Sleeper Car Experience: Budapest Hungary to Bucharest Romania.
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- Ride along overnight on a Trans-Balkan Express train service from Budapest Hungary to Bucharest Romania. Taking 16 hours and covering near 1000 KM experience Eastern European trains, sleeper cars, scenery, train stations, and countryside. An amazing experience costing about 76 US per person, we experienced travelling the old fashioned way - by Train. Come along for the ride !
Love Romania and Hungary both.
Beautiful countries, nice cities, nice languages, I have friends from both.
Μιχάλης Δελώτης me too and i live in Romania
#Hungary
@@bencegyors Well, I want to take a car with my friends and travel from Greece to Bulgaria, then go to Romania and then to Hungary and then to Austria. It would be a nice trip!
@@bandvitromaniaios1307 😊💗
@@MixalisD11_8 Goodluck with your trip :) and have a nice day (:
I have good memories from Hungary and Romania !
My God Europe is so beautiful. Postcards were made for Europe.
except for that boring COMMUNIST ERA ARCHITECTURE!!
You should travel through Switzerland, France, Germany and Italy.
Also add Belgium and parts of Poland.
@@jpathak6227 - I agree of your selections. I would go back to Germany anytime. That country loves American's.
@@jpathak6227 Devon and Cornwall were built for the GWR, meaning ' Gods Wonderful Railway ' who was I. K. Brunel, we did invented the things in Blighty.
Good morning Romania! And what a beautiful country it is!
What stunning countryside, beautiful country
I like to view train journey videos. I have traveled from Prague to Budapest by train. Never complain or criticize. Always praise and enjoy your journey. Even the best have some flows. It was fun to see beautiful country side between Prague and Budapest. Will travel again sometime soon.
Thanks for comments. Maybe I expected more from the journey. I enjoyed it but I never fail to give honest comments. Maybe people want to believe something is a cat when it's a dog but not me.
very nice, I love travelling by train!
In 2008 My wife and I took first class sleeper from Budapest to Munich. Great trip. It was the culmination of a trip that included trains. 1. Poznan Poland to Prague, changing in Berlin. 2 Prague to Budapest. A wonderful 2 week trip. Had friends in Poznan and Budapest but just booked walking tours in Prague.
Great video. Love European trains and the atmosphere on them.
love these types of transit!!!
Great scenery! But all I could think about was get coffee! Get coffee! 😊
Many thanks. Like a guided visit. Well crafted.
This brings back so many memories. Thank you.
Sure! When did you travel on this line?
Lovely thank you from California 🦁
Wow! Romania looks wonderful. I hear it's very safe there & not much crime. Cheers from the Grand Canyon!
It is safe. However if you are careless any where you will be a victim. Barcelona is notorious for pick-pockets
now romania is safer, because the ro pickpickets work in barcelona (bigger return on investment). ^^
Nice journey and description and coaches were looking good
I did the Budapest Brasov run twice, in Sep 2010 and Sep 2013. I found it worth while to travel in day time. I used to do the 300km Cluj Brasov run almost every weekend between 1996 and 2002. I used to be a good client of CFR in those days. I also experienced the improvement of the wagons (cars) in the period, they were much better in 2002 than 1996.
"Very rural and agrarien countryside Romania... Yes, trains often travel through the countryside!
Yup, they do!
Thank you, Very informative and educational.
Very interesting to see the different geographic regions.
That is why we ride trains, to get a better view of the countryside. When you drive you see the scenery but not as well as you concentrate on driving...
Thank you for the information, you did very well!!👍🏻
Thank you. I only wish the cabins were bigger to take video. It was so tough to show them
Wow so beautiful!
What a beautiful sky
Thanks for sharing. I am taking my 10 year old son on this route in July. It answered many questions. The coffee thing........I'll be ready for that and we'll plan accordingly.
Your welcome. Bring extra water and fruits/breakfast types of food to eat.
