Rail travel across the Balkans faces severe issues: slow speeds, frequent delays, and reduced international connections.
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Train travel across the Balkans is often challenging due to infrequent services, long journey times, and operational issues. Direct trains from Bucharest to Istanbul run only four months a year and take a full day. Journeys to Varna and Sofia take about 10 hours, and direct train links to Greece ceased in 2019. The region suffers from poor management, insufficient investment, and small budgets relative to needs. Travelers are advised to always have a “plan B,” such as using buses for long journeys. Romania has good rail connections only with Hungary; otherwise, services are either non-existent or very slow. Travel between Bucharest and Ruse is hampered by border procedures, despite the Schengen entry in 2025. Journeys to Varna take nearly 10 hours with an average speed under 40 km/h due to numerous stops and customs delays. The daily connection between Craiova and Vidin is slow compared to its past performance. The train to Istanbul takes over 23 hours, and the journey involves significant layovers in Turkey due to modernization works. Bus travel on the Bucharest-Istanbul route is significantly faster than by train. International rail traffic to Greece has been suspended since 2019. Rail connections to Serbia are currently suspended due to disagreements over financial agreements between national operators, although discussions for resumption continue. Historically, long-distance services in former Yugoslavia were extensive but have largely disappeared due to political and funding issues. In Bulgaria, average speeds across the country are low (around 50 km/h), and modern InterCity trains are not available because sufficient modernized track sections and new rolling stock are lacking, with improvements expected only after 2030.
