London to Bulgaria by train, a two-night Balkan adventure...

It's not difficult to travel to Bulgaria by train, in fact it's a safe, comfortable and interesting journey.  The train ride from London to Bulgaria takes two nights, using Eurostar to Paris and the excellent City Night Line sleeper to Munich, a fast RailJet express to Budapest, then a direct sleeping-car from Budapest to to Bucharest for an onward daytime train to Sofia.  Or you can travel via Paris, Munich, Zagreb & Belgrade.  The train times, fares, and how best to buy tickets are all explained on this page.

Train times, fares, tickets & information...

London to Sofia by train, via Budapest & Bucharest:  The most comfortable route:  Train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

London to Sofia by train, via Zagreb & Belgrade:  The fastest route:  Train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

London to Sofia by train, via Budapest & Belgrade:  An alternative:  Train times, fares & how to buy tickets.

General information about train travel in Europe

Luggage   Taking bikes   Taking dogs

Hotels & accommodation in Sofia & Bulgaria

Route map:  London to Bulgaria by train...

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Useful country information

London to Sofia by train

Option 1:  London to Sofia via Paris, Munich, Budapest & Bucharest...

This is currently the most comfortable route to and from Bulgaria, given that the Belgrade-Sofia overnight train now used in option 2 only has a couchette car rather than a proper sleeper.  The route via Bucharest shown here has comfortable sleeping-cars for both nights, and a scenic daytime journey from Bucharest into Bulgaria.  It's a safe, adventurous  and comfortable trip.  However, tight connections in Bucharest following recent timetable changes means it's probably advisable to stay a night in Bucharest, extending the journey to 3 nights rather than 2.  So if speed is important, you can reach Bulgaria in just 2 nights, 48 hours using option 2 via Zagreb & Belgrade shown further down this page, the only drawback being a night in a more basic couchette rather than sleeper for the second night.

London ► Veliko Tarnovo, Sofia

• Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:31 (14:01 on Saturdays), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  On Fridays, there's also a 16:01 Eurostar arriving 19:17.  In Paris, it's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Day 1, travel from Paris to Munich overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 and arriving in Munich at 07:10 next morning.  It has sleeping-cars (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information below or click for more pictures & information about this City Night Line train.

• Day 2, travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned Austrian RailJet train, leaving Munich at 09:27 and arriving in Budapest Keleti at 16:49.  A bar-bistro car is available, so treat yourself to lunch!  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.  Map of Budapest showing Keleti station.

• Day 2, travel from Budapest to Bucharest overnight on the EuroNight sleeper train Ister, leaving Budapest Keleti at 19:10 and arriving in Bucharest Nord at 12:10 next morning (day 3).  The Ister has a modern air-conditioned sleeping car (1, 2 or 3-bed standard sleepers with washbasin, 1, 2 or 3 bed deluxe sleepers with toilet & shower) and 4 & 6-berth couchettes.  A bed in the sleeper is the recommended option, see the photos below.  The Ister should have a restaurant car for dinner & breakfast (euros, lei & forints accepted), but the restaurant isn't always attached, so take some provisions yourself.  Enjoy the descent through the wonderful Alpine scenery of the Carpathian mountains between Brasov and Bucharest.  Ister is the ancient name for the River Danube.

• Day 3, travel from Bucharest to Sofia by daytime train, leaving Bucharest Nord at 12:30 and arriving Veliko Tarnovo at 19:16 and Sofia at 22:00.  It's a tight connection in Bucharest, the Ister usually runs on time but you might consider staying the night in Bucharest and travelling on to Sofia on day 4.  There is no catering on this fairly basic train, and 2nd class seating only, so bring your own supplies of food, water, and beer or wine, but it's a scenic and interesting trip, so enjoy the ride.  Expect an arrival an hour or so late.

Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo ► London

• Day 1:  Travel from Sofia to Bucharest by daytime train, leaving Sofia at 09:10 or Veliko Tarnovo at 11:18 and arriving Bucharest Nord at 18:30, all on day 1.  There is no catering on this fairly basic train, and only 2nd class seating, so bring your own supplies of food, water, and beer or wine, but it's a scenic and interesting trip, so enjoy the ride.  Then stay the night in Bucharest (this train will arrive late, so will not connect with the sleeper to Budapest, that's why you stay the night).  Enjoy a day exploring Bucharest.

