It would probably cost an awful lot of money, but I would *love* to see a bunch of you guys going around the world in under 80 days by train, bus and ship.
@@garethsmith2250 He most certainly did back in 1988. Needed to arrange freighter transport for the sea crossing journeys. You can book freighter cruises yourself, although it isn't cheap. Arrived back on the day of the Clapham Junction rail crash; the crew realised that if he'd come back to Southampton instead of Felixstowe, they could have been on of the trains.
I did the trip in reverse in 1986 - with a £125 interail ticket. Route was Nottingham-Dover/Calais-Paris-Venice-Belgrade-Budapest-Brasov-Bucharest. Border stop between Italy and Yugoslavia was four hours. I remember the fearsome-looking watch towers lining the track as we crossed the Hungary-Romania border.
@@veneering4128 Not too hard, I remember. I must have got it in London. Yes, it was a very different place back in the '80s. Felt quite medieval in some ways. People were very suspicious. Lots of East German tourists. I climbed Mt Moldoveanu with some of them.
Thank you very much for listing, in order, each of the places you travelled through. That and your recommendations Will be very helpful to any and everyone, contemplating a similar journey.
A relaxing adventure without leaving the comforts of home. Thank you. Traveling between Florida and California via Chicago was a 4-day adventure in the 1950's and I loved every minute of it.
Hey Dylan, I'd recommend to have time stamps for this video. (I'll edit this comment as time stamps during the video and you may copy it or make it yourself or anyone can just use it) 0:00 introduction 1:14 route map 2:00 Bucuresti Nord 5:15 Bucharest to Vienna 22:51 Wien Hbf 24:25 Vienna to Frankfurt 31:53 Frankfurt am Main Hbf 33:20 Frankfurt to Karlshure 36:14 Karlshure Hbf 36:53 Karlshure to Paris 40:20 Paris Gare de l'Est 42:29 Paris Gare du Nord 44:25 Paris to London 49:39 Summary 52:20 London St. Pancras International
12:02 the soap dispenser and the handdryer weren’t broken, you had to press the symbol of either the handdryer or the soap dispenser. (For context: “apasă” means *press* in Romanian)
4:56 That rival operator train actually was bought from Denmarks national operator. The trains were sold due to unreliability but the longer varients are my local trains (am from denmark btw).
Lille is only served in Brussels Eurostars, Paris Eurostars are non-stop between Paris and the tunnel. It's how the TGV standard pattern timetable works (and Paris train can easily be filled from Paris without much space for Lille passengers to join)
Within the last 15 years on a Melbourne, Australia to Europe trip, I travelled from Istanbul through Sofia, Bucharest and Budapest, spending one, two and multiple nights in hotels (plus a shared sleeper from Istanbul to Bucharest), and then on to Frankfurt. A similarly enjoyable journey: hugely better than flying. This Dylan report is a very good one: informative details and commentary, pleasant voice and good text incorporated for anyone who can't understand his English accent. It was aimed at both general travellers and railfans. European trains by and large are great, but Dylan ought have stopped off in Budapest as its tram network alone plus history makes it well worth a visit. Great to see some trains well patronised even though this was when there were more COVID-19 restrictions than today.
I made my first trip to Romania this past September - but I flew there from Heathrow. What a beautiful country, I really loved it there! After a few days seeing the area (driving the Transfagarasan and going to Bran Castle, etc.), this video sort of inspired me to take a train. No, not back to London, but south to Sofia, leaving from the same Gara du Nord station in Bucharest. I admit to using the station McDonalds - it was convenient and I was hungry. The train journey was a step back in time, my goodness. A wonderful, simple rail experience though, and I'm so happy I did it! Train travel definitely provides a much deeper, more visceral travel engagement than flying, or even driving, but you can't have speed, comfort and a decent price at the same time! (Maybe two of the three, if you're lucky!) The train to Sofia is cheap, reasonably comfortable - albeit lacking in amenities - but it is not fast. I admire this challenge, taking a train back to the UK from Romania...wish I had had time (and money) to do it! A great way to see a different side of Europe, for sure!
Hi Dylan. If speed was required then it's got to be a plane. However, I was thinking if you do the train trip, it could easily be turned into a 10 or 14 day holiday as the route takes you through some great cities and towns. Certainly worth the cost to a tourist / adventurer. As always thanks.
I have had the privledge of riding an hour in the first-class nose of an ICE-3, in a solo seat, after being offered an upgrade for €10 by DB. It was certainly a very pleasant experience and felt super exclusive with only two business travellers riding for the whole stretch to Berlin. Unfortunately the driver had the driver's cabin divider set opaque but when the attendent was serving him it was brilliant looking out at the front of the train
At 9:08 is Posada train stop, only for Regio trains, the historical place where was The Battle of Posada (9-12 November 1330), was fought between Basarab I of Wallachia and Charles I of Hungary (also known as Charles Robert).
Superb Video. Love the detail. I have done Bucharest to Copenhagen so many times while I lived there. (I now live in Manchester) and I never filmed more than the journey between Bucharest and Budapest. I live in Manchester now and I would love to travel back home to Bucharest by train, it's such an adventure. Anyway great video, amazing scenery!
Update! I did that in the past year and now I am looking to your video for inspiration on how to structure mine! Haha, except mine is the other way around from Manchester to Bucharest. Coming out in about a week. :D
Hello Dylan - greetings from Poland One word - "brilliant" This mode of travel is fantastic. Your itinerary was superb and well worth the adventure and the cost. Thanks so much for making this video.
What an epic journey! This trip duration rivals you’re amazing recent Amtrak trips. So exciting! Can’t wait to get back to Europe to take some train journeys like this one!
Your train journeys are so avidly anticipated every Friday and Monday. My wife and I are retired and we travel with you vicariously. Your narration is first class. Now i see that SuperAlbs has jumped on the bandwagon with narrations that give so much pleasure. The two of you lead the way in presentation of train journeys. I just get turned off by the need to read the commentary and appreciate your narrations. Keep up the good work.