You mention the length of the platforms. Before the Great War (1914-18) many platforms were lengthened as the railways formed a central part of troop mobilisation. The fact that a country was lengthening its station platforms was a sign that it was preparing for war.
Great observation! Thank you. Budapest or Bucharest are you referring to or both?
They all work together to fool the masses!!
Two beautiful countries
Interesting video and good pictures. Thank you
Thanks for this video. Brought back memories of being a student in 1986 in Budapest. Took several Train trips from there. Longest was 36 hrs to Athens.
Wow - that seems too long, 36 hours! Are you sure? Boy I would like to have experienced what you did in Budapest in 1986
Excellent photography!
Thanks so much. I traveled this route back in 1995. Took a ton of pictures out of the train car during the trip. Beautiful.
I'd love to see your pictures from 1995. That was the Communist times
@swissclimber1 I'm sorry to inform you that the communist era was allready over in 1995.
Nice vid...i did same trip last November from Keleti to Gara De Nord in Bucharest..loved it...i had single sleeper and we had a dining car...nice beer ...dinner..breakfast...also it was late November and was snowing early and hard as we went through Carpathians and Brasov...Predeal...was beautiful and outstanding trip...all those who complain...try chill and relax ..half the fun is doing something different and the train itself...bit tired but comfortable...my hats of to the conductor...very friendly...invited me into his cabin..made the best fresh coffee...told me some great stories...romania is a beautiful special country and CFR rocks!
Wow you were so lucky ! Do you speak the local language? If you did maybe the conductor was more friendly. Our was super grumpy.
swissclimber1 lol...i speak ok...not fluent but better than average...maybe ur conductor just having a bad day...but nice vid..i will be back in Romania in November so I will take some of my own...planning to go Bucharest to Moldova by train then into Ukraine...safe travels
That sounds cool. I would like to form Lviv to Kieve and then to Odesso on the overnight train
I wonder if a foreign tourist can make himself understood in those countries speaking only English...
@@orlandonavarro5674 You will have no problems with English only in Romania, especially in major towns, everyone knows a bit and its taught in schools now as a compulsory second language. Moldova not as much but still ok to get by with English only and Ukraine was fine. But again if you only speak English who cares, thats half the fun, just go out on a limb and get out of your comfort zone, body language always works well too.
Frumoasa calatorie !
Great way to travel. Especially endearing is the way the Station Master appears at even the smallest station when the train arrives, departs and passes thru.
They are probably like me, in love with trains
A superb video!
Soo beautiful
Whatever the region is, whatever the nation is, whatever the people are but train journey is always coool. . . Nice video
so a nice statement! I appreciate. I am from r...
Beautiful Romania! God bless her!
Yes indeed. I love it too and would retire there. Great food to eat and beautiful country
thank you very interesting
Nice video as usual. Romania looked beautiful. Romanian people deserve relief after Ceaușescu. I agree with one of the comments below that the governments of Hungary and Romania need to be more people-centered.
Super video :)
Beautiful..... God creat this in fresh mind...
Very nicely done. I enjoyed the captions.
thx for the ride :)
Awesome No dought. I love this video.
Thank you!
Very nicely done ! I appreciate the captions with the essential information you provide, keeping the soundtrack clear with no music. Thanks for sharing, I know I must ride one of these trains one day (with a light meal and drink ready in the luggage, train travel makes you hungry, most of the time… )
If you come in Romania make sure you have Romainian Lei. There's chiosks on platforms but they don't accept any other currency but some do accept card. Romainia is a very card friendly country ...you only need cash in smaller villages.
Awesome vid and very cool views 👍🏻👍🏻
Nice video. Good to have captions. Well done
Lovely train ride.🇦🇺
i love your videos!
I think the countries are beautiful......and I love your train video --- thank you so much.
Thank you for your reply. Please be sure to subscribe
Exelence video and nice ride
Remek videó Gratulálok!