• Day 2, travel from Bucharest to Budapest overnight on the EuroNight sleeper train Ister, leaving Bucharest Nord at 17:40 and arriving Budapest Keleti Budapest Keleti at 08:50 next morning.  The Ister has a modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car  (1, 2 or 3-bed standard sleepers with washbasin, 1, 2 or 3 bed deluxe sleepers with toilet & shower) and couchettes (4 & 6-berth).  A bed in the sleeper is the recommended option, see the photos below.  The Ister should have a restaurant car for dinner & breakfast (euros, lei & forints accepted), but the restaurant isn't always attached, so take some provisions yourself.  Spend the morning in Budapest.

• Day 3, travel from Budapest to Munich by air-conditioned RailJet train, leaving Budapest Keleti station at 13:10 and arriving in Munich Hauptbahnhof at 20:34.  A bar-bistro car is available, so treat yourself to lunch!  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.

• Day 3, travel from Munich to Paris overnight by the City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof daily at 22:50 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est 09:24 next morning.  The train has ordinary seats, couchettes (6-berth & 4-berth) and sleeping-cars (1, 2 or 3-bed compartments, deluxe with shower or economy with washbasin).  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.  Walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 4, travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.

From Paris to Munich by City Night Line sleeper train...

The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  Called the Cassiopeia, it has modern Comfortline sleeping-cars  with 1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe compartments with private shower and toilet, 1, 2 & 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin.  There is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in economy sleepers, and all sleepers have power-points for laptop computers.  The train has modern air-conditioned couchette cars, choose between a berth in a 4 or 6-berth compartment.  There are also ordinary seats (not recommended).  Inclusive fares are charged covering travel plus sleeping accommodation.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. More pictures & information about this train.  Travel tip:  For a good meal in a classic Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in Paris, catch the earlier 14:02 Eurostar & dine at the Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road from the Gare du Nord.  For a cooked breakfast in Munich or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound sleeper on your return, try the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof itself.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable & civilised option, with proper beds & washbasin.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		"Night train to Munich":  The Comfortline sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est... More pictures & information about this train...

From Munich to Budapest by RailJet...

RailJet is Austria's brand-new high-speed train, linking Munich, Vienna & Budapest, now also linking Zurich, Innsbruck & Vienna.  Designed to run at up to 230 km/h (143 mph) on sections of upgraded track, it currently reaches 200 km/h on part of the route, but in other parts snakes around beautiful scenery at a more sedate pace.  Look out for great views of Salzburg citadel & castle on the right as you cross the river Salzach approaching Salzburg.  RailJet has three classes, Economy (2nd class), First (1st class), and Business (€15 supplement over normal first class, welcome drink included).  It has a bistro car providing drinks, snacks and hot dishes, which are served on proper china at your seat in first and business classes.  TV screens in each car tell you the train's speed & location, with a list of next station stops and times.  A great way to travel.  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.

"The RailJet has landed..."  The morning RailJet train from Munich has arrived spot on time at Budapest's historic Keleti station...		Business class costs €15 more than normal 1st class...		Economy class on RailJet, comfortable open saloons with large picture windows.  Some seats are arranged around tables, some are unidirectional.

From Budapest to Bucharest on the EuroNight sleeper train Ister...

The Ister from Budapest to Bucharest has a modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with carpeted 1, 2 or 3-berth compartments with proper beds & washbasin, plus several deluxe 1, 2 or 3 bed compartments with private toilet & shower, see the photos below.  Travelling in the sleeping-car is safe, comfortable & civilised.  The Ister also has a Romanian couchette car with 6-berth & 4-berth compartments, each berth with rug, sheet & pillow, berths converting to seats by day.  Couchettes are fairly basic, and a proper bed in the sleeper is much more comfortable and secure yet costs very little extra, so is the recommended option.  There's a modern Romanian restaurant car serving dinner and a cooked breakfast, but taking some supplies of your own is always a good idea.  The Ister also has air-conditioned seats cars, but a mere seat is not recommended.