Europe's too beautiful and peaceful. And considering that they have extensive passenger rail service, it's gotta be the best place to travel by train. It's so hard to be a railfan in a place that has limited rail service.
In Budapest-Keleti station there'd been an ÖBB Railjet waiting - that one goes from Budapest to Vienna and Munich. I took this one from Munich to Salzburg (Austria) a few weeks ago.
Almdudler ? Die Wahl von Almdudler als Getränk in der Lounge von Wien Hauptbahnhof war eine gute Wahl. Almdudler ist eine traditionelle Limonade der Alpenrepublik. Außerhalb von Österreich ist sie kaum zu bekommen. Eine schöne, sicherlich anstrengende Reise eines Eisenbahn-Fans. Für diejenigen, die keine Eisenbahn-Fans sind, wird es schwieriger, die Mühe zu ertragen. Wobei die Fahrt ab Wien ziemlich flott von statten ging. Herzlichen Dank für das Video. Es hat mich sehr erfreut. Merci pour la peine que vous avez prise. Vous êtes un grand amateur du rail..... Thank you. Or in denglish: "Senk yuh for trewelling wiss Deutsche Bahn. 😃🥰
I'm surprised you didn't take the ICE from Frankfurt to Brussels, and from there the Eurostar directly to London. This should have been quite a bit faster (and you'd have probably arrived that night in London), unless there weren't any good connections of course.
He would have made the last Frankfurt to Brussels service, 1830-ish from Frankfurt, 2130-ish into Brussels. Even on pre-covid timetables, there's no London connection off this.
@@jon33040 Ah, I see. Although there really ought to be a service that arrives into London before midnight, I'm sure that it'd be at least somewhat popular. Although I guess Eurostar as a private operator has to fill most of their 16 car trains to make a profit, which would be unlikely that late.
another option to avoid the (rather expensive) Paris hotels and to have the opportunity to have some dinner would have been to step off at Strasbourg, or even stay in Karlsruhe. You'd be a bit later in London, but seeing as he was very tired, I think it would have been worth it. Or directly go for a second night train from Vienna to Brussels (or Paris), enjoying a day in the Austrian capital.
@@jon33040 Are there no train connject at all between Brussel and London? He could have surely could have made the same strategy here: staying one night in Brussel.
@@jon33040I think it can be done, in fact I've booked it for June. Dacia arrives at 08:21 in Vienna, dep 09:15. Arr 15:56 Frankfurt Airport dep 16:46. Arr Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid 19:35 dep 20:56. Arr. St Pancras International 21:57. Was this a foolish idea with such tight connections? Almost certainly!
I don’t think I knew what I was getting into when I started viewing your trip. I felt exhausted at the end of it, and I was just relaxing on my sofa! Yes, I really enjoyed your adventure!
Hi Dylan, Thank you for this trip! I am Romanian and I am considering for a while to do a trip like this! It may not be a lot of fun, but I love trains and I want at least to do it for the experience. In future, you can post the things that are only in Romanian, and I will translate them here 😄 I live in the UK, and it would be great to meet you. I work for Great Western Railway here and if you're up to, I can offer you Family and Friends tickets for GWR, Avanti, SWR, Trans Penine, Hull, Lumo at £6 or slightly more in some cases for the whole day, unlimited travel with little restrictions on some services for certain companies. However, to be available in the train, I have to assist you as a lead member. Let me know!
Great video! At 17:50 you talk about a whizzle train tour. Never heard of that (I am dutch), but I like it. For me it is also the diference between a tourist (just hotspots and social media) and a traveller/explorer. I prefer the last one, the reason I like traintravel en bike travel. I don' t know if I use the right words, but I hope you'll understand. Keep up the good work, it' s a hard job😁🇪🇺🇳🇱
A "whistle stop" is a small station where trains (or buses) stop only on request. It's also used to refer to small communities that might be served by such a station.
Excellent video Dylan, brought back a lot of memory's once you got into "Germany. was in all of those city's back in the 60's in a Jeep!. stationed there in Giessen in the US Army. nice trip down memoy lane. thanks for sharing. ECF.
I made this (round) trip years ago and it was fantastic then. Now I'm disabled and can't get around very well anymore but this rekindled some good times. Well done mate. Cheers from Ashford.
I think I stayed in this exact cabin with my brother going from Bucharest to Cluj. It’s the crack in the wall by the lower bed I remember. Was this the cabin at the end of the carriage, with the toilet the other side of the wall with the funky mirror?
Very good video for people like me, because i'm a poor Indian. I never ever think to visit EU in my whole life. Thank you for your video. Kindly carry on. Thanks again.
I was afraid my attention might wander during a 53 minute video but it didn't for even a second. An excellent travelog, Dylan. You know, when you throw in a sleeper and a hotel I don;'t think that price was outrageous. My annual trip on the SW Chief is coming up in a few weeks. Your video has me all excited about it! I love trains! 🚂
I enjoy the variety of travel on your channel. Just a couple weeks ago it was a short tram ride in Lisbon and today it's a trans-European adventure. It's saying something when the bed and seats are so comfortable that one oversleeps. This was a trip to remember versus a forgettable three hour plane ride (as long as you have the time). I especially liked the royal fanfare before announcements in the Bucharest train station and that bit of Erik Satie in the St. Pancras Station at the end.
Indeed I remember travelling to a European confce in Timisoara in 1994 (only 5 years after the Romanian despot was executed) from Bucaresti Gare Nord and overnite as well! After using the capital' s Metro, I then caught a 1st class sleeper cos 2nd and 3rd were then frankly very basic. We stopped at Craiova and travelled near to the Iron Gate (where over the border the Yugoslavian conflict was under way). Alto then Romania was not in the EU (it is of course now), no issues with my Irish passport. In fact officials queued up to look at it- quite a rarity there and then!!
