Bratislava to Bar (ticketing logistics)

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Hi tUt :0

Haven't been here for a while, glad to see you're still helping people

I'm planning on doing the above route in July. Approx. calculations come to 75 euro per person return, like this right>

BA - Budapest - 17 euro return

BP - Belgrade - 25 Euro return

Belgrade - Bar - 20 Euro return (I'm not sure about this, I know about the limited price of 9 euro only, and not sure if I can buy it online)

My question is this: I wanna take EC 273, which is direct from Bratislava. How can I buy my other tickets in this case? Can I buy Budapest to Belgrade special from Hungarian conductor? Can they be done online?

I guess it's quite expensive to buy it as one ticket from Slovak rail, right?

And we're prepared to do the journey just sitting, but how about couchette. How much can this cost all the way from Bratislava?

Oh, and just seen this "Montenegro: 'Montenegro Spezial' Budapest-Bar return for 66 euro". Maybe this can be bought online and saves some hassle

Please advise, I really appreciate your help (and sorry for many many questions!)

I wanna take EC 273, which is direct from Bratislava.

Well, it's not really a direct train (since EC #272/273 "Avala" it's just Prague-Belgrade), but two through Czech carriages Prague-Bar (run seasonally), which get reattached in Subotica for Subotica-Bar #1137 "Panonija" train.
And because of all these it gets a bit complicated. The thing is that "Bar Specjal" offer (allowing passengers to travel even for less than 10 euro) you've mentioned is sold only for direct Belgrade to Bar trains, and you can't buy it for Subotica to Bar train. Plus at the same time you also can't really rely on traveling by "Avala" all the way to Belgrade in hope to change there, since "Avala" arrives to Belgrade at 20:52, while last Belgrade-Bar train (#433) leaves Serbian capital 20:10. So judging from the above your choices are either to stay the night in Belgrade and continue to Montenegro next morning or forget about cheap "Bar Specjal" tickets and just go with Subotica-Bar #1137 "Panonija" train and regular tickets, which will allow you to be in Bar already next morning.

Can I buy Budapest to Belgrade special from Hungarian conductor? Can they be done online?

Hungarian conductors doesn't sell such international tickets, however you can purchase it online via MAV website and simply print it out via MAV ticket machine at Keleti station during half an hour stop of EC 273 in Budapest

I guess it's quite expensive to buy it as one ticket from Slovak rail, right?

A few years ago citystar ZSSK-ZS/ZCG was 98 euro, now it should be slightly more than 100 euro, so... kind of doesn't really make sense to buy ticket directly from Slovakia to Montenegro

Oh, and just seen this "Montenegro: 'Montenegro Spezial' Budapest-Bar return for 66 euro". Maybe this can be bought online

Unfortunately nope, MAV website doesn't offer a possibility to purchase it. Again, due to rather long stop in Budapest it's possible to try and buy such ticket from the international counter/wasteels office at Keleti

And we're prepared to do the journey just sitting, but how about couchette. How much can this cost all the way from Bratislava?

Don't have the exact numbers for Czech couchette/sleepers, but Hungarian ones (carriages Budapest-Bar) cost 9,4 euro (Bc6), 14 euro (Bc4), 15,4 euro (T3) and 23,1 euro for the double. CD fares for couchette/sleepers should be roughly the same or not much more expensive, thus you can take these number as a base

