Sofia to Bucharest - Booking tickets at the station

[parkender102]

I'm in Bulgaria on a cross Europe trip home from the Greek Islands. The only portion of the journey I couldn't prebook was Sofia to Bucharest. According to Seat 61 it can only be booked at Sofia Rail Station. I tried at the ticket window earlier at Sofia Station and got blank looks or told I can't book it. Although 1 person said windows 16 and 17 only which were full of people trying to book tickets. I gave up as I was starving after a Flixbus journey from Thessaloniki this morning. I'm not in a rush as I'm not travelling till Wednesday 7/8 so will go back later and see if I get any joy. The journey I'm trying to book is Sophia Sever 07:06 - Bucharest 17:17 - Train 460 direct. Due to track works its not starting at the main station but Sophia Sever a few minutes away. Seat 61 says can be booked on the day but I'd rather get it booked earlier in case ticket windows are closed for the earlier departure. Don't want to get to Sophia Sever without a ticket really.

Any advice or experience much appreciated.

EDIT

Just read Seat 61 again and it says International bookings from Windows 21 and 22. I'll try these later as I'm only a 10 min walk away at Hotel Favorit.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I'm not sure if this will help at all, but bahn.com has this journey as two trains.
The first is R2611 from Sofia-Sever 0706 to Gorna Orjahovica 1105 (goes on to Varna).
The second is train 460, starts at Gorna Orjahovica 1135 via Ruse/Giurgiu Nord to Bucharest 1717.

BDZ shows a bus connection at 0650 from the central station to Sofia-Sever 0654 to connect into R2611.

Sofia - Ruse, Train timetable | BDZ Passengers

Timetable, Domestic lines. BDZ Passengers

razpisanie.bdz.bg

Looks like you can book Sofia-Ruse online on the above site for BGN 22.90 (£10).
That doesn't help with Bucharest, though.
As a last resort, there's a 45 minute stop at Ruse (border formalities, engine change).
I've done the full route in the opposite direction - a very pleasant journey, with the bonus of seeing an ex-BR 87 en route.
There were no problems buying a ticket in Romania.

 

[87015]

I'm not sure if this will help at all, but bahn.com has this journey as two trains.
The first is R2611 from Sofia Sever 0706 to Gorna Orjahovica 1105 (goes on to Varna).
The second is train 460, starts at Gorna Orjahovica 1135 via Ruse/Giurgiu Nord to Bucharest 1717.

BDZ shows a bus connection at 0650 to the station at Sever 0654 to connect into R2611.

Sofia - Ruse, Train timetable | BDZ Passengers

Timetable, Domestic lines. BDZ Passengers

razpisanie.bdz.bg

It doesn't show a bus, it shows an EMU to Sever. Thats a long term dig and there is only a long siding between the two hence an EMU shuttle, although i'd probably get a tram to Sever and just be there in more time. 2611 is combined Varna/Ruse/Bucharest, splits at Gorna and Ruse. The front coach of the Ruse portion will be for Bucharest.

The international ticket window(s) at Sofia are on the main concourse, not downstairs where domestic tickets are sold.

 

[parkender102]

Thanks all - the confusing thing is Seat 61 says its a direct train with 1 Romanian carriage going all the way to Buchharest. I'll be heading up to the station in the next hour so will let you know what I find out. Think that was my mistake - I was at the Domestic Windows.

 

[nwales58]

BDZ has a list of ticket offices on its web site with a separate list for those that sell international:

Railway bureaus and stations | BDZ Passengers

Ticket offices, information desks at railway stations, international ticket offices. | BDZ Passengers

www.bdz.bg

in Sofia, as well as the main station there is an office, probably an agent, at Bulevard Maria Luiza No 102.

Sofia Sever can only sell domestic tickets according to that list but Gorna Orachovitsa and Ruse can sell international.


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2024 ==

According to Vagonweb, the international section of the journey has 3 through coaches at this time of year. From Sofia it is one BDZ coach, 472. An additional coach comes from Varna, 481 (CFR open, air conditioned, might be nicer) plus the TCDD couchette from Istanbul which all join at Gorna Oryhovitsa. As far as Ruse there are 4 extra BDZ coaches including a first.

So in the extrememly unlikely event coach 472 is full you could ask for a separate domestic ticket as far as G.Oryhovitsa or Ruse and a seat in coach 481 from there onwards.

(I happen to be researching Romania+Bulgaria at present and will be back with questions on Vidin-Craiova!)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2024 ==

Relevant formations according to vagonweb are:

vagonWEB » Řazení vlaků » 2024 » BDŽ BV » BV 2611

www.vagonweb.cz

and

vagonWEB » Řazení vlaků » 2024 » BDŽ MBV/IR » MBV/IR 460 România

www.vagonweb.cz

 

[parkender102]

Back from the station empty handed! No one interested and closing International Windows at 18:30 despite advertised 19:00 closing time. International Windows 21 and 22 now moved to the right of normal domestic booking windows. Will try again tomorrow. No way of booking online. I'm thinking I'll just turn up on the day try and book on the day but as someone said can't book International Trains fron Sever Station. Not sure I could book international at Sofia and make it to Sever on time.

