Veliko Turnovo Travel Forum

We are arriving at Bucharest(Baneasa) airport in January and require transport to VT. We have been told there is a train from GARA DE NORD station,the Bucahrest-Istanbul service goes via Russe, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Veliko Turnovo, Troyan, Stara Zagora, Svilengrad, Edirne (Adrianopolis). Leaves Bucharest at. 13.24 every day including Sundays and Public Holidays. In VT at 20.00. Does anybody know if there is a bus or another train we will miss this train as we don't arrive until 13:30 if the plane arrives on time.

The information you were told is outdated. Since Dec. 9 the "Bosfor Ekspresi" and "Transbalkan" are combined in one single train due locomotive shortage. Transbalkan does leave Bucuresti at 12:53, NOT 13:24 - there is no train at 13:24. The few cars to Istanbul are running with the Transbalkan are removed from the main train at Gorna Orjahovica (close to Tarnovo) and forwarded by the train No. 4643 towards Dimitrovgrad via Tarnovo. They would reach Tarnovo at 18:40, not 20:00.

Again, there is absolutely nothing at 13:24. :-(

Solution: an other train is departing 19:53, it is the D59KJ (yes, that's the name of the train!). It won't go to T'rnovo - it will travel to Sofia, arriving there 6:05 in the morning.

You have much better chances to reach T'rnovo if you would go with the train D59KJ to Sofia:

train 3621, departing 6:50, de-train at Gorna Orjahovica (11:04), use local bus or taxi to Tarnovo
train 462, departing 08:18, de-train at Gorna Orjahovica (12:16), use local bus or taxi to Tarnovo

There is also a connection via Dabovo.

I know, it sounds crazy that you go first to Sofia than back - but in my opinion it's still a much better idea than stay in Bucharest. The problem is, the entire Romania-Bulgaria connection is a non-electrified single-track on a bi-level rail/road bridge over the Danube. It's a bottle-neck for both cars and trains. The sooner you pass it - the better.

The trains in Bulgaria are very cheap, so going back to Gorna Orjahovica or to Tarnovo via Dabovo is not a great expense.

Important!!!

Few words about the train "D59KJ". This is the "Bulgaria Express" Moscow-Kiev-Bucuresti-Sofia. It does arrive Bucuresti from Moscow. It will have three kind of cars:

- Romanian blue-yellow-white sleepers (most expensive, most fancy but not necessarily the best deal):
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ro/car/night/ex-DB/blue-grey/a_CFR_car.jpg
- Romanian red-white sleepers (similar to above)
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ro/car/night/ex-DB/red/CFR_51_53_71-31040-6.jpg

- Bulgarian red-white sleeper and/or couchette (somewhat neglected)
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ro/car/night/ex-DB/blue-grey/cfr_car_on_svoge.jpg
(you see it in the foreground)

- Ukrainian blue cars, much higher than standard European cars, very similar to American "streamliners" of 1950-s
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ua/car/kupeiny/20060919_034.jpg
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ua/car/kupeiny/20060919_035.jpg

- Russian green cars, similar to Ukrainian one (pic made in Bucuresti)
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ro/car/intercity/A10/20060919_039.jpg

Typical set-up inside of these Russian and Ukrainian cars is like this:

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ua/car/kupeiny/PIC_097.jpg
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ua/car/kupeiny/PIC_140.jpg
http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/kupeiny/interior/101_ru_Moscow_Chernigov_15_05_2004.jpg

The reason for such detail I am providing about these cars because not just these are cheaper than either Romanian or Bulgarian cars, but they have an important feature:

"TITAN", i.e. "samovar" with free hot water at the end of the corridor:

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ua/car/kupeiny/PIC_120.jpg

The way you get these cars is very easy: you buy the "regular" ticket Bucuresti-Sofia (21 Euro/person) and approach the Russian or Ukrainian conductor of the car you like. You can distinguish the cars with 2-bed compartments by "MECT 18", the cars with 4-bed compartments by "MECT 36" writing close to the door. On the picture below is a car with nine 4-bed compartments:

http://www.railfaneurope.net/pix/ru/car/kupeiny/green/a_RZD_car.jpg

Give the attendant 30 Euro for two people total in the first class, 15 Euro for two people total in the second.

The Sofia-Gorna Orjahovica domestic service is 12.10 Lev (=ca. 6.5 Euro) pro person.

heloo and merry cristmas

Transbalkan train nr' [D 463] wich leave Bucuresti at 12:53
arrived to the romanian city border "GIURGIU" at 14:43 and depart
from the station at 15:15 go for ruse [the bulgarian city border]
arrived to ruse at 15:40 and depart the station at 16:00.

the second option can be possible + -
you need direct transport from airport to ruse train station.
the taxi company that work at the airport "FLYTAXI" take 3 lei for k"m
and from otopeni to giurgiu is 80 k"m = 240 lei = 67 euro
I dont know how mach for pass the border )-:

ather option is to take a minibus from bucharest city to giurgiu city
it cost 10 lei for person [3euro].

the minibus depart from :

Autogara Filaret - FILART CENTRAL BUS STATION
ADRESS : Piata Garii Filaret nr.1, Sector 5
Tel: +4-021-336.06.92

http://www4.pmb.ro/wwwt/wwwcs/inf_util/FILARET.htm

you can take a taxi there , you have minibus to giurgiu each 30 minute.
the problem is to found transport from there to ruse train station.

another option is to take direct minibus for 15 euro person that depart bucharest city from PIATA UNIRI [front of - Hotel Horoscop]

look at the timetable:

http://www.autogari.ro/Transport/Bucuresti-Ruse/643-14550.aspx

you can see that you have one at 16:30 and arrive to ruse at 18:15

there is a train nb Fast4647 depart ruse at 21:55 and arrived to VT
AT 00:18