14 HOURS on incredible Adria Sleeper train: Split – Budapest
In today’s video I take one of Europe’s Hidden Gem sleeper trains which runs only in the summer we’ll take a close look at the Hungarian sleeper cars the gorgeous restaurant and the food on board and enjoy some of the stunning scenery on this overnight trip from Croatia to Hungary this train isn’t even
That expensive and I’ll tell you how I booked and what it cost in the video it’s the iconic Adria train which runs from Sunny split to beautiful Budapest We’re in Split Croatia’s Second City a Crossroads between central and Southeastern Europe and it happens to be one of my favorite places to visit in summer its gorgeous Old Town Echoes its eclectic history from ancient Greece and the Byzantine Empire to its time in the Venetian Republic to its absorption into
Yugoslavia I’ve had a great day and decided to turn up for my train about an hour early my travels to split had taken me from Rome in Italy taking a couple of trains and an overnight ferry to get here from anona and the left luggage facilities are therefore very welcome
Although be aware it is a little cheaper to use one of the small shops just outside the station to store your Bags splits Main railway station has been around in some form or other since 1877 it’s one of the more unassuming European Railway terminuses you will find and even on this peak summer evening there are just six departures scheduled many tourists arrive in Split from elsewhere in Croatia by bus and
Therefore the station has a curious Backwater feel not even a foot bridge and the old buildings here have certainly seen better days Croatia has recovered spectacularly since the Yugoslav wars of the 199 90 s but split station remains unusual in being unkempt and forgotten in this otherwise stunning
City all of that said there is a rake of smart sleeper cars waiting just across the tracks to take me into Hungary this evening they’ve just been brought in from the sidings and the locomotive is running around to lead the train back out of the station El Today’s train is formed of these gorgeous blue carriages from MAV start the passenger division of the Hungarian State Railways there are two sleeper cars on the Adria today plus a real treat a dining car with a little secret we’ll discover later later four CET cars are also present and we’ll pick up two
Seated cars at the Hungarian border which act as a day train for commuters into Budapest we’re all set for a summer evening departure 14 hours of travel lie ahead of us okay time to find the sleeper birth we’re in I think the second car which is 423 and I’m in birth number
32 so here it goes today’s video is sponsored by surf shark an award-winning VPN virtual private Network now there are loads of great reasons to use surf shark from leveraging lower prices online to protecting your online identity I’ve traveled over a million miles by plane and train so believe me I know that
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Where I’d be without it and of course for you my viewers there is a very special deal secure your privacy with surfshark enter coupon code winging it for an extra 3 months for free at Surf shark. dealing it go ahead and get yourself sorted right Now I have solo occupancy of my three birth sleeper today we’ll talk a bit more about fairs later in the video wo it is hot in here As we’ve still got about 20 minutes to departure let’s take a quick look at the sleeper cabin if you manage to speak to a travel agent or book at a station you can request joining cabins if traveling in a group and this sliding door will let you have a connected Suite of sorts
The doors can only be locked from the inside so be wary of this but I’ve never had a problem with security on any European sleep train there are temperature and lighting controls near roof level and you should watch out for the small luggage rack which will take
Just about a small ruck sack there’s no large baggage storage on this train you’ll find numerous places to charge your devices and heating not that you’ll need it on this summer only train is provided by a radiator by the window this is a three birth sleeper with only
One bed deployed you can get the attendant to convert the bed back into seat mode but I recommend spending your free time in the dining car which we’ll look at shortly after departure these Hungarian sleeper cars are excellent and very comfortable and a Fitting Place to spend a Night after departure the attendant makes a quick check of my ticket and passport there are now no formal passport stops on this route since Croatia eded to shenen in January 2023 but you still need ID to support your ticket today’s route takes us from split making the gentle and picturesque climb
To knen we proceed to auline where the train gains an electric locomotive and reverses through Zagreb and onto the Hungarian border village yenes where we take on a Hungarian locomotive reverse again and head to Budapest alongside Lake Balaton a total of 825 km by rail oh wow look at
This this is one of M’s famous dining cars but not just any old one this one used to form part of the Hungarian governmental train and is of a unique design there are flip-up seats at every table and the Retro feel to the car only
Adds to the charm of this super Gem of a train hungary’s dining cars are really something they take all major credit cards including AMX and even cash in loads of different currencies even English Sterling notes apparently and with preset exchange rates which is pretty transparent the prices are also insanely
Low for such a captive Market there’s plenty of choice for good solid food even if there’s nothing fancy on board and a cold beer for €1.7 is is just impossible to turn down on such a warm summer evening now this really is the way to travel our northwesterly climb out of
Split is slow and we make several stops to allow other trains to pass and the dining car is getting pretty busy I really recommend getting here as early as possible because it was almost full less than half an hour after departure if if you look carefully by the track
