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Trains in Romania

 

Trains in Romania service every town and city in this seriously underrated country! The Romanian rail network is the 4th largest and most dense in Europe. Even in villages you're often no further than 10km from a railway station. Comfortable, relaxing and easy to use, trains are the most popular and rewarding way of getting around Romania.

 

Train types in Romania

You can travel freely throughout Romania on trains operated by the Romanian railway company CFR (Căile Ferate Române). In addition to these domestic services, there are international trains to nearby countries. You can find times for Romanian trains in the Interrail timetable or on the website of CFR.

Map with main train connections in Romania

Regional and Intercity trains in Romania

Regio (RE)

  • Slow trains with frequent stops, connecting smaller towns and villages along commuter routes.

  • Bicycles permitted on board. You need to buy a bike ticket.

  • Formerly known as "Personal" trains.

  • No reservation required.

 

InterRegio (IR)

  • Faster trains covering longer distances, stopping at important towns and cities.

  • Bicycles permitted on board. You need to buy a bike ticket.

  • Formerly known as "Rapid" and "Accelerat" trains.

  • Reservations are required on many routes.

 

Intercity (IC)

  • Fast trains connecting the main cities in Romania.

  • They also link to international destinations, mainly Budapest.

  • Reservations are required.

 

Special (S)

  • Vintage tourist trains on scenic routes.

  • Exceptional conditions apply.

International trains in Romania

InterCity (IC)

  • Bucharest – Craiova – Timisoara – Arad – Budapest
  • Timisoara – Arad – Budapest
  • Brasov – Cluj Napoca – Oradea – Budapest

 

EuroCity (EC)

  • Cluj Napoca – Oradea – Budapest – Vienna
  • Baia Mare – Satu Mare – Debrecen – Budapest – Vienna

 

Other international trains

  • Bucharest – Ruse – Sofia (runs June 21st till October 9th) 
  • Bucharest – Ruse – Varna (runs June 21st till October 9th) 
  • Bucharest – Ruse (runs all year round) 
  • Craiova – Vidin (Bulgaria)

Domestic Night trains in Romania

Romania has one of the most extensive night train networks in Europe with trains running to every corner of the country. Plenty of international night train routes exist as well.

 

Intercity (IC) and InterRegio (IR) night trains

  • Couchettes and sleepers added to Intercity and InterRegio trains on overnight routes.
  • Reservations are required.
  • You can make use of the following domestic night train routes:
    • Bucharest – Craiova – Timisoara
    • Bucharest – Brasov – Beclean pe somes – Sighetu Marmatiei
    • Bucharest – Brasov – Beclean pe somes – Baia Mare
    • Bucharest – Brasov – Cluj Napoca – Oradea – Satu mare
    • Bucharest – Ploiesti – Buzau – Suceava – Vatra Dornei
    • Bucharest – Buzau – Buzau – Iasi
    • Timisoara – Arad – Cluj Napoca – Suceava – Iasi
  • The following domestic night trains only run on during summer season:
    • Mangalia – Constanta – Beclean pe somes – Baia Mare – Satu Mare
    • Constanta – Bucharest – Brasov – Cluj Napoca – Oradea
    • Mangalia – Constanta – Bucharest – Craiova – Timisoara – Arad
    • Constanta – Pascani – Suceava

 

International Night trains in Romania

EuroNight (EN)

  • International night train connecting Bucharest with Budapest (Hungary) and Vienna (Austria).
  • Reservations are required.
  • You can make use of the following domestic night train routes:
    • Bucharest – Brasov – Sibiu – Budapest
    • Bucharest – Craiova – Timisoara – Budapest (– Vienna)
    • Bucharest – Brasov – Sighisoara – Budapest – Vienna
    • Cluj Napoca – Oradea – Budapest – Vienna
    • Brasov – Miercurea Ciuc – Oradea – Budapest
  • Other night trains
    • Bucharest – Istanbul Halkali (Summer season only)

 

Popular connections

 

Route Duration (Regional train) Reservations (Intercity)
Bucharest to Brasov 2h 30m Required
Bucharest to Timisoara 20h Required
Bucharest to Cluj Napoca 8h 30m Required
Bucharest to Constanta 2h Required
Bucharest to Iasi 6h Required
Bucharest to Sibiu 5h 40m Required

Here are some direct train routes linking Romania with popular cities in other European countries:

Route Which train? Duration Reservations
Brasov to Budapest (Hungary) Intercity / EuroNight 13h (overnight) Required
Bucharest to Budapest (Hungary) Intercity / EuroNight 16h / 15h 30m (overnight) Required
Bucharest to Sofia (Bulgaria)* International Train 9h 30m Required
Bucharest to Vienna (Austria) EuroNight 18h 30m (overnight) Required
Bucharest to Istanbul (Turkey) Night Train 19h 45m (overnight) Required
Cluj to Budapest (Hungary) EuroCity / Night Train 7h 30m / 8h 30m (overnight) Required


*The train from Bucharest to Istanbul ends at Istanbul Halkali station, from here you can take a metro/Marmaray train to the city centre and under the Bosphorus to the Asian side. Make sure to have Turkish Lira notes beforehand, as most metro-ticket machines do not take bank cards.

 

Reservations

How can I make reservations for trains in Romania?

Interrail reservation self-service system

  • Interrail
  • Interregio, Euro Night, domestic night trains

Administration costs when booking through Interrail self-service

  • € 2,- p.p.per train
  • Additional € 9,- per order (for paper tickets)

With railway carriers

Locally at the train station in Romania

 

By phone

Through the Deutsche Bahn booking centre. You can call DB 24/7 on +49 1806 996 633.

 

For more information about train reservation costs on Romanian railways, check our list of domestic train reservation fees.

 

Get your Pass for Romania

Interrail Romania Pass

 
  • Travel as much as you like on the Romanian railways

  • Youth, senior and family discounts

  • Prices from € 91

 

View Romania Passes  

Interrail Global Pass

 
  • Extensive train travel in 33 European countries including Romania

  • Youth, senior and family discounts

  • Prices from € 212

 

View Global Passes 

 

Tips and tricks for Romania

avis-car-rental-girl-looking-out-of-car-window

Go the Last Mile

Found yourself at the end of the line, but not at your destination? When public transportation ends, it's time to take matters into your own hands: rent a car for the last kilometers!

 

Interrailers get up to a 15% discount on all Avis retail prices. 

 

You can find more information in the Terms & Conditions

 

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