Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post. We paid 678 lei / 156 USD for 2 sleeper seats return on the Arad-Constanta route.

When faced with long train journeys (10+ hours), the first thing that comes to mind is to opt for a sleeper rather than an open-wagon seat.

Sleepers offer, at least in theory, the chance to sleep during the night and arrive fresh at your destination.

For our long train journey (14 hours, as per schedule) from Arad to Constanta, this September (n.a. 2019), we chose the privately-owned Astra Trans Carpatic train and not the state-owned CFR one.

In this article, we share the good, the bad, the nice, and the ugly about our long train journey.

But before we do that…

Have we even traveled by sleeper on the state-owned trains?

Yes, we have. Although not together.

I’ve taken a ride from Bucharest to Arad sometimes in the early 2000s. The open-wagon compartment was packed – I had a seat – and extremely loud. So, I ended up paying to upgrade.

It was horrible. The compartment has 6 bunk beds – second class – and I was in the highest one. All night I was afraid I’d fall from that damn thing and woke up at every stop.

My better half also took the sleeper from Arad to Constanta and return in 2010. He was also stuck at the highest level. Of course, having others in the compartment meant putting up with their behavior and praying they’d eventually fall asleep.

How are the second-class sleepers on Astra Trans Carpatic?

Firstly, there are only 4 beds in a compartment. That would be the equivalent of first-class on the state-owned one.

Secondly, the compartment is tiny and cramped. So, if one person makes the bed, at least two need to get out as they won’t have space to move.

Yes, there’s an individual light and a charging plug.

And there’s AC but controlling it in each compartment is a game of chance. On the way to Constanta, we could set the temperature. On the way back, it kept resetting to high (25C) and then, all of a sudden, during the night it was colder (19C).

As part of the ticket, you get a half-liter bottle of water (still or mineral) and a coffee. While they are good to bring the water shortly after the train leaves the station you board, the coffee is another story. Apparently you have to ask for it. On the way to the seaside, no one offered the coffee to us but on the way back, I smelled it and asked my better half to investigate. [Update Jun 2020: for the time being, due to the requirements to stop spreading the virus, there will be no coffee served in the train.]

As a coffee addict, let’s not even discuss the quality. Bring your own in an insulated thermal bottle!

Now let’s get to the comfortable part. On their website, Astra Trans Carpatic says that their sleepers have “comfortable and spacious beds”. Sure, if you are 158cm/5’2” like me, they are spacious. Don’t ask my better half how spacious he found them to be.

And I swear I just realized I am afraid of the upper bunk. While I didn’t feel like falling now, it was hell to get up there and prayed I wouldn’t have to use the restroom until morning.

The bed wasn’t comfortable at all. My feet fell asleep several times. And I woke up at every damn stop. Oh, and on the way to Constanta, I couldn’t even fall asleep so I was stuck looking out the tiny window – at least I saw Portile de Fier (The Iron Gates), a gorge on the river Danube.

I asked for the lower bunk but they only available ones on the way to and on the return no one else from the compartment wanted to switch. At one point I even contemplated staying on the floor.

Which brings me to…cleanness. Yes, it’s very clean. The bathroom is spotless when you board. 14 hours later, not so much, but still usable. And the compartment, as well as the hallways were spotless, too.

How were the employees of Astra Trans Carpatic?

Quite nice, to be honest. And dressed clean, too. It shows they have a dress code.

I did ask if they had any way to switch me to a lower bunk, but the guy confirmed it was all fully booked.

How about getting to the destination on time?

It’s a … long story.

CFR went so far as to include the delays in the schedule so that they won’t have to pay those who claim them.
Astra Trans Carpatic hasn’t learned that lesson yet, I would guess. The guy working for them knew exactly when we’d arrive delayed. Except the official schedule showed we should have arrived an hour earlier.

Based on that I would have been entitled to compensation. But going to get the stamp with the hour on the ticket would have meant we lost the bus to our final destination.

Need I to say we had an hour delay on the way back, too?

But yes, if you are delayed, according to the EU law, you can claim up to 50% of the price you paid.

Would we travel on Astra Trans Carpatic again?

The question is more like: would we travel to the Romanian seaside by train again? No.

The problem is that the route is through Craiova and even if we were to go to Herculane, for example, it arrives so late that there’s no point to take this train.

And if we are to go to Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, or Sighisoara, we have to take the CFR trains anyway.

So, what routes does Astra Trans Carpatic serve?

According to their website, they operate the following routes:

• Arad – Timișoara – Craiova – Bucharest – Constanta, and return, during summer. It stops in Bucharest for the rest of the year.
• Bucharest – Constanta, and return
• Bucharest – Brasov, and return
• Bucharest – Titu, and return.

They have a strong presence on Facebook and do answer questions.

What types of seats does Astra Trans Carpatic offer?

Aside from the second-class sleeper on the long route we took, they also offer open-wagon seats both on the long route and short routes, sleeper (2 beds in one compartment and en-suite bathroom) and luxury sleeper (2 beds in one compartment and en-suite bathroom, more spacious).

We have not asked to see the rest of the train.

Where can you buy the Astra Trans Carpatic from?

When I started researching, I got two answers: from the train station (a friend’s dad) and online (our friends).

I looked up the fares online to get an idea of how it compares to the CFR prices – slightly higher – and the flights (plus transfers) – definitely lower – but when it came to trying to book online, I got stuck. I tried to choose lower bunk but couldn’t figure out much.

So, I researched their opening hours at the train station (in Arad) and went there to book. I booked three weeks out and the train was packed. You cannot use a card to pay at the train station.

It pays to know that their Arad-Constanta route runs slightly longer than the CFR one, during the summer. Thus, on the return, those who couldn’t get the tickets on CFR chose this one (instead of switching trains in Bucharest).

You should also know that the tickets are refundable up to 3 hours before the train leaves.

Would we recommend traveling by Astra Trans Carpatic trains?

Well, yes. If you need to get from Arad or Timisoara to Bucharest or Constanta, it’s a good option.

The wagons, compartments, and baths are cleaner than the CFR ones. And that’s enough to give you a good experience.

But, it’s all down to the fellow travelers. On the way back, they blocked the way to the bathroom as they were waiting to disembark in Timisoara and no amount of staring made them realize they were rude.

Plus, yes, luggage. If you travel light – like us – it’s perfect. Else, no, it’s a hassle. There’s no place to put large luggage and you’d just store it between the lower bunks, thus making the space even smaller.