked well - 24 hours each way including a sleeper. Highlights included bantering with football fans from Slovenia and Serbia, and the scenery: the Vosges, Strasbourg, Sava Valley through Slovenia - some places I've cycled through and some I haven't.
Having rinko sorted makes it less stressful as I don't have to do the bike reservation element, which adds too much complexity. I find spending an extra hour taking a bike to bits is less tedious than spending the same amount of time researching bike reservations.