Sofia to Bucharest by Train: What to Expect When Crossing the Bulgaria-Romania Border

If you’ve clicked on this article, I’m guessing you’re just as clueless as we were before this trip! I remember searching everywhere for ANY useful information to make this journey smoother, but there wasn’t much out there. So, if you’re planning to take the train from Sofia to Bucharest and want to know what to expect, you’re in the right place! I’m here to break it all down for you.

The Plan vs. Our Actual Experience

In theory, the train journey from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Bucharest, Romania, should take around 10 hours. It starts at Sofia North Station and ends at Bucharest Nord Station. Sounds simple, right? Well, not exactly.

For starters, there’s no way to buy a ticket online, and there’s very little information available about this route. So, we went to Sofia Central Railway Station to buy our tickets. That’s when things got interesting.

At first, the ticket counter upstairs refused to issue us a ticket for the full journey. We were told they could only sell us a ticket to Ruse, the last Bulgarian town before the Romania border. Determined, we went downstairs and explained our plan again. After some back and forth, we finally got tickets from Sofia North Station to Ruse, success!

💰 Cost: Our tickets from Sofia to Ruse cost $15 (29 BGN) per person.

Since there was a lot of confusion, we made sure to double-check our tickets and information at the station before boarding. We also tried to buy tickets all the way to Bucharest at this point, but we were told to just board the train and sort it out later. Not exactly reassuring!

Thankfully, we weren’t the only ones clueless about this journey. We met other travellers in the same situation, which oddly made us feel better, we were all figuring it out together.

Onboard the Train: What You Need to Know

Once on board, we started piecing together how this journey would actually work. We initially thought we might have to switch compartments or even change trains at Gorna Orjahoviva station, but that wasn’t the case. When we arrived, we checked with the train conductor, and she confirmed that our compartments were going all the way to Ruse. Another small win!

💡 Tip: Always check with the conductor at major stops to confirm you’re on the right track (literally). English is not commonly spoken in this part of Bulgaria, so having Google Translate downloaded is a lifesaver.

Crossing the Bulgarian-Romanian Border

After a few hours, we arrived in Ruse, which we thought was our final stop before crossing into Romania. Since we still didn’t have tickets for Bucharest, Sagar went to the ticket counter to buy them. No luck again! They told us we had to cross the border first, and then the train conductor would issue our tickets. Strange, right?

Here’s how the border crossing works:

1. Passport check in Ruse (Bulgarian side).
2. The train crosses into Romania.
3. Romanian border officers check your passport.
4. After clearing immigration, the train conductor sells you a ticket to Bucharest.

💰 Cost: Our ticket from Ruse to Bucharest cost $9.6 (46 RON) per person.

The good news? They accept card payments, so you don’t need cash! We used our Wise card, and the process was smooth.

Honestly, the whole thing sounds way more complicated than it actually is. If only we had this information beforehand, we could have saved ourselves a lot of stress!

Summer vs. Winter Travel; Important Note!

Not to add more confusion to an already chaotic journey, but we later found out that the process varies between summer and winter schedules. Since we travelled in the summer of 2024, this was the process at that time. If you’re travelling in winter, things might be different.

For the most up-to-date train schedules and details, check these resources:

• The Man in Seat Sixty-One – Hands down, the BEST train travel guide out there!
• Bulgarian Railways (BDZ) – Official Bulgarian train info.
• Romanian Railways (CFR) – Official Romanian train info.

Final Thoughts

The sole purpose of this blog post is to help fellow travellers because we were in desperate need of ANY information when we took this train from Sofia to Bucharest. Hopefully, this post puts your mind at ease and makes your trip smoother.

If you’ve taken this train, let us know about your experience in the comments! Did anything change? Was it easier or just as confusing?

📺 Check out our video to see how our train journey went and what the experience was really like!

Our Essential Travel Gear

CamelBak eddy+ Water Filter Water Bottle by LifeStraw Integrated 2-Stage Filter Straw 
This one purchase has truly transformed our travels. After visiting 19+ countries, we never had to worry about staying hydrated because this stainless steel water bottle has our back. It’s leak-proof, so you can toss it in your bag without a second thought!

Travel Insurance
Make sure to research a solid travel insurance policy before jetting off to any country. We’ve been with SafetyWing since the beginning of our journey, and they’ve provided top-notch customer service. Based on our experience, we can confidently recommend them!

eSIM 
This has been a game-changer for us! When we started our 625-day adventure, I was initially overwhelmed by the pricing and limited data options. But switching to eSIM while in Istanbul has been a lifesaver! It offers instant connectivity as soon as you land in a new country. Roaming and local SIMs can be tricky, but eSIMs are seamless and super easy to install before you even arrive. We’ve tried both Eskimo and Airalo and recommend them! If you purchase through our link, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you, and we’d really appreciate the support!

Carry-On luggage 
Seriously, this bag feels bottomless! It fits so much stuff, and I’m amazed every time I pack. We initially bought one for Sagar for our Japan trip last November, and after seeing how much he loved the design and pocket accessibility, I just had to get one too! If you’re after a stylish, long-lasting bag, this is it. It’s a bit pricey, but after using it daily for the past seven months, it’s been worth every penny.

Wise Card
What did we do before this card? It’s been a blessing! Transferring money is super easy with minimal fees, and the user-friendliness is next level. Highly recommend it!

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