Train Bucharest → Sofia

Gets a perfect score from this American judge You want to see the Arc de Triomphe on a budget. You like vampires and lithe tumbling Olympians. Perhaps you thought your flight was going to Hungary. Whichever your reasons for visiting Bucharest, you're in for a treat ! Known as little Paris, Bucharest is the 6th largest city in the European Union, featuring its own Triumphal Arch (Arcul de Triumf) with Calea Victoriei (Victory Avenue) – the city's main drag lined with museums, hotels and restaurants - leading up to the monument. Both cosmopolitan and eclectic, its architecture is a mix of traditional Romanian buildings, Byzantine churches and buildings influenced by French architects. Learn more about Bucharest

A beautiful name for an unheralded city Visiting Sofia, Bulgaria takes a commitment if you're traveling from a "touristy" country. From Rome, you can take the train to Bari, a ferry to Patras, Greece, a transfer to Athens and then about 13-hours via trains up from Athens. Or how about a 22-hour overnight train from Vienna ? This isn't to put you off. In fact, traveling to this Balkan gem is the perfect opportunity to really get to know train travel in Europe. This is still a much less expensive region to travel through – cheaper than the rest of Western Europe. There is more than a currency difference here. Try and ask a Bulgarian conductor, "Is this the train to Sofia ?" and be answered with a shake of the head. "No" means "Yes." A nod means "no." Then there's the Cyrillic alphabet. Most signs still use it despite a thrust toward westernization. An Internet study-up beforehand couldn't hurt. Learn more about Sofia