Check before you go Routes checked 9 Oct 2026. Trains, fares and borders change: confirm every leg with its operator before you book. Why

SZLAK Plan a szlak →

zielony · The Carpathian line

Szlak Karpacki

Three weeks along the mountains, on the cheapest money in Europe.

  • Days21
  • About, a day€41
  • Legs6
  • Night on board1
Lisboa Porto Sevilla Donostia Bordeaux Paris Bruxelles Amsterdam Hamburg Berlin Wien Ljubljana Zagreb Split Mostar Kotor Sofia Veliko Tarnovo Brașov Budapest Košice Praha Kraków Warszawa Zakopane Vilnius Rīga Tartu Tallinn Helsinki

The cheapest of the five and the most work. The Tatras on foot, then round by Budapest — the Carpathians bend through Ukraine, so the honest way to Transylvania is the night train from Budapest — then Brașov, the Danube and Bulgaria's old capital. None of it is hard; all of it needs reading the day before.

When. June and September. July and August are fine but busy in the Tatras. In winter the high trails need winter equipment and experience.

For whom. Someone with three weeks, a small budget and boots, who likes a slow train.

The hardest leg is Brașov → Veliko Tarnovo. A full day with two changes: Brașov to București, București to Ruse across the Danube, then on to Veliko Tarnovo. Start early and bring food.

The 6 legs come to about €134 in fares bought a few weeks ahead, and 34 h on the move. With a dorm bed, food and local transport every day, the whole szlak is about €853 — €41 a day. How we count.

Plan this szlak →

  1. Kraków 2 nights then coach, 2 h 15
  2. Zakopane 3 nights then coach, 3 h 35
  3. Košice 2 nights then train, 3 h 30
  4. Budapest 3 nights then night train, 11 h 50
  5. Brașov 4 nights then train, 10 h
  6. Veliko Tarnovo 3 nights then coach, 3 h
  7. Sofia 3 nights the end of the line

Before you go, on this szlak

Borders, money, phones.

Borders

All seven countries are in the EU and the Schengen area — Romania and Bulgaria joined fully in January 2025 — so there are no border controls. Carry your passport or EU identity card.

Money

Złoty in Poland, euro in Slovakia and Bulgaria (since January 2026), forint in Hungary, leu in Romania.

Phone

EU roaming covers the whole route.

Clock

Romania and Bulgaria are an hour ahead of Hungary.

Book ahead

  • Budapest → Brașov: the Ister's couchettes sell out in summer; booking opens 60 days ahead.
  • The Kasprowy Wierch cable car above Zakopane: book online.

Buy on the day

  • Kraków → Zakopane: coaches every 20–60 minutes.
  • Veliko Tarnovo → Sofia: coaches all day.

Noclegi i odcinki (the nights and the legs)

The whole trail, stop by stop.

Times are the usual fastest journey. Fares run from booked early to bought late; dorm beds from low season to high. Prices in euro, 9 Oct 2026.

  1. Nights 1–2 · Poland

    Kraków

    2 nights

    Buy what you forgot here, boots included, before the mountains.

    Arrive
    Kraków Główny (trains) and the MDA bus station sit side by side under Galeria Krakowska; the Rynek, the main square, is ten minutes on foot. From the airport the train takes about 20 minutes.
    Sleep
    Stare Miasto (Old Town) or Kazimierz. A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • Walk the Planty, the park ring where the walls stood, then the Rynek and the Cloth Hall. Free.
    • Wawel hill: the courtyards and the walls are free; the cathedral and the royal rooms are paid.
    • Kazimierz, then the footbridge to Podgórze and Schindler's Factory museum (book a time).
    • The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, about 1½ hours away. Entry must be reserved in advance at visit.auschwitz.org, and it books out.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours (you tip what it was worth) leave from the Rynek every day, and most Old Town hostels run a pub crawl or a shared dinner.
    Worth knowing
    Eat in a bar mleczny, a cheap canteen: soup and pierogi for roughly 25–35 zł.

  2. Coach

    Kraków to Zakopane

    Szwagropol and others

    Time
    2 h 15
    Runs
    every 20–60 minutes
    Fare
    €6–9

    Private coaches from the MDA bus station next to Kraków Główny are the quickest way. Trains take 2½–3½ hours and are more scenic.

