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Above:  Bran Castle, Brasov, Transylvania.  Built in 1212, it was used by Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'...  Photo courtesy of Bryan Dawe.

In Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’, young lawyer Jonathan Harker travels from London to Transylvania by train.  You too can travel by train from London to Dracula’s castle at Brasov and across the scenic Carpathian mountains to Bucharest.  This section explains how.

Train times London ► Bucharest:

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:00 (12:57 Fridays & Sundays), arriving Brussels Midi 16:03.

• Day 1:  Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Brussels Midi at 17:25, arriving in Cologne Hauptbahnhof at 19:45.

• Alternatively, if you'd prefer a safer connection in Cologne (and perhaps time to climb Cologne cathedral towers and have a meal), you can leave London earlier, at 10:00, changing in Brussels to arrive Cologne at 15:45.

• Day 1:  Travel from Cologne to Vienna on the excellent City Night Line hotel train 'Donau Kurier', leaving Cologne Hauptbahnhof at 20:06 and arriving in Vienna (Westbahnhof) at 08:35.  The 'Donau Kurier' has sleeping-cars (1 & 2 berth deluxe with shower, 1, 2 or 4 berth standard sleepers with washbasin), couchettes (4 & 6 berth compartments), reclining seats & a bar-restaurant car, see the photos & information below.  The train travels along the famous Rhine Valley between Koblenz and Frankfurt, so if you are in a sleeper and your compartment happens to be on the left-hand side of the train, switch off the lights and watch the Rhine pass by, mountains and castles lit by moonlight, while sipping a glass of Riesling.  Wonderful..!

• Alternatively, you can also travel via Paris, Strasbourg & the (real!) Orient Express, see the London to Austria page.  However, as only full fares are available for the Strasbourg-Vienna Orient Express, this usually works out more expensive.

You then have a choice:  

• Option 1:  Spend the day in Vienna and travel direct from Vienna to Bucharest on the 'Dacia Express'.  The Dacia Express leaves Vienna daily at 19:48 and arrives next morning in Simeria 06:38, Alba Iulia 07:24, Sighişoara 09:18, Braşov 11:14, Ploeşti 13:24 and Bucharest ('Bucureşti' in Romanian) at 14:02 (all day 3 from London).  The Dacia Express has a modern Austrian sleeping car  with small 1- and 2-berth rooms (the recommended option), 6-berth couchettes and ordinary seats.  A restaurant car is available for breakfast and lunch.  The Dacia Express will give you excellent daytime views of the scenery through Transylvania and across the Carpathian mountains between Braşov and Ploeşti.

• Option 2:  You can get to Bucharest sooner by changing in Budapest.  The InterCity train 'Avala' (air conditioned, restaurant car, bar, see 3D virtual tour of seats & restaurant car) leaves Vienna at 09:52 and arrives in Budapest at 12:53.  Change at Budapest onto the EuroNight train 'Ister'  leaving Budapest at 17:45 and arriving Braşov at 05:35, Ploeşti 08:02 and Bucharest at 08:43 next morning.  The 'Ister' has modernised air-conditioned sleeping cars with 1, 2 or 3-bed compartments (the recommended option) and 6-bunk couchettes.  It also has a restaurant car (Euros & Lei accepted, but reportedly not Hungarian Forints).

On board the City Night Line hotel train from Cologne to Vienna...

The City Night Line 'Donau Kurier' is a travelling hotel, with bar-restaurant-reception car, distinctive double-decker sleeping-cars with 1 & 2-bed deluxe sleepers with private shower & toilet, 1, 2 & 4 bed standard sleepers with washbasin, single-deck couchette cars with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and reclining seats.  A wonderful way to travel..!  The sleeper berths come fully made up with sheets and duvets.  All sleeper passengers get mineral water in the evening and a light breakfast served in their compartment next morning, deluxe sleeper passengers also get a complimentary glass of wine in the evening.  Towels and toiletries are provided, including shampoo and shower gel in the deluxe sleeper.  Couchette passengers get mineral water, each couchette is provided with clean sheets, blanket and pillow.  The bar-restaurant is open to all passengers, and it's normally open to about 2am.  If you like, you can book a table for dinner in the restaurant car before you travel, by emailing service@citynightline.ch or using the online form at www.bahn.de/citynightline.

