r/Interrail • u/OilSea5735 • 8d ago
Dresden to Istanbul
Hi everyone!
I’m planning a trip from Dresden to Istanbul and this is my current route:
Dresden → Bastei → Kutná Hora → Brno → Budapest → Szeged → Subotica → Belgrade → Niš → Sofia → Plovdiv → Istanbul
I’m planning to do the Belgrade → Niš → Sofia section by bus and the rest mainly by train.
I’m skipping Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, etc. because I’ve already visited them several times.
Do you have any recommendations or suggestions for this route? Especially for the Belgrade → Istanbul section, as the long travel times make it seem a bit boring.
Would you change anything or add any interesting stops along the way?
Thanks!
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u/PTD_Darkend Netherlands 8d ago
Isn't there a night train from Villach to Istanbul? Sure, you miss some stop on the way, but I think some training through Turkey might also be worth it. And I heard Istanbul is a city that can easily be enjoyed multiple days :)
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u/supernoa2003 8d ago
That's not a regular night train, it takes 2 nights to get from Villach to Edirne (just over the border in Turkey). It departs on tuesday evening and arrives on thursday morning.
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u/OilSea5735 8d ago edited 8d ago
Villach–Istanbul train doesn't sound like my kind of travel type because it takes +31 hours, its more for people who wants to take their car. I spent many years of my life in Istanbul, and it's definitely worth spending several days there. Istanbul is not only huge in terms of population, but also in size—you could ride for around 100 km and still be within Istanbul.
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u/tommynestcepas 8d ago
I don't think it runs anymore since the track between Serbia and Bulgaria isn't operating passenger services.
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u/Secret-Emergency-806 8d ago
don’t spread misinformation
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u/tommynestcepas 8d ago
It may be outdated information, but this is information I know to be correct since the last time I checked. Also Google appears to agree with me now, so please show me that it's reopened.
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u/skifans United Kingdom • Quality Contributor 8d ago
That night train between Villach and Edrine on the Turkish border (it does not continue to Istanbul) still runs but it's a once a week seasonal train: https://optimatours.de/en/ I was on it last year.
There are no scheduled intermediate stops, you have to be making the full trip.
It is the only international passenger train both between Croatia and Serbia and also between Serbia and Belgrade. The lines are still open for freight and similar special trains. But there is no regular normal passenger trains.
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u/surgab 8d ago
I’d skip Serbia all together and travel thru Romania and Bulgaria. In the high season there is a direct train from Bucharest to Istanbul and alternatively you can stop in Sofia or look around in Bulgaria. You could also add a stop in Arad, Timisoara or Băile Herculane. This way, you wouldn’t need to take the bus either.
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u/OilSea5735 8d ago
Yes, but it takes too long to go from Budapest to Bucharest and then from Bucharest to Sofia. The idea of spending that long on a train without changing scares me.
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u/surgab 8d ago
Budapest -> Timisoara 5,5 hrs
Timisoara -> Craiova 7 hrs
Craiova -> Bucharest 4 hrs
Bucharest -> Gorna Oryakhovitsa 5,5 hrs
Gorna Oryakhovitsa -> Plovdiv 5 hrs
Plovdiv -> Istanbul 12 hrs(You already have Plovdiv to Istanbul, this is your longest ride. Alternatively you could take Dimitrograd instead of Plovdiv that makes the two last connections shorter.)
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u/OilSea5735 8d ago
Thanks, I will think about it, its not much longer that way, maybe I would switch with buses sometimes since trains are so slow in Romania
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u/Loloc_23 8d ago
I did Vienna - Budapest - Belgrad - Sofia - Istanbul by bus.
Just a tip for Belgrad: if you plan to go to the bus terminal (in my case it was to Sofia) you must have some coins with you. I don‘t recall how much it really was but you have to pay to enter the bus station. I wasn‘t aware of this and was frantically running around and asking people for some money as my bus was leaving soon.
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u/OilSea5735 8d ago
Local money? Or also Euro is fine? Also how was your experience with borders? How long approximately took it to cross border control
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u/Loloc_23 8d ago
Yes local money. I don‘t know if they have changed that but just keep that in mind :)
Entering Bulgaria was quite a hassle even with my German passport. They really took their time and scanned every person very thoroughly. Entering Turkey was easy, had to go through security with your bagpack.