    Friday and Sunday evenings are busy: buy online ahead.

    Check and book on SzwagropolPKP Intercity

  3. Nights 3–5 · Poland

    Zakopane

    3 nights

    The first real walking: the High Tatras. Three nights, so that one can be a mountain day and one a weather day.

    Arrive
    Coaches and trains from Kraków stop side by side, ten minutes' walk below Krupówki, the main street.
    Sleep
    The centre, near Krupówki. A dorm bed costs about €12–25 a night.
    Do
    • A Tatra day: Dolina Kościeliska (an easy valley), Morskie Oko (easy and crowded; buses to Palenica Białczańska) or Giewont (hard, with chains near the top).
    • The Kasprowy Wierch cable car up to the ridge (book online).
    • The Gubałówka funicular for the view back over the Tatras.
    • The wooden Zakopane-style villas and the old cemetery at Pęksowy Brzyzek.
    Meet people
    The trails themselves: start at seven and you walk with the same people all day.
    Worth knowing
    Tatra National Park charges a small entry fee, online or at the trailhead. Summer storms come in the afternoon: start early, turn back on time.

  4. Coach

    Zakopane to Košice

    FlixBus

    Time
    3 h 35
    Runs
    about 2 a day
    Fare
    €13–25

    A direct coach over the Tatras via Poprad. In summer a local bus also crosses at Łysa Polana to Poprad, where trains reach Košice in about 1¼ hours.

    Cross-border buses here change between summer and winter. Check the season.

    Check and book on FlixBus

  5. Nights 6–7 · Slovakia

    Košice

    2 nights

    Slovakia's second city: a cathedral, a long main street, and the easiest small city on the route.

    Arrive
    The railway and bus stations are together, ten minutes' walk from Hlavná, the main street.
    Sleep
    The Old Town. A dorm bed costs about €14–22 a night.
    Do
    • St Elisabeth's Cathedral, the easternmost Gothic cathedral in Europe; climb the tower (paid).
    • Hlavná street and its singing fountain.
    • Spiš Castle, one of the largest castle sites in Central Europe: a day trip by bus or train.
    Meet people
    Hostels are few and small; free walking tours run in season.
    Worth knowing
    Slovakia uses the euro. Trains to Budapest leave several times a day.

  6. Train

    Košice to Budapest

    MÁV / ZSSK

    Time
    3 h 30
    Runs
    several direct a day
    Fare
    €15–35

    Direct trains via Miskolc to Budapest, plus more with a change at Miskolc.

    Both the Hungarian and the Slovak railway sell this ticket. Compare.

    Check and book on MÁVZSSK

  7. Nights 8–10 · Hungary

    Budapest

    3 nights

    The detour that makes the route work, and the most sociable hostel city in Central Europe.

    Arrive
    Trains from Košice arrive at Keleti or Nyugati; the night train to Brașov leaves from Keleti. Metro lines M2 and M4 stop at Keleti.
    Sleep
    District VII (Erzsébetváros). A dorm bed costs about €14–28 a night.
    Do
    • The Danube on foot: Parliament, the Chain Bridge and the Castle District on the Buda side.
    • Gellért Hill for the view (free).
    • A thermal bath — Széchenyi or Rudas (paid, and worth a real share of a day's budget).
    • Szimpla Kert, the best known of the ruin bars, and the Great Market Hall.
    Meet people
    District VII's ruin bars, and hostels that take their guests to them.
    Worth knowing
    Hungary uses the forint. Keep the last day loose: the Ister leaves at 19:10.

  8. Night train Night 11, on board

    Budapest to Brașov

    EuroNight Ister

    Time
    11 h 50
    Runs
    1 a night — 19:10 → 07:57
    Fare
    €39–84

    The EuroNight Ister leaves Budapest Keleti in the evening and reaches Brașov for breakfast. A bed in a six- or four-berth couchette from about €39; sleepers cost more.

    Booking opens 60 days ahead. Romania is an hour ahead of Hungary: 07:57 is Romanian time.

    Check and book on MÁVCFR international tickets

  9. Nights 12–15 · Romania

    Brașov

    4 nights

    Four nights: two in the town, two walking or riding out of it — to Bran, Râșnov and Sighișoara.