Traveller Philip Dyer-Perry reports:  "Budapest to Bucharest on the Ister is an absolute pleasure. I booked online with MAV and travelled in the new sleeping car, which was comfortable, smooth, and clean. There is a shower, but obviously not intended for use as most of the hose assembly was missing.  There was a dining car, and if you ask you can get a menu, but it's better to ask the man what he's got and negotiate a price.  If you have hard (non-Romanian) currency there is a certain amount of flexibility.  In the evening it was chicken & potatoes, next morning it was a rather tasty omelette.  Just be aware that the main purpose of the dining car is as a place for the traincrew to smoke!  It's good though, and a world away from Western Europe.  The Ister was around 20 minutes late on arrival in Bucharest, but the sleeping car attendant assured a fellow traveller that he would make the connection to Istanbul. In fact he even phoned his colleague on that train.  Once we pulled in we both ran, he to the Istanbul car, me to the Sofia portion. I was worried about not having a ticket as there was no time to buy one so I decided to try my luck on board.  But the guard waited for a quiet moment and offered me the chance to either buy a ticket for 50 leu or simply give him 25 leu and not get a ticket!  On arrival in Ruse, the first station in Bulgaria, there was plenty of time to change money, stock up on food, and buy a ticket (about £8) for the journey onwards to Sofia..."

Deluxe sleeper...  The en suite toilet & shower in a deluxe sleeper from Budapest to Bucharest.  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.		A sleeper set up as a  single-berth compartment with the middle & top berths folded away against the wall.  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.		The Budapest-Bucharest Ister:  This is the train's modern air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car.  The letters above the windows say 'Voiture-Lits - Sleeping-car - Carrozza Letti - Vagon de Dormit'...  Welcome to your hotel on rails:  Some compartments have an en suite toilet & shower!  Photo courtesy of Andy Brabin.

The vagon cuseta (couchette car) on the Ister, at Budapest.		6-berth couchettes.		4-berth couchettes.

How much does it cost?

Each train is ticketed separately, so just add up the price for each leg of the journey...

How to buy tickets online, the cheapest way...

	You can now book the Budapest to Bucharest sleeper train online at the Hungarian Railways website www.mav-start.hu.  Look for these blue e-ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station...  Location of internet ticket collection machines at Budapest Keleti station

Anyone from any country can buy tickets online this way, at the cheapest prices, at least as far as Bucharest.

• When does booking open?  Booking usually opens 92 days ahead for City Night Line, 120 days ahead for Eurostar.  However, I strongly recommend waiting until 92 days so you can buy all tickets together, doing a dry run on all 3 websites first to check times and prices before booking for real.

• Step 1, book the Paris to Munich sleeper train:  Go to www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to Munich and back on the direct overnight sleeper train, looking for the CNL train with 0 changes in the search results.  Availability of cheap Savings fares and fully-flexible fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de are in euros, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.  Always book the sleeper first and check its actual arrival & departure before booking the Eurostar connection, as times occasionally vary.  I strongly recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings and re-print tickets at any time.

• Step 2, book the Munich to Budapest Railjet train:  Still on www.bahn.de, now use the journey planner to bring up the connecting Munich-Budapest Railjet train shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  You simply print out your own Online Ticket.

• Top tip:  If you want to stop off in Vienna for (say) a day, when booking the Munich to Budapest train at bahn.de simply look for the 'Via (1)' box and enter 'Vienna', then enter '24:00' in the 'hh:mm stopover' box.  It'll then book you a 24 hour stopover in Vienna, but still let you buy a cheap €39 fare from Munich to Budapest (if it's available, obviously).  You can even spend a few hours in Salzburg on the way as well, by entering 'Salzburg' in the via box and (say) '04:00' in the stopover box, then clicking 'add another stopover' and entering 'Vienna' & '24:00'.  All still for €39!

• Step 3, book your Eurostar:  Go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris.  Use the Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  You print out your own ticket.  You don't live in London?  At www.eurostar.com, you can not only book tickets starting in London, you can buy a cheap through ticket from 130 other UK towns and cities to Paris.  If your town isn't listed, you can buy a separate ticket up to London to connect with Eurostar, see the advice on buying connecting tickets from other UK towns & cities here.  Want to choose your exact seat on Eurostar?  www.eurostar.com allows you to choose an exact seat from a numbered seating plan, look closely for the 'choose exact seat' link towards the end of the process.  See tips on choosing the best seats on Eurostar.