For Eurostar, the minimum time you can pass through the gates at is 30 mins prior departure. Past this delay, the gates will not open and there is no way the agents can let you pass them! Also, about 10 years ago they stopped making Paris trains stop in Lille, it's generally the Brussels/Amsterdam trains which stop there. Great video! I'd cross Europe like that all the time if it wasn't for the price :/
@51:00 it's not that the train is expensive but rather that air travel is way too cheap. No taxes on international tickets, no taxes on fuel, airport fees that are cross-subsidized by the duty free shops, and air traffic control is basically for free as well... Bucharest to London is about 2000km as the crow flies. You say you found an offer for 70€ for the whole trip. In 2020 the average fuel consumption for air travel was 4.17 liters per 100 passenger kilometers, i.e. about 84 liters per passenger for a non-stop flight. So those 70€ would not even cover the fuel if it was taxed appropriately, let alone all other costs (airport/ATC fees, salaries for flight and ground crews, maintenance & lease/depreciation of the plane, etc.). It's insane how prices like that (and even cheaper on budget airlines) are even remotely profitable. Actually we all heavily subsidize airlines!
When I was a kid I went on holidays by train. It took 14 hours to go 450 miles. Swore I’d never do it again. Sixty years later I took a 19 hour flight from Dubai to London and return……I swear again that I will never again subject my system to such an experience again Glad you enjoyed your trip!! Regards Stavros
Me and my brother has similar trip planned for the summer. We do however cheat a little bit with airplanes in both end of the trip. Leg 1. CPH -AMS Leg 2. Amsterdam - Paris with Thalys. Leg 3. Paris -Frankfurt with TGV Euroduplex Leg 4. Frankfurt - Nürnberg with ICE (unknow generation). Leg 5. Nürnberg - Vienna with most likely ICE-T Leg 6. Vienna - Prague with Railjet. Leg 7. Prague - Berlin with a Eurocity train. Leg 8. BER - CPH. The 2 flights and the Thalys trip is in standard class but every other trip is in 1. class.
“Its the not the destination, It's the journey.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson 52:32 Erik Satie - Gnossienne No. 1 (Première Gnossienne) 52:40 The Meeting Place a 9-metre-high bronze sculpture, designed by the British artist Paul Day and unveiled in 2007, it is intended to evoke the romance of travel through the depiction of a couple locked in an amorous embrace (all is googled info)
Thanks very much for the info on the tune. It was driving me bonkers trying to figure it out . 🤔 Also, thanks Dylan for taking us along on your journey.
Dylan! I love this travel itinerary. I love trains so much and I've often said that I would love to travel through Europe via train. The scenery in Romania is beautiful. Since they unhooked the dining car during the night, did the service offer you any kind of breakfast? I'm with you on the lighting on the ICE out of Frankfurt -- really stylish. I've traveled through Gare du Nord a few times and never seen it that quiet! What a treat. Thanks so much for an absolutely fantastic video. Very well worth the wait. See you on Friday!
I have a trip Idea. Middlesbourough to Whitby in a 156. Having done this myself, I can promise it is one of the best rides in Britain in terms of scenery that I have done for a long time. GREAT VID!!! Keep up it up my guy
Thank you for a truly fascinating video, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not sure I want to travel to Bucharest, but your journey between Bucharest and Budapest was really interesting. The journey from Budapest to London I have travelled several times, and the alternative way from Vienna to Paris via Munich is also very good, with a OBB RailJet all the way from Budapest Keleti to Munich, then a TGV Duplex through to Paris Est.
34:02 As someone for whom watching the passing scenery is the best thing about taking the train, the complete disregard for window alignment on many newer trains is absolutely infuriating to me 🤬 How could anyone think a "window seat" like that was even remotely acceptable??
Dylan was just unlucky, you could see most of the other seats were aligned to the window. That's what happens when you book with trainline, you get a cheaper seat, but you don't choose the seat. 🙁
@@creatamap_a2716 I've been on a few of them and there is basically no correlation between the position of the windows and the seats. This gets you seats like this while window space is occupied by luggage racks. -And even if you book with DB directly you can't see where the windows are. You have to consult external resources to find out. Having access to a window shouldn't be a matter of luck, especially on long distance trains where journeys can take several hours.- EDIT: Apparently it's possible now to see which seats have an obstructed view.
Fair enough, I know what it's like to be placed on a crap seat like that it happen to me in a scenic part of Scotland. BTW, you seem a bit pessimistic.
@@not_on actually when reserving seats, the DB Website says that these seats have an obstructed view/shows which ones are obstructed and which ones aren't. I travel on the Zürich-Berlin/Berlin-Zürich route a lot and was always able to avoid these seats upon booking
Great vid! My version would involve breaking the journey in Vienna, maybe to a side trip to Bratislava & back, then take NJ to Paris. Though very short, I'd likely take the Metro between Paris Est & Nord just to keep the journey all rail...
Hello Dylan. Another excellent presentation for which I thank you. I too have done this journey on several occasions (sometimes starting in Istanbul via the sleeper to Bucharesti) and always enjoyed the relaxing trip. The meals in the Bistro from Wien are always good, with a nice wine list. The CFR part of the journey is sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on the surliness of the Romanian staff, otherwise I would highly recommend that all 'rail orientated' folk make this journey at least once - as you say, it is really a land cruise with options to stop off at many interesting places. Thanks again.
What fun! I'd do that journey in a heartbeat! Much more enjoyable than flying - although, while we still have to wear a mask on trains, it must have got very sweaty with a mask on for much of the journey!
Wonderful stuff Dylan, this is the way to do it. As an exiled Brit now in the U.S I absolutely love this experience. The stations of those cavernous European station and their ambience and the scenery. Plus the rides on some wonderful trains too. Nice job sir. !!!! Again you have inspired.
Very interesting trip. Of course much slower and more expensive than flying...but much more of an experience: seeing the countryside, passing through 6 or 7 countries, being able to stop off at some places and look around. I think for that adventure, £420 or so was very good value.