 

[superalbs]

Back from the station empty handed! No one interested and closing International Windows at 18:30 despite advertised 19:00 closing time. International Windows 21 and 22 now moved to the right of normal domestic booking windows. Will try again tomorrow. No way of booking online. I'm thinking I'll just turn up on the day try and book on the day but as someone said can't book International Trains fron Sever Station. Not sure I could book international at Sofia and make it to Sever on time.

Why not book at Sofia and travel from Sofia too?

 

[parkender102]

Train starts from Sofia Sever due to rail works not Sofia Main Rail Station. So unable to book at the moment due to incompetent staff at main Rail Station

 

[nwales58]

Very useful to know about the international windows. When you succeed could you report back on whether they do English please.

 

[Mag_seven]

The booking office staff at Sofia are useless - I tried to get a FIP discounted ticket and they decided it was out of date despite the fact it was clearly not.

 

[Bungle965]

The booking office staff at Sofia are useless - I tried to get a FIP discounted ticket and they decided it was out of date despite the fact it was clearly not.

Ah the minefield of getting FIP issued tickets from foreign booking offices!

 

[nwales58]

Correction to my earlier post.
Only option in Sofia is the main station according to BDZ's list (Bul. Maria Luiza is its address). Sorry.

Fallback I would use is domestic ticket to Ruse then try to buy the international leg at G.O. if on time or Ruse or from the CFR guard at Ruse as the CFR web site says you can now buy on board including card payment (which might not be true at Ruse or Vidin of course) - anyone tried it recently?

If not tied to Bucharest, to carry on west you could buy a ticket to Vidin (same train from Sever, change at Mezdra) where I hope it's possible to buy the ticket to Craiova, arrive 1606. You're then stuck in what looks like Crewe until the Budapest train passes through after midnight, or overnight and catch the day train at 0845.

Grotty fallback: Flix have a Sofia-Timisoara service but it leaves at 0100.

 

[rvdborgt]

Fallback I would use is domestic ticket to Ruse then try to buy the international leg at G.O. if on time or Ruse or from the CFR guard at Ruse as the CFR web site says you can now buy on board including card payment (which might not be true at Ruse or Vidin of course) - anyone tried it recently?

If Sofia ticket staff won't help again at the day of departure, I'd be inclined to do just that.
I also wonder if the problem may be (partially) in the language barrier. Maybe it helps if you write down the train you want to book.

 

[Mainline421]

They can sell tickets onboard, so you won't be refused travel (or at least both CFR and TCDD staff can on that train so I'd be shocked if BDZ is any different) just speak to them on the day if necessary.

 

[parkender102]

This is the Bulgarian Railways page linked from Seat 61 stating that this is an International Fast Train Sofia - Bucharest 57.70 BGN and also mentions a Reservation on a through Train

Sofia - Bucuresti - Sofia and Varna - Bucuresti - Varna | BDZ Passengers

BDZ Passengers | BDZ Passengers

www.bdz.bg

Then a timetable PDF

All very confusing as the PDF has Train as 2611/460 - Coach 72 is the only through Coach but just listed further down the page as Train 460. Sofia Sever 07:06 - Gorna Orjahovica 11:05 then departing Gorna Orjahovica 11:35 arriving at Bucharest 17:17.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Aug 2024 ==

BDZ has a list of ticket offices on its web site with a separate list for those that sell international:

Railway bureaus and stations | BDZ Passengers

Ticket offices, information desks at railway stations, international ticket offices. | BDZ Passengers

www.bdz.bg

in Sofia, as well as the main station there is an office, probably an agent, at Bulevard Maria Luiza No 102.

Sofia Sever can only sell domestic tickets according to that list but Gorna Orachovitsa and Ruse can sell international.


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2024 ==

According to Vagonweb, the international section of the journey has 3 through coaches at this time of year. From Sofia it is one BDZ coach, 472. An additional coach comes from Varna, 481 (CFR open, air conditioned, might be nicer) plus the TCDD couchette from Istanbul which all join at Gorna Oryhovitsa. As far as Ruse there are 4 extra BDZ coaches including a first.

So in the extrememly unlikely event coach 472 is full you could ask for a separate domestic ticket as far as G.Oryhovitsa or Ruse and a seat in coach 481 from there onwards.

(I happen to be researching Romania+Bulgaria at present and will be back with questions on Vidin-Craiova!)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2024 ==

Relevant formations according to vagonweb are:

vagonWEB » Řazení vlaků » 2024 » BDŽ BV » BV 2611

www.vagonweb.cz

and

vagonWEB » Řazení vlaků » 2024 » BDŽ MBV/IR » MBV/IR 460 România

www.vagonweb.cz

Thanks for the advice - I'm going to write everything down on a piece of paper and hand it to them and see what they come up with.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Aug 2024 ==

EDIT
Well another infuriating morning at the station - International Ticket Windows 21 and 22 (English spoken) are adamant that they cannot sell a through ticket from Sofia to Bucharest. She tells me I have to buy a ticket to Ruse (from another Window - Window 17) on the Bulgarian border and then buy a ticket to Bucharest on the train I'm already on. So I've now got a ticket to Ruse tomorrow. This despite the exact journey I want to do being written in english printed on A4 paper on the outside of the window explaining the journey to Bucharest!

