April the 5th, 2021 - There has been a huge amount of interest from Czech tourists for holidays in Croatia this year as an impressive 15,000 tickets for the RegioJet Prague-Split train have already been sold.

As Morski writes, more than 15,000 hopeful Czech nationals have already bought their tickets for the RegioJet Prague-Split train which will hopefully take them to Croatia this summer. The very first train is set to head down to Dalmatia on May the 28th, 2021. Just like last year, this year the train organised by the RegioJet agency will run between the two countries, but now, in addition to Rijeka, passengers will also travel down to Split.

In addition to the above, the news is that Croatian passengers will also be able to board the train when it reaches Zagreb. The RegioJet Prague-Split train will run three times a week throughout the months of May, June and September, and in the peak season it will run every day, and everything has already been organised in cooperation with the Croatian Railways and the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ).

It is all being dealt with in a similar way as it was last year, when the train brought 60,000 tourists to Croatia. This year, despite the ongoing unfavourable epidemiological situation, their capacity and goal is 100,000, according to a report from Vecernji list.

''We're very optimistic despite the ongoing pandemic. We believe that the situation with the coronavirus is going to calm down, in the Czech Republic the numbers are already falling, here in Croatia, security is given by the Safe Croatia label for tourist facilities that are properly implementing safety measures. People are showing great interest in Croatia and we think that the demand will grow even more: young people are buying more tickets, while families are opting for tourist arrangements that we also offer,'' explained Ales Ondruj from RegioJet.

Last year, the train ran with twelve wagons, and this year there will be fifteen and it will carry 650 passengers - in Ogulin, the compositions will be divided into two parts and seven of the said compositions will continue on down to Split, and eight will go to Rijeka. Passengers will be met at their end destinations by buses that will then transport them to their final destinations, from Istria all the way down to Dubrovnik.

Another novelty is that this RegioJet Prague-Split train no longer goes through Slovenia, where there were administrative problems last year owing to the pandemic, but will instead come from Prague via Brno, Bratislava and Budapest to Zagreb, where Croatian passengers will be able to board, and then go on further to the Croatian coast.

''The train arrives in Zagreb early in the morning and is in Rijeka at 10:00, while the return is in the evening, so locals can also use it for a trip if they want to,'' announced Ondruj.

RegioJet is monitoring the changes in border regimes and will take care of all of the needed paperwork - they will collect certificates of negative tests or vaccination cards from passengers and deliver them directly to the Ministry of the Interior (MUP). A one-way ticket stands at a difficult to resist price of just 22 euros, and if the situation becomes complicated because of the pandemic, the money will be returned to the passengers, reports Vecernji list.

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February the 4th, 2021 - RegioJet has announced a direct train line from the Czech capital of Prague to the Northern Adriatic city of Rijeka, and even further down to Split in Central Dalmatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, if Croatia's tourist authorities and workers are still somehow in two minds about what kind of visitors we should encourage in order to save the summer season this year, the answer is already coming from the Czech Republic - by train. The local railway company RegioJet has announced that it will continue to directly connect Prague with the Adriatic, a route which it introduced last summer, but with an important twist - in addition to Rijeka, the company's trains will run down to Dalmatia, more precisely to Split.

According to the Czech portal Zdopravy, RegioJet will connect the Czech capital and the Dalmatian city by train for the first time since way back in 2009 - the starting point is Prague and after Zagreb the first station in Croatia is Ogulin, from where trains will split - one will continue to Rijeka and the other will go to Split. From there, there are buses available that can drive further, even to neighbouring countries such as Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The timetable hasn't changed when compared to last year, when from July the 1st, Czech (and even Slovak tourists) filled almost every train in order to reach their favourite Croatian shores. Departure is at 17:00 from Prague, then from Brno and Bratislava, it arrives in Rijeka in the early morning the next day, and in Split early in the afternoon the same day.

RegioJet's Prague-Rijeka-Split line will operate every day during the two main summer months (July and August), and in June and September it will be offered three times a week - on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

RegioJet is already advertising a new service on its website, emphasising, with a red heart and the Croatian flag, that one can go to Split without the need for any transfers and that "a holiday by the sea has never been so easy".

The pre-sale of tickets starts this month, prices will be the same as last year, ie 590 Czech korunas for a one-way ticket in a compartment and 790 for the same journey but with sleeping arrangements included. The composition should consist of 15 wagons for a total of more than 650 seats, and the ticket price includes breakfast, WiFi access, bicycle transport, with the possibility to book the whole coupe for four people for the price of three.

"We're glad that we can lead people to positive ideas related to summer and a great summer holiday in Croatia," said Radim Jancura, the owner of RegioJet, as reported by the aforementioned Czech portal.

Last year, RegioJet transported more than 60,000 passengers in both directions in this way, ensuring that they could go to the Croatian coast relatively easily and without obstacles and border controls due to the pandemic. Only a negative coronavirus test is needed. The average occupancy of the lines was 90 percent, and it isn't unbelievable that this score will be exceeded this year.

In addition to coastal destinations, RegioJet will also offer direct connections to Zagreb from the summer, and will also bring guests from the Hungarian capital of Budapest to Croatia. For Czech tourists, rail transport also makes it easier to search for accommodation, offering half-board arrangements in some hotels, thanks to cooperation with agencies and tour operators.

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