How to Get from Timisoara Romania to Belgrade Serbia by Train: Step-by-step Instructions that can be reversed if you're travelling from Belgrade to Timisoara. This information is still correct as of June 2017, as per reader comments and emails from people who've recently made this trip, but you should verify the train service is still running before you make your trip.
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Back in April, 2014, we took the train from Timisoara, Romania to Belgrade, Serbia. And it was a bit of a nightmare.
For some reason, there doesn't seem to be a lot of information about getting from Timisoara to Belgrade -- and many websites incorrectly state there is no train or that the train was discontinued. That's where this blog post came from...I figured I'd write up how we did it, so you can follow in our footsteps.
Of course, if you want to travel from Belgrade to Timisoara, that's also possible. You just need to reverse the steps :)
First, some resources for planning a trip through Romania and Serbia
In case you haven't left your home country yet, it's worth checking out the Eurail website, to see if it can be of any help in terms of saving money and convenience.
For example, Eurail has a Romania One Country Pass starting at 60 Euros. Unfortunately, there isn't a Serbia One Country Pass, but you can get a 2-Country Pass for bordering countries (i.e. Romania and Serbia) that might be worthwhile, depending on how much train travel you plan to do.
For more info, Eurail has both Serbia by Train and Romania by Train pages that might give you additional help!
[su_note]Note: It's now 2019, and I've been told that some of these train routes are not currently running. However, I've also been told this is temporary so will leave the details here, in hopes that operations will be restored. In the meantime, check out the comments from other readers at the bottom for alternative transportation suggestions! [/su_note]
Here are the step-by-step instructions for getting from Timisoara to Belgrade by train.
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- Go to the Serbian Railways website and search for trains from Timisoara to Vršac, which is just across the border in Serbia. If you try to search for a train directly from Timisoara to Belgrade, it will come up empty.
- Figure out what time you want to go to Vršac. At the time of writing, there were two trains per day: one at 06:48 and one at 15:13. Times are listed in Serbian time, which is one hour behind Romanian time. So the 06:48 train goes at 07:48 Timisoara time, and the 15:13 train goes at 16:13 Timisoara time. The key here is that train times are listed on the Serbian Railways website, not the Romanian Rail website (CFR).
- Next, do a second search on the Serbian Railways website to check trains from Vršac to Belgrade (Beograd). At the time of writing, the trains were timed to ensure you have enough time, including border formalities, that you can arrive in Vršac in time to make a quick switch to a train bound for Beograd. If, for some reason, you miss the train from Vršac to Belgrade, there are multiple buses going to Belgrade, which is less than two hours away, so missing the train isn't a huge deal. However, you'd need some currency -- either Serbian Dinar or Euros -- to get yourself to a bus station and buy a ticket. We didn't notice whether there was an ATM in the Vršac railway station.
- Buy your tickets. Although you need to find the train you want to take on the Serbian Railways website, you need to purchase your tickets from Romanian Railways. In Timisoara, you can either buy your tickets at the train station (Timisoara Nord) or at a CFR office near Victory Square. The office is on Strada Dr. Nicolae Paulescu near the fountain. You can purchase a ticket all the way to Belgrade, but you will have to change trains in Vršac. We were worried the train might sell out, but we were the only people who seemed to have that concern, so you're probably fine to show up at the train station 30 minutes before your train and get the tickets there.
- Take the train from Timisoara to Vršac. After about one hour, you'll arrive at the Romanian border to receive an exit stamp in your passport. The border guard will board the train, take everyone's passport, and return them after 15 to 20 minutes with stamps. You won't have to get off the train.
- After leaving Romania, the train continues all the way to Vršac. When you arrive at the Vršac train station, the Serbian border guards will board the train and let all the Serbians off. Foreigners again will need to hand over their passports and wait for the guards to return their passports with the entry stamp.
- Switch trains. The train to Belgrade should already be waiting in the station. Vršac is a tiny train station - you basically just walk across the tracks and board the other train. There was no "Belgrade/Beograd" sign on the train, so we had to get on and ask another passenger.
- Arrive in Belgrade about 1 hour and 40 minutes later. The train goes to Beograd Dunav station.
- Have fun in Belgrade! Seriously, it's a great city and many people are blown away by how much fun they have. Beyond the Kelemegdan Fortress and the Saint Sava Church (two of the most popular things to do in Belgrade), it's a great city for walking around and chilling.
Again, depending on where else you're travelling, it may be worth looking into a Eurail Pass. The ones that are most useful for this area of Europe include:
- The Eurail Global Pass, which gives you access to 28 countries around Europe; and,
- The Eurail Select Pass, which lets you choose 2, 3 or 4 bordering countries to build your own pass (i.e. Romania, Serbia, Croatia, etc).