 

[nwales58]

Thanks for posting the experience, your frustrations will help me and probably others in the next few months.

I had been trying to work out which way around Craiova-Vidin-Sofia-...-Ruse-Bucuresti was best, clearly the idea that the capital city station would be best for international tickets was wrong!

So what international tickets do Sophia sell I wonder, Turkey only?
Maybe someone forgot to pay the subscription to DB or whatever system they were using for European reservations.

 

[parkender102]

There was an English girl in front front of me at the International Window and she seemed to be booking a sleeper berth so I can only assume it was International but I didn't catch where.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

I took the train in the opposite direction a few years ago and I don't remember there being any problem about the ticket but I'm not sure how exactly I did it. I think I must have just bought it the day before in Bucharest. The CFR online international ticket sales website is unable to sell a ticket for it.

Booking the (no longer existing) (Buchrest)-Sofia - Thessaloniki night train on the same trip was more a palava. The international ticket office at Sofia was only able to sell me a ticket and a seat reservation. In order to get a berth in the CFR couchette I had to go to a special window which was purely for buying tickets through the Deutsche Bahn ticket system, and somehow they were able to issue a couchette reservation(but I don't think they would have been able to sell a ticket).

 

[JB_B]

Last year the international window at Ruse was quite efficient - they were able to sort us out with that night's Istanbul couchette reservations while our passports were being checked on arrival from Bucharest.

 

[nwales58]

The international ticket office at Sofia was only able to sell me a ticket and a seat reservation. In order to get a berth in the CFR couchette I had to go to a special window which was purely for buying tickets through the Deutsche Bahn ticket system, and somehow they were able to issue a couchette reservation(but I don't think they would have been able to sell a ticket).

That explains something. The BDZ ticket office list has two entries for Sofia Centralna with different opening times and different telephone numbers. The second one, open 0800-1800, is for sales from the DB Bahn system. If you made this up people wouldn't believe it.

Only Sofia, Burgas, Ruse out of the 12 'international' ticket offices mention the DB system. Though we now know Sofia may not in practice.

In addition, BDZ's Veliko Trnovo agent on the main street (not the station) also has sold tickets from the DB system in the past, there are pictures somewhere on tripadvisor.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Aug 2024 ==

@parkender102 How did it go on the day?

 

[parkender102]

Sorry for the late reply - confirmed you buy a ticket on the train Ruse to Bucharest - you can pay by card - costs around 8 Euros. Everyone travelling to Bucharest only had tickets to Ruse. Payment is taken after you cross the border when the Romanian guards come on.

 

[nwales58]

Brilliant, thanks.
I'll assume CFR Vidin-Craiova is the same then.

 

[parkender102]

Brilliant, thanks.
I'll assume CFR Vidin-Craiova is the same then.

All the chaos in Bulgaria seemed to subside once we got to Romania - it was a bit stressful thinking you may get turfed off at the Bulgarian Border at Ruse if they didn't take card as no-one had Romanian Currency on them.

Be prepared for a faff at the border as Bulgarian Border Staff took everyone's passports away for 30 mins to check them and the returned them only for the same to happen on the other side. You can stay on the train with your bags but there is a fresh air and stretch your legs opportunity while they swap engines and remove surplus coaches.

The train was very lightly loaded from Sofia - I had a 8 person compartment to myself all the way to Ruse apart from 1 person who got off at the first stop. Everyone made for the 1 air con coach from the border but there were plenty of empty non air con compartments all the way from Ruse to Bucharest.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Those border formalities should disappear when BG and RO fully implement the Schengen rules.
They currently apply to air passengers only, but will extend to road/rail soon.
Should also apply at their borders with other Schengen states (GR, HU).
That would take an hour off the Sofia-Bucharest time (and Budapest-Bucharest).
Isn't the direct route from Giurgiu to Bucharest also being reinstated (avoids the detour via Videle)?

 

[nwales58]

Isn't the direct route from Giurgiu to Bucharest also being reinstated (avoids the detour via Videle)?

Done. Local services from Giurgiu to Bucuresti Progresul, S edge of city, then via Vest to Nord around the ring. Same journey time as via Videle.

Overall, Sofia-Bucharest demand is tiny. One 70 seater turboprop per day and maybe a couple of overnight coach services plus the train's one through coach in summer.

 

[parkender102]

Done. Local services from Giurgiu to Bucuresti Progresul, S edge of city, then via Vest to Nord around the ring. Same journey time as via Videle.

Overall, Sofia-Bucharest demand is tiny. One 70 seater turboprop per day and maybe a couple of overnight coach services plus the train's one through coach in summer.

Coincidentally I see you are based in North Wales? I live in Hawarden near Chester - just about in Wales by a mile or 2. I'm currently on the sleeper Bucharest to Budapest.