Excellent Video Swissclimber1. Very insightful. Well Done.
I love Romania!!!
This is great ... I did this overnight trip from Oradea (probably where you crossed into Romania) to Bucuresti at least a dozen times round trip in the 70's when I was a young lad. ... Trains were packed back then and we always used the sleeper car.
OMG that sounds awesome. I'm sure you have some vivid memories of that. Smoke-laden, dark cars, etc. Some of the train stations along the way still look like from 1970's Communist times
Nice Coverage..
1:26-1:35 Going through my hometown, Sülysáp. :D
That was very nice
Wow, that are some impressive mountains and all those castles they have.... Romania is on my bucket list aswell for some time. Two years ago I went from Budapest to Germany all on train. I also had the option of flying, but I was sooooo keen of trying a train with sleeper car (also for the fact of arriving rested). The rocking was unusual and the re-grouping of the train in Salzburg was very noisy, so I didn't sleep that much, but it was worth an experience.
Thanks for comments. I think the Germany train had newer cars
Btw sleeping carts are most likely found on trains, wich travel at night time(in hungary). You can find them in the Budapest-Vác-Szob-Sturovo-Bratislava-Prague-Berlin line. Funy thing is that the train goes through countries, but they operate the train ride with polish carts, while the train doesnt even go ner Poland. My mum usually goes on these Eurocity trains from Vác to Budapest. I and my mum travel for free because she works at MÁV, the National Hungarian Train Service (Magyar ÁllamVasutak). Greetings from Hungary btw
Thanks for comments. I'd like to go to Prague from Budapest. In another video I highlight this train and the cars were super modern and new
Very beautiful😊😊😊😊😊
Great journey
Thanks a ton
Good job !
Thank you! Cheers!
I wish the United States still had such a great rail system (which once was the case until they sold them all off and went to Amtrak) with restored beautiful old Train Stations They can always add on a dining car or additional sleepers if needed.
Your right about beautiful stations. Kansas City, Cincinnati, Buffalo, etc. Great stations. Please watch my new upload of the Buffalo NY Subway Metro system - mass transit is still around where you least expect it.
IN the USA the lobbyists sent by airlines to the Capitol will derail any plans to develop railways. So sad.
awesome!
Thanks!
xelent Video.
Great!
Great presentation. Hello from Nevada. Romania is so green!
Europe is so beautiful . God,s Paradise on Earth .
Yes, but that does not mean everyone else are welcome to come to live here. Visit by all means, but then please return.
Alpine station is Predeal Station
Had not noticed the university presence in Brasov. Thanks for reminding!
It's a very interesting city. We enjoyed it later in the trip
My first experience was from last year to Split, Croatia from Budapest Keleti Rws and what can I say? It was awesome! It's a very unique experience, I felt like I went back to the 19th century. You should try it out there as well. The view from the countryside to the mountains... beautiful.
Thanks. Was your experience similar to what you saw in my video?
nice report! ;-)
Was interesting
Great :) helpful; insightful video. Thank you for posting, Unlike air travel, rail travel allows so much to be seen. Sadly too many rail operators fail to grasp the simple fact that many travellers would really prefer to travel by "Premier class train" than air" Again; Thanks for posting :)
Thanks for this. They are improving the rail line in Romania with EU money so the slow part of the journey will be much quicker future forward
The train is beautiful and nice and clean quiet nice journeys
Thanks. It was an experience
Very nice
I'm from Hungary, and I use the local railway every day. In my opinion, our trains are slower in a shorter distance(like Budapest-Cegléd) but the long services are pretty fast, because we have really high-speed lines, and I'm happy about that.
Yes indeed. I did point that out in my video. Hungary part = fast. Romania part = slow. But I think they made it faster in the past few years thanks to EU money.
Around 8:30 you can see the Ammendorf type Moldovan Railway cars for the Bucharest to Kishinev train the "Prietenia".
