Our first long distance travelling by train

Travelling by train is rather common, but mainly for shorter distance. When it’s visiting a foreign country, a lot of people choose travelling by air. It’s more or less the same situation with me. There is a certain “sample” when I have to choose. For close destinations, I chose a bus. Close means maximum 3 hours. When the distance is bigger, I choose a train. It’s more convenient, because I can stand up, walk a little bit, there is a toilet, if needed. While a lot of buses also have a toilet, it’s not allowed to use when the journey time is short. To visit another country, I mostly choose a flight. Except, I can get there in a few (2-5) hours in another way.

A blue train in the railway station in the sunset

Travelling by train can be a bit complicated, if the destination is not a neighbour country. Especially if there is no direct train. If you travel with more pieces of luggage, that’s also something to make your trip a bit harder. You don’t really want to drop your suitcases from and to different trains. So, travel easy, if you choose a train. Or visit a place where you can get a direct train.

I have many plans, also about long distance travelling by train, but so far, I had only one trip like that. And yet, the destination was a neighbour country. And for this reason, this post is not to tell you the great truth about really long distance travelling by train. It’s rather about sharing our first experience. I travelled with my mum and my nephew. The route was Budapest, Hungary to Split, Croatia. Direct train with sleeper coaches. It is called the Adria Express. The experience was really good. I would do that again, also in some other countries. Nevertheless, there are some things to keep in mind.

Inside of a sleeping coach of a train

  • Sleeper coaches can be small. I mean, really small.
  • You will probably have bunk beds, and sitting on the bed is not really an option. No space for that. Or you’ll have to sit really curved.
  • You can have a noisy family or group in the coach next to you. You hear everything.
  • The air-condition can make you freezing when sleeping down, but you’re still sweating when sleeping on the top.
  • The route can last much longer by train, than by car.
  • The price can be much higher than a flight ticket
  • And yet, I would do it again.

 

Dining coach of a train

Why? Because it is a totally different experience. Instead of waiting never know how many hours at the airport, you can just go to the station shorty before departure. Take your sleeping coach, find some space for your luggage and – if you want – you can go to sleep, watch a movie, read a book or whatever. You can have a nice dinner and breakfast in the dining coach, which looks really impressive on Adria Express. And, of course you can get to your destination relaxed. Well, I didn’t even mention the view you may have from your coach after sunrise and the fact that it’s much better for the environment. Travelling by train is definitely something, we want to do more in the future.

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