The 17.05 overnight train from Chișinău to Bucharest stops at Iași, just across the border in Romania.
The distance between Iași and Chișinău is 91 miles by road and appears to take 2 hours 11 minutes. Whether that allows for border controls is anyone’s guess. The distance by rail is probably about the same. The route certainly is.
The train takes 6.5 hours. Out of that about 4 hours is spent at the border as all the passengers go through two sets of customs and immigration checks and the Moldovan Railways people change the bogies on all the carriages.
Moldova uses the wider gauge it inherited from Russian Empire building in the 19th century. Romania uses the same gauge as (most of) the rest of Europe.
I booked a first class sleeping compartment – the train has no seating carriages – even although I would not be sleeping. The compartment is for two. It cost 266 Moldovan Leu – about €14 or £12. As it turned out I had the compartment to myself.
The rolling stock is ancient, but clean and well maintained. The decor is best described as slightly post-Soviet kitsch. The train had a refreshment car which offered snacks and drinks, but not meals.
I had booked online and that worked very well. Tickets are on sale at the station in Chișinău too. That facility is very pleasant – with the major exception of the toilets. Smelly and primitive. It has a coffee shop which provided me with some welcome caffeine while I waited for the train to appear.
The train has attracted a lot of attention from specialist vloggers on YouTube, so I have linked to one vlog which gives a decent impression of the adventure.
It was a unique experience.
ⓒ iain taylor, 2025
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