How To Do Train Travel In Romania – It’s Complicated

Last Updated on: 3rd February 2025, 11:42 pm

Firstly this blog post is written from the experience of our trip to Romania this summer. And I wanted to share it so that you don’t make any mistakes like we did. Here is my advice to do train travel in Romania, especially if you are Interrailing like we did.

On my first visit to Romania, I bought a ticket from Brasov to Bucharest, so I have experience in both ways of travel.

There Are Different Rail Companies

Different Rail Companies run the Romanian trains and there are many international ones that run through too. Most trains are run by CFR, but here is a list of the train operators.

CFR (Căile Ferate Române)
Regio Calatori
Transferoviar Călători
Astra Trans Carpatic
Interregional Călători

You need to make sure that you have the right ticket for the train that you are on. If you buy the wrong ticket, it could cost you a lot of money.

International Train Travel In Romania

Many trains need a reservation, make sure you check whether you need one or not. Then make sure you get on the correct train. The reservations do not cost much and they are easy to buy at the train station. There is usually an Interrail or Train discount window at the station.

If you are looking at taking an international train from Bucharest, this is where you can really get unstuck. You cannot book the trips until you are in the country, so you need to be there for quite a few days before you plan on leaving the country.

The problem is that although the train trip To Turkey is a 20-hour one from Bucharest to Istanbul, it is very popular with people who Interrail or are travelling around Europe buying tickets as you go. And there is only one train carriage that goes to Turkey every day. So once the tickets sell out, that is it until the next day.

In the height of summer, it can be a 3 or 4-day wait to get onto the train from Bucharest to Istanbul. The same goes for the train to Sofia too. If people cannot get on the Istanbul train they travel to Sofia, and then get the train from there to Istanbul.

Check If You Need A Reservation

Some trains need a reservation. Make sure you get one at the station, so you know you have secured a seat and you won’t get fined on the train for not having one. Reservations really only cost a few Lei to buy.