petsounds70
Traveller
2 comments
Posted 11 years ago
I'm hoping to travel through eastern Europe next April...Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia etc and night trains will feature on 3 or 4 of these connections between the Cities. Can anyone tell me how secure luggage is when you sleep?, do they have a locked area where you can store your suitcase while you sleep?.
If you are in a two or three bed couchette on a sleeper are you afforded any privacy from the 1 or 2 people in the couchette?, the idea of sharing a 'room' with complete strangers doesn't completely appeal.
NatureOne
Traveller
273 comments
hi,
I travelled by night train from Beograd to Budapest and Budapest to Prague. In both didn't see a place to lock my luggage, and even haven't seen such a place in night trains in Germany or France. But for sure the cabins are lockable from the inside :)
From Beograd to Budapest we took a two bed sleeper. I would recommend to use a sleeper instead of a couchette. E.g. we paid 12€ for a sleeper, while a couchette costs 8. And the couchette from Budapest to Prague wasn't comfortable. It felt like a leathered plank.
But wear your valuables near your body, maybe under your t-shirt :) and don't act like you have to hide something or feel paranoid of being robbed :D
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Hi!
If you are feeling uncomfortable travelling with others in the same compartment you have the option to book a single cabin in a sleeping car, however this would require a first class ticket. Also, if you intend to travel with domestic overnight trains in Romania, please note that you need a first class ticket to use any sleeper accomodation (usually you can book a bed in a double (2bed) or T3/touriste (3bed) cabin with a second class ticket.
Also, depending on your route (how are you going to get to Eastern Europe?) you might think about another ticket option (10in22 IR pass, Balkan Flexi Pass...).
Flo 8)
petsounds70
Traveller
2 comments
Many thanks to you both for your answers, i think a sleeper is a must rather than a couchette. A 2 bed one would be ideal, are all sleepers always full generally or do you occasionally get a 2 bed one all to yourself?
Flo
Traveller
10724 comments
Depends on day and route...on my trip through the Balkans to Istanbul (have a look at the railcc blog: rail.cc/blog) the couchette from Belgrade to Sofia was quite empty and it would not have been a problem to have a compartment on your own (however there was another traveller in my compartment with whom I had long and interesting conversation); the couchette from Sofia to Istanbul was quite full due to a large turkish family travelling back home; in the sleeper from Istanbul to Bucharest I was the only traveller and had the whole carriage for myself (!), on the Brasov - Budapest night train I booked T3 but had the compartment for my own.
Regarding security...there are no lockers or other facilities to store luggage, if you want, take a padlock and some kind of chain with you to attach your belongings together - you can also attach them to a seat or handle in the compartment. Take a small pouch with you in which you store valuables (tickets, passport, cash) and wear it under your clothes.
Dont be scared, it is a lovely area of Europe to discover, a bit more adventurous maybe but really worth it. :)
ardeeay
Traveller
99 comments
Hi
In June I used a First Class Seniors 10-day Balkan FlexiPass to travel in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, FYRO Macedonia etc mainly on night trains. I booked a single (sleeper single occupancy of a two berth sleeper) in each case. In only one case, between Timisoara and Bucharest, did I not get what I had booked. [In that case the train was heavily occupied and I was Thttps://rail.cc/en/night-train/sweden/se by the conductor that I would be sharing the sleeper with a young woman and her luggage - there was no negotiation and no refund of the fare difference!] In all other cases for a very small supplement, I was able to obtain sole occupancy of the sleeper compartment by paying the single occupancy supplement, and the trains were not crowded.
As indicated by NatureOne you can lock your compartment from the inside to safeguard you luggage. In most cases I was not able to lock the compartment while outside but unless you want to go a long way from your compartment corridor there would be no real problem. There is plenty of room to stow your luggage inside the sleeper compartment [eg above the door] where it would not be visible from the corridor while you were outside and you could chain/lock it to the fittings if you have an appropriate lock. I must say that I never felt uncomfortable or threatened in any way [luggage or personal safety] on any of the journeys.
I agree with your feelings about sharing with complete strangers, and found that was plenty of opportunity to chat with fellow travellers in the corridor during daylight hours. So for me a sleeper compartment at a cheap cost was the answer.
Enjoy your travels.
Richard