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flussradler
Traveller
5 comments

Posted 11 months ago

Hey everyone,

As my journey across south-eastern Europe starts in a few weeks, I have already been looking for some information regarding booking options for seat reservations. I read in a forum entry that reservations on the route Split->Zagreb have to be made in Croatia. Therefore my question: Do you know if this is also the case on one of the following routes? (For the sake of simplicity, here is my entire travel plan, the routes where the app says I need a reservation are marked with an (R)).

Germany - Bratislava
Bratislava - Budapest (R)
Budapest - Cluj
Cluj - Bucuresti (R)
Bucuresti - Varna
Varna - Sofia
Beograd - Podgorica (R)
Split - Zagreb (R)
Zagreb - Ljubljana
Ljubljana - Germany

If anybody is wondering about the gaps: After Sofia, I would take the bus to Skopje and from there to Beograd. And between Podgorica and Split I will also take buses via Sarajevo. For the route from Sofia to Beograd I have already found good local booking sites, for the routes Podgorica-Sarajevo and Sarajevo-Split I have so far only found booking options via getbybus, which do not have the offered student discount and instead even charge booking fees. So if you know of any good alternative in this regard, feel free to contact me.

Best regards and many thanks
Tom

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Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

replied 11 months ago

Hi Tom!

Bratislava - Budapest: not necessary, but can be handy on busy travel days. Recommend to take a seat on the dining car.
Budapest - Cluj: not necessary but recommend. Which train do you want to take?
Cluj - Bucuresti: Necessary as far as I know.
Bucuresti - Varna: Necessary as far as I know, ask locally.
Beograd - Podgorica: not necessary as far as I know but recommend
Split - Zagreb: necessary
Zagreb - Ljubljana: not necessary
Ljubljana - Germany: not neybut recommend on busy travel days

Buses: I usually search (and buy) on getbybus.com or busticket4.me
Sometimes you can also book on the operators site directly, for instance at Globtours I think (although the booking engine is provided by getbybus).
It is always possible to contact the bus operators and/or buy tickets locally.

Flo

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flussradler
Traveller
5 comments

replied 11 months ago

Hey Flo,

ich glaube, dass ich meine Frage nicht spezifisch genug gestellt habe. Ich wollte nicht wissen, wo ich eine Reservierung brauche - da würde ich der App vertrauen und denken, dass ich sonst immer einen Platz finde. Ich meinte eher, wo ich die Reservierung nicht schon vorab online vornehmen kann, sondern das vor Ort (am Automaten?) erledigen müsste. Vielen Dank trotzdem für deine Hinweise. Von Budapest nach Cluj würde ich übrigens den IC 367 ab 07:40 nehmen.

LG Tom

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Flo
Traveller
10723 comments

replied 11 months ago

Bratislava - Budapest ist meine Reservierungspflicht, egal was die App sagt.

Reine Reservierungen gibt es online:
cd.cz: für Bratislava - Budapest (alternativ sonst auf slovakrail.sk schauen)
jegy.mav.hu: alles in und von/nach Ungarn (bin mir aber nicht sicher, ob nur Reservierung auch tatsächlich geht)
Ansonsten eher Fehlanzeige, aber du kannst auf cfrcalatori.ro, srbijavoz.rs und hzpp.hr schauen.

Ok...der spätere IC hätte immerhin einen Speisewagen. Aber der frühe geht natürlich auch.

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flussradler
Traveller
5 comments

replied 11 months ago

Vielen Dank für die Tipps!

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nltrainer
Traveller
1324 comments

replied 11 months ago

Am now on an IR via BG into RO and made today my RES here in Bucuresti by some nice and other less nice ladies in a long Q at that main station. It may be perhaps very old-fashioned or even outdated and not even able to think-but right here these things just work loie in DE pre 2000: you do it yourself and line up. AND now here is that fone that can also translate and show exact dates/times. Yes, you DO need RES for about any train here in RO and will be kicked off without. Alkso note there is NO easy train connection Buc-Varna. TRains in BG and a little less here in RO are dreadful and only for hard-headed germans who like to do principienreiterei-anyone with some brains goes by bus.
The age old trick also works best: on arr in a city simply stay a few more mins in stazione/gara and do all that booking/RES etc for onward-these trains are not full 6 weeks before. In the past you would also then line up for a tourist office and let them book a hotel or private zimmer-that you can no do online. hostelworld or booking.com
BUS; also check via uncle google- it will often also show moovit or rome2rio-do not use that for direct booking but then use dr google to find the listed buscomps. for best info. OH-surprise-surprise, f.e. in Sofia where are 2 busstations right next to trains: several buses there are not online at all. JUst again like <2000: buy ticket from lady behind glass.