That is a real experience taking the Prietenia, I just did that in January 2019, from Bucharest to Chisinau and back. If you want vintage communist era carriages that have not changed, right down to old gold trim drapery and coal fired furnace in each car, then take the ride.
Beautiful pictures of this train trip, greeting from Holland
Holland, really? Or did you mean Netherlands? Foreigners need to know... (I am Dutch.)
Greetings from Vác, Hungary.
I am British and refer to Holland as The Netherlands.
@@smvanwers6300 Either is fine - I'm Anglo-Australian, 75 years of age and had never heard of Netherlands until about 40-years ago ? ;)
@@smvanwers6300 - OK, Dutch, but you guys have to understand that everybody in the world calls your country Holland...The Netherlands is only used by you people born there.
Excellent railway system .
What a fun trip that must have been.
It was an experience for sure. The rail line has since been improved in Romania thanks to EU funds
Nice video...................
i'm getting sleepy just watching this
Good night 😊
Very interesting and informative video! I love seeing long distance/sleeper car trains in other part of the world. I travel long distance (54 hours) frequently by train in the United States. We only have Amtrak here.
Amtrak has showers in the cabin from what I understand. The USA is just to darn big and most of the people live and work in suburbs. Hence the concept of hub city travel, living and working is not really possible
Think I'll stay in America with AmTrack! Thank you good to see stuff like this makes you appreciate what we have here!
The trains in most European countries are far superior to Amtrak
@Larry XK In Romania there are only 2 routes refurbished. But the lack of restaurant-wagon is unusually for such a long trip.
I m from India and I always love trains and it couldn't better than this watching Hungarian and Romanian countryside
I'm happy you enjoyed it. Thank you for watching.
swissclimber1 thank you ..I hope you will make more of such videos ..best wishes .
I did this journey in reverse, Bucharest > Budapest (actually the end station was Wiena). I remember being a bit warm and no air conditioned, but at the time there still was a restaurant wagon, with food and coffee.
A rather looong trip, but which I remember fondly.
Oh yeah, and back to Bucharest with the same train.
Yes. I missed that restaurant wagon. But maybe they had rats or cockroaches. I wouldn't be surprised!
Rats and cockroaches, ha ha, why : )
The restaurant wagon was clean alright, but like the sleeping one it was also old tech.
As far as I can tell, both were maybe state of the art in the 80-90 and reasonable well maintained considering that they were still working until few years ago, but they clearly showed their age.
One of the bathrooms was malfunctioning and in the wagon there was this smell of old leather/components or...not sure what it was. It reminded me of old cars.
Anyway, I do hope that someday we'll reach the same quality level in transportation that I've seen in western Europe.
@swissclimber1 I can guarantee that there aren't more rats and cockroaches in Hungarian wagons than in Swiss wagons. I know that because I traveled with both.
Such a beautiful country.
You actually took a picture of the engine. Wow 😮
I wish I could have been in the locomotive. Did you see how it was jumping up and down?
A little correction - these are not communist-era buildings(commieblocks), but rather post-WWI functionalist buildings. Communist didn't use bricks, they used concrete prefabricated blocks(hence the name - commieblock). 5:36 now thats a commieblock. Also, Romania does not have Alps. They have Carpathians.
Wow, thanks for the great eye. I'm from foreign country and sometimes have to make guesses what I see. I did study history but learning never stops. Yes, Alps is not the correct name. But alps with a small 'a' can be used as a generic name for mountains. There are alps in Japan as an example. Thanks for great insight!
