Собираемся семьёй в конце мая в путешествие Новосибирск - Болгария. Через Турцию, т.к. авиаперелёт дешевле выходит. Из Стамбула намеревались добраться до Софии поездом (не автобусом, потому как у нас годовалый ребёнок, на поезде гораздо проще проехать несколько часов, да ещё и ночью).
И тут наталкиваемся на информацию , что поезд фактически ходит только от границы с Болгарией до Софии, а из Стамбула до границы - автобусом (по причине реконструкции ж/д путей).
IMPORTANT UPDATES for 2012:
1) BDZ (Bulgarian Railways) are short of serviceable sleeping-cars, and can no longer provide a sleeping-car on the Istanbul-Sofia train. But couchettes are usually available. But the train is partly bus-replaced now anyway, see below...
2) Bus replacement between Istanbul & Kapikule (Turkish/Bulgarian border) as engineering work is now affecting the 'Bosfor' & 'Balkan Express' from 19 March 2012 until October 2013...
Eastbound, the combined Balkan Express/Bosfor from Belgrade/Sofia/Bucharest to Istanbul will terminate at Kapikule and a bus will take passengers onwards to Istanbul. The bus will accept rail tickets and passes, and should arrive at 07:50, the same time as the train was scheduled to. It's a modern bus, and in fact usually arrives in Istanbul around 06:00.
Westbound, the bus will leave from outside Sirkeci station at the same time as the train was scheduled to, 22:00, as far as Kapikule, where passengers will go through border formalities then join the train to Bucharest/Sofia/Belgrade.
This will apply from 19 March 2012 until October 2013, while railways in Istanbul are transformed with the new Bosphorus rail tunnel, and a new underground station in European Istanbul, serving train to both Europe and Asia. Feedback would be appreciated if you go this way!
3) Daytime train Sofia-Belgrade 'temporarily' suspended: Allegedly because Serbian Railways are short of diesel locomotives, the daytime train between Sofia and Belgrade (11:55 departure from Sofia, 07:50 from Belgrade) was suspended indefinitely from around February 2012. You should use the overnight train instead, Sofia depart 20:15, Belgrade arrive 04:17, or Belgrade depart 21:50, Sofia arrive 08:04, sleepers and couchettes usually available, buy tickets at the station, pay the sleeping berth supplement on board.
Кто-нибудь может подтвердить эту информацию?... Есть ли альтернативные пути беспроблемно добраться до Болгарии с годовалым ребёнком?