Loved your trip and commentary. Brought back many happy memories of Romania, Hungary, Austria etc. Yes the Eurostar check-in at Gare de Nord is a pain and "lounge" is a very soulless place. As an older Australian I found the UK passport control in Paris to be the most unfriendly I've encountered (and I've crossed borders in China/Mongolia/Russia/Finland/Romania/Bulgaria/Turkey) One question - what didn't you go from Frankfurt to Brussels and then the Eurostar from Brussels to London?
Looks like a fun trip. On my Romania trip, I left by air from Bucharest to Vienna. It was an early flight and I arrived at the airport a little after 4:00 am. The Bucharest airport was absolutely packet at 4:30 am. Long lines everywhere. In contrast, Vienna was almost empty when we got there ate 7:00 am.
Because of your reviews I have booked a first class for me and two 14-year olds to get the train from York to Stirling (Scotland) to experience first class on a l n e r
I really enjoyed this account of your journey. I would have been very annoyed at paying a 1st Class fare and finding only a sliver of window 😡 and not too chuffed at so many seats travelling backwards ( i know you don't mind this). However, your good-natured character and tolerance shines throughout and we catch your enjoyment and enthusiasm. Not too long at all. 😀
Great video Dylan lots of different types of trains I think I should give it a go. Bucharest to Chorley. (Chorley is my home town) anyway great video and I even put a like on it.
Just sat down with a cup of tea to watch this and found it a really relaxing way to spend an hour on a Saturday morning! Have you ever considered tagging your videos with stuff like mindfulness? 😄
I loved your journey. Bucharest North Station is a whole like nicer than the historic Soviet Station in Budapest!!! Romania is so beautiful...see RUclipsr Damon Dominique days in Romania! I would have changed to Czech Railways in Vienna and enjoyed a more leisurely trip into Prague and then CZ to Frankfurt, but hey, you were in a hurry to get back home! Great Trip...jealous in Raleigh, NC, USA due to COVID.....I haven't been traveling in Europe since 2019.....so sad!!!!!
I did 2 day trip,but in standard, London-Brussels-Frankfurt-Vienna,night in Ibis,outside the station, then next early morning,Vienna-Zurich-Paris-London in one day, caught late Eurostar from Paris, was great trip and about 220 for trains and 75 for hotel. I’d like do trip again one day.
@Dylan's Travel Reports did you know that the stationbuilding at Bucharest Gara du Nord station is featured in the official music video Trenulețul from the moldavian participant for Eurovision 2022 Zdob și Zdub and Frații Advahov
It would probably cost an awful lot of money, but I would *love* to see a bunch of you guys going around the world in under 80 days by train, bus and ship.
Michael Palin did this many years ago great TV series
@@garethsmith2250 He most certainly did back in 1988. Needed to arrange freighter transport for the sea crossing journeys. You can book freighter cruises yourself, although it isn't cheap. Arrived back on the day of the Clapham Junction rail crash; the crew realised that if he'd come back to Southampton instead of Felixstowe, they could have been on of the trains.
I did Vladivostok to Moscow for under £200 all be it in 3rd class.
It would definitely be nice to do but it would be very expensive too! 😅
@@DylansTravelReports Especially if you stop for PBS Passport adventures along the way.
I did the trip in reverse in 1986 - with a £125 interail ticket. Route was Nottingham-Dover/Calais-Paris-Venice-Belgrade-Budapest-Brasov-Bucharest. Border stop between Italy and Yugoslavia was four hours. I remember the fearsome-looking watch towers lining the track as we crossed the Hungary-Romania border.
Fascinating! Was it hard to get a visa for Romania back then since it was closed off from the rest of Europe? What did you do in the country?
@@veneering4128 Not too hard, I remember. I must have got it in London. Yes, it was a very different place back in the '80s. Felt quite medieval in some ways. People were very suspicious. Lots of East German tourists. I climbed Mt Moldoveanu with some of them.
1986?? Did Train exist back then??
😁
Thank you very much for listing, in order, each of the places you travelled through. That and your recommendations Will be very helpful to any and everyone, contemplating a similar journey.
No, they were travelling by cart 😂. Always amazes me the lack of knowledge of western Europeans about Eastern Europe.
A relaxing adventure without leaving the comforts of home. Thank you. Traveling between Florida and California via Chicago was a 4-day adventure in the 1950's and I loved every minute of it.
1950s!? I have SO many questions. En Suite? Fans? Electric outlets? Meals and menus? Civil Defense pamphlet?
The first train had the InterRail voyage vibe of the 1980s all over it. Sweet memories 😊
24:30 you finally heard our prayers and said "I C E" 😍 a wonderful and unexpected report - keep it up Dylan!
Hey Dylan, I'd recommend to have time stamps for this video. (I'll edit this comment as time stamps during the video and you may copy it or make it yourself or anyone can just use it)
0:00 introduction
1:14 route map
2:00 Bucuresti Nord
5:15 Bucharest to Vienna
22:51 Wien Hbf
24:25 Vienna to Frankfurt
31:53 Frankfurt am Main Hbf
33:20 Frankfurt to Karlshure
36:14 Karlshure Hbf
36:53 Karlshure to Paris
40:20 Paris Gare de l'Est
42:29 Paris Gare du Nord
44:25 Paris to London
49:39 Summary
52:20 London St. Pancras International
33:49 Frankfurt/Main to Karlsruhe
37:07 Karlsruhe to Paris
41:11 Night at Ibis near to Gare de l’Est
42:37 Paris Gare du Nord
44:11 Eurostar to London
12:02 the soap dispenser and the handdryer weren’t broken, you had to press the symbol of either the handdryer or the soap dispenser. (For context: “apasă” means *press* in Romanian)
But he pressed the button
@@T0mahawk3r He press wrong button.
4:56 That rival operator train actually was bought from Denmarks national operator. The trains were sold due to unreliability but the longer varients are my local trains (am from denmark btw).
Lille is only served in Brussels Eurostars, Paris Eurostars are non-stop between Paris and the tunnel.
