During summer 2023, we were travelling around Europe. Our aim was to go from Bangor, Northern Ireland to Istanbul, Turkey. Our plans changed towards the end, and we didn’t reach Istanbul. However, we had to cross a few land borders as we went. Crossing from Hungary to Romania was the first non Schengen crossing we completed on a train, so read on to hear about our experience.
Planning crossing from Hungary to Romania.
The day before our planned departure, we had nothing booked. We knew we planned to head to Romania and thought train places would be plentiful. How wrong we were!
Every train we picked was sold out. There was literally nothing available on overnight trains to Bucharest or Brasov, and day trains had limited availability. We couldn’t expect Megan to sit on a train for 15 hours during the day from Budapest to Bucharest. However, we eventually found a stop off point where we would reassess our position, so we made our reservations for a day train from Budapest to Timisoara in Romania.
We booked three seats in second class, costing us £48 for the 5.5 hour journey, leaving at 07:10 am the following day.
Getting to Budapest Train Station
Weirdly, this was pretty easy for us. Our hotel was on the same metro line as this train station. We made the short walk to the metro station. Then we got on the waiting metro and made the journey to the station.
Our plans to get snacks and stuff for the train the previous night didn’t happen, so we had to shop at the station. I hate doing this as prices are obviously more expensive than at a local supermarket, but needs must.
Leaving Budapest Train Station
The train arrived on time, we found our carriage and sat down. Megan was less than impressed! The train felt a bit grubby and had no WiFi !
Her mood didn’t get any better when she had to go to the toilet. She came flying out shouting, I’m not going in there, it is disgusting lol. She wasn’t wrong. The toilets stunk and were not clean, so she searched on the train for a suitable one for her to use. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better.
The train journey was pretty uneventful, and before we knew it, we were at the Hungarian/Romanian border.
Crossing the Hungarian Border.
We arrived at the Hungarian Border in good time. The train stopped at Lokoshaza and border control got on. As we were crossing into a non Schengen country this is part of the process.
Three groups walked through the train checking passports and IDs. It was here, I realised what someone was talking about when they said about the dentist’s mirror. One police officer walks along checking under seats with a mirror to make sure no one is hiding.
Our passport is full of stamps, so it did take time for the guard to find our entry stamp, so he could give us an exit stamp. We had no issues, and our passport was stamped. We were at the back of the train, so the guards got off at this point, and we slowly made our way across the no mans land into Romania.
Crossing the Romanian Border
Our train trudged across the border very slowly. There was work going on so it felt like it was taking forever.
We arrived at Curtici , and the Romanian border guards got on to re-check passports. Again, ours was simple, but the fellas in front of us held us up a bit as they had no clear plans for their trip. Either did we, but the guard just said European adventure? We replied yes, he said enjoy and stamped our passport and on he went.
No one was allowed off the train until the guards were finished. This annoyed an older lady who was waving her card at the guards and, what I assume, telling them she wanted off.
After about 15 minutes, the train was checked and on we went to Timisoara.
Arriving in Timisoara
As we arrived in Timisoara, masked police were chasing a man down the train tracks. I thought have we made the right decision coming here, as the place was completely crawling with police.
I have no idea what was going on. No one else looked bothered, so we exited the station and made our way to our airbnb for the evening.
That was our first border crossing experience by train with passport control and it was so easy. It is based on a British Passport, so please do your checks to make sure you are allowed to cross the Hungarian/Romanian border.
If you have any questions about the experience, please ask.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our experience of crossing from Hungary to Romania by train.
The Lewis Family.
Check our further border crossings.
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Hi Lewis Family!
Thanks for sharing your train journey experience from Hungary to Romania! It sounds like quite the adventure, from struggling to find available seats to encountering interesting situations along the way.
It’s understandable how frustrating it can be when train tickets are sold out, but I’m glad you managed to secure seats for your trip to Timisoara. The hustle to grab snacks at the station is always real, isn’t it? Sometimes convenience just outweighs the cost!
Megan’s reaction to the train’s conditions, especially the state of the toilets, gave me a good chuckle. It’s those unexpected moments that make traveling memorable, right? And navigating border control can definitely add a unique flavor to the journey. It sounds like you handled it all smoothly, despite the passport stamp scavenger hunt!
The encounter with the masked police upon arriving in Timisoara must have been quite the surprise. It’s those unexpected moments that add an extra layer to travel stories. I hope everything turned out okay in the end!
Your detailed account of the journey gives a real sense of what it’s like to cross borders by train. It’s always helpful to hear about others’ experiences when planning our own adventures.
Thanks for sharing, and if anyone reading has questions about crossing from Hungary to Romania by train, I’m sure they’ll find your insights helpful. Keep adventuring and sharing your stories!
Thank you Oliver. It is a journey we look back on and smile about,we have now travelled extensively around Europe by train and loved it. I really need to write about train trips in India, they were something else you can only imagine Megan’s reaction to them! Also done trains in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Sri Lanka in recent months I really should write about them also. Thanks again for the comment the support is much appreciated.
Great stuff Michael. I have followed your adventures on Twitter for a bit. As for the booked trains – until you got your tickets – this happened during our world travels a few times, in terms of taking the train. I feel like comfort and convenience – especially compared to bus travel – makes folks gobble up these tickets fast. Cool experience in Romania too. I do need to visit in the future as my grandfather grew up in Transylvania before moving to the US in the 50’s. He has since passed on but loved his homeland dearly.
Ryan