Bj318
Traveller
2 comments
Posted 1 month ago
Hi there,
(firstly I know It's very dumb from myself to use Interrail in Bulgaria due to the Low real prices) :)
How do I make reservations for the trains, when using Interrail? Theres no way online and at the Ticket cabins nobody wants to let me buy it, now I'm afraid that I cant use Interrail due to the dumbness of BDZ or should I just use the trains and hoping for good?
Thank you very much!
MisterSteve
Traveller
1126 comments
have you tried https://bileti.bdz.bg/ (there is an english button at the top). It claims to do reservations but you have to set up an email/password account so I haven't gone that far. There is also a telephone information office which the website says can answer in english during the daytime https://www.bdz.bg/en/a/bdz-information-center
nltrainer
Traveller
1465 comments
It is by now some time ago I was there-and used a pass, but then it was dead-easy, old style: go to the ticket window and show pass, ask for the REServ-cost a leva or 2 or so. Newcomers are always intimidated and anxious, tend ot think trains are full monthes ahead, which is just nonsense. More info for other countries too on seat61.com. Yes-for me it was just a day or 2 in a 50% off promotion pass for 2 monthes-fly there and come back home on trains in bits and pieces.
But as always too: there will be very quiet, medium and busy times.
It may help to write down all details and see if you can also find it in cyrillic.
I am not sure what you mean by ticket cabin-perhaps some google translate from another lingo?
Bj318
Traveller
2 comments
Hello all! Thanks for your answers.
The website sells only normal tickets, no reservations. :)
Seat61 was sadly not informative enough for Bulgaria.
Now I can tell how it was: one conductor was very friendly and sold us the reservation for his train.
At Sofia station one woman at the ticketoffice was able to sell us reservations but just for the second class, I don't know If she was just lazy and doesnt wanted to sell anything (this Kind of behavior is very common there) or she wasnt able at all. After asking the conductor he offered to go to the first class.
What all 8 conductors we had had in common, was that noboby was able to scan the crappy Interrail-QR-code but everyone was friendly and it was ok to Just have a look on it. So theres just the question why Interrail is so shitty, that No one can scan those passes? Is there no standard in the EU?
Thank you all for the anwers! :)
MisterSteve
Traveller
1126 comments
No, there is no standard on ticket examination in the EU - why would there be? Some would ask why phone addicts can't learn to use a simple paper pass that doesn't require the railways of a relatively poor country to buy thousands of expensive scanners. And Interrail is not run by the EU.
Bj318
Traveller
2 comments
Thanks for your comment. Sure, if there was a possibility to use the Papierpass I'd do it. But in my Region of Origin its Not possible to get one, and I won't pay the very high price to let it send to me. ~60 €/year is way too much expensive for me to be honest Just for the paperpass.
The Scanners are Not the Problem, even the bulgarians have scanners in every little train.
I'ts just curious that IR gives you a not-scannable Ticket.