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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