Messages

1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

1

Train fares and tariffs / Re: Budapest to Sofia via Romania - Buying tickets during trip

« on: May 16, 2016, 03:55:59 pm »

Hello,
for closing this thread, I report what I do:
- SparNight tickets from Budapest to Sofia can be bought from Wasteels at Budapest Keleti from abroad, pay must be to the Wasteels account (which may mean some extra fee). They do not sell Balkan Flexipass (as mentioned earlier).
- It is currently not possible to buy ticket & reservation to the RZD coach from Varna to CZ from abroad (maybe it is possible from Hungary) according to some bugs in MÁV-START reservation system, which handles reservation for half of this coach for this direction (the other direction is managed by RZD). These bugs may be fixed within some days. Second half of this coach is handled by BDZ by hand, which means that reservations are possible max. 6 days before departure. I did not choose this variant.
- For train reservations (including night trains) from Beograd there is possibility to use local Wasteels, which is now reachable just by e-mail, because their booth on Beograd main station is closed (but Mr. Popovic is able to give tickets in the train station). It is possible to pay with a card.
- In CZ, if you buy a ticket using e-shop and you set wrong id card or passport number, the ticket is not valid and not returned. You just spend a buck for nothing.

2

Train fares and tariffs / Re: Budapest to Sofia via Romania - Buying tickets during trip

« on: May 05, 2016, 06:13:33 pm »

Oooh, thank you for many many informations you have and share!

Reversing the loop is the last option for me, if any other solution will not be acceptable.

The CD can definitely reserve RZD ticket for me from CZ (and as you mentioned, it costs ca. 130 EUR from Breclav), but while using Balkan Pass it is obviously the bad solution.

So, is it
 - possible in a Budapest train station to buy a sparnight ticket Budapest-Sofia (via Vidin) eg. 12 hours before train departure? The Wasteels in Prague is not an solution, because according to czech train web forum it ceases its operations in CZ . Maybe Wasteels in Hungary, I will try it. If not, maybe I should ask someone from hostel in Budapest to do this (in Romania, two years ago, it works).
 - or better solution: use a Balkan Pass for just a 5 days, as you mentioned? I thought that this pass validity expires given count of days from the first day of use (and I must be in Varna for given 4 nights), is this wrong? If is, where is the best point to buy this pass? In Romania, or using Wasteels in Hungary?

Thank you again for sharing your information!

3

Train fares and tariffs / Re: Budapest to Sofia via Romania - Buying tickets during trip

« on: May 05, 2016, 04:30:42 pm »

I'm going from Czech Republic via Hungary to Sofia, and further to Varna and then back (after 4 nights in Varna). I would like to go one way via Vidin and second way via Beograd (but in direct trains or coaches if possible).

As I found, there is direct RZD sleeper between CZ (Ostrava, Breclav) to Varna via Beograd for a reasonable price. This sleeper must be booked at least 6 days before departure. I want to spend one night in Budapest. So now I'm solving:
 - possibility to book this sleeper in advance without going to Russia or Bulgaria or paying huge extra fees.
 - the whole leg via Vidin.

What I found, is, that i'm able to buy spare ticket to Budapest from CZ, than, using elvira, online spare ticket to Romania. For Bulgaria, domestic train prices are comfortable for me. The main problem of this route is therefore buying international tickets inside Romania without advance, as there is no option to book them online directly, and for the fortuna and other types of cheap tickets there is a problem that they must be collected at least 3 days before departure inside Romania. Is there some cheaper option than standard NRT tariff between Sofia and Bulgaria via Vidin?

Using my calculations, Balkan Pass is not an option, especially if using RZD sleeper, where it not applies. Even if I not use the RZD coach, but standard coaches of given railways, the Balkan Pass (for 10 days) is, according what I found, not the cheapest option, because it not applies in Hungary.

Thanks for answer, I rethought it again and maybe I didn't find all necessary information.

4

Train fares and tariffs / Reservation of RZD sleeper place & ticket in Bulgaria

« on: May 05, 2016, 12:15:09 pm »

Hello all,

Is there a possibility to buy RZD sleeper place & ticket from Bulgaria to Czech Republic (the coach goes, according to rzd website, through Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia) on Bulgarian railway station?

Thanks for all answers

5

Train fares and tariffs / Re: Budapest to Sofia via Romania - Buying tickets during trip

« on: May 05, 2016, 12:08:22 pm »

Thank you for information!

So it is possible without problems to get out from the train in Craiova or Timisoara Nord, buy the next ticket (together with couchette or sleeper reservation) and get in the same train before it departures?

6

Train fares and tariffs / Budapest to Sofia via Romania - Buying tickets during trip

« on: May 04, 2016, 11:02:45 am »

Hello all,

I found a train between Budapest and Sofia via Craiova: Int 481.

Is there a possibility to buy a ticket in Craiova for a way Craiova -> Sofia? The train stops here for 25 minutes (or in Timisoara Nord for another 30 minutes)?

Somewhere I read that tickets for international trains in Romania must be issued at least 2 hours before train departure. Is it true?

If is, is there some way how to buy a ticket in advance from abroad (without huge extra pays)?

Thanks for all responses