Italy is one of the most popular countries where Austrians go abroad on holiday, in search of sea and extra warmth. Reflecting this, there are a plethora of trains across Austria, day and night, to Italian cities in the north, including Venice.
One of these trains is the EuroCity Emona, that travels once a day from Austria’s capital, Vienna, direct to the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, and then onwards to the coastal northeast Italian city of Trieste and vice versa.
The EuroCity Emona is more unusual in the fact that it is the only direct train to Italy that travels via Slovenia, hence the name of the train “Emona” which is derived from the early settlement in today’s Ljubljana. The train takes just shy of six hours from Ljubljana to Vienna and just over nine hours for the full route from Trieste to Vienna.
The train also happens to bring fond memories for me as it was a train I took on one of my first Interrail trips back in 2014.
After some time to explore Slovenia’s second largest city of Maribor, and feeling nostalgic, I boarded the EuroCity Emona for the last leg of its journey to Vienna once again in 2023. Earlier that morning, I had started my trip from Ljubljana to Maribor on an alternative train, which allowed me to experience the same route I was fond of, but on a new type of train, the InterCity Slovenia – here is the travel report if you’d like to learn more.
The EuroCity Emona is a popular service and rightly so, not only for the views through Slovenia and the Semmering in Austria. The train conveys a sit-down dining car and a special one at that – a rare type of the Slovenian Railways. The EuroCity Emona is the only train to convey one of these in daily passenger service, operating between Vienna and Ljubljana.
Here is a picture of the EuroCity Emona back in 2014 with the rare Dining Car of the Slovenian Railways, SŽ. on departure from Ljubljana to Vienna.
As usual, a travel report isn’t complete without a map! Here is one of the full route of the EuroCity Emona (Train No. EC 151/150 Vienna to/from Ljubljana and EC 134/135 Ljubljana to/from Trieste) from Trieste Centrale to Vienna. The train has two different numbers but runs direct.
Onboard the EuroCity Emona
I am mostly pleased to report that the EuroCity Emona train is very much the same as it was back in 2014.
As is typical of cross-border EuroCity services, the EuroCity Emona has multi-coloured carriages in its consist as the national railways work together by contributing carriages from their own stock.
On this particular train, there are carriages of the Austrian Railways, ÖBB, with red-grey carriages, and the Slovenian Railways, SŽ, with blue-green-white carriages. It’s a lottery as to which type of carriage you’ll be reserved in, but you can usually specify open saloon or compartment when booking.
There is also a range of accommodation onboard to choose from, from old fashioned compartment carriages to open saloons, as well as First and Second Class as well as the aforementioned Dining Car.
Despite the train serving three countries, there are no passport checks on this particular train due to Austria, Slovenia and Italy all being part of the Schengen free-travel area.
Second Class
The most popular accommodation on the EuroCity Emona is Second Class. These are formed of ÖBB and SŽ carriages, the former is usually in a mix of open saloon and compartment carriages and latter solely in compartments. The exact consist can vary on a daily basis, however.
Here is the open saloon ÖBB carriage which has seats arranged mainly in a 2+2 configuration and mostly in bays of three or four. There are some airline-style seats for two with seat-back tables. There are power points for charging devices.
Despite our seat reservation being in one of the ÖBB carriages, I was keen to try out one of the SŽ carriages which had been refurbished since my last trip on the EuroCity Emona with now a bright green moquette. The seats did look more comfortable than they were, however, and were a little on the hard side unfortunately.
The train was very busy (pictures taken once everyone had disembarked in Vienna) just as it was back in 2014. Funnily enough the train conveyed one less carriage that it did back then.
I’m pleased to report for 2024 that there is marked improvement in capacity on this route, with now up to twelve services between Ljubljana and Graz and an additional carriage added to the EuroCity Emona during busy periods.
First Class
The EuroCity Emona usually has a ÖBB First Class carriage in its regular formation, though on the day that we travelled, this wasn’t available. This would usually be of the following type featuring more spacious than Second Class 2+1 seating with power sockets. First Class simply affords more elbow room and a sometimes quieter travel environment.
Slovenian Dining Car
Now for the best part of the EuroCity Emona, the Dining Car! This is provided by the SŽ and is the only Slovenian sit-down restaurant available on a regular daily service and it’s too good to miss. Freshly prepared meals are provided by the sole onboard host.
The ambiance is quite something in the Dining Car having been refurbished since I last travelled. Now, the carriage has somewhat brightened up with a new patterned purple moquette on the seats and on the bar, the same as what the First Class seats have on other Slovenian trains. Also, it’s the same pattern as the green in Second Class on this train. There are also tablecloths, which you don’t see often these days, which add a touch of elegance in red with contrasting blue runners.
I enjoyed goulash soup followed by chicken schnitzel with a Laško beer coming to a total of €23,40 – reasonably priced considering the captive market and the window views for free… there’s always something magical about dining on the move!
I’m convinced that the sole host running the operation was the same host we encountered in 2014. I wish I had asked him!
As mentioned, the train was busy and as we sat down so were a couple of passengers who had no intention of eating or drinking. The host was moving people to make way for those who wished to dine which was fair enough.
It is worth noting that the Dining Car does not accept card payments – you need Euros in cash to take advantage. This appears to have been a problem as each window has a sticker portraying this message.
Here is the menu of the Dining Car on the EuroCity Emona.
Scenery
The EuroCity Emona route is scenic for much of the trip including green hills and forested mountains. Initially the train follows the rivers Sava and Savinja as far as Maribor and then traverses the famous Semmering railway in Austria.
Back in 2014, my phone had died of battery and I wasn’t able to charge it. I had no choice but to look out of the window and admire the scenery on offer which made the trip even more memorable.
Carriages groan at the bends of the semmering. View out the back
I took the northbound service, and although the track is the same whatever the direction, the southbound service should enable one to take more advantage of the scenery on offer all year round. By the time we reached the Semmering, it was getting dark outside.
I took a trip on the domestic InterCity Slovenia tilting pendolino train from Ljubljana to Maribor prior to taking the EuroCity Emona train. This covers the same route as far as Maribor and here is a video of the scenery covering the same part of the route that the EuroCity Emona takes later in the day.
Highlights in Vienna City
Known mainly for its architecture and music scene, Austria’s capital has so much to offer for a tourist getaway.
During my visits to Vienna, I recommend:
- Schönbrunn Palace and Gardens
- Hofburg Palace
- St Stephen’s Cathedral
- Vienna State Opera
- Spanish Riding School
- Albertina Museum
- Vienna City Hall
- Sachertorte at Hotel Sacher
Booking and Fares
Tickets for the EuroCity Emona vary like air fares with fares starting from the following.
| Journey Leg | Second Class | First Class |
| Ljubljana <> Vienna | from 23,30€ + 3,00€ optional seat reservation | from 32,60€ + 3,00€ optional seat reservation |
| Trieste <> Vienna | from 28,40€ + 3,00€ optional seat reservation | from 52,10€ + 3,00€ optional seat reservation |
Tickets are available direct from the Austrian Railways, ÖBB. Otherwise, you can book via Omio and other third party websites.
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Conclusion
I had a great time travelling on the EuroCity Emona once again in 2023 after my first trip in 2014. It’s a long journey from Ljubljana to Vienna, but, the route is wonderfully scenic. The Dining Car is fantastic, selling freshly cooked meals and decorated in a unique style with some classic touches. I’m pleased that there is more capacity coming to the route as this was certainly needed.
This Travel Report was first published in April 2024.
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