In case you’re curious, this post is a bit about our experience on the night train from Sofia to Bucharest. We have done a few night transits now, and I have to admit that after 7 months on the road, I am very over doing bus transits. They’re uncomfortable, it’s hard to sleep on them and they’re just not so fun.
So this time we decided to upgrade a bit and try out the sleeper cabin from Sofia to Bucharest. Our tickets cost 139 lev, which is roughly $65 Australian per person.
In case you’re wondering, this is what the inside of a sleeper cabin on a Bulgarian train looks like. Like the Moroccan train, it sleeps four people; however, unlike the Moroccan train there is a lot more room (yay!) and the lower seats can be lifted to reveal a compartment which is rather handy for securely storing your bags.
All aboard, Sofia, Bulgaria
As with the other trains we have been on there isn’t a huge amount of room in the passage way between the different compartments.
On the train, Sofia, Bulgaria
Unlike other trains though, the trains in Bulgaria and Romania are not so enjoyable to ride. Why? The lack of air conditioning. It was incredibly hot inside the train and the window inside the cabin doesn’t open so it’s not possible to get any air flow.
Watching the countryside go by, Bulgaria
I wouldn’t say we got a lot of sleep on the train, but we probably got a bit more rest than what we normally get on a night bus. As always, the border crossings aren’t so fun and ours was around 1am with first the Bulgarian and then the Romanian passport controls to clear. It’s a straight forward process though and you are able to stay on the train while the checks are completed which was much nicer than our transit from Istanbul to Sofia!
Farewell Bulgaria