It's how the TGV standard pattern timetable works (and Paris train can easily be filled from Paris without much space for Lille passengers to join)
Within the last 15 years on a Melbourne, Australia to Europe trip, I travelled from Istanbul through Sofia, Bucharest and Budapest, spending one, two and multiple nights in hotels (plus a shared sleeper from Istanbul to Bucharest), and then on to Frankfurt.
A similarly enjoyable journey: hugely better than flying.
This Dylan report is a very good one: informative details and commentary, pleasant voice and good text incorporated for anyone who can't understand his English accent. It was aimed at both general travellers and railfans. European trains by and large are great, but Dylan ought have stopped off in Budapest as its tram network alone plus history makes it well worth a visit.
Great to see some trains well patronised even though this was when there were more COVID-19 restrictions than today.
That first train is really nice! Might choose that when I'm finally going to Romania
I loved the narration at 11:00 “All meals are served with a side of stunning Carpathian views”
You can also choose a Hungarian night train from Budapest to Brasov. It runs daily and the carriages are more modern
@@budapestkeletistationvoices I would certainly want that during the day, to enjoy the views!
@@tandago7281 it's a long journey
4:09 your voice is perfect for a railway announcement system!
I made my first trip to Romania this past September - but I flew there from Heathrow. What a beautiful country, I really loved it there! After a few days seeing the area (driving the Transfagarasan and going to Bran Castle, etc.), this video sort of inspired me to take a train. No, not back to London, but south to Sofia, leaving from the same Gara du Nord station in Bucharest. I admit to using the station McDonalds - it was convenient and I was hungry. The train journey was a step back in time, my goodness. A wonderful, simple rail experience though, and I'm so happy I did it! Train travel definitely provides a much deeper, more visceral travel engagement than flying, or even driving, but you can't have speed, comfort and a decent price at the same time! (Maybe two of the three, if you're lucky!) The train to Sofia is cheap, reasonably comfortable - albeit lacking in amenities - but it is not fast.
I admire this challenge, taking a train back to the UK from Romania...wish I had had time (and money) to do it! A great way to see a different side of Europe, for sure!
Hi Dylan. If speed was required then it's got to be a plane. However, I was thinking if you do the train trip, it could easily be turned into a 10 or 14 day holiday as the route takes you through some great cities and towns. Certainly worth the cost to a tourist / adventurer.
As always thanks.
As a Romanian, I laughed so hard at your comments about the Romanian platform. They were accurate.
I have had the privledge of riding an hour in the first-class nose of an ICE-3, in a solo seat, after being offered an upgrade for €10 by DB. It was certainly a very pleasant experience and felt super exclusive with only two business travellers riding for the whole stretch to Berlin. Unfortunately the driver had the driver's cabin divider set opaque but when the attendent was serving him it was brilliant looking out at the front of the train
That would be an amazing view !!!!
Amazing right and it's also the same thing for ICE-T Frankfurt Flughafen Wien Hbf or Frankfurt Flughafen Riesa Dresden
At 9:08 is Posada train stop, only for Regio trains, the historical place where was The Battle of Posada (9-12 November 1330), was fought between Basarab I of Wallachia and Charles I of Hungary (also known as Charles Robert).
Superb Video. Love the detail. I have done Bucharest to Copenhagen so many times while I lived there. (I now live in Manchester) and I never filmed more than the journey between Bucharest and Budapest. I live in Manchester now and I would love to travel back home to Bucharest by train, it's such an adventure. Anyway great video, amazing scenery!
Update! I did that in the past year and now I am looking to your video for inspiration on how to structure mine! Haha, except mine is the other way around from Manchester to Bucharest. Coming out in about a week. :D
I did it the other way round in the 1970's on the Orient Express direct from Paris to Bucharesti. Very exciting in those iron curtain days ! Ron.
Hello Dylan - greetings from Poland
One word - "brilliant" This mode of travel is fantastic. Your itinerary was superb and well worth the adventure and the cost. Thanks so much for making this video.
Thanks! I'm glad you liked it
What an epic journey! This trip duration rivals you’re amazing recent Amtrak trips. So exciting! Can’t wait to get back to Europe to take some train journeys like this one!
Your train journeys are so avidly anticipated every Friday and Monday. My wife and I are retired and we travel with you vicariously. Your narration is first class. Now i see that SuperAlbs has jumped on the bandwagon with narrations that give so much pleasure. The two of you lead the way in presentation of train journeys. I just get turned off by the need to read the commentary and appreciate your narrations. Keep up the good work.
Europe's too beautiful and peaceful. And considering that they have extensive passenger rail service, it's gotta be the best place to travel by train.
It's so hard to be a railfan in a place that has limited rail service.
In Budapest-Keleti station there'd been an ÖBB Railjet waiting - that one goes from Budapest to Vienna and Munich. I took this one from Munich to Salzburg (Austria) a few weeks ago.
Almdudler ? Die Wahl von Almdudler als Getränk in der Lounge von Wien Hauptbahnhof war eine gute Wahl. Almdudler ist eine traditionelle
Limonade der Alpenrepublik. Außerhalb von Österreich ist sie kaum zu bekommen. Eine schöne, sicherlich anstrengende Reise eines Eisenbahn-Fans. Für diejenigen, die keine Eisenbahn-Fans sind, wird es schwieriger, die Mühe zu ertragen. Wobei die Fahrt ab Wien ziemlich flott von statten ging. Herzlichen Dank für das Video. Es hat mich sehr erfreut. Merci pour la peine que vous avez prise. Vous êtes un grand amateur du rail..... Thank you. Or in denglish: "Senk yuh for trewelling wiss Deutsche Bahn. 😃🥰
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it 😅
This trip was memorable, relaxing and fun - wonderful way to travel and see the world!
I totally agree!
I'm surprised you didn't take the ICE from Frankfurt to Brussels, and from there the Eurostar directly to London. This should have been quite a bit faster (and you'd have probably arrived that night in London), unless there weren't any good connections of course.
