Europe Trains Guide

Romania (CFR)

Country info: Romania (România)

Rail companies: CFR (Căile Ferate Române)

Romanian Rail Network Map 

Currency :   1 euro= app. 4,45 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), InterRegional (InterRegio), InterCity (InterCity), EuroCity (EuroCity & EuroCity Night) trains

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  • Commuter (marked as 'RU' & 'RS' on CFR website): commuter service around major Romanian cities, no seat reservation required
  • Regional (marked as 'R' on CFR website): local short distance service, no seat reservation required, but can be made on certain connections
  • InterRegional (marked as 'IR' on CFR website): daytime and overnight long distance trains serving on connections all over Romania, seat reservation required (3,90 RON, included in IR tariff)
  • InterCity (marked as 'IC' on CFR website): daytime and overnight express trains connecting major Romanian cities and towns, 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 (domestic service within Romania):

  • 6 berth - 34 RON
  • 4 berth - 512 RON

Sleeper reservations on Romanian trains (domestic service within Romania):

  • 3 bed (Tourist) - 58 RON
  • 2 bed (Double) - 78 RON
  • Single - 156 RON


Discounts, special offers & ways to save money for passengers traveling by train in Romania (CFR):

  1. Early purchase --> cheaper ticket fare: passengers buying train tickets in advance recieve 25% discount (when ticket is bought >21 days in advance), 18% (11-20 days in advance) or 10% (6-10 days in advance)
  2. Another simple & easy way to save on rail travel in Romania is to choose the right type of train for your train trip. In many instances its possible to use cheaper Regio trains instead of expensive InterRegio & InterCity. For example, let's take popular tourist connection - Bucharest to Brasov. Depending on train type passengers can travel here for 24,2- RON (2nd class ticket for ordinary Regio train), for 48,90 RON (ticket for InterRegio train) or 63,10 RON (ticket for InterCity train). Obviously Regio trains will be somewhat slower in comparison to InterRegio or InterCity, but if you not not in a hurry why to overpay?
    cfr_intercity
  3. Purchase of train ticket online via CFR website gives 5% discount
  4. Purchase return train ticket for InterCity, InterRegio or Regio trains and receive additional 10% discount
  5. For families & groups traveling together CFR offers special MiniGroup 2-5 discount (valid only for trips in 2nd class): 10% discount for 2 adults, 15% - 3 adults, 20% - 4 adults & 25% when 5 adults traveling together. Two children <18 years old 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 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 (2nd class):

balkan_flexipass

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International Train Service:

a) Regular discounts

  •  SET tariff (valid for tickets 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 and Hungarian parts for any return ticket 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 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)

Though at the same time potential passengers need to be careful and also consider possible bilateral agreements between Romanian Railways (CFR) and rail companies in other countries (those might be cheaper at the end). In case of Romania it's cheaper to purchase tickets to Serbia, Bulgaria and FYR Macedonia with a help of other discount (SET tariff) and to Hungary with bilateral agreement fare)
cfr_rapid

b) Special offers (Sparchiene)

Ticket offers with unlimited number of tickets per each departure :
  •  Munich Special: from Bucharest to Munich return ticket for 192 euro, Brasov to Munich 184 euro, Timisoara to Munich 158 euro, Arad to Munich 152 euro, etc.
  • Belgrade Special – from Bucharest to Belgrade return ticket 52 euro (direct connection to Belgrade suspended, but passengers can still travel with changes in Timisoara & Vrsac)
  • Banat Special: from Timisoara to Belgrade (with change in Vrsac) return for 14 euro
  • Vrsac Special: from Timisoara to Vrsac for 4 euro (one-way) or 8 euro (return)
  • Prietenia: from Bucharest to Chisinau 24 euro (one-way) or 43 euro (return)
  • TRIP Hungary (4 day validity return ticket): from Arad or Oradea to Budapest (21 euro), from Timisoara to Budapest (27 euro), from Cluj-Napoca to Budapest (36 euro), from Targu Mures to Budapest (43 euro), from Sibiu to Budapest (46 euro), from Brasov to Budapest (55 euro), from Cluj-Napoca to Debrecen (29 euro), from Oradea to Debrecem (14 euro)


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

  • Austria: discounted Smart Tickets from Bucharest to Vienna (via Brasov, Sighisoara, Medias, Arad) with 'Dacia' train #346/347 for 39 euro (seats) or 49 euro (6 berth couchette)
  •   Hungary: discounted Fortuna Tickets from Timisoara to Budapest (seats for 15 euro), from Brasov, Sibiu, Targu Mures, Cluj-Napoca, Gheorghieni, Sfantu Gheorghe, 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), etc.

c) CityStars

  • Romania - Czech Republic (via Hungary, Slovakia): from Bucharest to Prague (one passenger 159 euro, two passengers 260 euro), from Cluj-Napoca to Karlovy Vary (one passenger 133 euro, two passengers 208 euro), from Brasov to Brno (one passenger 109 euro, two passengers 182 euro), etc.
  • Romania – Germany (Sparpreis): from Bucharest to Cologne (one passenger without ICE train 224 euro, with ICE train 246 euro), from Brasov to Nurnberg (one passenger without ICE trains 215 euro, with ICE 237 euro), from Timisoara to Hannover (one passenger without ICE trains 189 euro, with ICE 211 euro), from Arad to Berlin (one passenger without ICE trains 183 euro, with ICE 205 euro), from Cluj-Napoca to Dortmund (one passenger without ICE trains 198 euro, with ICE 220 euro), from Craiova to Hamburg (one passenger without ICE trains 215 euro, with ICE 237 euro), etc.
  • Romania – Slovakia: from Iasi to Bratislava (one passenger 113 euro, two passengers 199 euro), from Arad to Zvolen (one passenger 58 euro, two passengers 89 euro), from Oradea to Kosice (one passenger 57 euro, two passengers 88 euro), etc.

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

cfr_emu_regio
 

How to Buy Train Tickets in Romania:

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

 


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