After a fascinating last-minute night train experience from Vienna to Alba Iulia, the trip from Deva aimed to be a more relaxing affair. The aforementioned trip involved sitting in 2nd class on an overcrowded train for the entire night. My aim for this journey was to sleep and travel in somewhat comfort.
Booking a Sleeping Room on the Bucharest to Vienna Night Train
Determined not to end up sleep deprived before returning to the Austrian capital, we booked a sleeper at the first opportunity. This involved popping into Brasov train station to the international kiosk and arranging a 2 person sleeper.
As we were travelling with the dog, the only dog-friendly way to sleep on the train is to book the entire room. The staff at the railway station in Brasov were helpful and found us an available two-person room.
Ensure you don’t choose the night train run by MAV, the Hungarian railways company. They will sell you the tickets, however not let you in the room. Also, and their night train staff are not so friendly, bordering on aggressive in my experiences. Check it’s run by CFR for both you and your dogs’ comfort.
While at the station, we needed to buy a new pass to get back to England. The days on our outgoing pass would expire in Bratislava. After some confusion and a TIR Moment (This is Romania) of the office having no passes, we sorted to collect these before we travel.
Deva in Hunedoara, Romania
We travelled from Brasov to Deva as a separate trip, rather than straight to Vienna. This was to ensure the dog was on the trains as little as possible. This involved an overnight stop here and a chance to explore the city and visit the stunning Corvin Castle.
We had prearranged with our host in Deva that we would leave our backpacks in the room and collect just before we headed to the railway station for the next step of our journey.
Deva Train Station
The walk to the station was downhill all the way, great when loaded with a rucksack and a lively dog. On arrival at the station, we tried to figure out the platform required, but the staff seemed pretty clueless.
We got chatting with a couple heading towards Germany on the same train so we could figure it out together. The train in true Transylvania style was running late, and was my turn to need the toilet. The friendly people showed me where it was, and it took aback and transported me to an alternative reality. I was now Ewan McGregor in the movie Trainspotting. The only thing to change was the sign should have said Romania’s worst toilet.
After braving the train station’s WC, I cracked open the hip flask for a Tuica shot and persevered, waiting for the late train. Eventually, those waiting moved behind a train pulled up as our night train was arriving imminently. The gap where we were standing was not very wide, so gripped the puppy and hoped for the best.
The train comes hurtling into the station, and this is a pretty scary moment. There was not much room between the train tracks and felt very close to the incoming train.
The Romania-Vienna Night Train
The night-train to Vienna passes through a few major towns and cities in Romania, starting off at the capital, Bucharest. Brasov & Alba Iulia are also pickup points on this journey through Transylvania.
After securing a dog-friendly sleeper for two people, we hoped for just a bed and privacy on this trip. After locating the correct carriage after a figuring out the tiny carriage numbers, we boarded the train. Finding the room was pretty easy and on entry it suitably impressed me.
The room was clean; we made beds with crisp white sheets, and the room was rather cosy. Tradition meant that the hip flask comes out, and I chugged a Tuica for the road. The facilities included a tiny space to put the dog’s bed underneath coat hangers, a shelf to park the bags when done. The room also had heating, which was useful for travelling at night in winter.
There was a bathroom as expected by having an inbuilt shower. This was fantastic. I love to feel human and wasn’t looking forward to awaiting check-in at Hotel Odeon at 2 pm for a shower.
This trains bathroom comes with complimentary CFR Calatori toiletries and a bottle of mineral water for teeth cleaning. The shower was hot and very nice; the bathroom was like a wet room and everything got wet. I recommend leaving the towels outside while taking the shower on the train.
The Journey From Romania To Austria Via Hungary
Leaving Deva was painless. We had refreshments and settled into the quiet room with ease. Nightcaps were drunk, and we set the alarm for the time we were due to arrive at the Romania side of the border for passport checks.
Passport Control & Border Romania Side
The train stopped in Curtici for the Romanian officials to do their business and check passports. This run smoothly. Once checked, took the dog for a late potty walk on the platform. There were many people out having a cigarette, and he found a post and did his business. He did some international relations and made friends with anyone that spoke to him.
Crossing The Hungary Border
The train then did the quick trip across the border to enter Hungary at Lökösháza for much of the same. The border officials checked our passports, but they were not so keen on letting people off for some fresh air. One official took pity on the dog and pointed him to a post and sad not to venture further than that.
Sleep Through Hungary until Budapest
Now for the sleep across Hungary, melatonin supplement washed down with the last can of Ursus, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I woke to hear a quick train and noisy rails as the train was approaching Budapest. This kept me awake for a while, but was sleeping again when the train stopped in Budapest.
Wake Up Call Near Vienna
The last leg was sleeping until we got the knock at the door for the 30-minute warning of arrival in Wien Hauptbahnhof. I jumped straight in the shower to freshen up, opened the can of Pepsi Max as a coffee replacement, and got ready.
We packed bags despite the puppy wanting his bed and toys back and causing mayhem. The train slowed, and we had arrived back in Vienna. The first job of the day was to get outside to let the dog turn around and empty himself.
Next was to navigate the underground back to the Hotel Odeon to drop the bags off. Then a day out in the city for Vienna, this time with some nicer weather, albeit colder.
Interrail & TrainTravel Resources
Resources that we found useful for this journey included the Interrail Planner App to make travel decisions. These were not 100% perfect. This was not too useful in making dog-friendly reservations.
The CFR website was very handy to discover how late the train was running. The site also estimated the times that the train was due to arrive at the two border crossings. This enabled us to nap and be awake when passports needed to be shown.
Old faithful Google Maps gets us to and from stations with ease. The GPS maps were also useful for monitoring progress while waking through the night. Overall, train travel in Romania was a great way to travel internationally.
I’ve done it few times Deva to Vienna …is very accurate and detailed journey description!
Thanks