Trains & train stations, Bucharest

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For train travel to and from Bucharest from other major cities, such as Sibiu and Brasov, and international trains to Moscow, Istanbul, Sofia, Chisinau etc use Gare de Nord A Station. It has its own Metro station so it is easy to get to. When you enter the station, the big hall to your right is where you purchase same day tickets. I have always found them very efficient. Also, the trains to and from Bucharest are remarkably punctual, or maybe I have just been lucky. There is a big electronic board in front of the line of platforms which tells you which platform to go to. It's very straightforward.

Typically, a second class ticket on one of the best trains costs about 30 - 40 lei to most major Romanian cities. Sighisoara is 39.90 lei and Brasov 33.90 lei. Your ticket will show you your carriage number and seat number. If you show it to one of the guards on the platform, he will direct you to the correct compartment. The seats are comfortable with plenty of legroom.

To purchase an advance ticket and for all international tickets, you should use one of the two CFR Agentie de Voiaj offices. Office No. 1 is in the city centre on Strada Domnita Anastasia. The nearest metro station to it is Universitate. Office No. 2 is just round the corner from Gara de Nord, next to the Ibis Hotel, on Calea Grivitei.

There are direct trains to Brasov from Bucharest almost every hour. The first leaves at 0550, with the last being at 2350. The journey time is about 3 hours, but will depend on the service. Check bahn.de for up to date times (using stations Bucuresti Nord and Brasov as your station locations). The train I had was modern and comfortable on both legs of the journey.

There are two direct trains to get to Sofia from Bucharest. The first leaves in the afternoon at 1216 and arriving at 2135. There is also a night train at 2004 arriving the next morning at 0600. Check bahn.de for up to date times (using stations sofia and Bucuresti Nord as your station locations.)

There are border controls at the frontier. You will need to show your passport on both sides of the border although you will not need to get off the train to do this.

Few years ago, I used to carry my bike with me be train, from Bucharest to the Carpathian Mountains. An easy way to do this is to tip the person taking care of the luggage car :) or to just pull the two wheels off and place the bike as a luggage in the dedicated place. What I would recommend is asking in the North Railway Station and they might make you buy a ticket or the luggage, go with the bike to the luggage car (even so, I used to lock it there tight to something stable, just for safety)

Let us know how you'll proceed. :)
all best,
radu
www.outdoorholiday.com

the trains in romania are much more comfortable than buses, but are more expensive. however, for long journeys they are definately worth it.

for up-to-date info on timetable websites, how to book tickets etc www.seat61.com is a god send.

trains are punctual, but be prepared for slight delays at each station while the staff have a cigarette!

retain your ticket when you are on board, as conducters may ask to see it more than once. also, be prepared for people to offer you things to sell when in your compartment - they will leave them on the seat for you to look and then come back to collect them. this is often done without any conversation, so don't be fooled...they're not freebies!

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The rapid train to Brasov takes 2,5 hours and costs 38.80 RON (Oct. 07). The slow one costs 17 RON. On your ticket for the rapid train you can see how many kilometers you travel (166 in our case), the “vagon” number you are travelling in and your seat number. Both trains we used were more like commuter train type carriages which meant that there is no leg room at all.

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This old fashioned railway station is worth seeing by itself. It was inaugurated on 25th September 1872.

It is full of kiosks but none of them sell “In your Pocket” guides or postcards. There are left luggage facilities, an information, a small supermarket and snack places including the big M. In one hall, there was a printed timetable hanging there but it was out of date. You should take a look at the big board by the information. Don’t expect the ticket vendors to speak anything other than Romanian (at least at the domestic windows) which are in a separate hall. But all the young people speak English and we were happily helped.

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Bucharest’s main railway station, Bucuresti Nord (Bucharest North), is splat in two sections:
- Bucuresti Nord Gara A (used, on the CFR website as Bucuresti Nord Gr. A), where all fast trains arrive and depart, as well as all international trains to / from Bucharest
- Bucuresti Nord Gara B also known as Bucuresti Nord Gara Basarab (marked by CFR as Bucuresti Nord Gr. B), where some local trains to / from Southern Romania arrive / depart.
Bucuresti Nord Gara A lies on 2 Gara de Nord Square (tel.: (021)2230880, extension 1341, 1342), having its own metro station (entrance from the very station or just outside the ticket office hall). The ticket offices lie right in the station when getting out of the metro (“Casele de bilete”), while the sleeping berths or international tickets can be purchased in the other hall, just a little further from the previous ones (look for Pamir Bar on the street side of the station). Concerning international tickets, I recommend Wasteels office, as they are far more helpful and sometimes have discounted tickets for people under 26 years old. All offices in stations sell same day tickets. For bookings, you can refer to Wasteels or to a CFR agency in the city, of which I shall list two:
Agentia CFR Nr. 2, 139 Calea Grivitei (just a little further down the Calea Grivitei from the Bucuresti Nord Gr. A station, passed Hotel Ibis, on the right side), tel.: (021)2128947.
Agentia CFR Nr. 1, 10 Brezoianu (walk down the Elisabeta from the crossing with Victory Avenue, then turn left before the Mc Donald’s and walk on the left side until finding it), tel.: (021)3132643 for domestic information, (021)3145528 for international routes, (021)3139021 for sleeping wagons. In both agencies, when entering get an order ticket and wait for your number to be called and displayed. "Bilete toate directiile" stands for all domestic tickets, while "trafic international" stands for international tickets. "Informatii" stands for waiting in vain, so even for information it is better to get a regular order ticket.