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You can travel to Chişinău, the capital of Moldova, either via Bucharest or via Warsaw.  Both options are shown below.

Train times London ► Bucharest ► Chişinău:

• Travel from London to Bucharest as shown on the London to Romania page.

• Travel overnight from Bucharest to Chişinău on the 'Prietenia' sleeper train, leaving Bucharest Nord at 20:00 and arriving Ungheni (the Moldovan frontier) at 05:24 and Chişinău at 08:58.  The 'Prietenia' has 4-berth 2nd class sleepers, and 1st class 2-berth sleepers.  There is a bar car selling snacks and drinks, but no restaurant, so take your own provisions along.

Above:  The 'Prietenia' from Bucharest to Chişinău.  Photo courtesy of Pieter Beelen.		Above:  At the Romania-Moldovan frontier each sleeping-car is lifted on hydraulic jacks to have the bogies changed.  You remain on board while this is done...   Photo courtesy of Pieter Beelen.

Train times Chişinău ► Bucharest ► London:

• Travel overnight from Chişinău to Bucharest on the 'Prietenia' sleeper train, leaving Chişinău  at 17:10 and Ungheni (Moldovan frontier) at 21:10, arriving at Bucharest Nord at 06:32 next morning.  The 'Prietenia' has 4-berth 2nd class sleepers and 1st class 2-berth sleepers.

• Travel from Bucharest to London as shown on the London to Romania page.

On board the train:

Traveller and group organiser Neil McDonald describes his party of sixty kilted Scotsmen knocking back the Moldovan champagne on this train:

"I would describe the comfort as typical Soviet type comfort, although I enjoyed my journey on this service and indeed I intend using this service again.  There were comments about bugs in some of the carriages but I never had any problems with my carriage.  The Staff were a mixture of personalities, and with a party of 65 people spread over 6 carriages I got mixed reports about the stewards.  Some (well most) were extremely friendly towards my group (almost all Kilted Scotsman) however some were grumpy and one steward seemed on the take.  Most were very good with dealing with lost documentation and some of my group ended up sleeping in completely the wrong carriage without any problems.  The train buffet was a very cheap and cheerful effort.  I managed a small plate of chicken from the train buffet for the grand sum of 70p (it was soon sold out as word spread of the price through the train) and we discovered bottles of Moldovan Champagne going for £2.50 (have a guess how long that lasted too...).  Other items were going cheap as well."

Fares:

The fare from Bucharest to Chişinău is very inexpensive, about $23 one-way in 2nd class 4-berth sleeper or $46 one-way in 2-berth sleeper.  From Chişinău to Bucharest the fare is 650 Leu (£27) per person in a 1st class 2-berth sleeper or 325 Leu per person in a 2nd class 4-berth sleeper (April 2007).  For fares from London to Romania see the London to Romania page. 

How to buy tickets:

For information on how to book the London to Bucharest journey, see the London to Romania page.

The Bucharest to Chişinău train cannot be booked through the normal computer reservation systems used by western European railways and ticketing agencies, and certainly can't be booked online.  Instead, you'll need to book this train separately, by e-mailing the Wasteels office in Bucharest on marketing@wasteels.eunet.ro or via their websites www.wasteelstravel.ro or www.wasteels.ro.  Their service has been reported as 'absolutely first class', and you can pick up the tickets in Bucharest.  They have an office at Bucharest Nord railway station. Alternatively, telephone +40 21 300 2730 or +40 21 300 2731.  Tickets and reservations can also be bought on the day of travel at the international booking office at Bucharest Nord station.

What's Moldova like..?

