Europe's LONGEST and most UNIQUE sleeper train

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Merhaba!
Welcome to this new trip report, that's a trip I wanted to do since a long long long time. The Optima Express, probably the most unique auto train in Europe, it's not a adventure it's a whole odyssey!
Enjoy :)
- TRIP INFORMATION -
RECORDED IN JULY 2022
Railroad company: Optima Tours GmbH
Train type : UIC-X, AB30 and various engines
From : Edirne to Villach Hbf
Time : Around 35 hours
Price : 205€
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00:00 : Intro
01:29 : Check in at Edirne station
02:40 : Loading the car
03:10 : Boarding in the last two coaches ?
04:20 : Waiting for the departure
05:40 : The weird auto carriers
06:55 : We're getting ready
07:50 : Departure from Edirne
08:35 : Goodbye Turkey 🇹🇷
08:58 : The short ride in Turkey
09:27 : Changing our engine
10:50 : Compartment review
11:57 : Some delay in Kapikule
12:17 : Why the Optima is so slow ?
12:52 : Welcome to Bulgaria 🇧🇬
13:30 : Passport control
13:59 : Time to sleep
15:17 : Good morning from Serbia 🇷🇸
16:32 : Engine swap in Nîs
17:16 : Mid roll ads
17:39 : A chill morning by the window
18:54 : Tunnel vision
19:14 : Seeing Serbian MUs
19:56 : Europe's most unique train
20:22 : Walkthrough of the train
21:30 : Lunch at the dining car
22:12 : Smoking is allowed !
22:34 : Serbian countryside
23:12 : Approaching Belgrade
24:06 : Belgrade central
24:39 : The brand new line to Novi Sad
25:36 : The WORST moment
26:09 : Šid, last station in Serbia
26:42 : Hi freight train
27:11 : Sunset at the border
27:29 : An annoying control
28:03 : Are we on time ?
28:43 : Nighty night n°2
29:01 : Dobova, border with Slovenia
29:18 : Waking up in Slovenia
29:42 : Toilets Time
30:14 : Sneaking up in the sleeping car
31:38 : Last engine switch
32:11 : Off to Austria
32:54 : Karawanks tunnel
33:17 : Welcome to Austria
33:42 : Arrival in Villach
34:11 : Unloading the cars and conclusion
35:09 : Outro

Опубликовано:

1 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 984

@Tch5802 Год назад

This train allows Turks to see a good part of what was once the ottoman empire and Austrians to see a decent part of what was once the Habsburg empire.

@EILEENZ0122 Месяц назад

Yes, train is convenient in trip☺️ Hope the rail tickets bought in a cheap price can use🥺

@tenkloosterherman Год назад

The big attraction of railway travel is that you can simply sit down and watch the landscape pass by. It can be surprisingly different every hour. I took the Trans-Siberia Express in 1985 from Moscow to Khabarovsk. Khabarovks is not the real end of the Trans-Siberia Express, but in 1985 traveling on to Nakhodka meant you were obliged to travel on to Japan. I did not want that, so I took the reverse journey to Moscow in three stages: Khabarovsk-Irkutsk-Bratsk-Moscow. I still have fond memories of the trip.

@kjubajla 9 месяцев назад

Isn't trans-siberian mostly forest and flatlands? It gets boring after day 1

@mratkins2611 3 месяца назад

Yes, and you basically see how one country turns to another and that one to another. In this case how you go from Balkan to Central European architecture. A plane takes you from A to B but you don't really see the places between them that close.

@Reens-Rails Год назад

"40 km/h Amtrak style" - made my day! 🤣🤣Great video! I did not know that Optima is a german based company. Hope i hop on this one next year.

@Reens-Rails Год назад

Ok, now i get it. "Cash only" in the dining car - has to be german

@markoobid2005 Год назад

German based, but the owner is a Serbian migrant woman.

@milanjovanovic6259 Год назад

In Serbia 40 km/h only on high speed sections :D

@christianoliver3572 Год назад

I was in these countries in the summer of 1990 when it was still Yugoslavia and honestly it doesn't look like it's changed much. That area was my favorite in a two month trip to the Balkans and it made me sad when everything really went bad for them. Their war was a true human tragedy

@scotttild Год назад

Yeah nothing changed much except for the war that destroyed half the country. He did show a lot of the major cities. They are still rebuilding.

@dm5129 Год назад

Yes, my aunt was from Yugoslawia and escaped into Germany where she met my Uncle and married into one crazy family, wie das Leben so spielt wie Germans say,

@salihm.i.3551 Год назад

Burada savaştan çok soykırım var.

