Bulgaria by train

Not all adventures are high octane. Taking the train in Bulgaria is a fun mission, but everything unfolds at the pace of a 1960s train on a narrow-gauge railway: very slowly.

A man in your train compartment has an accordion on his lap – what do you do?

If you want to listen to a song – think twice about nodding encouragement. Shaking your head from side to side means ‘yes’ here, and nodding can mean a firm ‘no’.

Bulgaria’s rolling stock doesn’t always come with wandering musicians – but then again, it is a distinct possibility. By travelling on Bulgaria’s slow and ponderous trains, you’re bound to meet local people.

Bulgaria’s trains have a rough-and-readiness about them, and a Balkan charm. People pick their way over the train tracks on foot, and carriages move so slowly you can have a long wave at a train driver in their cab as they make their slow progress out of stations. The trains predate the arrival of capitalism (1990) and the modern tourism industry in Bulgaria. Often the only nod to modernity will be the inevitable graffiti tag on the outside of the carriage. Inside it’s retro and rustic – and that’s why we recommend it.

“Train journeys vary, but most are between three and five hours and people need to change trains,” says Anna Tuliyska from our local Bulgarian partner Odysseia-In. “This can be a little bit of a challenge for customers, but also an adventure. At least, I see it this way.” Travellers agree: this self guided Bulgaria holiday by train is their most popular Bulgaria tour.

Anna believes their company, founded in 1990, was the first to offer a rail trip in the country to international travellers. Trips are self guided – leaving travellers with the fun of decoding Cyrillic at stations, and chatting to Bulgarian-speaking fellow travellers with translation apps. They also come with the support of a tour dossier and an on-the-ground team.

“Bulgarians today use trains to go from one place to another because there are some small villages where the only connection with other bigger towns is by rail,” says Anna. “Bulgarians use the trains to go to work, to go study, and so on. This is a true and authentic way to meet local people.”

The trains serve the Bulgarian people and therefore run all year round. For travellers, though, the best time is from April to October. July and August can be very hot.

“Last year there were temperatures around 40°C in Plovdiv, for example which can be very challenging,” says Anna. She recommends booking morning trains so that you can get to the next hotel early and relax out of the heat in the hottest part of the day.

“Bulgaria is also very beautiful in winter, but days are shorter, and museums usually tend to close earlier in winter than in summer.”

Come for the adventure of it all – expect a couple of delays, and don’t expect high-speed rail. Take a rucksack rather than a large suitcase – luggage racks are high up and very narrow, and you often have to climb steep steps onto the train – not easy with heavy luggage. Journeys are often not direct and so you need to be prepared to change trains. Average journey lengths on our holidays are between three and five hours. These old trains often don’t have air conditioning, or buffet cars – take snacks and crack the window. Our holidays are self guided so be prepared to have your own adventure, and plan what you want to get out of each place you visit. One of Bulgaria’s most famous attractions, the Rila Monastery, is not on the train line, but can be reached by transfer from Bansko. Look for the Cyrillic ‘Жп’ – it means ‘railway’. And keep an eye on the station when you pull in, says our traveller Bonita Searle-Barnes, “The station name is often only written on the station building - so watch out for it so you know when to get off!” The messaging service Viber is more commonly used than WhatsApp – useful for contacting guesthouses.