• Step 4, book the Budapest to Bucharest sleeper train:  Go to www.mav-start.hu (Hungarian Railways).  I strongly recommend using the Google Chrome browser, as the MAV site sometimes switches back to Hungarian half way through the process, but Chrome's built-in translation facility means this shouldn't be a problem.  Click 'EN' top left for English and enter 'Budapest' to 'Bucuresti' in the journey planner.  When the results appear, ignore them, select 'couchette' or 'sleeping' car, enter your date of birth in format 'YYYY.MM.DD' and click 'Tickets and prices'.  On the next page, click for 'Further information' then click 'Open'.  Now select and book the train.  You can book couchettes or sleepers on the Ister online using this system, with various types of reduced-rate book-ahead ticket such as 'Fortuna', just pick the cheapest ticket.  The MAV website is a little fiddly, just persevere, it will indeed book this train.  You pay online and collect tickets from the internet ticket collection point at Budapest Keleti station with the reference number and original credit card.

• If you have any problems using MAV-start.hu, UK residents can also book the Budapest to Bucharest train online at www.raileurope.co.uk.  However it only seems to offer 6-berth couchettes or 2-bed sleepers eastbound, 3-berth & 2 berth sleepers westbound, not the full range of accommodation.  In 6-berth couchettes or 3-berth sleepers, Rail Europe's prices are similar to or slightly lower than those charged by German Railways' UK office, making online booking a good option.  However, for 2-bed sleepers the French system still assumes you need a 1st class ticket even though that's no longer the case on this route, so it charges £142 instead of the correct £118.  So the best way to book this train if you want a sleeper is to book by phone by calling Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun).

• Step 5, book a Bucharest to Sofia ticket.  This cannot be done online, so call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun).  Or buy when you reach Bucharest.

New!  Buy tickets the easy way from europeanrail.com...

Open this special booking form, edit it to your own specific requirements, save it to your PC then email it to European Rail in London.  They will call you back with a confirmed price which you can then accept or decline, paying over the phone by credit card if you accept.  European Rail staff are familiar with making bookings like this, and use the German Railways reservation & ticketing system, the same as DB's UK office.  A £35 booking fee applies.

How to buy tickets by phone...

If you'd prefer to book by phone, just call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards), or a booking agency such as European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee).

Option 2:  London to Sofia via Paris, Munich, Zagreb & Belgrade...

This is the fastest option, London to Bulgaria overland by train in 48 hours!  It involves comfortable high-quality air-conditioned trains all the way to Belgrade, but a more basic train which currently only has couchettes, not private sleepers, overnight between Belgrade and Sofia, that is the only drawback.

London ► Sofia

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:25 (11:01 on Saturdays) arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47 (14:17 on Saturdays). It's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like more time in Paris or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Day 1:  Travel from Paris to Munich by 200 mph double-decker TGV Duplex on the new TGV-Est high-speed line, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 15:19 and arriving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 21:36.  Cafe-bar available.

• Day 1:  Travel from Munich to Zagreb overnight on the sleeper train Lisinski, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 23:40 and arriving at Zagreb at 08:53 next morning (day 2).  The Lisinski has a smart modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), and ordinary seats (not recommended).  From early April until late summer, it also has a modern Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments).

• Day 2:  Travel from Zagreb to Belgrade by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Zagreb at 10:55 and arriving Belgrade station at 17:32.  This train has modern air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats (no 1st class).  There's no dining-car, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.

• Day 2:  Travel overnight from Belgrade to Sofia, leaving Belgrade station at 21:50 and arriving Sofia at 08:04 next morning (day 3 from London).  In theory, this train should have a basic Serbian or Bulgarian sleeping-car and couchettes, but as the Serbians and Bulgarians are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, there's currently only a Serbian couchette car, with 6-berth compartments.  The car is old, but it's safe and comfortable enough.