@akolyt Год назад

all thanks to s*rbians

@Bare36 Год назад

I am from Croatia, Not much has changed in all ex-Yu countries ,(except Slovenia) ,due to problematic gouverment sector (institutions,public service,state owned companies..). .stupid,corrupted,lazy,irresponsible,wicked,communist menthality ,are the key words to desribe it. Result: poor economy and In last 10 years,10% of population left country.

@andy99ish Год назад

I can remember travelling by train from Munich to Istanbul in the late 1980s. A daily train, with both couchette and sleeper carriages and, exotically, a carriage with a Bulgarian duty free shop added between Sofia and Edirne. Everything was clean and comfortable, if modest. Travel time was night-day-night. We got to know nearly all people in our carriage (mostly Turks, Yugoslavians, Bulgarians) and were invited to eat and drink with them. Finally at dawn of day two punctually and stately rolling around the Golden Horn at the foot of the medieval Byzantine sea walls was a goosebumpish way to enter magnificent Istanbul - Constantinople. After some days in Istanbul we took the train to Erzurum, a city close to the Turkish-Iranian border. Again a most pleasant experience. The distance and travel time was nearly the same as from Munich to Istanbul. Which made us aware how large Turkey is. Unfortunately our original plan to take the train to Baghdad failed, as that historic line (part of the Berlin-Baghdad railway) was not operated any more.

@enesokuyucu3179 Год назад

I am very happy for you that you had a good time with our train in the eighties, but please do not use the name constantinople for Istanbul, we do not like it, I hope you will understand and stay healthy.

@gokceaydin3324 Год назад

You are very lucky...

@ARSuresh2410 Год назад

Thanks 👍 for this video ..wish I could travel to these parts of Europe 🌍....love from India 💖👍

@ARSuresh2410 Год назад

If you know English then it's better to make the video and speak as well ...that will in a way give more effect to the video😊🥰that's my suggestion 🤪

@hectoradolfomedinacruz4464 Год назад

Do you know If that service líne between Munich _İstambul.is still funtioning ??????

@OnkelPHMagee Год назад

28:00 The train will arrive exactly at 4 :00. They just fail to tell you which day.

@0gris Год назад

The reason for the cigarette check on the border is the rampant smuggling big and small of cigarettes into the EU/Croatia. They're much cheap in the Balkans, so people buy them there in absurd quantities and bring them up.

@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791 Год назад

I used to know someone who worked for customs at an airport in the UK. Boomers would come back from a one day "holiday" in Serbia or Turkey with suitcases full of cigarettes, lol.

@LordDucarius Год назад

@@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791 Haha still is like that. Everytime I go to serbia and come back to germany with a few boxes, they cost like 9 euro each there so its sure worth

@hamidali7459 10 месяцев назад

@@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791 nice

@dirkdiggler3552 10 месяцев назад

@OrangeTabbyCat 7 месяцев назад

@@LordDucarius Yup, better pay a bit less for your lung cancer.

@lostmoose7352 Год назад

The sprinkling is to prevent the spread of agricultural pests. They do this too in Eastern Canada and California

@edmturk1971 Год назад

I used to live in Edirne in early 90's and took the train from TR to BG and GR. I love trains.

@snoosification Год назад

I am from villach and didn't know we had a train to Turkey and back! How awesome!

@thaaerhamod91 Год назад

Did you come to turkey ?

@sercankondur1008 Год назад

I m from turkey and i didn't know aswell

@hbruins85 Год назад

Here in Japan it’s impossible to even think of traveling by train for 2n3d with no air conditioning! Thanks for taking me through a completely different - and beautiful - part of the world.

@vnse725 Год назад

Japanese trains are the best :)

@DominantTyphoon Год назад

Japan is small n no rail connection to any country. This trains travels over 6 countries bruh :)

@vnse725 Год назад

@@DominantTyphoon What's the point in traveling 6 countries? This train looks far from comfortable - I would certainly fly this distance. And may I remind you that Japan is an island country.

@milospavlovic4599 Год назад

@@vnse725 You cannot transport your car by airplane, but you can by this train. Otherwise, you would arrive earlier if you take a bus. I'm also assumming that transporting car by train along with your family is cheaper than fuel for driving.

@gokceaydin3324 Год назад

@@milospavlovic4599 No it's much more expensive than driving.

@lorenzo_contini_7 Год назад

One of the best channels on YT. Always amazing videos!!!

@nikose34 Год назад

i travelled a lot by train during the 90s. the best bed to get some sleep is the upper one. cold air comes inside through the window yet the lights don't wake you up during the night. we had the same compartments in the greek railways during the 90s...i met a lot of foreigners travelling then. i remember an american couple from ohio who were 19 at that time and were travelling all over europe. i cant remember their names but i remember having the best time.