He would have made the last Frankfurt to Brussels service, 1830-ish from Frankfurt, 2130-ish into Brussels. Even on pre-covid timetables, there's no London connection off this.
@@jon33040
Ah, I see. Although there really ought to be a service that arrives into London before midnight, I'm sure that it'd be at least somewhat popular. Although I guess Eurostar as a private operator has to fill most of their 16 car trains to make a profit, which would be unlikely that late.
another option to avoid the (rather expensive) Paris hotels and to have the opportunity to have some dinner would have been to step off at Strasbourg, or even stay in Karlsruhe. You'd be a bit later in London, but seeing as he was very tired, I think it would have been worth it. Or directly go for a second night train from Vienna to Brussels (or Paris), enjoying a day in the Austrian capital.
@@jon33040 Are there no train connject at all between Brussel and London? He could have surely could have made the same strategy here: staying one night in Brussel.
@@jon33040I think it can be done, in fact I've booked it for June. Dacia arrives at 08:21 in Vienna, dep 09:15. Arr 15:56 Frankfurt Airport dep 16:46. Arr Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid 19:35 dep 20:56. Arr. St Pancras International 21:57. Was this a foolish idea with such tight connections? Almost certainly!
Amazing video Dylan. I felt like I was right there travelling with you. Sunrises, scenery, sunsets - truly beautiful.
I don’t think I knew what I was getting into when I started viewing your trip. I felt exhausted at the end of it, and I was just relaxing on my sofa! Yes, I really enjoyed your adventure!
Hi Dylan,
Thank you for this trip! I am Romanian and I am considering for a while to do a trip like this! It may not be a lot of fun, but I love trains and I want at least to do it for the experience.
In future, you can post the things that are only in Romanian, and I will translate them here 😄
I live in the UK, and it would be great to meet you. I work for Great Western Railway here and if you're up to, I can offer you Family and Friends tickets for GWR, Avanti, SWR, Trans Penine, Hull, Lumo at £6 or slightly more in some cases for the whole day, unlimited travel with little restrictions on some services for certain companies. However, to be available in the train, I have to assist you as a lead member. Let me know!
Thank you! I'll keep that in mind
ai făcut trip-ul până la urmă?
Wow!! 46 hours vs 2.5 hours? You are really dedicated to your channel.Only jesting ,I love your video and seeing your travels.Stay safe.
Great video, Dylan! Well worth the time and trouble the editing took. Well done!
Thanks!
@@DylansTravelReports Was this trip posted before today, Friday, April 22?
@@samtrak1204 yea I’ve
noticed that. Some comments are from 11 days ago but RUclips shows it as posted only 11 hours ago? Weird.
@@xr6lad It was uploaded earlier, but kept private (available to supporters). The time RUclips is showing it posted is when it went public.
This has to be one of your best videos Dylan. enjoyed every minute, Thank You.
Thanks!
Great video! At 17:50 you talk about a whizzle train tour. Never heard of that (I am dutch), but I like it. For me it is also the diference between a tourist (just hotspots and social media) and a traveller/explorer. I prefer the last one, the reason I like traintravel en bike travel. I don' t know if I use the right words, but I hope you'll understand. Keep up the good work, it' s a hard job😁🇪🇺🇳🇱
A "whistle stop" is a small station where trains (or buses) stop only on request. It's also used to refer to small communities that might be served by such a station.
@@not_on Thank you👍
Excellent video Dylan, brought back a lot of memory's once you got into "Germany. was in all of those city's back in the 60's in a Jeep!. stationed there in Giessen in the US Army. nice trip down memoy lane. thanks for sharing. ECF.
Mate you have come on so much since you started. Well done and bring more on!!!!
I made this (round) trip years ago and it was fantastic then. Now I'm disabled and can't get around very well anymore but this rekindled some good times. Well done mate. Cheers from Ashford.
I think I stayed in this exact cabin with my brother going from Bucharest to Cluj. It’s the crack in the wall by the lower bed I remember. Was this the cabin at the end of the carriage, with the toilet the other side of the wall with the funky mirror?
love a side of stunning carpathian views !
53:31 minutes of adventures and its awesome
I love the rolling sound of trains :-D
Very good video for people like me, because i'm a poor Indian. I never ever think to visit EU in my whole life. Thank you for your video. Kindly carry on. Thanks again.
I was afraid my attention might wander during a 53 minute video but it didn't for even a second. An excellent travelog, Dylan. You know, when you throw in a sleeper and a hotel I don;'t think that price was outrageous. My annual trip on the SW Chief is coming up in a few weeks. Your video has me all excited about it! I love trains! 🚂
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it
What a lovely long vid, thanks Dylan - such a treat on a Friday to unwind after work.
One of the best train videos ever. Thanks.
Thank you Dylan for taking us along with your video
Thanx so much Dylan, Great as usual!!
4:32 Even better than SNCF's jingle
Lol nice joke
@@gandalf7292 I'm not joking
Nah SNCF has the best jingle
I enjoy the variety of travel on your channel. Just a couple weeks ago it was a short tram ride in Lisbon and today it's a trans-European adventure. It's saying something when the bed and seats are so comfortable that one oversleeps. This was a trip to remember versus a forgettable three hour plane ride (as long as you have the time). I especially liked the royal fanfare before announcements in the Bucharest train station and that bit of Erik Satie in the St. Pancras Station at the end.
This was an excellent video. Didn't know Romania was so beautiful.
Great video, Dylan. There was a lot of wonderful scenery too... something I always love about railway journeys.
Gare du Nord is as majestic as I remember it from 43yrs ago!
Indeed I remember travelling to a European confce in Timisoara in 1994 (only 5 years after the Romanian despot was executed) from Bucaresti Gare Nord and overnite as well! After using the capital' s Metro, I then caught a 1st class sleeper cos 2nd and 3rd were then frankly very basic. We stopped at Craiova and travelled near to the Iron Gate (where over the border the Yugoslavian conflict was under way). Alto then Romania was not in the EU (it is of course now), no issues with my Irish passport. In fact officials queued up to look at it- quite a rarity there and then!!