Sofia ► London

• Day 1:  Travel overnight from Sofia to Belgrade, leaving Sofia at 20:30 and arriving Belgrade station at 05:10 next morning (day 2).  This train should have a basic Serbian or Bulgarian sleeping-car and couchettes, but as the Serbians and Bulgarians are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, there's currently only a Serbian couchette car, with 6-berth compartments.  The car is old, but it's safe and comfortable enough.

• Day 2, travel from Belgrade to Zagreb by air-conditioned EuroCity train, leaving Belgrade station at 10:30 and arriving Zagreb at 17:59.  This train has modern air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats (no 1st class).  There's no dining-car, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.  You've now time for dinner in Zagreb.

• Day 2:  Travel from Zagreb to Munich overnight on the sleeper train Lisinski, leaving Zagreb at 21:20 and arriving in Munich at 06:15 next morning.  The Lisinski has a modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), and seats (not recommended).  From early April until late summer, it also has a modern Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments).

• Day 3:  Travel from Munich to Stuttgart by high-speed ICE, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 09:45 and arriving Stuttgart at 12:01.

• Day 3:  Travel from Stuttgart to Paris by high-speed double-decker TGV Duplex, leaving Stuttgart at 12:55 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 16:35.

• It's a 10-minute walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 3:  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:13 (19:13 on Saturdays), arriving London St Pancras at 19:39 (20:39 on Saturdays).

How much does it cost?

Each train is ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of the journey.

How to buy tickets...

• If you live in the UK, you can easily book the London-Paris Eurostar, the Paris-Munich TGV, the Munich-Zagreb Lisinski and the Zagreb to Belgrade train all in one place, at www.raileurope.co.uk.  However, you should book London-Paris, Paris-Munich, Munich-Zagreb & Zagreb-Belgrade as four separate bookings, identifying and booking each of the trains mentioned above, adding each in turn to your basket and paying for all four tickets at the end as one transaction.

• For the Paris-Munich TGV, it's also a good idea to compare prices on the German Railways website www.bahn.de as I have often known this to be cheaper than the French Railways system used by Rail Europe.

• The Belgrade-Sofia night train cannot be booked online, so you will need to book by phone.  Call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee), or www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee).  If you like, you can of course book the whole trip by phone.

• If you don't live in the UK, you can book the Eurostar at www.eurostar.com, then the Paris-Munich TGV at www.bahn.de and finally the Munich-Zagreb sleeper at www.raileurope-world.com.  The Belgrade-Sofia night train cannot be booked online, so you will need to book by phone with an agency in your home country, or buy when you reach Belgrade, at the station.  There are always places available. 

Tailor-made travel & hotel arrangements...

If you want a compete tailor-made trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see website.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free.  They get very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.  Browse suggested holiday itineraries & prices.

What are the trains & scenery like?

By Eurostar from London to Paris:  See the Eurostar page.

Paris to Munich by TGV Duplex...  Click for TGV Duplex video guide

Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views.  The train has power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes.  First class passengers on this route are given a simple but tasty meal box with a small bottle of beer or wine served at their seat, included in the fare.  The train soon leaves the Paris suburbs behind and speeds across a vast wide open plateau of woods and farmland at up to 200mph, past picturesque French villages of the Champagne region.  After an hour or two, the train leaves the high-speed line and slowly meanders through pretty wooded hills, the countryside eventually flattening out towards Strasbourg.  On leaving Strasbourg, look out for Strasbourg cathedral on the left with its famously missing second tower.  Minutes afterwards you rumble across the river Rhine into Germany, before heading on to Stuttgart and Munich.
TGV Duplex at Paris Est. These impressive 200 mph double-deck trains link Paris & Munich, a relaxing journey with reading book & glass of wine...		2nd class seats on TGV Duplex upper deck.  There's a mix of unidirectional seating and tables for 4 like this...

1st class seats on the upper deck, with a 'club duo' on the left, a 'club quatre' on the right.		A TGV Duplex.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.

Munich to Zagreb on the sleeper train Lisinski...

This modern sleeper train is a pleasure to travel on, whether in the privacy of your own sleeper or in economical couchettes.  There's time for dinner in Munich before boarding, I recommend the typically Bavarian Mongdratzerl restaurant located inside the Hauptbahnhof, open until late.
The sleeping-car on the Lisinski:  The modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car of the Lisinski from Munich to Zagreb has 10 compartments with washbasin, each of which can be used as a 1, 2 or 3 berth room, with toilets at the end of the corridor.  Above left, the sleeper arrived at Zagreb.

