Country info: Romania (România)

Rail companies: CFR (Căile Ferate Române)

Romanian Rail Network Map 

Currency :  1 euro= app. 4.5 Romanian Lei (RON)

Train travel in Romania: train types, tickets, fares, discounts & other useful info

National Train Service:

Train types in Romania: Commuter (Regio Urban & Regio Suburban), Regional (Regio & RegioExpress), InterRegional (InterRegio & InterRegio Night), InterCity (InterCity & InterCity Night), EuroCity (EuroCity & EuroCity Night)

• Commuter (marked as 'RU' & 'RS' on CFR website) – commuter service in major Romanian cities, no seat reservation required
• Regional (marked as 'R' & 'RE' on CFR website) – local and mostly short distance service, no seat reservation required (possible in RegioExpress (RE) trains)
• InterRegional (marked as 'IR' and 'IRN' on CFR website) – daytime and overnight long distance trains serving on connections all over Romania, seat reservation required (3,3 RON, included in IR tariff)
  
• InterCity (marked as 'IC' and 'ICN' on CFR website) – daytime and overnight express trains connecting major Romanian cities and town, seat reservation required (5 RON, included in IC tariff) 
• EuroCity  (marked as 'EC' and 'ECN' on CFR website) – daytime and overnight international trains, seat reservation compulsory & special supplement applies when used for journeys within Romania
  

Sleeper Reservations on CFR domestic connections:

Couchette reservations on Romanian trains within Romania:

• 6 berth - 32 RON
• 4 berth - 48 RON

Sleeper reservation on Romanian trains within Romania:

• 3 bed (Tourist) - 55 RON
• 2 bed (Double) - 75 RON
• Single - 150 RON

1. Simplest and easiest 'trick' to save on rail travel in Romania is to choose right type of train for the your train trip. Since in many instances it's not a problem to use Regio or InterRegio trains instead of more expensive InterCity or EuroCity. As an example let's take one of the most popular tourist routes in Romania from Bucharest to Brasov. Depending on train type passengers can travel the same route for 28,8 RON (using Regio train), for 47 RON (using InterRegio train) or 61,4 RON (using InterCity or EuroCity trains). Obviously Regio trains are bit slower in comparison to InterRegio or InterCity, but if passenger isn't not in a hurry or doesn't plan to travel across the whole country, then why to pay for the same journey?
   
2. Purchase train ticket early and pay less - Romanian Railways offer discounts for passengers purchasing train ticket in advance: when buying tickets >21 days in advance it is 13% cheaper, 11-20 days in advance - 10% off, 6-10 days in advance - 5% off
3. Purchase train ticket online via CFR website and receive additional 5% discount
4. Purchase return train ticket for InterCity, InterRegio or Regio trains and receive additional 10% discount
5. For families and groups CFR offer special "MiniGroup 2-5" (only for 2nd class): 10% discount when 2 adults traveling, 15% - 3 adults, 20% - 4 adults & 25% when 5 adults traveling together. Two children <18 years old in terms of tariff travel as one adult
   
6. Passengers planning multiple trips in Romania and/or to neighboring countries might consider purchase of Balkan Flexi pass (special pass offer for journeys in the area of south-east Europe). Balkan Flexi Pass (validity period of one month) allows unlimited number of rail journeys during of 5, 7, 10 or 15 days on rail networks of Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Serbia & Montenegro

Balkan Flexi Pass prices (2^nd class):

International Train Service:

a) Regular discounts

 SET tariff (valid for rail journeys between the members of South-East Europe Railways Group (SERG), which are the railway companies of Albania, Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro & Republika Srpska (ZRS)

50% off Romanian part and Hungarian part for any return journey between Hungary & Romania (for one way tickets discount is 35%)

Passengers can also take advantage of special Multilateral Agreement between a number of Central European railway companies. It allows to get 30% (or 40% for youth<26 years old and 50% for groups more than 6 passengers) discount from regular SCIC-NRT/TCV tariff fare on any return ticket purchased for connections between countries participants of the tariff Agreement (Czech Republic (CD), Hungary (MAV), Romania (CFR), Poland (PKP), Slovakia (ZSSK), Bulgaria (BDZ), Serbia (ZS) and FYR Macedonia (MZ)

b) Special offers (Sparchiene)

•  Munich Special – from Bucharest to Munich return for 181 euro, from Brasov to Munich for 173 euro, from Timisoara to Munich for 145 euro, from Arad to Munich 138 euro etc.
  
• Belgrade Special – Bucharest-Belgrade return ticket 52 euro (mind that connection to Belgrade currently suspended)
  
• Prietenia tariff – from Bucharest to Chisinau (one way 25 euro, return 46 euro)
  

Ticket offers with limited number of tickets per each departure (purchase in advance required)

• Austria: discounted Smart Tickets from Bucharest to Vienna with 'Dacia' train #346/347 (from 39 euro)
•   Hungary: discounted Fortuna Tickets from Timisoara to Budapest (seats for 15 euro), from Brasov, Sibiu, Targu Mures, Cluj-Napoca, Sighetu Marmetai, Sighisoara to Budapest (seats for 19 euro), from Bucharest to Budapest (seats for 29 euro, couchettes for 39 euro, sleepers for 59 euro), from Brasov, Sighisoara, Gheorghieni to Budapest (couchettes for 29 euro, sleepers for 49 euro)
  

c) CityStars

• Romania - Czech Republic (via Hungary, Slovakia): from Bucharest to Prague 161 euro for one passenger, 265 euro - two passenger, 370 euro - 3 passengers; from Cluj-Napoca to Karlovy Vary 133 euro for one passenger, 210 euro - two passenger, 287 euro - 3 passengers; from Brasov to Brno 111 euro for one passenger, 186 euro - two passenger, 261 euro - 3 passengers etc.
• Romania – Germany (Sparpreis) – from Bucharest to Cologne (one passenger without ICE - 224 euro, with ICE - 247 euro), from Brasov to Nurnberg (one passenger without ICE - 216 euro, with ICE - 238 euri), from Timisoara to Hannover (one passenger without ICE - 188 euro, with ICE - 210 euro), from Arad to Berlin (one passenger without ICE - 181 euro, with ICE - 203 euro), from Cluj-Napoca to Dortmund (one passenger without ICE - 198 euro, with ICE - 220 euro) etc.
  
• Romania – Slovakia: from Iasi to Bratislava 117 euro for one passenger, 207 euro - two passenger, 298 euro - 3 passengers; from Arad to Zvolen 56 euro for one passenger, 87 euro - two passenger, 117 euro - 3 passengers; from Oradea to Kosice 56 euro for one passenger, 86 euro - two passenger, 116 euro - 3 passengers etc.
• Romania - Poland

It is possible to purchase Rail Plus Card in Romania (allows 25% discount on many international tickets between various European countries) 

Prices: for passengers <26 and >60 years old the cost is 15 euro and 25 euro for adults

How to Buy Train Tickets in Romania:

Passengers can purchase national (domestic) tickets online directly via CFR website - www.bilete.cfrcalatori.ro

Do you still have further questions or want to share your own travel experience? You are welcome on our Forum page

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