    Arrive
    The night train arrives around eight in the morning. Brașov station is 3 km from the old town: bus 4 to the centre.
    Sleep
    The old town (Șchei or around Piața Sfatului). A dorm bed costs about €12–22 a night.
    Do
    • Piața Sfatului, the Black Church (paid) and Strada Sforii, one of the narrowest streets in Europe.
    • Tâmpa hill above the town: the path is free, the cable car is not.
    • Day trips: Bran Castle and Râșnov fortress by local bus; Sighișoara's citadel by train.
    • Hiking in the Piatra Craiului or Bucegi mountains — with company or a guide.
    Meet people
    Free walking tours from Piața Sfatului; hostels organise shared day trips to Bran and the mountains.
    Worth knowing
    Brown bears are common around Brașov, even at the edge of town. Never feed them, keep food sealed on the trail, and take local warnings seriously.

  10. Train

    Brașov to Veliko Tarnovo

    CFR + BDŽ, via București and Ruse

    Time
    10 h
    Runs
    1 workable connection a day
    Fare
    €25–40

    An early train from Brașov to București Nord (2½–3 hours), the 10:46 to Ruse across the Danube, then the Bulgarian train to Gorna Oryahovitsa, 15 minutes from Veliko Tarnovo — or a bus from Ruse, about two hours.

    Until 12 October 2026 a through car runs from București to Sofia without the change at Ruse. Bring food: the Bulgarian train has no buffet.

    Check and book on CFR CălătoriCFR international ticketsBDŽ

  11. Nights 16–18 · Bulgaria

    Veliko Tarnovo

    3 nights

    Bulgaria's medieval capital on the bends of its river, and the cheapest days on any szlak.

    Arrive
    Coaches stop at the town's bus terminals. Long-distance trains stop at Gorna Oryahovitsa, about 15 minutes away by local bus or taxi.
    Sleep
    The old town (Varusha). A dorm bed costs about €11–18 a night.
    Do
    • Tsarevets, the fortress of the Second Bulgarian Empire (paid).
    • Samovodska Charshiya, the old craft street.
    • Arbanasi, the village on the hill opposite.
    • The Asenevtsi monument and the river bends at sunset.
    Meet people
    The hostels here are small and often cook together.
    Worth knowing
    Bulgaria changed to the euro on 1 January 2026; prices are now in euro.

  12. Coach

    Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia

    Etap, Union Ivkoni, Biomet

    Time
    3 h
    Runs
    many a day
    Fare
    €12–19

    Coaches from Veliko Tarnovo's terminals to Sofia's Central Bus Station. The train via Gorna Oryahovitsa is slower, 4½–5 hours.

    Buy the coach ticket at the terminal; they rarely sell out.

    Check and book on BDŽ

  13. Nights 19–21 · Bulgaria

    Sofia

    3 nights

    It ends here: cheap, a mountain at the edge of town, and easy onward to Greece or Istanbul.

    Arrive
    Coaches from Veliko Tarnovo arrive at the Central Bus Station, next to the railway station; the metro takes you to Serdika in the centre.
    Sleep
    The centre, around Vitosha Boulevard. A dorm bed costs about €12–20 a night.
    Do
    • Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and Roman Serdika's remains under the centre (free, in the underpass).
    • Fill a bottle with hot mineral water from the public taps by the Central Mineral Baths.
    • Vitosha mountain: a day's walk from the edge of the city.
    • The free walking tour, daily — Sofia's has run for years.
    Meet people
    The free walking tour, then the hostel dinner.
    Worth knowing
    In Bulgaria a nod can mean no and a shake of the head yes. Ask twice.

The end of the Szlak Karpacki: 21 days, about €853. Checked 9 October 2026 — confirm every leg with its operator before you book.

The other four

Not this one?

Szlak Bałtycki Up the eastern edge until the land runs out, then across the water. 16days €49a day Szlak Adriatycki Down through the Alps until the water turns the wrong colour. 18days €56a day Szlak Zachodni Six capitals in fourteen days, and it is the expensive one on purpose. 14days €70a day Szlak Atlantycki The one you join rather than the one you start. Down the western edge. 15days €66a day