@rogerknights857 Год назад

Since the compartments have electric outlets, bringing a small plug-in fan should be recommended.

@justinmorgan2126 Год назад

I went Glasgow (Scotland) - Istanbul back in '87, 6 changes and one over night stop.

@williammerry4746 Год назад

It is so refreshing to get lost in another world for a few minutes and enjoy another fascinating video by Mr. Thibault. Unique train, beautiful scenery, an introduction to a very different but fascinating world. Who better to do this than Thibault! THanks

@andrewmastrandonas5123 Год назад

There are many other train vloggers like him lol..as good or better.

@eddeph Год назад

Damn I love the sound of old tracks. Childhood moment right there.

@martinmargerrison2300 Год назад

Greetings from Slovenija. It's the KarawankEN tunnel btw and there is also a road tunnel of the same name that carries the motorway from Slovenija into Austria. I saw this train (running late again) at Jesenice the other week and wondered what the hell it was so thanks for solving the mystery. I'm fairly sure that they put one of Tito's blue train coaches on the daily service from Beograd to Bar (supplements payable etc) which is another epic journey. Lep pozdrav. 🇸🇮👍

@nocturne90 Год назад

Many thanks for this epic video! My whole childhood and youth I was travelling at least 20 times with Optima Express to Turkey and back again, pure nostalgia😊 best travelling experience, loved it!

@azanmuhammad5223 Год назад

Hello sir sanga chal de

@ironfoxzone2252 Год назад

Some info on the Serbian section 1) Dimitrovgrad (Bulgarian border) - Niš is getting modernised and electrified (120 km/h, ETCS) and a new Niš bypass will be built. 2) Belgrade-Niš will be modernized and double tracked all the way for speeds between 160 and 200 km/h (2 hrs journey time). After these two are completed the ride from Sofia to Belgrade will be 4 hrs. 3) Belgrade Center is still not finished, station building is missing but a investor is building it with a office complex (starting next month). Also new development will be built in the area 4) Belgrade Center to Batajnica section will be 4-track in the future (2 for the S-Bahn and 2 for RE/IC/EC trains) 5) Stara Pazova - Šid is also planned to be modernized for 160 km/h with ETCS and denivelation of railroad crossings. Stations will also be modernized on all mentioned projects with platforms and underpasses. 5) Elektrickas are RVR class 412 trains (bought during Yugoslavia) and currently in operation in Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. In Serbia they are all used on the S-Bahn system (BGvoz) but will soon be replaced with new trains (plan was for new russian trains (russan desiros) but the cureent war delayed it)

@bluelucky2865 Год назад

New Russian commuter trains for Belgrade won't arrive anytime soon. Doubt they will be able to export modern EMUs in the near future. Time to look elsewhere tbh.

@yogiaol Год назад

In which year will be coplete the full track from Dimitrovgrad to hungarian border?

@ironfoxzone2252 Год назад

@@yogiaol By 2025 Niš-Dimutrovgrad and Belgrade-Subotica, Belgrade Niš will be a little bit further maybe 2030?

@yogiaol Год назад

@@ironfoxzone2252 thanks. So I must up to 2030 travel with slow train from Bulgaria-Bucharest-Vienna. It will be faster then wenn serbian route is ready.

@ironfoxzone2252 Год назад

@@yogiaol Yes, by a lot. It will integrate the whole region

@jhyang121 Год назад

Your video reminds me the train I took about 30 years ago from Budapest to Athens. It took literally four days going through former Yugoslavia territory in war. Still I remember the stunning landscape in the morning in Greece!

@NerdX151 Год назад

These couchettes are quite unique. They are ex-Touropa coaches, recognisable by the special window arrangement and extra big family compartments. Their original classification was Bctüm, and I believe they are the oldest german couchettes still in service.

@s125ish Год назад

How old

@tng2057 Год назад

I miss the Hellas Express and Acropolis Express, operated in the 70s and 80s, between Athens and Dortmund. Always huge delay when going through Yugoslavia, but fun time for rail pass backpackers and I was one.

@TypicalDutchSaysHi Год назад

With 'kurswagen' to the Netherlands! It was great to see a coach here with 'Athens' on it. We badly need those legendary trains again.

@karlknapp2798 Год назад

More than 40 years ago, I took the Hell Express once and will never forget it for the rest of my life. Who never travelled with the Hellas Express has no soul. Who did it twice has no brain 😀

@ixxic Год назад

Actually, there was also Olympic express that rode from Ljubljana to Athens in late 90es (maybe even early 2000es). It was leaving Zagreb at midnight.