Hi
Btw those are communist-era buildings
And Swiss
Swiss And thrust if you go to Hungary, you shouldnt just travel through. It has beautiful sights. Like in Budapest, there s the Danube river. Its beautiful at night time, especially when you are looking at The parliament looking at the castle. In Esztergom there is the huge and beautiful cathedral, in Debrecen there is the flower carnival, in Szeged there is the basilica, in Eger there is the old castle from the ottoman times. And in my home town, Vác, there are multiple museums, also the city hall is a Modern Madi museum kinda thing too. Amd there is the D.O.M., our beautiful basilica. We have kany schools, churches and 2 train stations. if you are in Hungary, check one out :)
I visited Constanza,Romania just after the revolution in early 90's.Loved it there,met some really nice people and one"angel".A 12oz draft beer was 6 cents(xchg.rate)Constanza has the 4th largest sea-port in Europe.
Big Like Comment :D. Im Frome Romania Constanta Black Sea Summer Beach :D:)
The old part of Constanza is nice. Outside of the old part there is nothing special
I enjoyed that. The train at 8.25 looked a bit close !!!
I miss old trains
Me too
THANKS a lot. We MISSED our journey from BUDAPEST TO BRASOV Dracula city by this train..were woken up by passport control in midnight at border
.
Yes you will get woken up no matter what time by Immigration. Sleep or middle of night - they don't care
Excellent. Thanks very much. I liked the odd bits of info too. Too bad no food on train. Why so few people?
Laughed at the "died no coffee."
unfortunatley becouse the capitalism promote individuality, so they prefer to travel by car: its faster and maybe cheaper, but definitley not comfortable.
Nice video . Greetings from Brasov City . .🍺🍺🍺🍺🎥🎥🎥
Thank you very much!
Very Nice video. Maybe i Will choose a Day train, possibly with restaurant-car....lol :)
The sleeping car you travelled in is owned by Romanian operator CFR Calatori along with the other 4 cars that consisted EN 473-2 from Budapest to Bucharest all the way. The sleeping car is built in 1994 by German builder DWA and it has been subjected to a modernisation programme that covered 13 out of 25 cars 12 years ago. A second programme has started in 2011 and implied more "luxorious and modern" features but only 5 sleeping cars are known to have been modernised up to date.
I have read a lot of reviews from foreign travellers, and indeed a bistro / restaurant car would be a great addition to the train - but the service has been cancelled since 2016 due to "low internal demand' Well, more likely poor (or lack of) management. Thus the Romanian mentality that everything in the bistro / restaurant car is more expensive than at a station kiosk.
Predeal at 06:35 is rather a nationwide known mountain resort and is considered to be a small city due to all the available amenities that the citiziens have, in comparison with a village.
The train schedule is modified due to engineering works, causing the train to run at least 1h late for another 2 months when the works are expected to be finished in Coslariu area. Everyone is eager to know if all trains that pass through Sighisoara will have at least 2 hours cut from their ordinary schedule provided that the rails will be fully enabled for 140-160 km/h operation from the next timetable in December 2017...
Wow. thanks for that excellent explanation. I am skeptical that through the mountains it will go 140-160 kmh
You are welcome. By engineering works i was refering to to the plains of Transsylvania ; Predeal - Campina - Chitila is already modernised in 2 steps, between 1998-2002 and 2007-2011 but limited due to terrain or unsolved problems. The only problem on the IV Paneuropean corridor is the hilly portion of the route between Sighisoara and Brasov (since only 2 thirds will be enabled to 140-160 kmh operations in 5-6 years), plus the mountaneous part from Brasov to Predeal, both will recieve 85% non-refundable payments from European Union and 15% from the state government of Romania but for the "cheapest" solutions (no base tunnel underneath mountains, etc).
Sleeping car is a "WLAB 20040 Vagon de dormit MU" made before 1980. 2nd class is a 1982 Gorlitz made car.
Xplosion51 Yes we are and I think we are enjoying that. Sad, but this is the true.
Show swimsuit models
We usually don't put a bistro cargo to the Budapest-Bucharest trains. We put them to the Wien-Bucharest ones as far as I know.
That's because there is more traffic to Vienna. Tourist visit Prague, Vienna, Budapest and that's it