So, taking into consideration all of the above, options regarding ticket/reservations might be as follows:
a) purchase Bratislava-Budapest return ticket (17,5 euro) and, if you want, couchette/sleeper reservations Bratislava-Bar (NB, Prague-Bar carriages can be rather popular and sold out pretty quickly, so if you do decide to use them, then makes sense to think about buying reservations early). Then during the stop at Budapest-Keleti just run and buy additional Budapest-Bar-Budapest ("Montenegro Spezial" ticket)
b) take an earlier EC train to Budapest and have plenty of time to buy your Budapest-Bar-Budapest ticket & even some time for lunch along with walk in Budapest. If you want to use couchette/sleeper from Budapest onwards, then makes sense to buy it in advance while you still in Bratislava (reservations for both Prague-Bar (CD) and Budapest-Bar (MAV) carriages should be available from ZSSK ticket counter)
c) purchase return Bratislava-Kelebia ticket (35 euro) and separately Kelebia-Subotica-Kelebia (3,6 euro when bought from ZSSK counter). While from Subotica to Bar (and back) you can get tickets(+sleeper reservations) via Serbian Railways (ZS) Ticket shop, however again remember that during summer sleepers (and maybe a bit less couchettes) get sold out pretty quickly, so makes sense to think about Subotica-Bar in advance
d) forget about "Avala" and morning start from Bratislava, but opt for the evening departure from Bratislava, then overnight train Budapest-Belgrade (25 euro return ticket) and finally daytime Belgrade-Bar. Here change in Belgrade is safe, since you'll have almost 3 hours between arrival of overnight #341 from Budapest and departure of #431 to Bar. Plus in this case you have a chance to get discounted "Bar Specjal" 9,9 euro ticket (we weren't able to get from ZS ticket shop, maybe you would be more lucky, but if not, then it's possible to email ZS ([email protected]) and try to arrange "Bar Specjal" ticket via email)

Your helpfulness/knowledge astounds me... really appreciate it

So the evening departure from BA looks best. I'll try to persuade my companion...

Just in case I can't get the Belgrade - Bar special, do you know how much a return is?

And there isn't a couchette/sleeper from BUDAPEST to BAR directly (if I take the evening departure)... but from BP to Belgrade is doable.

Thanks again!!!

Just in case I can't get the Belgrade - Bar special, do you know how much a return is?

Full fare Belgrade-Bar-Belgrade bought in Serbia (or Montenegro) costs 42 euro for the ticket (+potential reservations), and standard tickets definitely can be book via Serbian Railways (ZS) Ticket Shop, that's 100%. However taking into consideration that "Montenegro Spezial" Budapest-Bar-Budapest is only 66 euro, it turns out a euro cheaper than combination of 42 euro + 25 euro for the Budapest-Belgrade return

And there isn't a couchette/sleeper from BUDAPEST to BAR directly (if I take the evening departure)... but from BP to Belgrade is doable.

Yep, you can get sleeper/couchette only for the #341 Budapest-Belgrade (Bc6 - 8 euro, Bc4 - 10 euro, T3 - 12 euro & double is 18 euro, all bookable via MAV website), with daytime #431 Belgrade-Bar it's just seating carriages.

I'll try to persuade my companion...

As of one the persuasion arguments you can advertise evening departure from Bratislava by the fact that you get to travel Belgrade-Bar route during the day. Belgrade-Bar railway is one the most scenic rail journeys in Europe, so for those who never traveled there during the day it's definitely a must see thing 

So this trip is happening! I'm having trouble booking Beograd-Bar special, but I emailed the address you gave me so hopefully they can help. We'll leave Bratislava on the 17:50 train.

I have a question about the return. We'll take the  19:00 train from Bar to BA (Via Beograd), train D432. When I check vagonweb.cz, the train D432 contains no sleepers or couchettes all the way to Bratislava...

However, when I check the connecting train I have confusion. Bahn.de says that 272 leaves Beograd in the morning - but I can only find IC 272 on vagonweb.cz. This train has sleepers and couchettes all the way from (Bar) to Prague. Is it the same train?, can I get a sleeper from Bar all the way to Bratislava departing at 19:00 from Bar???

I'm having trouble booking Beograd-Bar special, but I emailed the address you gave me so hopefully they can help. We'll leave Bratislava on the 17:50 train.

Worst case scenario is that you'll just have to go with full fare ticket (21 euro). And since you plan to take daytime Belgrade-Bar train, then availability won't be a problem and you can buy it even already in Belgrade before departure (or alternatively do it anytime from ZS website, unlike "Bar Specjal" it's not a problem to book full fare tickets via ZS Ticket Shop)

I have a question about the return. We'll take the  19:00 train from Bar to BA (Via Beograd), train D432. When I check vagonweb.cz, the train D432 contains no sleepers or couchettes all the way to Bratislava...
However, when I check the connecting train I have confusion. Bahn.de says that 272 leaves Beograd in the morning - but I can only find IC 272 on vagonweb.cz. This train has sleepers and couchettes all the way from (Bar) to Prague. Is it the same train?, can I get a sleeper from Bar all the way to Bratislava departing at 19:00 from Bar???

