Constanta Travel Forum

Hi,

I'm planning to get to Romania at the end of August.
I'd like to know if there are buses or trains that connect Varna (Bulgaria) and Constanta. If so, how frequent they go? How long does it take (with the border crossing and all)?
Thanks in Advance.

There is only one daily such bus, coming from Istanbul via Burgas and going to Constanta. They do not usually make a stop in Varna and they are very unlikely to take passengers from there, especially as they cross this city at midnight or so, depending on the TK/BG customs. The crossing Durankulak BG - Vama Veche RO is rarely used by cars and you are unlikely to be picked by some car. You can try though, take a van from Varna to Kavarna sau Durankulak and then try hitching a ride, or walk for the 6 km. to Vama Veche. If you bear an EU or US passport, they won't mind your walking across teh border, otherwise they can be really stupid on both sides of the frontier. You can read about my trip across that border two months ago on my Iran travelogue... 3 hours on the Romanian side after being body searched when entering Bulgaria from Turkey and all this under the EU flag do not make it for some glorious memory. But there is not much of an option, as Ruse BG - Giurgiu RO is just as much a joke of a border crossing as this one. Alternatively, you can go via Ruse - Bucharest by train:
Varna 08.35 - Ruse 12.22 R9620
Ruse 14.05 - Bucuresti Nord Gara A 17.30 R498
Bucuresti Nord Gara A 19.45 - Constanta 22.40 R685
Best regards,
Alex
alex@futurevox.com

HI Alex,

I wpuld like to ask you a thing...about the train going from Ruse (BG) to Bucarest (RO)....is it the only one available?

keep me posted please

Andrew

You have the following trains to/from Ruse to Bucharest:
Ruse Fr. - Bucuresti Nord Gr. A - Train no.
13.30-16.34 R498 Bosfor Exp. (from Istanbul, can have 2 hours delay easily)
15.30-19.17 R460 Transbalkan Exp. (from Salonica)
03.35-06.10 R382 Bulgaria Exp. (from Sofia)
Train timetable data: http://tinyurl.com/yusuc3
These trains usually do not have seats wagons (except maybe for R460). Because of the floods a couple of years ago the straight railway Giurgiu - Bucharest was disrupted and they haven't fixed it yet, so trains have to make a detour via Videle, which results in this long a journey for a mere 70 km. long straight line.

Alternatively you can use a van, but be careful that these vans are usually full of cross-border smugglers and their merchandise.

Otherwise vans drop you right in the city centre in Bucharest, at the makeshift bus stop (actually just a parking lot) at the crossing of Calea Victoriei with River Dambovita / Splaiul Unirii. You are basically on the verge of the old town, close to hotels and so on. The bus company details:

http://www.autogari.ro/Curse/Ruse-Bucuresti/14550-643.html

I would double check however at +4-0788454588, their phone number (not sure they would speak anything but Romanian and Bulgarian though).

Best regards,

Alex