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