For Eurostar, the minimum time you can pass through the gates at is 30 mins prior departure. Past this delay, the gates will not open and there is no way the agents can let you pass them! Also, about 10 years ago they stopped making Paris trains stop in Lille, it's generally the Brussels/Amsterdam trains which stop there.
Great video! I'd cross Europe like that all the time if it wasn't for the price :/
This is great. Some lovely film footage. I don’t think many will have taken this journey so thanks so much for bringing us along.
Glad you enjoyed it
yep, i agree with most, this is your best video, long journeys full of detail and content is why we watch
This is one of the best videos. Greetings from Satu Mare RO
@51:00 it's not that the train is expensive but rather that air travel is way too cheap. No taxes on international tickets, no taxes on fuel, airport fees that are cross-subsidized by the duty free shops, and air traffic control is basically for free as well...
Bucharest to London is about 2000km as the crow flies. You say you found an offer for 70€ for the whole trip. In 2020 the average fuel consumption for air travel was 4.17 liters per 100 passenger kilometers, i.e. about 84 liters per passenger for a non-stop flight. So those 70€ would not even cover the fuel if it was taxed appropriately, let alone all other costs (airport/ATC fees, salaries for flight and ground crews, maintenance & lease/depreciation of the plane, etc.). It's insane how prices like that (and even cheaper on budget airlines) are even remotely profitable. Actually we all heavily subsidize airlines!
When I was a kid I went on holidays by train. It took 14 hours to go 450 miles. Swore I’d never do it again.
Sixty years later I took a 19 hour flight from Dubai to London and return……I swear again that I will never again subject my system to such an experience again
Glad you enjoyed your trip!!
Regards
Stavros
I tought Romania have slow rail system
But i see we have a quite good railways sistem
1:59 subway
2:30 North Bucharest Station
22:54 Wein hbf
24:27 ice
28:14 what
31:42 Frankfurt hbf
32:50 ice again
36:55 french
37:41
37:45 *GOOD MOM*
44:26 Eurostar
Did this Take a long time to time stamp?
32:38 a pigeon we DB love Pigeons
It's french not japanese
@@Danse_Macabre_125oh sorry
@@Greenpickles987 it's fine, mistakes happen
Me and my brother has similar trip planned for the summer.
We do however cheat a little bit with airplanes in both end of the trip.
Leg 1. CPH -AMS
Leg 2. Amsterdam - Paris with Thalys.
Leg 3. Paris -Frankfurt with TGV Euroduplex
Leg 4. Frankfurt - Nürnberg with ICE (unknow generation).
Leg 5. Nürnberg - Vienna with most likely ICE-T
Leg 6. Vienna - Prague with Railjet.
Leg 7. Prague - Berlin with a Eurocity train.
Leg 8. BER - CPH.
The 2 flights and the Thalys trip is in standard class but every other trip is in 1. class.
The train really allows you to see the countryside in the passing and providing you have time I like the mode of transport.
“Its the not the destination, It's the journey.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
52:32 Erik Satie - Gnossienne No. 1 (Première Gnossienne)
52:40 The Meeting Place a 9-metre-high bronze sculpture, designed by the British artist Paul Day and unveiled in 2007, it is intended to evoke the romance of travel through the depiction of a couple locked in an amorous embrace
(all is googled info)
It’s not the pot of gold, it’s the rainbow 🌈. ;)
Thanks very much for the info on the tune. It was driving me bonkers trying to figure it out . 🤔
Also, thanks Dylan for taking us along on your journey.
Dylan! I love this travel itinerary. I love trains so much and I've often said that I would love to travel through Europe via train.
The scenery in Romania is beautiful. Since they unhooked the dining car during the night, did the service offer you any kind of breakfast?
I'm with you on the lighting on the ICE out of Frankfurt -- really stylish.
I've traveled through Gare du Nord a few times and never seen it that quiet! What a treat.
Thanks so much for an absolutely fantastic video. Very well worth the wait.
See you on Friday!
Thanks! Unfortunately breakfast wasn't offered on the first train
I think you need to buy maybe some prepacked sandwiches and drinks at the Station before boarding for your cabin and breakfast next day.
PS how can a comment show as being posted 11 days ago when RUclips show the video as only being posted an 11 hours ago???
@@xr6lad Early access for patreons.
@@lorijohnston4311 👍
Yes stoping along the way at places like Passau et Regensberg would be more than worthwhile. Enjoyed your experience very much. Thanks for sharing it.
Beautiful trip.
Thanks for your train trips I will probably never do any of this but you have given me what I can not do 😊
Im so glad i tripped upon your channel!!!! Your content is so enjoyable and relaxing. Thank you for allowing us to join you on your adventures ❤
That was a very interesting trip Dylan. I love travelling with you around Europe
Your pronunciation. Whooooooo!
I have a trip Idea. Middlesbourough to Whitby in a 156. Having done this myself, I can promise it is one of the best rides in Britain in terms of scenery that I have done for a long time. GREAT VID!!! Keep up it up my guy
Maybe at some point!
Thank you for a truly fascinating video, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Not sure I want to travel to Bucharest, but your journey between Bucharest and Budapest was really interesting. The journey from Budapest to London I have travelled several times, and the alternative way from Vienna to Paris via Munich is also very good, with a OBB RailJet all the way from Budapest Keleti to Munich, then a TGV Duplex through to Paris Est.
34:02 As someone for whom watching the passing scenery is the best thing about taking the train, the complete disregard for window alignment on many newer trains is absolutely infuriating to me 🤬 How could anyone think a "window seat" like that was even remotely acceptable??
I agree, especially on the ICE 4 trains many people criticise the bad window alignment and overall quality of the train.