The whole confusion comes from the fact that Bar to Prague carriages don't get attached to train #432 when starting from Bar, they go with Bar-Subotica #1136 train (dep. 17:00) and then in Subotica get reattached to "Avala" #272 train (same story with Bar-Budapest carriages). So if you check #1136 "Panonija" train, then you'll see your Bar to Prague sleeper & couchette (and when booking you respectively will need the correct train number to book these direct carriages). If you don't want to start at 17, but prefer 19, then you can also consider combination #432 + #272 with change in Belgrade, but in this case you a) you'll must change in Belgrade & b) there is certain risk factor, because of short change time in Belgrade (trains in Serbia quite often rather late, and #432 isn't an exception, so you can just miss you #272 because of that)
Regarding 272 vs. IC 272, it's the same train. Difference comes from certain nuances in domestic/international train categories. In Serbia train #272 is considered to be InterCity (IC), while in other countries same train appears as EuroCity (EC) #272 or just #272

Just for your info, the Belgrade - Bar special is only available for later period. I got this email from Serbian Rail

"Dear Alex,
 
the special offer ticket " Bar special " with price 9,90 euros is not valide now. It is valid from 01.09.2103 to 14.12.2013. Now is valid ticket with full price is  21 euros one way one person . Return ticket price is 42 euros."

So I'll go with BA - BP, then the Budapest - Bar special... not so expensive after all

And I'd really like to take that 17.00 train out of Bar - I like the idea of having a sleeper all to ourselves. Do you know how much a reservation in a two berth compartment will be from Bar to Bratislava? About 20 euro each?

the special offer ticket " Bar special with price 9,90 euros is not valide now. It is valid from 01.09.2103 to 14.12.2013.

Very strange response from ZS...  if it's not valid during summer why then ZS and ZCG started to "advertise" new offer almost right before the summer? 
Anyways, it's not a very dramatic loss, and yep, then you left with either BP-Bar-BP ("Montenegro Spezial" from MAV) or BP-Belgrade-BP + standard fare Belgrade-Bar-Belgrade

Do you know how much a reservation in a two berth compartment will be from Bar to Bratislava? About 20 euro each?

23,10€   

Yeah it's very weird, but no great loss as you say.

And that's 23 euro per person I assume? Great price for 20+ hours privacy and relaxation. I'll need it after a week on the beach 

And that's 23 euro per person I assume? Great price for 20+ hours privacy and relaxation. I'll need it after a week on the beach 

Yes, it's per person. But again would remind you that it's just one through sleeper carriage (the other one Prague-Bar is couchette), so it might make sense not to leave purchase of reservations till the last moment. It shouldn't be a problem to buy return one even in Bratislava or, if not, then first thing after arrival to Bar

Bump!

Hi again... I want to do this trip again, but just from Belgrade to Bar. But the times of the trains have changed a lot, and bahn.de and cp.sk don't even show the same information. Is there some sort of problem with the route? Day trains don't even seem to exist any more!

I'd like to go on 15th August, returning on 22nd. So far I have a departure at 18:05 (arriving in Bar at 9:52), with the return departing at 17:00 and getting back to Belgrade at 9:04.

The departure times on vagonweb.cz don't even match

Can you shed any light on this?

Not sure whether you heard, but few months ago there were huge floods in Serbia and multiple sections of the Belgrade-Bar line were damaged. ZS tried to repair it, but since June they canceled daytime train, so nowadays only overnight option is available.

Anyways, in cases like these it is better to rely not on DB website or websites like cp.sk, but on official Serbian railways website, because "local"/company operator websites react much faster to any changes.

Ok, so that makes sense. The floods were pretty drastic - hence the big changes to the timetable. So I'm in for a nice long train ride - perfect