Having Fun in Belgrade
Once you get to Belgrade, you need to understand: it's really, really fun. We actually made a critical error by staying in an Airbnb, about 20 minutes out of the downtown core, and feel like we missed out a bit on all the city has to offer.
If we were going to do it again, we'd probably stay in a hotel or hostel that's more central. These are three places I'd consider staying if we were going to go back to Belgrade...each is a different price range depending on your budget.
Hostel Bongo (Super Budget!)
Hostel Bongo -- This hostel in Belgrade's Old Town (Stari Grad) gets consistently awesome reviews. It offers both dorms and privates, and is walking distance to everything you might need...including the train station for arrivals and departures. Click to see the best price for your dates.
Check Availability & Reviews on
Booking.com / Trip Advisor
Hotel Srbija Garni (Budget to Mid Range)
Hotel Srbija Garni -- This place looks really cute, especially for the price, and seems to get a solid "8+" rating across the board. So not fantastic, but a great deal if you can get a room on the lower end of their price spectrum (when I looked, I saw prices starting around $62, but obviously that will depend on dates). Click here to check prices for your specific dates.
Check Availability & Reviews on
Booking.com / Trip Advisor
Belgrade Art Hotel (Mid Range)
Belgrade Art Hotel -- A 4-star with a boutique feel right in central Belgrade, this place gets "superb" reviews from past guests, and is less than $100 per night (depends on your dates, of course!). Click to check prices and see more info.
Check Availability & Reviews on
Booking.com / Trip Advisor
Besides finding a place to stay, figuring out what to do is the other part of the whole "have fun in Belgrade" equation. We actually weren't in an awesome place when we were in the city...we were burnt out, tired of travelling, and trying to figure out what our next step would be (as it turned out, we moved to Prague!).
If you're only in Belgrade for a day or two, or just want someone to take care of everything for you, these Viator tours look like they're worth checking out.
Great Belgrade Tours
Yugo Tour
Drive a Yugo Private Tour -- This looks kind of awesome. Yugos, for the uninitiated, are the old beater cars that were the only option back in the communist Yugoslavia days. AND YOU CAN DRIVE ONE in this tour. *Kicks self for not learning of this earlier*
Belgrade City Tour
Belgrade Private City Tour -- A 4-hour city tour around Belgrade with a private guide, for a pretty reasonable price under $40 USD. Honestly, there aren't a tonne of tours in Belgrade, and this looks relatively new, BUT the reviews it has so far are good. Also, Belgrade has such an rich, tangled modern history, with Yugoslavia, the NATO bombing of the city, and it's rise in recent years to becoming a capital of cool. This seems like a great chance to ask questions, and delve into it more deeply to understand the city and its people.
Hopefully all this info helps! If you have any updates to the route, or questions, leave a comment below!!!
Steve says
Belgrade is a great place to visit. Enjoy yourselves.
Sunshine says
Helpful for sure and thanks for taking the time to post this. We had hired a private bus service to do this journey. The company was unreliable, and although we got to Belgrade eventually, we ended up wasting a whole day in Timi sitting around waiting for them to show up. From what I recall they were 5 hours late.
In Serbia we rented a car and toured some little known areas of the country. We also drove ourselves into B-H and Sarajevo, where the company was nice enough to pick up the car for us at not much extra cost.
I was not blogging actively at the time, so can't direct you to a post but if you have any questions let me know.
Kandice says
Hey there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading through your articles.
Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects?
Appreciate it!
Nik says
Thank you so much for this article. Every other website/forum gave confusing and contradictory information. Finally got the trip sorted. Cheers! Nik and Ben, UK.
clueless says
At the Timisoara Nord station, Is € accepted for payment of train ticket to Vrsac?
Geoff Matthews says
Hey there, I don't remember but I would doubt it as Serbia and Romania each have their own currency so having any Euro might not be particularly helpful. Have fun!
laura says
How much does the ticket to Belgrade cost? Thanks
Katie Matthews says
Hey Laura - thanks for getting in touch! We couldn't remember the exact price, so took a look on Serbian rail, and we found the total cost (one-way) should be the equivalent of about 6.60 Euro (4 Euro from Timisoara to Vrsac, and then 2.60 Euro from Vrsac to Beograd). Have a great trip!
April says
Can you tell me how long the Journey was from Timisoura to Belgrad. Also who did you rent a car from in Serbia. We are looking to add 3 days of country driving towards Sofia.