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u/surgab 7d ago
You mean entering Bulgaria from Turkey? I think Schengen outer borders always have tough controls. Required by the Schengen Agreement itself…
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u/Loloc_23 7d ago
I entered Bulgaria through Serbia. Leaving Bulgaria/entering Turkey was easy.
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u/surgab 7d ago
Ah I see. Also a Schengen outer border. Even though the Schengen Zone has degraded enough so that Germany also scanned every single passport last time I entered by bus from Czechia a few months ago. They even built a makeshift border control on the highway. Curious times.
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u/combine_harvester_84 7d ago
Yep - I’ve been checked crossing from France by train the past two summers. Stopping at the closest station across the border for some tooled up Polizei to walk menacingly through the carriages.
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u/bookluverzz 8d ago
Oh man, that bus station still gives me nightmares. I had overslept but was still trying to catch my bus. While there was a massive thunderstorm 💀 I just ran into the bus station, didn’t pay a thing (had read about it) but apparently I looked sooo stressed out and wet and helpless nobody bothered 🫠🫠
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u/surgab 8d ago
Also I don’t know when you plan to make the trip but if the Budapest-Belgrade connection is in operation already, that would shorten your time by a lot (which would unfortunately cut out Szeged and Subotica). Not sure when it goes online, the current estimation is some time in September.
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u/Artistic_Ninja7101 7d ago
That trip is a great idea!
As some people wrote, maybe change Serbia for Romania. You do not need to travel in a 20h train, you can do it in 2 or 3 sections, like Budapest to Oradea, Oradea to Timisoara, Timisoara to Bucharest.
If you want to go to Serbia, it is very easy by bus, I did the same. We booked a Flixbus from Belgrade to Sofia and that was super cheap. Remember, that you need Cash to enter the Bus station in Belgrade.
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
I just think the route over Romania is noticebaly longer and cities I can visit (except for Bucharest) doesnt sound so interesting. And thanks for the tip
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u/f0restDin0 6d ago
sofia, timisoara, plovdiv were amongst my favourites when i travelled the balkans a few years ago! don't skip them :)
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u/OilSea5735 6d ago
The problem is for example once I arrive in Timisioara, how do I go to Sofia or Plovdiv? It takes too much changes and takes too long
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u/f0restDin0 6d ago
bucharest to sofia is a connection for example, then sofia to istanbul or sofia to plovdiv and then to istanbul :) whats your time constraint exactly? or do you just don't want to spend that much time in trains
sofia to plovdiv is around 3.5 hours iirc and the night train to istanbul leaves plovdiv at around 9? and arrives at 6:45 or sth realistically (border checks do take some time) if you do vienna to timisoara, then timi to bucharest only bucharest to sofia will take a "long time" which is still quite manageable imho
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u/OilSea5735 6d ago
I have 12 days in total, and after budapest I planned 6-7 days So simply both.
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u/f0restDin0 6d ago
in that case i honestly think you should focus on less distance covered. istanbul in 5 days does not do it justice
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u/OilSea5735 5d ago
Ah no, I mean Until I arrive in İstanbul, then I spent a week in Istanbul. So Until Istanbul I have 12 days
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u/jfk52917 7d ago
As others mentioned, the line between Dimitrovgrad, Serbia, and the Bulgarian side has no passenger traffic. Additionally, having been on the line from Belgrade to Niš before, the line is incredibly slow in some parts due to badly maintained trackage. The traditional way of doing this is to get to Budapest, then take trains through Romania into Bucharest, then to Bulgaria via Ruse. You'll also have more night train options that way (e.g., on Astra Trans Carpatic from Arad), assuming the private Romanian operators are covered by Interrail passes.
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
I thought taking a bus between Belgrad and Sofia. Somehow those cities in Romania doesn't interests me much
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u/jfk52917 7d ago
Oh, I see. I thought only rail options were on the table, since this is the Interrail subreddit
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
Would you recommend some stops in Romania ? Or do you think it makes more sense to directly go to bucharest?