You can still see signal cables this rural line is still controlled by the signal box manipulating levers attached to cables which pull points to set the route my dinner cost me just over €20 a spaghetti bnes a bottle of Coke and a delicious honey cake with coffee plus
Three cold beers surely the best deal on any Dining Car in Europe our Ascent continues and split airport can be seen to the left there’s a project to link the railway to the airport with Suburban trains which will hopefully be completed by 2026 the line reaches a beautiful wild
Plateau and for me this is the scenic highlight of the route the remote Dalmatian Hinterland being the perfect setting for the Relentless March of our train Northeast towards Kine It’s been about 2 and 1/2 hours since we left split and it has been an amazing trip already that is probably the best value dining car I’ve come across in Europe wow anyway we’re um stuck here at covo station you can see over my shoulder pretty sure we’re here for
Timetabling reasons to let a train go past us um and then we’ll be heading on up towards Zagreb and then Budapest tomorrow morning I’m sure you’re all wondering how much I paid and how I booked this ticket so let’s cut right to it I used M’s own site to buy these
Tickets and you should too it’s easy to use and find availability you basically have two main options on this train you can settle for a six birth shared cochet like this from €49 or a for birth shared cochet from €59 but if you want a solo
Sleeper like me it’ll set you back a pretty affordable €1 143 for exclusive occupancy the train runs only on two Tuesdays Fridays and Sundays and booking starts 60 days ahead of travel the first run in 2024 is on the 9th of June other than a few snacks there’s one other essential I brought on board some hygiene wipes it’s unclear if this train is supposed to have a shared shower or not reports differ but there wasn’t one on this train according to the attendant and I’m quite glad I came
Prepared just as the light has almost totally faded we’re treated to the spectacular site of Ken fortress on the outskirts of the city a fortress has been here since the 9th century and guards the valley which has been an important transport Corridor for as long as humans have inhabited the region this
Evening we stop here briefly to take on just a couple of passengers the station building is from much more recent times of course dating from the Yugoslav era although the dalmi railway was connected here from split as far back as 1888 knen was connected to Zagreb in 1925 and it’s there we’re headed
Next by the way if you’re enjoying this video please don’t forget to subscribe you will join a community of hundreds of thousands of other trip report enthusiasts exploring the world with me I make it time for bed we’re due in Budapest just after 9:00 a.m. tomorrow good Night sleeper passengers get an inclusive breakfast in the dining car which is definitely very Welcome well good morning we’re about 90 minutes away from Budapest now looks like we’re actually on time having picked up a delay overnight we are right back on track and I’ve ordered eggs and bacon now they may come Hungarian style let’s just see what the dining car serves up this morning shall
We breakfast was delicious and really hearty and set me up nicely for the day dining cars are just so civilized let me know what your favorite Dining Car experience has been in the comments Below one thing we’ve not covered yet the bathrooms on this train are at the end of each carriage no sleepers have any on Suites so they’re all shared however they were clean and wellmaintained for the whole Trip just after 9:00 and we’ve arrived at Budapest kenfeld station which is the one just outside of the Budapest City Center now it’s absolutely typical I’ve had a wonderful trip on this train but every time that I travel I always find something else some other inspiration
For another trip I want to do and right next to me here the Continental classic EXP Express now that is one heck of a charter train the stunning Budapest kti station heaves into view signifying the end of our Odyssey from the seafront at split to this marvelous City straddling the
Danube we arrive alongside the train for Bucharest another one I’ll need to try sometime perfect thank you so much byby bye-bye and there you have it Croatia to Hungary in 14 hours what a trip I really hope you’ve enjoyed enjoyed this video and thank you so much again to Surf
Shark for sponsoring it secure your privacy with surf shark enter coupon code winging it for an extra 3 months for free at Surf shark. Dewing it thanks again and I’ll see you in the next video bye for Now
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Join me today on the beautiful and stunning ADRIA sleeper train from Split to Budapest, one of Europe’s secret hidden gem sleeper trains. Come for the Hungarian sleeper cars, the gorgeous dining car and the food onboard, and stay to enjoy some of the stunning scenery on this overnight trip from Croatia to Hungary. This train isn’t even that expensive and I’ll tell you how I booked and what it cost in the video – it’s the iconic Adria train, which runs from sunny Split to beautiful Budapest.
Adria menu: https://www.mavcsoport.hu/sites/default/files/upload/travel-offer/document/public/adria_etlap.pdf
Where to buy tickets: https://jegy.mav.hu/jegy/reszletes-kereso
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0:00 Intro
0:54 Split railway station
2:20 Our MAV-Start sleeper train
3:58 Surfshark sponsor segment
5:27 Boarding B1205 Split to Budapest train + sleeper room tour
7:19 On Time Departure from Split
8:00 MAV’s special ex-Hungarian Governemental train restaurant car
10:23 On the plateau, beautiful scenery
11:31 How I booked my ticket
13:04 Night time on the sleeper
14:35 Day 2 – alongside Lake Balaton (I think?)
16:50 Conclusion, thanks, and please subscribe!
