How to do Georgia and Montenegro by train

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15/01/2008, 10:37 PM
Battery Rover

How to do Georgia and Montenegro by train

Was looking into the possibility of seeing a bit or Europe and Asia by train when these two matches were on if time allows during the league season. I have put together how it would be possible. There are regular services between all the stops

So here it is
Leave London on the 1st September
Day 1: Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 13:00 (12:57 Fridays & Sundays), arriving Brussels 16:03.

Day 1: Travel from Brussels to Cologne by high-speed Thalys train, leaving Brussels at 17:25, arriving in Cologne Hauptbahnhof at 19:45.

Day 1: Travel from Cologne to Vienna on the excellent City Night Line hotel train 'Donau Kurier', leaving Cologne Hauptbahnhof at 20:06 and arriving in Vienna (Westbahnhof) at 08:35.

Day 2: Travel from Vienna to Budapest on the air-conditioned InterCity train 'Avala', leaving Vienna Westbahnhof at 09:52 and arriving in Budapest Keleti station at 12:53.

Day 2: Travel from Budapest to Bucharest overnight on the EuroNight sleeper train 'Ister', leaving Budapest Keleti station at 17:45 and arriving at Bucharest (Nord station) at 08:43 next morning.

Day 3: Travel from Bucharest to Istanbul on the 'Bosphor', leaving Bucharest (Nord) daily at 12:53 and arriving at Istanbul (Sirkeci station) at 08:00 next day. There is no buffet car on this train

Day 4: Take a train from Istanbul to Kars, then a bus or dolmus (local minibus taxi) to the Georgian border at Sarap, followed by another dolmus the 16km to Batumi, just the other side of the frontier. There is a comfortable daily overnight train from Batumi to Tblisi, with Russian-style 2-berth and 4-berth sleepers.

Day 5: Arrive in Tblisi 6th September in the early hours of the morning and stay overnight after match

Day 7: Get the overnight train back to Batumi and then get bus/taxi to Sarpa and then another bus/taxi to Kars and then by train back to Istanbul

Day 8: Travel by train from Istanbul to NIS. There are regular trains running daily from here. Leave Istanbul at 10PM and arrive in Nis (Serbia) at 3.25PM

Day 9: Nis to Podgorica by train and bus Total travel 12 hours incl stopovers

Day 10: arrive in Podgorica on the day of the match
16/01/2008, 12:04 AM
stiofain

Now that would be some trip!
16/01/2008, 12:19 AM
gypsydownunder

Those were the days.
Happy memories.

In 1990, I traveled from Hong Kong [via Beijing, Ulan Bator, Moscow, Warsaw, Berlin] by trains to Milan for the opening ceremony of Italia 90.

I was young enough too, to consider sleeping outside the stadium in Rome for 3 days, normal to get a ticket for the quarter final. [I got one].

The pure romanticism of a road trip. Enjoy
16/01/2008, 9:00 AM
citizenerased

thats too much travel...cost more than renting out a charter as well...i have devised an itinery that will cost 420 for flights for the two matches...
16/01/2008, 9:09 AM
AidoM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citizenerased

thats too much travel...cost more than renting out a charter as well...i have devised an itinery that will cost 420 for flights for the two matches...

Any chance of sharing it ;)
16/01/2008, 12:54 PM
Beavis

I like your way of thinking Battery.Its rare that your're going to be in that part of the world so you may as well see a bit of it. I think it is unfeasible though, from a money perspective and as regards time off work(I couldnt take any more than the necessary week).

Would it be better to concentrate on a route from Georgia to Montenegro between the games? I would be more interested in this cos I dont fancy heading all the way back to London and back out again, and the Sunday and Monday between double headers is usually more dull and I wouldnt mind passing it on a bus or train seeing a place I will never otherwise see. Theres a 30hour bus from Tblisi to Istanbul and once your out of the middle east you can train to Montenegro from there.
16/01/2008, 1:16 PM
citizenerased

lads fly the following

DUB - RIGA (RYANAIR) SEPT 4TH 60EURO inc tax and bag

riga - tbilisi (airbaltic) 5th -7th sept 130rtn inc tax

riga - pogdroica(cant spell it) (air baltic) 8th sept 110 inc tax

Dubrovnik - dublin (aerlingus) 12th sept 115 inc tax

total 415 in tax

May have risen since yesterday
16/01/2008, 2:12 PM
Claret Murph

Good Call Citizen
16/01/2008, 3:54 PM
NeilMcD

Quote:

Originally Posted by citizenerased

lads fly the following

DUB - RIGA (RYANAIR) SEPT 4TH 60EURO inc tax and bag

riga - tbilisi (airbaltic) 5th -7th sept 130rtn inc tax

riga - pogdroica(cant spell it) (air baltic) 8th sept 110 inc tax

Dubrovnik - dublin (aerlingus) 12th sept 115 inc tax

total 415 in tax

May have risen since yesterday

Is the Riga to Pogdroica not on the 7th of September early morning.
16/01/2008, 5:51 PM
SuperDave

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

Is the Riga to Pogdroica not on the 7th of September early morning.

there's a riga podgorica flight? not according to air baltic's website.
16/01/2008, 6:02 PM
AidoM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilMcD

Is the Riga to Pogdroica not on the 7th of September early morning.

Looks that way to me :confused:
16/01/2008, 6:17 PM
lopez

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperDave

there's a riga podgorica flight? not according to air baltic's website.

There is if you look in destination collumn. Via Vienna. However I don't think you can make the connection (only sunday and friday flights).
16/01/2008, 10:33 PM
gypsydownunder

Young pups.
Wanting easy cheap flights to everywhere.
God be with the days of hard-arsing it around on overnight trains in faraway places.
The Vilnius Riga is a particular memory.
And there were no mobile phones or internet then either.
16/01/2008, 11:24 PM
stojkovic

Quote:

Originally Posted by gypsydownunder

Young pups.
Wanting easy cheap flights to everywhere.
God be with the days of hard-arsing it around on overnight trains in faraway places.
The Vilnius Riga is a particular memory.
And there were no mobile phones or internet then either.

"During the War....."