Sofia Travel Forum

hey there..just a quick question about the Sofia - Beograd Train

i am planning on taking the Sofia 11:55 Train to Beograd arr. 19:18 with Serbian Railway (on a saturday)

the lonelyplanet said the train journey would be like 11h?? but welli guess thats the diffrent train..as well how good a serbian trains with the timnetable? always late? or normaly on time?
can i buy the ticket like everywhere at the railwaystation or do i need to go to a travel agancy?

then i am planning the Beograd - Sofia train N293 back to sofia on sunday night (21:15 - 07:15) the same quetsion about the times...is the treain really on time or are delays normal for this conection?

thanks so much for your help...ciao bella...mischa

Unfortunately, the invariable answer to your question is: Yes, international trains in the Balkans are late on 99% of the trips.
This does not mean that you will have serious problems, though. There is hardly any difference between arriving in Belgrade at 8pm or 10pm, in any case your sightseeing days is over and even at 10pm it is not too late to check out the nightlife and the restaurants of the Serbian capital. Just don't plan any tight connections onwards. The delays are not a problem of the Serbian or the Bulgarian railways in particular, it is just that the international trains are the first to be delayed in case of congestion on a route. Domestic services are more reliable.
The tickets can be bought at the train stations, but at separate counters for international travel. In Sofia this is to the left as you enter the building (travel bureau Rila or Wasteels), in Belgrade it is more or less in the main hall of the train station. Buy a return ticket in Sofia, because by default it is 40-50% discounted. There are not specific travel times written on the ticket.

Howdy there
realy its all depends on your luck.
i took the train on both direction and it was late .when i took the train from Beograd to Sofia it was late 2 hours ,but thats due to some paper work for customs at the boarder.
also somtimes the immigration officer have to take some people from the train.
but its a nice trip
enjoy your stay in Bulgaria
Cheers
( - _ - )

thanks very much for your help...are there any problems crossing the border?
anyway, cheers again..ciao, mischa

G"day Michael
nah there is no problem at all ,you dont leave the train at all.but there is a change for the train crew and some paper works.
as i said somtimes they took people from the train.
if you are a British passport holder ,you dont need a visa to Bulgaria or Serbia.
enjoy your stay
Cheers
( - _ - )

thanks for your help...ciao