Rail Special: Riding the historic sleeper train from Romania to Moldova
We only love a binary if it's a train one π
The last surviving Soviet sleeper train in Europe promises to deliver you from the Romanian capital of Bucharest to the Moldovan capital of ChiΘinΔu overnight. I mentally prepared myself to be whisked off at a sustained pace on the historic railway, lulled by the predictable rhythm of the journey, snoozing off in the European Union to wake up outside of it the morning after.
The reality somewhat differed.
Boarding at 7PM in Bucharest Gare du Nord was something I - and what felt like another 2,000 people - were eager to do. Making up in charm and history what it lacks on speed, this shared route between Moldova (CFM) and Romania (CFR) is still a popular choice centuries from its inception in 1875. Thatβs the same year Matthew Webb became the first man to swim the English Channel, as History.com suggests, which isnβt useful context at all, but now you know.
If this trip is starting to sound familiarβ¦thatβs right, it was Moldovaβs 2022 Eurovision entry (an absolute banger).
While this mildly addictive song celebrates the journey between ChiΘinΔu and Bucharest, I - one for breaking tropes and boundaries - did it the other way round.
Starting in Bucharest
Bucharest is an ideal starting place if you only have a weekend to make the trip. You can hop on the sleeper train from Bucharest Gare du Nord at 7:30PM on Saturday and wake up in ChiΘinΔu at 8:30AM on Sunday. Both are beautiful cities worth exploring, and are best enjoyed car-free.
Thereβs no doubt about why Bucharest is nicknamed the βParis of the Balkansβ. Grand neoclassical buildings, glass and iron domes, and leafy promenades give the Romanian capital a distinct Parisian feel.
Nothing better encapsulates Bucharestβs soul than its architecture. To gorgeous exteriors often correspond fiercely utilitarian interiors. That sweeping palace may have been a noble residence three hundred years ago, but now itβs probably a post office. Or a public toilet.
And that unassuming, washed-out faΓ§ade you saw over there? Oh yes, thatβs probably the best restaurant in town.
Cousin cuisines Romanian and Moldovan both feature some of the heartiest food Iβve had in Eastern Europe. Two of their dishes in common are, incidentally, some of my favourites.
BorΘ (Cibere on the Hungarian side) is a soup base in which wheat, barley, sugar beet and stale bread ferment, creating a deep and tangy flavour when mixed to other ingredients. If you think thereβs no vegan equivalent to beef bone broth, borΘ is here to prove you wrong.
PapanaΘi, the queen of desserts (picture above) is one of the best sweet things Iβve ever had. Doughnut dough is enriched with fresh ricotta, then deep-fried and stuffed with cream and fruit - blueberry and sour cherry are both favourites.
Take the ride: Bucharest to ChiΘinΔu
At β¬25 one way for a cross-border sleeper train, this is a cheap fare compared to other parts of Europe, and half the price youβd pay for a flight between the two.
The ride takes between 11 and 13 hours, due to the unpredictable border control checks and something mesmerising that happens on boardβ¦the change of the tracks.
Whenβs the last time you were on a train and the technicians came to your carriage to insert some mystical device to adapt the train to different tracks? Yeah, thought so.
The reason for a greasy pole stop, performed by my technician friend pictured above, is simple. As part of the European Union, Romania has redone its tracks to fit EU standards. Moldova, not part of the EU (yet) and with a long history of Russian infrastructure, still travels on the narrower, Soviet tracks.
I would have shown more enthusiasm about learning this great train fact, if it hadnβt been 4:50AM and this hadnβt been the second stop on the way. My morning grump didnβt discourage our cheery and chatty technician who, after asking me in Moldovan what I think meant βcould you hop off the bed so I can lift the wooden plank?β said something like: βOr you could stay onβ¦But Iβm no Arnold Schwarzenegger!β
Ask the Romanians and Moldovans in your life, they will appreciate the reference.
Border hurdles
An otherwise modest and pleasant trip, the worst bit came at passport checks.
Thereβs one on the Romanian and one on the Moldovan side, for good measure. They happen 1 to 2 hours apart from each other. Bear in mind this is the middle of the night (early morning?), and both border police forces expect you to be reactive and recognisable in order to compare your just-rolled-out-of-bed mug to your ID picture.
This is when things get tricky for those of us who answer to a different name on their passports, or carry additional documents. Itβs very likely that either border police will ask to see all paperwork.
In my instance, my partner was asked proof of return flight, proof of accommodation, and proof of original flight to Bucharest. That we had all those seemed to clear us, but it took them about 50 minutes to come back to us with our passports and move on.
Services
The train has small comforts available on board. There is a bar area in the middle carriage where you can get a coffee, a tipple, crisps, or whatever you need to keep you perky throughout the night.
The toilets are exactly what youβd expect from a cheap fare train with only a handful of carriages. Theyβre small, perfunctorily cleaned, and bearing that lingering odour of stale urine. But hey, theyβre gender neutral!
Arriving in ChiΘinΔu
The train gets you into ChiΘinΔu, ready to start your day (if somewhat sleep deprived), at 8:30AM. A grim walk through grey Soviet blocks and roundabouts of death divides you from the city centre, but once you make it to the main Boulevard Stefan cel Mare si Sfant, it soon becomes clear that itβs worth it.
Thereβs no shortage of wonderful things to fill your day in ChiΘinΔu. If youβre a history buff, the City Museum, located in the cityβs tallest tower and full of great artifacts from photos to opera costumes, is a must-do. Polish your language skills before you go, because there are no English signs.
The neighbourhood surrounding the City Museum is one of the prettiest in the city, dotted with splendid buildings including the Theatre, Music and Sculpture Academy, and the imposing OSCE building, which leads you to the beautiful Valea Morilor Park.
If, like me, you have the literary bug, head to the Pushkin House Museum (beware the eye-watering ticket priceβ¦10p.)
After all that history and culture (and hills) made you work up an appetite, the options are excellent on both end of the spectrum. If you want a taste of real, Moldovan street food head to the Central Market and grab yourself a plΔcintΔ cu varza, and everything deep-fried, fragrant and crunchy that catches your eye. If youβre after a gourmet meal without breaking the bank, head to Fuior, where national dishes are elevated to offer a Michelin-level experience.
The packed train station platform, with people flocking from Bucharest to Moldova, wasnβt exemplary of what I found on the other side. At popular bar, restaurants and pretty much everywhere in the streets of the Romanian capital, youβre lucky if you can fit a pin.
ChiΘinΔu, on the other hand, felt like a playground where excitement and calm could coexist peacefully. It is a city dripping with beauty, not yet dried up by the gaze of mainstream tourism.