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Ticket from VIDELE (Romania) to ISTANBUL (Turkey)!

cmiclgn

Hey!

I had won an interrail ticket through DiscoverEU. I would like to travel to Istanbul and had already arranged my first few reservations. From Brussels to Videle I have been successful: sometimes through a detour, but that doesn't matter.

From Videle (Romania) to Halkili (Turkey), I can't manage to book tickets or make reservations via the app. Since this didn't work, I tried to book a new ticket through the Romanian site, but that caused a lot of side issues. According to the booking, I would have to pick up my ticket at the station itself, but then when completing my payment, I also have to select a station, which does not list 'Videle' as a 'pick-up station' at all. I also can't get contact arranged with the country for the service.

Is there perhaps a way to solve this, or to avoid the country of Romania and get to Turkey via a detour, starting from Brussels South on September 1, in the evening, towards Istanbul (pendik) or (halkili).


Kind regards,
Semih

 

 

Best answer by rvdborgt

mcadv wrote:

245 ROL is about 50/60€ so that means the normal full fare.

It has been told here by now so many times: for RES only this is only possible if you, a person, visits the desk/counter of another person working for the state raiwlays CFR (tsjeh-feh-reh) In the Romania-in major stations

DB can also book a reservation for this train at a ticket office or by phone.

mcadv wrote:

The ´train´ BUC-IST does not exist as such-only summertime (final date unknown till now)

I've told you before that the timetable has been known right from the start:

https://www.bdz.bg/en/a/sofia-istanbul-sofia

This year, the Bucharest-Halkali coach leaves Bucharest for the last time on 3 October. Please take note.

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M
Full steam ahead
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  • mcadv
  • Full steam ahead
  • 3893 replies
  • August 19, 2022

245 ROL is about 50/60€ so that means the normal full fare.

It has been told here by now so many times: for RES only this is only possible if you, a person, visits the desk/counter of another person working for the state raiwlays CFR (tsjeh-feh-reh) In the Romania-in major stations, and I assume Videle (how the heck did you get there anyway? or family?) is not among them. The usual report says there is always plenty of space, but this seems to attract: I read a note in quite another forum of train-lovers a few days ago that told it was full 1 day, yes heaps of passholders and some UKR refugees.

The ´train´ BUC-IST does not exist as such-only summertime (final date unknown till now) is 1 couchette car among cars with other ends and shunted 2-3 times on the way to join the ´main´ train (usually 2-3 cars) from Sofia to Ist-ending Halkali in the early morning, where you then have to arrange a SmartCard to travel further. The surcharge with pass is 14/15€ extra.

As it is the one and only railline überhaupt from BG to IST and this is the one+only train-there is thus very little other choice if you insist on going over rails. In the past there used to be dozens of much faster and cheaper buses, easy to get, often coming from even further north, but this has also dried up a lot.

The possible slightly ALT way is the newer raillink to BG from RO; via the bridge near Vidin, sideline from the car-factory town Craiova-in the end you then reach Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, where you will have a little more seats/beds, but the basic ´problem´-you eternal worry, will not be solved other as waiting till there. Those were once the real joys of riding with a pass-but todays youth seems to have completely lost that perspective.

R
Railmaster
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  • rvdborgt
  • Railmaster
  • 10552 replies
  • Answer
  • August 19, 2022
mcadv wrote:

245 ROL is about 50/60€ so that means the normal full fare.

It has been told here by now so many times: for RES only this is only possible if you, a person, visits the desk/counter of another person working for the state raiwlays CFR (tsjeh-feh-reh) In the Romania-in major stations

DB can also book a reservation for this train at a ticket office or by phone.

mcadv wrote:

The ´train´ BUC-IST does not exist as such-only summertime (final date unknown till now)

I've told you before that the timetable has been known right from the start:

https://www.bdz.bg/en/a/sofia-istanbul-sofia

This year, the Bucharest-Halkali coach leaves Bucharest for the last time on 3 October. Please take note.

Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.

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