By Sleeper Train From Romania to Moldova
A daily sleeper train connects Bucharest, the Romanian capital, with Chișinău, the capital of Moldova.
In this guide, we explore what the travel experience is like and how you can book a ticket for this train.
The sleeper train to Moldova
One of the best ways to travel to Moldova is by taking the daily sleeper train that links the Romanian capital, Bucharest, with the Moldovan capital, Chișinău.
This night train is called the ‘Prietenia’, which means ‘friendship’ in Romanian.
The sleeper train currently departs Bucharest Gara de Nord daily at 19:10, arriving in Chișinău at 08:44 the following morning, while in the reverse direction it leaves Chișinău at 17:05 and arrives in Bucharest at 06:47 the next day.
The sleeper train from Romania to Moldova. ©AndyBTravels
On board the train
The Prietenia night train offers two types of on-board accommodation: four-person couchette compartments and two-bed sleeper compartments, the latter of which can also be booked as a single if you’re travelling alone.
These carriages were built in communist East Germany in the 1980s, so the train’s interior isn’t exactly up to modern standards, although the compartments are perfectly comfortable and offer a great throwback to a bygone era.
On board the night train, you’ll also find a bar coach where you can buy inexpensive drinks and snacks, although not full meals, so it’s best to have dinner before boarding or bring some food with you.
As cards are not accepted, you’ll need cash (preferably Romanian or Moldovan lei, although the bar staff usually also accept euros) if you want to buy a drink or a snack in the bar coach.
Two-bed sleeper compartment on the Prietenia night train. ©Paliparan
At the border
One of the highlights of taking the sleeper train from Bucharest to Chișinău is the break of gauge at the border, as Romania uses standard-gauge railways while Moldova operates on broad-gauge tracks.
This means each carriage has to be individually jacked up at a gauge-changing facility at the border to have its bogies adjusted from standard to broad gauge, or vice versa.
You stay on board the train while this happens, and if you’re awake, it’s quite fun to watch the wheelsets of each carriage being changed.
That said, some might find this part of the journey rather tedious, as the entire procedure — along with passport control at both the Romanian and Moldovan border stations — results in a lengthy stop.
Although this is perfectly fine when travelling from Chișinău to Bucharest, where the Moldovan border stop at Ungheni occurs between 19:58 and 21:35, followed by the Romanian border stop at Ungheni Prut from 21:40 to 22:35, it is somewhat more annoying in the opposite direction.
When travelling from Bucharest to Chișinău, Romanian passport control at Ungheni Prut takes place between 03:05 and 04:02, while the stop at Moldova’s Ungheni border station lasts from 04:08 to 06:03 to complete passport control and change the bogies of each carriage — which means some interrupted sleep!
Buying tickets
The Bucharest-Chisinau night train is operated by CFM, the Moldovan Railways.
Tickets can be purchased online via the CFM website, as well as through the website of CFR, the Romanian Railways.
Note that if you book with CFR, you must quote your reservation number at an international ticket office in a Romanian station, such as Bucharest, to physically collect your tickets.
If you plan to travel one-way from Chișinău to Bucharest, it’s therefore best to book through CFM.
A standard price one-way ticket from Bucharest to Chișinău currently costs 185.47 RON (€36.71, £30.88, $41.22) for a berth in a four-person couchette compartment, 211.46 RON (€43.80, £35.16, $47.19) for a bed in a two-person sleeper compartment, or 278.34 RON (€55.02, £46.28, $62.12) for a solo traveller to have a two-person sleeper compartment for private use.
Conclusion
The daily sleeper train linking Bucharest, the Romanian capital, with Chișinău, the capital of Moldova, offers a fun train travel experience.
Whether it’s the old Soviet-era train used by Moldovan Railways on this route or the bogie change at the border to overcome the break of gauge, the Bucharest–Chișinău night train certainly offers a unique ride.