The couchette car on the Lisinski has modern air-conditioned 6-berth and 4-berth compartments.  Above right, the train is seen boarding at Munich. See panorama photo.

Zagreb to Belgrade by air-conditioned train...

This is a spacious and comfortable air-conditioned Serbian train, with modern 2nd class seats - there's no 1st class.  There's no restaurant car, so take a picnic and some beer or wine with you.

Belgrade to Sofia by overnight train...

East of Belgrade, you leave modern fripperies such as air-conditioning behind...  The Belgrade-Sofia night train now only has a couchette car, no sleeper.  It's an elderly Serbian Railways couchette car with lockable 6-berth compartments looked after by a couchette car attendant from Zelturist, Serbian Railways' sleeper and catering subsidiary.  Unless you have mobility problems, I recommend the top bunks for privacy, it's cosy up in the roof space.

Option 3:  London to Sofia via Paris, Munich, Budapest & Belgrade...

This is now slower and less efficient than the route via Bucharest, but it's an adventure, and you may well want to stop off in Budapest or Belgrade on the way.

London ► Sofia

• Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 15:31 (14:01 on Saturdays), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:47 (17:17 on Saturdays).  On Fridays, there's also a 16:01 Eurostar arriving 19:17.  In Paris, it's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.  By all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.

• Day 1:  Travel from Paris to Munich overnight on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 arriving in Munich at 07:10 next morning (day 2).  It has a modern sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, either economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower), 4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information below.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train.

• Day 2:  Travel from Munich to Budapest by air-conditioned Austrian RailJet train with bistro car, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 09:27 and arriving in Budapest Keleti at 16:49.  Treat yourself to lunch in the bistro!  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.  Have dinner in Budapest.

• Alternatively, you can travel from London to Budapest via Brussels & Cologne, see the London to Hungary page.

• Day 2:  Travel from Budapest to Belgrade by overnight train with sleeping-car, leaving Budapest Keleti at 22:20 and arriving in Belgrade at 06:06 next day (day 3 from London).  This sleeper has 1, 2 & 3-berth compartments with washbasin.  There is no restaurant car, so take you own food, water and beer or wine.  Sadly, the direct Budapest-Sofia sleeping-car was discontinued in late 2011.

• Day 3:  The 07:50 daytime train from Belgrade to Sofia reportedly isn't running at the moment, even though it's shown in the various timetable systems (although one report suggests it may now be running again).  So spend the day exploring Belgrade and take the overnight train to Sofia.  This leaves at 21:50 and arrives Sofia at 08:04 (day 4 from London).  This train should have couchettes and a Serbian sleeper with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments.  However, the Bulgarians and Serbians are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, so you may find a couchette is bookable but a sleeper isn't.  There is no restaurant car, so take you own food, water and beer or wine.

Sofia ► London

• Day 1:  The 11:55 daytime train from Sofia to Belgrade isn't running at the moment, even though it's shown in the various timetable systems.  So take the sleeper train leaving Sofia at 20:15 arriving Belgrade at 04:17 (don't worry, it will arrive late!).  This train should have couchettes and a Serbian sleeper with 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments.  However, the Bulgarians and Serbians are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, so you may find a couchette is bookable but a sleeper isn't.  There is no restaurant car, so take you own food, water and beer or wine.

• Day 2:  Spend the day exploring Belgrade, then travel from Belgrade to Budapest by overnight train with sleeping-car, leaving Belgrade at 21:45 and arriving at Budapest Keleti at 06:04 the next day (day 3).  The sleeping-car has 1, 2 & 3-berth compartments with washbasin.  There is no restaurant car, so take you own food, water and beer or wine.  In the sleeping-car, it's a safe, pleasant and scenic journey, going via Belgrade in Serbia (arriving 19:47, departing 22:10).  Spend the morning in Budapest.  Please see the photos & read the update information below about this sleeping-car.

• Day 3:  Travel from Budapest to Munich by air-conditioned Austrian RailJet train, leaving Budapest Keleti at 13:10 and arriving in Munich at 20:34.  The train has a bistro car & bar.  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.