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30 Comments
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Join me today on the beautiful and stunning ADRIA sleeper train from Split to Budapest, one of Europe's secret hidden gem sleeper trains. Come for the Hungarian sleeper cars, the gorgeous dining car and the food onboard, and stay to enjoy some of the stunning scenery on this overnight trip from Croatia to Hungary. This train isn’t even that expensive and I’ll tell you how I booked and what it cost in the video – it’s the iconic Adria train, which runs from sunny Split to beautiful Budapest.
Adria menu: https://www.mavcsoport.hu/sites/default/files/upload/travel-offer/document/public/adria_etlap.pdf
Where to buy tickets: https://jegy.mav.hu/jegy/reszletes-kereso
Follow me on Twitter: @paul_winginit ¦ https://twitter.com/paul_winginit
Follow me on Instagram: paul_winginit ¦ https://www.instagram.com/paul_winginit
NEW: Follow me on TikTok: @paul_winginit ¦ https://www.tiktok.com/@paul_winginit
Great video Paul! I'm always shocked and saddened by the appalling amount of graffiti. Why is nothing done about it?
between amtrak and via rail, via rail wins for food by a longshot.
I flew to Split, possibly before you wer born, in 1972. Amazing city and a great take off from the airport. Thanks for making a great veat video and for sharingit it with all your followers, Paul🙃🙂❤
Great value for money and on a train service I've never heard of.
Looks like a great trip … and dining car! 😋 Thanks for taking us along. Cheers!
Great trip. Definitely underrated train in Europe.
9:15 well, peroni is not very beer…
Favourite dining car is also with MAV, the Corona train from Budapest to Brașov in Transilvania.
Excellent video and beautiful scenery!! Amazing price for your meal in the dining car. Hope all is well, take care
My personal favourite dining car experience I've ever had sadly doesn't exist any more: GNER trains restaurant car, on the East Coast Main Line in the UK, which operated from 1996 to 2007. Central European dining cars, especially MAV's Hungarian ones like the one shown here, are very good as well. The best in continental Europe currently in service, in my opinion, are the ones operated by SBB (Swiss railways).
Took the sleeper Split – Bratislava sleeper train last summer and had an amazing experience. I booked a berth in a 4 person couchette but was lucky enough to have solo occupancy. We did pick up a bit of a delay somewhere on the way, I think at some boarder while I was fast asleep. By the time I reached Vienna it was a 45 min delay, which was a real bummer. You get a partial refund if your train is delayed by more than an hour, so I just missed out on that. I think I paid about 100€, I booked on ÖBB roughly 6 months ahead.
My favorite dining car experience: After spending 2 months traveling in India, I flew from Mumbai to Frankfurt. Booked a day train to Milan. Train took about 12 hours. I was awed to have spent a week in the Himalayas, then spend a day riding through the Alps, past Lake Cuomo.
I was the only one in the dining car passing through Germany, Switzerland into Italy. Breath taking views.
The chef and staff served me freshly cooked pasta, steak, veggies, salads and deserts that were the two of the best meals I have ever eaten, anywhere! The suggested wines were perfection. Back in 2000, I think my food and drink cost about $100 for the day! Yum!!!
My friends picked me up, promptly, at midnight in Milan for another week of fun.
Great memories.
Just glad you are doing these unusually travel adventures
Wow €8.9 for a bottle of wine is incredible, a friend of mine paid that for a175ml glass in Inverness yesterday and another Friend paid €23 for 1 beer in Paris!
12:58 ALWAYS pack refreshing towels for a trip. They are really useful and take little space.
Fantastic trip report Paul!😸
Standby for other well known vloggers to try out this train. Well done Paul.
Another great trip report thanks Paul. My favourite rail dining experience has to be Gerald of Wales; the TfW service from Cardiff to Holyhead leaving at 17.14 each weekday. Buy a First Class ticket and you get treated to silver service gourmet dining en-route! Amazing.
Great video as always
My best dining car experience was when I was a senior in high school. The Rio Grande Zephyr which was the last private train in the US (until Brightline) was about to be taken over by Amtrak so I rode the train from Salt Lake City to Denver and the dining car experience was fantastic, basically what train travel was like in the United States until the 1960's. I was lucky to take the trip when I did because a landslide closed the line just a couple of weeks later and caused the train to run over only a portion of the route until the Amtrak takeover and several months afterward.
Looked like you needed those 3 beers in that heat, Paul. Great vlog as usual.
Great overnight trip, and very good value for money too ! Caught the sun i see 🙂
Great video. Good to see you had been enjoying some sunshine prior to filming it as well
What a fantastic journey – I love that dining car and wonderfully cheap beer too – what else do you need? 😆
When I first saw the word split, I thought this must be 2 part vlog…I now understand that’s it’s a city….
Cool video! It's a train trip that I wish I was on! Thank you!
English sterling!
Great vlog Paul
I must say I had the experience today. In a Finnish InterCity train ….