Katie Matthews says
Hey April! The total train trip from Timisoara to Belgrade takes about 4 hours (2 hours from Timisoara to Vršac, and then another 2 or so from Vršac to Belgrade). We actually rented a car in Split, Croatia, and drove from Split to Mostar, in Bosnia, and then to Kotor Bay, Montenegro, before going back to Split. We didn't drive in Serbia - just took the train! Have fun on your trip...would love to go to Bulgaria!
Helge says
Hi. Thanks for good information. It is still valid as of June 2015. Interrail tickets are also valid for this train ride, and you do not need any further reservation.
The quality of the trains were surprisingly good.
Katie Matthews says
Hi Helge - thank you so much for letting us know it's still valid, and enjoy your travels!!!
Erick Prince says
WOOOOOO. You have the ONLY travel blog info on this route. I'm heading out tomorrow on this trip. lol
Katie Matthews says
Ha! Happy we could help Erick...and have fun in Serbia. We really liked Novi Sad
Frederik says
Hi there!
Thanks for the info.
I tried looking up the train schedule on the Serbian railways using your directions. Unfortunately it gives the following message for the trip from Vršac to Belgrade: "There is no train for the requested route!"
Any idea what is going on? I want to travel from Timisoara to Belgrado on thursday 30th of july.
Thanks for any help, cheers!
Geoff Matthews says
Hi Frederik - it might be the train station? Trains to/from Vrsac go to Beograd Dunav station, here is the schedule for July 30 http://w3.srbrail.rs/ZSRedVoznje//direktni/VR%C5%A0AC/21009/BEOGRAD%20DUNAV/16005/30.07.2015/0000/en
Suzanne Johnson says
Hi, we took the train trip on Sunday 16th August and there was no connecting train at Vrsac and we had to wait until 1:50pm (almost 5 hours later). I therefore thought I'd let people know of the options if you get stuck like us.
First - don't panic as you have options (and free wi-fi almost everywhere when you get closer to the city)
1) some people took a taxi - 40 euro to Belgrade. Didn't see many taxis around but worth a try if you can get some fellow passengers together.
2) buses leave regularly - check out http://www.balkanviator.com/en/bus-timetables/vrsac-srb/belgrade-srb. They leave almost every half an hour week days and every hour (ish) on weekends.
This is what we did:
Cross the road from the train station and then head left. You'll go past some local industries but don't worry, keep going for about 10 min. You will go past a cafe/bar with outdoor seating. Across the road is a bakery (Pekara) and the bus stop. If you have money, then you can get the ticket on board (760 dinar).
If you don't have money, then you will need to keep walking for approx 5 minutes to the city center where there are many ATM machines. We decided to stop at a cafe/bar just off the pedestrian mall for a drink, went to a Pekara for borek, then walked to the main bus station. This is another 15 min walk out of the city.
We ended up getting into Belgrade about an hour after the train would have arrived, but ended up having a very relaxing time walking around Vrsac.
Hope this helps people who get stuck!
Katie Matthews says
Wow! That's really helpful - thanks! I just looked at Serbian Rail's website, and the trains from Vrsac to Beograd are still listed (4 per day) on the website under timetable (STANIČNI RED VOŽNJE), but when you go to the 'direct trains' section (DIREKTNI VOZOVI), it says there are no trains. Maybe there's construction on the line? Anyway...thanks for letting us know. I'm sure future travellers will greatly appreciate your additional instructions :)
Suzanne Johnson says
There was a later train at 1:50pm, but not the normal one around 9:30am ish. I don't think our train was late arriving into Vrsac, they may have just decided to cancel the earlier train.
Katie Matthews says
Gotcha...okay. That's good to know. The current timetable says trains go at 05:10, 09:44, 14:10, and 18:45 -- quite the wait if there's a problem arriving late to Vrsac or if they cancel a train! Great to know the other options and I hope you had fun in Vrsac :)
holden says
katie it was very helpful to reed your blog
iam plain to use your advice in februar2016
if i travel first from romania to serbia and have to make the oposide way back to romania i have to buy in timi boht tick?
timi-vrsac
vrsac-timi?
or i can buy the ticket back in belgrad?
Katie Matthews says
Hey there! I don't know the answer to your question 100%, but I would guess both options are possible. So if you know your return (Belgrade to Timisoara) dates, you can probably buy a round-trip ticket in Romania. But if you want more flexibility, I'm sure you can buy a ticket in Belgrade. And if not in Belgrade, I'm sure you'll be able to get from Belgrade up to Vrsac easily, and then from Vrsac it should be easy to arrange a ticket back to Timisoara. Happy travels and let us know how it goes!