Dylan was just unlucky, you could see most of the other seats were aligned to the window. That's what happens when you book with trainline, you get a cheaper seat, but you don't choose the seat. 🙁
@@creatamap_a2716 I've been on a few of them and there is basically no correlation between the position of the windows and the seats. This gets you seats like this while window space is occupied by luggage racks. -And even if you book with DB directly you can't see where the windows are. You have to consult external resources to find out. Having access to a window shouldn't be a matter of luck, especially on long distance trains where journeys can take several hours.- EDIT: Apparently it's possible now to see which seats have an obstructed view.
Fair enough, I know what it's like to be placed on a crap seat like that it happen to me in a scenic part of Scotland. BTW, you seem a bit pessimistic.
@@not_on actually when reserving seats, the DB Website says that these seats have an obstructed view/shows which ones are obstructed and which ones aren't. I travel on the Zürich-Berlin/Berlin-Zürich route a lot and was always able to avoid these seats upon booking
Great vid! My version would involve breaking the journey in Vienna, maybe to a side trip to Bratislava & back, then take NJ to Paris. Though very short, I'd likely take the Metro between Paris Est & Nord just to keep the journey all rail...
I enjoyed your video. Honestly, I thought, oh my goodness, 53 minutes, but it was a pleasure. And the speed of some of the trains were amazing.
Hello Dylan. Another excellent presentation for which I thank you. I too have done this journey on several occasions (sometimes starting in Istanbul via the sleeper to Bucharesti) and always enjoyed the relaxing trip. The meals in the Bistro from Wien are always good, with a nice wine list. The CFR part of the journey is sometimes good and sometimes bad, depending on the surliness of the Romanian staff, otherwise I would highly recommend that all 'rail orientated' folk make this journey at least once - as you say, it is really a land cruise with options to stop off at many interesting places. Thanks again.
Excellent commentary from you Dylan
Thank you for taking the time to make this trip report. Yes this journey might be a lot more expensive than a flight but looked much more fun.
Good to see you try out a long-form video Dylan - hope you're proud of the result! 😉
I come here for the wholesome narrations. Great job!
What fun! I'd do that journey in a heartbeat! Much more enjoyable than flying - although, while we still have to wear a mask on trains, it must have got very sweaty with a mask on for much of the journey!
Wonderful stuff Dylan, this is the way to do it. As an exiled Brit now in the U.S I absolutely love this experience. The stations of those cavernous European station and their ambience and the scenery. Plus the rides on some wonderful trains too. Nice job sir. !!!! Again you have inspired.
Well done Dylan and thank you for a very picturesque and informative trip. Fantastic!!
Eastern Europe. What a history! Surprisingly, Prague is west of Vienna. Carpathia: rescued the titanic survivors. In the clutch.
Epic! Thank you!
Very interesting trip. Of course much slower and more expensive than flying...but much more of an experience: seeing the countryside, passing through 6 or 7 countries, being able to stop off at some places and look around. I think for that adventure, £420 or so was very good value.
Loved your trip and commentary. Brought back many happy memories of Romania, Hungary, Austria etc. Yes the Eurostar check-in at Gare de Nord is a pain and "lounge" is a very soulless place. As an older Australian I found the UK passport control in Paris to be the most unfriendly I've encountered (and I've crossed borders in China/Mongolia/Russia/Finland/Romania/Bulgaria/Turkey) One question - what didn't you go from Frankfurt to Brussels and then the Eurostar from Brussels to London?
@ 13:00. Had to laugh. There are two thick locks and a ‘snip’ s as if they expect some sort of bandits to break in during the night!
That's by no means unknown on night trains in Eastern Europe
Great travel adventure! Thanks for sharing.
Looks like a fun trip. On my Romania trip, I left by air from Bucharest to Vienna. It was an early flight and I arrived at the airport a little after 4:00 am. The Bucharest airport was absolutely packet at 4:30 am. Long lines everywhere. In contrast, Vienna was almost empty when we got there ate 7:00 am.
Because of your reviews
I have booked a first class for me and two 14-year olds to get the train from York to Stirling (Scotland) to experience first class on a
l n e r
I really enjoyed this account of your journey. I would have been very annoyed at paying a 1st Class fare and finding only a sliver of window 😡 and not too chuffed at so many seats travelling backwards ( i know you don't mind this). However, your good-natured character and tolerance shines throughout and we catch your enjoyment and enthusiasm. Not too long at all. 😀
Interessanter Reisebericht, danke dafür.
Great video Dylan lots of different types of trains I think I should give it a go. Bucharest to Chorley. (Chorley is my home town) anyway great video and I even put a like on it.
Just sat down with a cup of tea to watch this and found it a really relaxing way to spend an hour on a Saturday morning! Have you ever considered tagging your videos with stuff like mindfulness? 😄
I loved your journey. Bucharest North Station is a whole like nicer than the historic Soviet Station in Budapest!!! Romania is so beautiful...see RUclipsr Damon Dominique days in Romania! I would have changed to Czech Railways in Vienna and enjoyed a more leisurely trip into Prague and then CZ to Frankfurt, but hey, you were in a hurry to get back home! Great Trip...jealous in Raleigh, NC, USA due to COVID.....I haven't been traveling in Europe since 2019.....so sad!!!!!
I did 2 day trip,but in standard, London-Brussels-Frankfurt-Vienna,night in Ibis,outside the station, then next early morning,Vienna-Zurich-Paris-London in one day, caught late Eurostar from Paris, was great trip and about 220 for trains and 75 for hotel. I’d like do trip again one day.
Thank you for the very nice vidéo.Your comments and explanations were great.I very much liked the British accent.....
Thank you! 😃
One of the best video I ever seen.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks!
@Dylan's Travel Reports did you know that the stationbuilding at Bucharest Gara du Nord station is featured in the official music video Trenulețul from the moldavian participant for Eurovision 2022 Zdob și Zdub and Frații Advahov
Oo interesting!
@@DylansTravelReports yeah you can see it on the Eurovision youtube channel