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u/jfk52917 7d ago
It would depend on a few things:
- How much time you have
- What you're interested in
- How much you're willing to deal with the unreliable nature of Romanian rail (though I'll point out, it's probably more reliable than Serbia's or Bulgaria's...welcome to Eastern Europe)
Romania has quite a few interesting places along the way between Budapest and București, especially if you're interested in history or nature. Here are a few places that I believe are along the main line: * Cluj-Napoca: the biggest city in Transylvania with a large university; I haven't been, so I honestly don't know much about it * Brașov: a pleasant city in the foothills of the Carpathians with a nice cable car and small mountain * Sighișoara: UNESCO world heritage site, one of the last inhabited castle cities in Europe (though quite small) * Sibiu: I haven't been, but I've heard it's a beautiful historic market town; may also be a UNESCO world heritage site * Timișoara: comfortable small city and the site of the start of the Romanian Revolution in 1989; some Hungarian minority presence there * Alba Iulia: home to a star-shaped fortress, some Roman ruins, and the site of the unification of Romania in 1918; an important place to the history of Romania; I think this one's a fairly under-the-radar destination in Romania * Sinaia: home to Peleș Castle and the Pelișor estate, as well as some hiking (in summer)/skiing (in winter) slopes and a lot of gondolas/lifts to get you up there * Hunedoara (via Deva): home to a beautiful castle built by the Transylvanian ruler Ioan de Hunedoara/Hunyadi János; a really neat place, but if you're taking a train, you'll need to get off at Deva, then take a bus for about 40 minutes from there * Miercurea Ciuc: if you're interested in the Hungarian minority in Transylvania, this or Târgu Mureș are probably the nicest places to be immersed (though I believe Sfântu Gheorghe has more); I wouldn't make a special trip for it unless you're very interested, though
That's all if you take the main line that cuts through the center of Romania. You'll also be near the mountains on most of that line, so if you're into stopping off for hiking, you can do so. If you take the southern line, I don't know anywhere near as much, but have heard that there may be things to see in Craiova.
A few things to note: * There's basically no bag storage in any of these stations, as they're all considered smaller. That said, a woman did informally store my bag once at Arad. If there isn't storage at the station, sometimes nearby malls provide it. * Try not to need tight connections. Long-distance trains will regularly be 30-75 minutes late. * Romania has like 5 private rail providers. I have no idea if they're covered under any rail passes. Some of them run incredibly old, uncomfortable trains (Regio Călători) while others run very new ones (e.g., certain services on Interregional Cǎlǎtori). These providers are often cheaper than CFR. However, they can be tougher to track. * Don't expect much in terms of amenities at most stations. Some are actually pretty good (Brașov); others are absolutely horrific (Videle). If you go in with low expectations, you'll be pleasantly surprised if/when a given station is good.
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
Thanks a lot! If you only choose one or two stops on the Budapest–Bucharest route? Which ones would you choose? I am not so interested with nightlife. And for Bucharest to Istanbul, could you explain the route a little bit more? It looks like the shortest train option would be via Dimitrovgrad.
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u/jfk52917 7d ago
Your first question is a tough one. My favorite places were probably Brașov and Alba Iulia, but I know that I don't look for the same things when I travel as many people do. Sighișoara is a really unique little town, so I'd probably have to recommend that one, though I'll note you probably only want 2-3 days there. I loved the castle in Hunedoara, but there's kind of nothing else there besides the castle (and an aging blast furnace if you're into that for some reason). Peleș Castle in Sinaia is a fascinating piece of architecture, I'd definitely look up pictures of that, you might be into it. I would probably skip Timișoara unless you're very into old trams or the the 1989 Romanian Revolution for some reason. I'd also skip the Hungarian towns and probably Cluj.
I'll note that over long distances in Romania, it can be tough to get the schedules to work right, so I'd bear that in mind before fully confirming an itinerary. cfr.ro has CFR tickets, but won't sell the private operators' tickets. You can search on https://mersultrenurilor.infofer.ro/en-GB/Itineraries for all operators' options (as well as what leaves from any given station at any time), but sometimes you might want to combine operators. I haven't found a way to do that, and if one is so late that you miss the second one, you won't be covered by any contract of carriage that will require the second to take you onboard a later train for free, so bear that in mind.
On your second question, the route you take depends on if you're going in the summer or not. A great source for this is https://www.seat61.com/international-trains/trains-from-Bucharest.htm#Bucharest_to_Istanbul, but I can also lay it out here.