Tamara says
When you get to Dunav train stop, you have an excellent Good Morning Hostel just 10 minutes by foot from there, the prices are great and the hostel is 5 minutes from the Parliament.
If you are getting back to Romania, the ticket you can buy at the Dunav stop since the departure is also from there.
Also, they put new trains for the line Belgrade-Vrsac-Belgrade, so it is greater enjoyment :)
Cassie says
I know several have already said this but THANK YOU!!! Just like the others I was having a really hard time figuring out this connection. And your replies have been super helpful as well. Keep up the good work!
Katie Matthews says
Thanks Cassie! Nice to hear and hope your journey goes well :)
claudia says
Wow! Thank you!!!
Victor says
Thanks for writing this post. I took the train from Timisoara to Vrsac to Belgrade today, and I can confirm that the info in this post is still relevant, with some minor notes to add.
On the Serbian website you have to choose Beograd Dunav as the station, otherwise your search will fail.
The exact price I paid was 42 lei for Timisoara to Beograd Dunav that morning. I couldn't find this price listed anywhere online. It might not always be 42 but at least this is a general idea.
The night before, the online schedule said I would arrive in Vrsac and the train to Belgrade would leave just 6 minutes later. Either the schedule changed overnight or the train was more than 20 minutes late. But there's nothing to panic about, the train isn't going to abandon you.
I believe there is no ATM to be found in either Vrsac or Beograd Dunav stations.
Customs asked me if I had any items to declare, but they couldn't be bothered actually looking at my luggage.
Katie Matthews says
Thank you so much for confirming all this, Victor! Very helpful and happy travels to you!
Deborah says
This is really helpful as I'm planning to do the journey solo next week and I don't really want to be stuck along the way...
Phil says
Thanks for the write up. The ride was very easy this morning, but I would have been very confused if it were not for this.
Katie Matthews says
Glad to hear!!!
Lola Nacke says
Hello Katie,
thanks so much for the information here, it's a really great summary of all there is to know :)
I am going to Timisoara tomorrow, and am arriving at 15:05 at the airport. I'd really like to go to Belgrade the same day as I am supposed to meet friends there, from your experience, would you say it is possible to reach the afternoon train to Vrsac?
Also, I tried checking the Serbian Railway website for the train schedules but when I entered Timisoara-Vrsac and Timisoara-Beograd Dunav, it said 'No trains for this relation'. Did any of you encounter this problem yet?
Many thanks in advance :)
Katie Matthews says
Hi Lola - hopefully you figured it out, and had a great trip! The "no trains for relation" message is why you unfortunately need to do this in person in Timisoara, rather than online. For some reason, the online search doesn't work. Good luck!
Sonia says
Hello Katie!
thank you very much for this very usefukl and inspiring blog.
I am just having toubles finding the trains tp Belgrad and reading others blogs they are saying has been probably been canceled.
Do you have any news about it?
Many thanks in advance :)
Katie Matthews says
Hi Sonia,
I've seen some news that the trains may be temporarily suspended, but unfortunately don't have any more info. Unfortunately, the best thing to do is to actually go to the train station/ticket office and ass. I'd also suggest you join this Facebook group and ask in there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/121053081614593/ - I have seen chatter about this question in the group recently. Please do let us know what you find out!
Ben Corbally says
Little comment on this blog post because me and my girlfriend tried following this over the last couple of days but we got stuck. So they have cancelled the train as of between now and ATLEAST November 2017, however, there is information about it potentially not coming back.
So coaches - there's no obvious coaches, however, there is one that MIGHT go from "cinema world" but then again the website hasn't been updated in absolutely ages and still refers Serbia to "Yugoslavia" so not massively reliable.
There are a few blabla cars but limited on seats. We ended up ordering an uber and luckily the man knew a taxi that would take us, it cost about £100.
All the best guys and good luck
Robert McGrory says
Hi Katie,
My hotel in Timisoara and others confirmed that the train connection no longer runs from Timisoara to and across the border towards Belgrade. I booked a minibus service (late the night before - very last minute) with GEA tours, and they did a great job (https://geatours.rs/en/home-en/). Picked me up at my hotel (or any location) in Timisoara and took me to any destination in Belgrade for 15 Euro. The only quirk was that because they had multiple stops to pick up passengers, I got a bit anxious about their pick-up window (they said be ready by 2PM and arrived at 3PM - however they did warn me this timing would be quite variable). Also, I did not have telephone service so I needed internet available for GEA to confirm their pending arrival (for pickup) by WhatsApp.
PS. I stayed at the New Hostel Belgrade Center, and found it to be a great value. ~$7/night for a dorm bed in a great location, with very helpful staff. It was cheaper to book via Expedia than in person.