				3-D panorama, City Night Line 2-berth deluxe sleeper 3-D panorama, double-deck sleeper corridor City Night Line sleeper, couchette & seat numbering plans City Night Line website: www.bahn.de/citynightline.
One of the impressive double-deck sleeping-cars in the new City Night Line red & white livery...		A table for dinner in the train's bar-restaurant.  There's also a bar serving drinks & snacks.

Deluxe sleeper: Compact rooms on top deck, 1 or 2 berths, table & chairs, shower & toilet.  3-D panorama.		Standard sleeper:  Very compact 1 or 2 berth rooms with washbasin.  Mainly lower deck.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families.  Much more space per person than 6-berth, so worth the extra few euros.		6-berth couchettes:  Shown here with middle bunks lowered to form sofa.  Very economical, far better than a seat.		Reclining seats:  The cheapest way to travel, but a couchette is a far better option.

From Vienna to Budapest by EuroCity train...

Above:  2nd class seats on an air-conditioned EuroCity train from Vienna to Budapest...		Above:  The Hungarian restaurant car on a Vienna to Budapest EuroCity train.  The set menu costs around 15 euros, a small bottle of wine about 2.80 euros.  Treat yourself..!

From Budapest to Bucharest by sleeper train...

You can choose between a comfortable sleeper (carpeted 1- 2- or 3-bed rooms with proper beds and washbasin) or a basic couchette (6-bunk rooms).  The Romanians run comfortable modern sleeping cars like this one on the night trains between Budapest and Bucharest, bought second-hand from German railways, although the Vienna-Bucharest 'Dacia Express' now has an Austrian sleeping-car.  In the Romanian sleepers, there's even a shower at the end of the corridor (although water pressure and temperature might not be brilliant..!).  Couchette cars on all trains have compartments with 6 seats by day which convert to bunks for night time use with rug, sheet and pillow supplied.  Couchettes are fairly basic - a proper bed in the sleeper is much more comfortable and secure, costs very little extra, and is the recommended option.
A Romanian sleeping-car, of the sort used on both the 'Ister' between Budapest and Bucharest.  They have comfortable, carpeted bedrooms.		Inside the sleeper.  Set up here as a 1-berth, the same room can be used as a 2- or 3-berth.		The same sleeper, in evening mode with beds folded away, sofa folded out.		6-bunk couchette.  Far more basic!  The other 3 bunks are just out of shot to the left...

Train times Bucharest ► London:

You also have a choice for the return journey:  

• Option 1:  Travel direct from Bucharest to Vienna on the 'Dacia Express', leaving Bucharest at 16:45, Ploeşti 17:27, Braşov 19:30, Sighişoara 21:20, Alba Iulia 23:03, Simeria 23:56 and arriving Vienna at 08:57 the following morning.  An Austrian sleeping-car (small 1- & 2-bed rooms, recommended) and couchettes (6-bunk) area available.  A restaurant car is available for dinner and breakfast.    

• Option 2:  Leave Bucharest at 18:50, Ploeşti at 19:30, Braşov at 21:35, and Sighişoara at 23:26 on the EuroNight train 'Ister', with modernised air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-cars (1- 2- & 3-bed rooms) and couchettes (6-bunk) available, arriving Budapest at 07:17 next morning.  Change trains in Budapest, leaving Budapest at 09:10 on the EuroCity train 'Franz List' arriving in Vienna at 12:08.

• Travel from Vienna to Cologne overnight, leaving Vienna (Westbahnhof) at 20:35 and arriving at Cologne at 08:42 next morning.  This train is the excellent City Night Line hotel train 'Donau Kurier', with double-deck sleeping-cars (1 or 2-bed deluxe sleepers with en suite shower & WC, 1- 2- or 4-bed standard sleepers with washbasin), couchettes (4-bunk or 6-bunk), reclining seats and a bar-restaurant car.  See the photos & information above.

• Travel from Cologne to Brussels by high speed Thalys train, leaving Cologne at 10:14 and arriving Brussels Midi 12:35.

• Travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar, leaving Brussels Midi at 14:59 arriving London St Pancras at 15:56.

• Alternatively, you can travel from Vienna to London via Paris, Strasbourg & the (real!) Orient Express, see the London to Austria page.  However, as only full fares are available for the Vienna-Strasbourg Orient Express, this route usually works out more expensive.

