This overnight train through Eastern Europe is a Cold War thriller

The train: MAV’s Corona, Budapest to Brasov

• The journey Budapest, Hungary to Brasov, Romania
• Frequency Daily, departing 17.40
• Duration 15 hours and 20 minutes
• Distance 803 kilometres
• Class Second-class sleeper

The station

Arriving at the spectacular 19th-century Budapest-Keleti station – all statuary, high ceilings and marble pillars – two hours before my departure, I make my way to Platform 9 to access the Premium Lounge of Hungarian rail company, MAV, free for those with first-class or sleeper tickets. Here I enjoy a free sandwich and coffee, relaxing in anticipation of the rail adventure ahead.

The train

At Platform 2 I find the blue-and-white Corona ready for boarding. It’s a historic survivor, a communist-era night train with both seating and sleeping cars, some of the latter offering three berths, and others with four- or six-bed couchettes. There’s also an honest-to-goodness dining car, a real find in this era of minimal cafe-bars on trains. On board, friendly attendant Anikó shows me to my compartment.

The seat

I’ve booked a “Single”, an entire compartment for myself, via a €70 ($117) supplement to my Eurail pass. My room contains a bed, a washbasin with table lid, and a cupboard with complimentary snacks (nuts, chocolate, water, apple juice) and, surprisingly, a power point and two USB-A charging ports. There’s also room to hang clothes behind some curious purple drapes. The compartment features attractive wood panelling which adds a dash of retro style. As it’s still the afternoon, I ask Anikó to fold down the bed into its configuration as seating, upholstered in reddish-purple cloth which matches the carpet.

The dining car

The train’s biggest attraction is its dining car. Red-and-white-clothed tables, blue booth seating and elegant gold-trimmed lamps offset by beige curtains evoke 1960s Cold War chic. Onboard chefs prepare a menu that features pages of Hungarian dishes illustrated with photos. At dinner, I opt for goulash soup, followed by pork ragu with fusilli pasta in the style of Hungary’s mountainous Bakony region. Other items include paprika chicken with dumplings, roast pork with letcho (a capsicum-based stew), lentil casserole, and desserts, such as a sponge cake from the Somlo region. I linger with a beer as I watch the Hungarian plains slide by. In the morning I am back for a hot breakfast included in the price of my ticket, as the train drifts through the atmospheric early-morning mists of Transylvania.

Baggage

MAV allows three items of luggage without weight or size restrictions. You’ll be lugging them up and down from low platforms, however, so leave huge suitcases at home.

One more thing …

From Brasov station take the number 4 bus to the beautiful old town (no need to buy a ticket, just tap your credit card on the onboard validator).

The price

Sole use of a compartment costs from €102 ($170) without a Eurail pass, or you can share with one or two others from €72 or €59, respectively. A couchette bed starts at €46. You can try buying tickets at MAV’s website mavcsoport.hu, or via Romanian Railways at cfrcalatori.ro, though I found these frustrating to use. Alternatively, make your booking at a station in Hungary.

The verdict

Let’s be frank – this is not one of the sleek futuristic trains of Western Europe, but a charming blast from the past. Not all carriages are air-conditioned and the shared toilets are less than salubrious, but a night aboard the Corona is a relatively inexpensive old-school delight.

Our rating out of five