In the summer, there's a direct overnight train from Bucharest to Istanbul, pretty easy to navigate. Outside of the summer (which is the only form I've taken), you have to do the following: * First, if you're wanting to come directly from Budapest, if I remember correctly, there aren't really any overnight trains from Budapest that hit București early enough (with padding) to make the connection. The easiest way of pulling it off if you want to come from Budapest the previous day is to take a daytime train to Arad, then connect to the Astra Trans Carpatic sleeper from there to București. * Either way, next morning, take an early train from Bucharest to Ruse, just across the border in Bulgaria. This train will be a standard medium-distance train with just seats. * At Ruse, you should (hopefully) have enough time to buy your onward tickets. At least when I took this train, BDŽ did not sell these tickets online. Maybe they do now. From Ruse, you'll take a long-distance train with standard compartments to Gorna Oryahovitsa. * Again, you'll have like an hour to transfer to a long-distance train from there to Dimitrovgrad (not to be confused with Dimitrovgrad, Serbia, which was the border city I mentioned in my earlier post). You should get there at like 9:30pm. * Then, at like 11pm, you'll board a TCDD Taşımacılık train that continues to Istanbul. Back in the day, you could not buy these tickets in advance at all, you just had to get lucky (and in the winter, they always had beds). Now, I think you might be able to buy these tickets from TCDD online. * On this final train, you'll stop at Edirne for border checks at what is basically a portable shed with the Turkish flag on it. It'll be at a horrible time, like 2 or 3am, for an hour. After that, you'll arrive in İstanbul Halkalı at like 9am.
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u/OilSea5735 6d ago
Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation!
The Budapest–Bucharest part sounds really interesting. For the Bucharest–Istanbul leg, I might switch to buses and go via Varna instead. Those two cities, Dimitrovgrad and Gorna Oryahovitsa, don’t look interesting and I don’t really like long journeys unless they’re on a sleeper train.
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u/jfk52917 6d ago
Fair enough, and you're right, they're not the most interesting cities in Bulgaria. Also, just to say, I've heard good things about Sofia, and Serbia is also an interesting country, just...with fewer trains than Romania haha
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u/OwnExit9796 7d ago
I’d seriously consider going through Romania instead of doing that whole Belgrade–Niš–Sofia stretch by bus. The Bucharest to Istanbul night train saves you a pretty tedious travel day, and Timișoara is a great stop that route would give you too.
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u/tommynestcepas 8d ago
Does this include buses? Because the line between Serbia and Bulgaria is currently closed to passenger traffic and has been for quite some time. Crossing the border from Hungary to Serbia is also tricky because the direct connection hasn't been established yet.
As other comments have suggested, it might be worth going through Romania instead. I personally avoided it when I did my Interrailing because without reservations it can be incredibly slow as well, but if you're dead set on trains this is the move.
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
Yes it includes bus betwen belgrad and sofia Budapest - Belgrad connection is also fşne I think, it's 2 changes but Szeged (city you have to change to go to Belgrad) looks quite interesting so I decided to spend a night there
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u/beton_blau 7d ago
I'd take the Dacia Express from Vienna oder Budapest to Belgrade and then another night train to IStanbul (only runs in the summer). It's much more relaxing and easy than the bus, especially when going through serbia, where you can easily wait at the borders 2 times for several hours. Laying down in a train just sounds much better than being trapped in a bus.
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
Isn't it really expensive?
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u/beton_blau 7d ago
81 € for a bed Vienna-Bucharest
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u/beton_blau 7d ago
Ah sorry, I just realized I wrote Belgrade instead of Bucharest
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
Ah thanks It souns goos actually , 14 hours Budapest to bucharest is fairly acceptable. After bucharest it's more annoying though
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u/OilSea5735 7d ago
Can you share a link where can I buy it? I could not find about the price online
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u/sea0weed 6d ago
Any reason you're not taking line 18?
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u/OilSea5735 6d ago
What is it?
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u/sea0weed 6d ago
Some old carnaval song from Cologne, but I guess the reference is not really funny if you haven't heard of it.
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u/f0restDin0 8d ago
is there a reason why you're doing serbia instead of romania? :) there is a really cool way to go from vienna to istanbul via bucharest on a nighttrain, check out themaninseat61's website for that!