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Date of the journey:- September 2019
Distance travelled:- 435 miles
The next stage of our Globetrotting Travel adventure was getting from Budapest to Brasov in Romania.
As this was one of the earlier journeys during our travels. We had pre-booked our tickets before departing the United Kingdom. We used the Hungarian railway’s website to complete the booking. Tickets can be purchased up to 60 days in advance. Our preferred mode of transport for this journey was the train. As it was to be 13.75-hour duration, we opted for an overnight sleeper train.
We booked train numbers 473, the Budapest Keleti to Bucharest North train.
Leaving Budapest at 1910 hrs, arriving at Brasov, Romania at 0953 hrs the following day.
Being a sleeper train, we purchased 2 berths in a couchette car with 6-berth compartments for 47 Euros each.
Tickets are not available for printing at home, so must be collected from the small blue internet collection machines. (Hungarian domestic tickets only) Or the larger yellow ticket machines. (Domestic & international tickets) at the main Hungarian train stations.
The machines have a touch screen facility in English. Simply enter the 10-digit reference number provided when the tickets were booked. Touch Bevitel (Hungarian for enter) and outcome the tickets.
Being our first overnight train journey and after our long day sightseeing in Budapest, we were both looking forward to getting aboard the train. As the train starts from Budapest Keleti it was available for us to board at about 1840 hrs, 30 mins prior to departure. We had already visited the supermarket to buy something for our evening meal and breakfast the following morning. Our research had shown that there might not be a dining car on the train until it entered Romania.
We collected our backpacks from the luggage storage and made our way to platform 1, from where our train was departing. Platform 1 is located back from the main station entrance, being accessed by a long 100m or so walk down platform 6.
Train carriages are clearly numbered, making finding our carriage and couchette compartment simple. We were hoping that our 6 berth compartment wouldn’t be full, but that wasn’t the case. We were to be travelling with 2 Hungarian couples, who were travelling together. The couchette wasn’t quite what we were expecting and to be honest was very snug, too much so for us to stay overnight in, with 4 complete strangers.
So a conversation with the carriage steward, and a few dollars later, we were on our own in another compartment.
This worked out a lot cheaper than booking a compartment for 2, but there is no guarantee that the steward will be as approachable as ours was, or that another compartment will be available.
The train departed on time as we settled down to eat the food we had bought earlier. It didn’t take long for the sun to set and darkness set in, limiting our view of the Hungarian countryside. Sheets, blankets, and pillows were all provided by the steward, so we made up our berths and had an early night.
Around 2200 hrs, we were awoken by the steward going through the carriage banging on all of the compartment doors. We had arrived at Lokoshaza, the Hungarian border checkpoint. The border guards and custom’s officials boarded the train and worked their way through the train, completing their checks and stamping passports as they did so.
The whole process took about 40 minutes and then the train got underway again. Ten minutes later we stopped at Curtici, the Romanian border checkpoint. Again border guards and customs officials boarded the train and worked their way through the train, completing their checks and stamping passports as they did so.
This time the process was much quicker taking only about 25 minutes and then the train got underway again. As we crossed the border the clocks went forward an hour. It was now 0030 hrs local time and the berths were calling. Throughout the night the train rattled, jerked, and bumped along, not allowing for a very good night’s sleep.
Waking early the next morning gave us the chance to see the beautiful scenery as the train approached the Carpathian mountains and Brasov.
Arrival in Brașov was through a very unsightly industrial area, the station seemed to be from the communist era.
Transport from the station to our accommodation at Downtown Studio & Rooftop Terrace, in the old town, was simple, cheap, and easy to use.
Immediately outside the train station is the bus station. The purchase of tickets is from the ticket booth in the stations or at one of the ticket machines. Validation of the ticket is required when boarding the bus. A single ticket is valid for 50 minutes on any bus line in the city and costs 2.50 RON.
We took bus number 4 to the main Local Bus Terminal (Livada Postei) at the entrance in the old town opposite Nicolae Titulescu park. A journey of about 12 minutes and 7 stops. From Livada Postei, it was bus number 50 to Piata Unirii, a 7 minute, 3 stop journey.
From there it was only a 5 minute walk to our accommodation.