Sofia Travel Forum

hello please! what is the train to Beograd from Sofia like and how long does it take? I would like a sleeper but how much does it cost and is it safe?. alternately what about a bus is it quicker and cheaper and does it have a w.c. on board

I am sending Bahn (german train) link:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en?ld=212.32&seqnr=3&ident=2q.0207032.1210701994&rt=1&OK#focus

Cassiovieggore

Hi,
it's cheaper to travel by train-around 18 euro one way,the bus is around 25 euro.The train leaves at 21.20h every night and most of the buses are in the morning.

Train to Beograd, twice a day: return trip 22 euros, one-way should be more than 11 euros, because you do not get the return discount. The sleeper costs 9 euros, if i remember correctly. Expect delays, if you take the night train you can arrive at 7-8 am instead of the scheduled 5am, or similar.
Check the German railways website, English version, for timetable:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
Bus: according to the Eurolines website, there is a bus to Belgrade every day at 9am. According to the website of the small station, from where the international buses often depart, it runs only Thursdays and Sundays. So, inquire locally. In front of the central railway station there are a number of kiosks of the different bus companies, the Eurolines one is next to a large square, Traffic Market, the station from where the buses depart. The price cited in the website is about 22 euros one-way. The bus should be faster than the train, but not much, especially because it departs at 9am and the bus line at the border crossing is extremely queued, as 90% of the international buses leave at 9am. Expect about 2-3 hours of waiting there. The bus will reach Belgrade around 4-5pm local time, I am speaking from experience with traveling to Germany by bus.
Another bus option is with a change in Nis. 7am and 4:30pm depart the buses Sofia-Nis, price 9 euros one-way. The travel time is about 4:30 hours, the border is usually less crowded. Change onto the buses for Belgrade, I do not know the price, but it will be around 10 euros, I guess. There is at least one per hour. You might have to change euros to dinars at the bus station, there is an exchange office (menjacnica).
Changes from a bus to Nis onto a train to Belgrade are useless, you will lose time in transferring to the train station (2-3km apart) and the train will be much slower in comparison to the Nis-Belgrade bus that drives on the highway.
An interesting feature of almost all Serbian bus stations is that you buy your ticket and get a small "coin", as well. You need it to unlock the turnstiles that will take you to the bus parking. If you lose the coin, you can buy another one at the ticket counter, it costs about 50 cents.

Hope that was extensive enough. If not, ask further questions.
Venelin