Fares:

1. London to Cologne  by Eurostar + Thalys:	London to Cologne by Eurostar+Thalys or Eurostar+ICE starts at just £79 return. Book in advance to get the cheapest fares, as the fare rises as cheaper seats are sold.  One-way fares usually cost more than a return, so for one-way trips buy a return and throw away the return half.
2. Cologne to Vienna  by City Night Line:	In a reclining seat:	In a couchette		In the sleeping-car
		6-berth	4-berth	4-berth	2-berth	single	deluxe 2-berth	deluxe single
Savings fare one-way *	£21	£36	£44	£51	£58	£103	£73	£140
Savings fare return *	£42	£72	£88	£102	£116	£206	£146	£280
Normal fare one-way:	£88	£99	£106	£114	£129	£159	£172	£201
Normal fare return:	£176	£198	£212	£228	£258	£318	£344	£402
Child under 14 with own berth:	£44	£49	£53	£58	£60	£78	£65	£100
Child under 6 without berth:	Child under 6 sharing berth travels free...
* Savings fares = Special cheap fares, book in advance, limited availability, no refunds, no changes to travel plans.  Normal fare = fully flexible, refundable, buy any time. On City Night line, couchettes are sold individually, but only whole sleeper compartments are sold.
3. Vienna to Budapest:	£24 one-way, £48 return 2nd class  £38 one-way, £76 return 1st class
4. Budapest to Bucharest:	£69 each way in 6-bunk couchettes, £74 each way in 4-bunk couchettes  £80 each way in 3-bed sleeper, £91 each way in 2-bed sleeper (all per person)
Alternatively:
3. Vienna to Bucharest by Dacia Express:	At the station or through DB's UK office you may be able to find fares from £80 one-way, £160 return, including a comfortable berth in a 3-bed sleeper.  You can book online at www.raileurope.co.uk although here you'll pay the international tariff, £88 one-way, £176 return with a couchette, or £112 each way with a berth in a 3-bed sleeper, £163 each way with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.

Ask about reductions if you are over 60 or under 26.  You might want to consider a Eurail, InterRail, or selection of Eurodomino railpasses for this journey, although sleeper or couchette supplements will need to be paid in addition to buying the pass.

Braşov is 12km from the skiing resort of Poiana Braşov, and starting point for trips to Castle Bran - Dracula's castle..!

How to buy tickets online:

First, the easy bit from London to Vienna and back.  The best and cheapest way to book this part of this trip is online, because there's no booking fee and all the special offers are there for you to see.  It involves two websites, so do a dry run on both sites to check prices and availability before booking for real.  Here's how:

• Step 1, go to www.raileurope.co.uk and using the train times on this page as a guide, buy a combined Eurostar+Thalys ticket from London to Cologne.  On the Rail Europe home page, simply enter 'London', 'Cologne' and your dates of travel.  The further ahead you book, the more likely you are to see the cheapest fares.  Tickets can be posted to any UK address.  Obviously, remember that your return date of travel from Cologne to London will be the day after your departure date from Vienna.  One-way fares are usually more expensive than a cheap return fare, so for one-way trips buy a return ticket and throw away the return half.  Bookings for Eurostar+Thalys open 90 days (3 months) before departure.

• Step 2, go to www.bahn.de/citynightline, select 'English' top right, and buy a ticket from Cologne (Köln in German) to Vienna aboard the "Donau Kurier" City Night Line sleeper train, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares.  Your simply book online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format using your PC printer.  Easy!  Make sure you select the type of couchette or sleeper that you want.  Bookings for City Night Line open 180 days (6 months) before departure.

Now the trickier bit, from Vienna on to Bucharest.

• You can book the Dacia Express from Vienna direct to Bucharest and back again, online at www.raileurope.co.uk.  Enter 'Vienna' (select 'Vienna (AT) if prompted) and 'Bucharest' (select 'Bucharest (RO) if prompted).  Enter your dates of travel, remembering that your departure date from Vienna will be the day after your departure from London.

• You may find cheaper fares available if you book your Vienna-Bucharest ticket by phone with Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri).

• Unfortunately, you can't book tickets on the Budapest-Bucharest 'Ister' online, so Vienna-Bucharest journeys involving a change in Budapest must be booked by phone, also with