• Day 3:  Travel from Munich to Paris on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train Cassiopeia, leaving Munich daily at 22:50 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est 09:24 next morning (day 4).  The train has ordinary seats, couchettes (4 & 6-bunk) and a sleeping-car (1, 2 or 3-bed rooms, either deluxe with shower or economy with washbasin).  More pictures & information about this City Night Line sleeper train.  Travel tip:  This train runs combined with the Munich-Amsterdam sleeper for part of its journey, and is usually shown on the departure boards at Munich as going to 'Amsterdam'.  In Paris, walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 4:  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.

• Alternatively, you can travel between Budapest & London via Cologne & Brussels, see the London to Hungary page.

How much does it cost?

Each train is ticketed separately, so just add up the price for each leg of the journey...

How to buy tickets, the easy way...

Click the button (or click here) and a booking form will appear which lists all the specific trains you need to book.  Fill in the form & email it to sales@europeanrail.com.  European Rail will make the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost, which you can then accept or decline.  If you accept, you can give them your credit card details over the phone and they will send you the tickets.  European Rail is an experienced agency whose staff are used to making more exotic bookings like this.  They are equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing system, so have access to all the cheap fares for travel via Germany & Austria.  They charge a £35 booking fee which includes postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address worldwide if you pay the courier fee.  Seat61 gets some commission if you buy tickets using this form. 

How to buy tickets online...

You can book from London as far as Belgrade online, although the Belgrade-Sofia train cannot be booked online so needs to be booked by phone.  You may of course prefer to book all your tickets together by phone, but at least you can go online and see what fares area available for your dates of travel for the London-Budapest part of the journey!

• Step 1, go to www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to Munich and back on the direct CNL sleeper train with 0 changes.  Availability of cheap Savings fares and fully-flexible fares will be shown, for each type of seat, couchette & sleeper.  You pay by credit card and print out your own tickets in .pdf format.  Easy!  Note that the prices shown on www.bahn.de are in euro, and are the total cost for all passengers selected, not per person.  Always book the sleeper first and check its actual arrival & departure before booking the Eurostar connection, as times occasionally vary.  I recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily make the next booking.

• Step 2, still on www.bahn.de, now use the journey planner to bring up the connecting Munich-Budapest train shown in the train times above, and buy the ticket.  It will show if any cheap special fares are available.  Tickets can be sent to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.

• Step 3, go to www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar tickets between London and Paris.  Used the Eurostar times above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop off in Paris for a while.  Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK address, self-printed, or picked up at the station.

• Step 4, now go to the Hungarian Railways website, www.mav-start.hu, and use it to book the sleeper from Budapest to Belgrade & back.  It's remarkably cheap with one of their 'Belgrade special' fares.  You collect tickets from the blue self-service collection machines at Budapest Keleti station.

• You can't book the Belgrade-Sofia train online so this must be booked by phone, call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66.  Lines are open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays & Sundays, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, but no charge for debit cards.

How to buy tickets by phone...

You may prefer to book the whole journey by phone, at least as far as Belgrade (as explained above, the Belgrade-Sofia train must now be booked locally).  The best agencies to call for this trip are either Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards), www.europeanrail.com on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee), or Ffestiniog Travel on 01766 772050 (8% booking fee).  Click here for a list of agencies and other useful information on how to book.

Introducing the City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to Munich ...

The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains.  Called the Cassiopeia, it has a modern Comfortline sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe compartments with private shower and toilet and 1, 2 & 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin), modern air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a 4- or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not recommended).  In the sleeping-car, there is a shower at the end of the corridor for passengers in standard sleepers, and all rooms have power-points for laptop computers.  The sleeping-car fare includes a light breakfast. More pictures & information about this train.  

Dinner before boarding?  For a good meal in a classic Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper train in Paris, catch the earlier 14:04 Eurostar & try the Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road from the Gare du Nord.  Alternatively, you can have a meal or beer at the Brasserie Flo at the Gare de l'Est whilst waiting for your sleeper, it's just inside the entrance in what was once the left luggage office.  For a cooked breakfast in Munich (or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound sleeper on your return) try the Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof itself.

