laurene
Traveller
1 comments
Posted 16 years ago
Hi! with a friend of mine we will travel in south Europe from august the 8th to august the 29th. We would like to go to Moldova, and from there cross Roumania or Bulgaria and vist the Balkans before to come back to France. We would like to know if it is a good idea to buy the Interrail Global Pass or if there is a better option, and what is the best way to take.
Thank you by advance,
Laurene
oDn
Traveller
2 comments
Hi folks,
has anyone been to Moldova like Laurene has (or hasn't, I don't know)?
I'd really like to find out how hard it is to get in the country.
Cheers !
anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
First off, EU citizens don't need a visa for Moldova, so don't worry about that.
Secondly, there's a daily train running from Bucuresti to Chisinau (the capital of Moldova). I have the time somewhere at home, but it's around 9/10pm-ish
I don't know about any connection to Bulgaria, at least no direct train connecitons, but there might be buses.
At the border there's a passport check but once again, you should be fine.
@Laurene: it depends how long you will be spending in each country, and how often you will travel. If it's just those three countries you're going to, I'd say get a one country pass for Bulgaria and Romania and pay the trains in Moldova when you get there. Public transport is very cheap.
If you're visiting more of southern Europe and travelling more, a Global Pass may be worth it.
Cheers,
AO
oDn
Traveller
2 comments
Hey there,
thanks for the input.
Laurene actually told me a little bit about her trip by email.
I'll try and find out about the bus time tables once I get into Bucuresti.
I'm relieved about not needing a visa to get into Moldova.
Cheers
laurene
Traveller
1 comments
Hi! Better to write here if other people are interested maybe...
In Chisinau there is a youth hostel. I didn't go there so I do not know how it is. Even if there is not so much to see in Chisinau, or in Bucarest (this is my point of view) it can be nice to stay 2 days there.
In Moldova it s quite easy to travel by bus. Moldova is a really nice tiny country, with a beautiful countryside, full of sunflower fields in July... About the places to visit, I sugest to have a look in the lonely planet. About Roumania, I do not know so much about it because I did not stay so long. I would say that a really nice part is in the North, in Suceava, at the border with Moldova and Ukraine. I heard that other nice cities are Cluj and Brasov.
About Transnistria, I would say that it's better to avoid it, I am not sure ;) but I think that it is possible to go from Chisinau.
Actually there is a train between Bucarest and Chisnau, I would say that it leaves around 7pm/8pm.
For the interail pass, it ok to travel with it in europe, so until roumania and bulgaria it is fine. But it does work in Moldova. There is also a pass with eurolines.
Let me know if you need further information
anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
The daily train from Bucuresti to Chisinau leaves at 20:00 (GMT+2)
About Transnistria, Has anyone been there yet so far? I'll let you know how it was after this summer. I'll be travelling through Tiraspol on my way to Odessa.
Thomas S
Traveller
26 comments
If you're mainly travelling in the Balkan Countries, a Balkan FlexiPass will be of better value than a Global Pass. It covers journeys in Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Turkey - check it out on: [b] [u]https://rail.cc/de/balkan-flexi-pass[/u] [/b].
Still, train tickets in the area are relatively cheap, so it might be worth comparing the price of the FlexiPass to the price of some regular point-to-point tickets, depending on how much you're going to travel around.
Peter
Traveller
9331 comments
mmmh... isn't the Balkan Flexipass not only available for Non-Europeans or did someone (living in Europe) already bought it?!? :)
anonymous
Traveller
2467 comments
There is also a train from Moldova to Kiev in the Ukraine, which also isn't included in the pass.
nltrainer
Traveller
1333 comments
there are/were 3 such trains, 1 of which to go via Transdenjestr-a potential disaster zone for corruption and extraction. But reports vary.
maxitravels
Traveller
8 comments
We are taking a sleeper train from Krakow to Lviv. We hope to get a train with one change to Chisinau. Our next stop will be Odessa. We are traveling in late May and June. Good luck with your trip.