Travel David Keating reports from a visit in summer 2006:  "I cannot foresee Chisinau becoming a tourist hotspot.  It was from what one can see from old photographs once a very attractive city, but it was mostly flattened in WW2.  There are one or two individual buildings of note still left, including a fine old station recently restored.  It is a very green city with plenty of trees and parks.  The central market is an excellent old fashioned food and general market which no longer exists in places like Poland.  No one hassles you in Moldova, it's cheap to eat and drink though accommodation can be more pricey.  At Orhei Vecchi there is an UNESCO heritage site comprising an unusual limestone cliff exposed by river erosion in which over the centuries mankind has burrowed, with many interesting remains.  There are also half a dozen attractive monasteries.  There is no where really to stay outside the capital, but the country can be reached usually on appalling roads in a day trip.  The countryside is unspectacular otherwise, rolling landscape, greatly impoverished villages.  There is a village by the river near Orhei, Trebushen, where an enterprising family provide pleasant accommodation with all meals and local wine at €30 per day per person.  People do stay from all over the world, for example stray Japanese, Scandinavians, Italians and French.  The village is not spoilt by modern buildings, there is walking to be done and otherwise pottering about. Some venture on the river.  The family arrange collection of guests from Chisinau, which is about 40 km away.  The place is desperately poor, and with the embargo placed on all imports by Russia the situation can only get worse.  Over 80% of agricultural produce, wine etc was exported to Russia.  Putin is putting the squeeze on to prevent Moldova following in the track of Ukraine.  Transnistria, the breakaway enclave supported by Putin is a difficult place to visit.  Tales come through of tourists having to pay for so-called visas etc.  The rail link from Ukraine and Russia passes through Transnistria, as does the Russian gas supply, and the main power station providing over 80% of the electricity comes from there.  When Stalin carved up the Romanian territory of Moldavia, he cut some off and gave it to Ukraine, in particular its coastal territory  and took a piece of Ukraine and stuck it on. The heavy industry, military base, power stations were located on the other side of the Dniestr river in what had not been part of Romania. It is that chunk which holds many assets which together with a slice seized on the Romanian side of the river that comprises the breakaway enclave. The EU has declared it illegal and none of its henchmen can visit or pass through EU territory. It is a major conduit of arms made there, drugs, people trafficking, etc.  This autumn the Russian embargo will really start to bite harder. More than a third of the population has left for greener pastures mostly as illegal workers in Portugal, Spain, Italy, the UK of course and here in Ireland.  The ones that go are the young fit ones.  In rural Moldova 80% of women between the ages of 16 and 36 are missing most of them forcibly taken into prostitution. It is a major scandal."

Train times London ► Warsaw ► Chişinău:

• Travel from London to Berlin by daytime services as shown on the London to Germany page, arriving Berlin Ostbahnhof 20:20.

• Travel overnight from Berlin to Warsaw leaving Berlin Lichtenburg station at 21:48 arriving Warsaw Wschodnia at 05:52.  Couchettes (6 bunk) and sleeping-car (1, 2, & 3 bed rooms with carpet & washbasin) available.

• Travel on a direct Warsaw-Chişinău sleeper train, leaving Warsaw Wschodnia at 07:49 and arriving Chişinău at 19:43 the next day.  The train runs via Przemsyl, crossing Ukraine (but Ukrainian visas are no longer required for UK or EU citizens).  This train isn't daily, it runs several times a week - use http://bahn.hafas.de to check days of running.

Train times Chişinău ► Warsaw ► London:

• Travel on a direct Chişinău-Warsaw sleeper train, leaving Chişinău at 11:50 and arriving Warsaw Centralna around 19:00 the next day.  The train runs via Przemsyl, crossing Ukraine (but Ukrainian visas are no longer required for UK or EU citizens).  This train isn't daily, it runs several times a week - use http://bahn.hafas.de to check days of running.

• Travel overnight from Warsaw to Berlin, leaving Warsaw Wschodnia at 21:35 arriving Berlin early next morning.  Couchettes (6 bunk) and sleeping-car (1, 2, & 3 bed rooms with carpet & washbasin) available.

• Travel from Berlin to London by daytime services as shown on the London to Germany page.

Approximate fares:

For fares from London to Berlin, see the London to Germany page.  The fare from Berlin to Warsaw starts at 39 euros (£26) one-way including couchette in 6-bunk compartment, or 59 euros (£40) one-way in a 3-bed sleeper (recommended).  The fare from Warsaw to Chişinău is not known, but is likely to be in the region of 50-60 euros (£35-45) each way including sleeper.

How to buy tickets:

Call Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 0900-1700 Monday-Friday, no booking fee, may need a bit of coaxing as this is an unusual booking!) or book by calling www.europeanrail.com (lines open 0900-1700 Monday-Friday, £20 booking fee, but may have more time and expertise to help you).

If you have any difficulty booking the Warsaw-Chisinau train via Deutsche Bahn, contact Polish train ticketing agency www.polrail.com.  They come highly recommended, but allow plenty of time (over 10 days but less than 60 days before travel) for them to make the booking and send it.  Tickets can be couriered to your home address in any country, or they can arrange ticket collection within Poland, for example, at your hotel.  If you use their services, feedback is always welcome!

The Thomas Cook European timetable has train & ferry times for every country in Europe, plus currency & climate information.  Published since 1873 and costing £13.50, it's essential for any serious traveller and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  More information on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains.  You can buy the latest monthly edition online at www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery, or buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the bureau de change).  Or buy the independent traveller's edition from Amazon.co.uk:  Winter 2007/8 edition (December 2007 to June 2008) or Summer 2008 edition (June to December 2008). 

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.

You should take a good guidebook.  For the independent traveller, this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both series are excellent.  The Lonely Planet range offers an in-depth guide for Romania and Moldova or a guide covering all the countries in Eastern Europe.  You won't regret buying one..!

Click the images to buy at Amazon...

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