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most comfortable option, with proper beds & washbasin.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  A very economical option, far better than a seat for just a few euros more...		"Night train to Munich":  The Comfortline sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est... More pictures & information about this train...

Introducing the Munich - Budapest RailJet...

RailJet is Austria's brand-new high-speed train, linking Munich, Vienna & Budapest, now also linking Zurich, Innsbruck & Vienna.  Designed to run at up to 230km/h (143 mph) on sections of upgraded track, it currently reaches 200km/h on part of the route, but in other parts snakes around beautiful scenery at a more sedate pace.  Look out for great views of Salzburg citadel & castle on the right as you cross the river Salzach approaching Salzburg.  RailJet has three classes, Economy (2nd class), First (1st class), and Business (€15 supplement over normal first class, snacks and drinks included).  It has a bistro car providing drinks, snacks and hot dishes, which are served on proper china at your seat in first and premium classes.  TV screens in each car tell you the train's speed & location, with a list of next station stops and times.  A great way to travel.  More pictures & information about this RailJet train.

"The RailJet has landed..."  The morning RailJet train from Munich, arrived in Budapest Keleti spot on time...  Railjet pictures & information.		Business class costs €15 more than normal 1st class...		Economy class on RailJet, comfortable open saloons with large picture windows.  Some seats arranged around tables, some unidirectional.

By overnight train from Budapest to Belgrade...   Watch the video

This has a basic and very elderly Serbian sleeping-car & couchette car dating from the communist era, but comfortable enough with clean sheets.

The Belgrade to Budapest sleeper, arrived at Budapest Keleti...		Serbian 2-bed sleeper...		6-berth couchettes...

Belgrade to Sofia by overnight train...

The Belgrade-Sofia night train now only has a couchette car, no sleeper.  It's an elderly Serbian Railways couchette car with lockable 6-berth compartments looked after by a couchette car attendant from Zelturist, Serbian Railways' sleeper and catering subsidiary.  Unless you have mobility problems, I recommend the top bunks for privacy, it's cosy up in the roof space.

The Thomas Cook European Timetable

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873, it costs £14.99.  It's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Still not convinced you need one?  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascookpublishing.com with worldwide delivery or buy it in person from selected UK branches of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria station in London.  Or buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter/Spring 2012/13 edition (Dec 2012 to June 2013) or (when available) Summer/Autumn 2013 edition (June to Dec 2013)

The Thomas Cook Rail Map of Europe is the best and most comprehensive map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south.  High speed & scenic routes are highlighted.  Highly recommended!  Buy online at www.amazon.co.uk (worldwide delivery).  See an extract from the map.

To get the most from your visit, you should take a good guidebook.  For the independent traveller, I think this means one of two guidebooks, either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both series are excellent.  You can buy an in-depth guide for Bulgaria or a guide covering all the countries in Eastern Europe.  Lonely Planet Eastern Europe - Rough Guide Bulgaria.  My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to Europe based on this website called "The Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and is available from Amazon with shipping worldwide.

Click the images to buy online...

Find hotels in Sofia & Bulgaria...

Travel insurance & health card...

Get travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without insurance from a reliable travel insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash (up to a limit) & belongings, and cancellation. An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year (I have an annual policy myself).  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, though, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65 (no age limit), see www.JustTravelCover.com.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

   If you live in the USA or Canada, try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from www.ehic.org.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a spare credit card, designed for foreign travel with no currency exchange loading & low/no ATM fees

Taking out an extra credit card costs nothing, but if you keep it in a different part of your luggage you won't be left stranded if your wallet gets stolen.  In addition, some credit cards are better for overseas travel than others.  Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which UK credit cards have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when you use an ATM abroad.

You can avoid ATM charges and expensive exchange rates with a Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or their multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card, see www.caxtonfx.com for info.

Get an international SIM card to save on mobile data and phone calls...

Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're not careful you can return home to find a huge bill.  Consider buying a global pre-paid SIM card for your mobile phone from www.Go-Sim.com, which can slash costs by up to 85%.  Go-Sim cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide, and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries.  It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills when you get home.  It also allows cheap data access for laptops & PDAs.  A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone number' for life.