@steveabrams777 Год назад

took Acropolis Express from Thessaloniki to London! what an amazing trip that was back in September of 1976!

@user-hs5ue5vb9c Год назад

I am in Africa i dont have money to travel , life is just work

@diannewi Год назад

Wow, an odyssey indeed. These kinds of rides are increasingly rare. My favorite rail trip ever was all day on the train between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. I had to laugh at the comment about going the speed of Amtrak. Thanks for an epic video.

@satyasudhakar Год назад

Just loved this journey. I do not even know if I can save up enough money to ride on trains across the world, but this was quite splendid. Love from India.

@tombombadil9123 Год назад

coaches from the blue train are sometimes attached to the trains on Belgrade-Bar line, usually during summer months when demand is higher. not the "posh" coaches of course, but those that were used by the staff or the guards who accompanied the Marshall

@mohdibrahim5169 Год назад

I can remember travelling from Istanbul to Sofia then Sofia to Athens long times ago 1973 that time my journey was very beautiful. Once I travel from Istanbul to Budapest by train.

@molyelblashony1015 10 месяцев назад

Should I have any vise to get a tickets?!

@Pilski Год назад

Next summer I will take the Amtrak Autotrain from Virginia to Florida...57 miles and NINETEEN hours shorter than this one and...total AC!!

@joemeyers3127 Год назад

Another great trip. Love ending my week with a new video from you. Thanks for taking us along!

@philipdyer-perry8121 Год назад

Thank you so much. This is your best (of an excellent selection) video yet! This is a train I have always wanted to travel on - now I am even more determined to give it a try.

@jonni129 Год назад

23:24 Speaking of Tito‘s blue train: The blue Diesel engine 666-003 hauling your train after the Bulgarian-Serbian border was originally ordered for this train, hence the blue colour.

@YsanneOshea Год назад

I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you for all of your work and the effort required to post it for the rest of us. 👍

@scottyerkes1867 Год назад

An oddessy#! The slow speed and open window made viewing the scenery more pleasant. Thank you Thibault for another great review😀😀💚💚

@etbadaboum Год назад

Such a unique odyssey indeed... Loved every bit of it. Thanks.

@miroslavmilosevic1040 Год назад

I live in Rakovica, close to the Optima route. Few days ago I spotted the Optima with that rare silver sleeper. Thanks for sharing how it looks inside. The OeBB used to dispatch similar sleepers to Belgrade until few yers ago.

@havingalook2 Год назад

You video simply popped up and I decided to watch. It was absolutely fascinating. I now, would love to make this jorney. Well done. Cheers

@dodul65 Год назад

Enjoyed the video thoroughly. The open window provided fresh air and the natural sounds from the track. Also the dining car allowing smoking was pleasantly surprising. But above all was the view, consistently from Turkey to reach and every country or passed through to Austria. And I have never seen a train carrying cars booked by passengers (seen freight trains transporting cars though), it seems like a great facility. Perhaps someone could board from Turkey with a car and then drive from Austria onwards to travel around Western Europe. Could be a great way to see around and experience. Loved your video. Keep posting.... Good luck.

@AssBlasster Год назад

Amtrak also has a daily Autotrain route from Virginia to Florida. It's one of their most profitable routes too, getting tons of snowbirds or retirees bringing their cars down when they live in Florida for the winter months.

@amerassi9319 Год назад

I have been travel many times by sleeper train from Istanbul Turkey Haydarpasa Train Station to Sofia Bulgaria in the 1985-90-and once was from Bulgaria to Yugoslavia was so slowly The scenery of the fields was magical but this video h is amazing work so beautiful trip i like it and maybe i will try that trip soon. Thank you

@Cowboy-in-a-Pink-Stetson Год назад

Thank yo for this fantastic video. I want to do that trip now! It is what riding trains east of the Alps is all about. I travelled on the Tauern Express back in the 1960s and this brought back so many memories. Thanks again.

@francisdoss8642 Год назад

Dear Thibault, indeed there is so much to see and experience in this short life of ours...We are greatly indebted to people like you, who make it 'possible'...Compartments, stations, scenery, comments were all fantastic; my pick would be the housed in Slovenia...I am sure the woman who was chucking things out, may have changed her attitude by now...! Danke friend, from a rainy and beautifully cool Bangalore...Stay Blessed...🚂🚉🚂

@EILEENZ0122 Месяц назад

Detailed and clear expression🙏 Thx for ur devotion😘 I tried the app mentioned by comments section, amazingly it is 💥super save🤩

@bneexotics2120 Год назад

Awesome journey mate 👍 The Alps are very impressive!! I really enjoy the sleeper train video experience 😀

@iceprincess3981 Год назад

Another great Video, Thibault. I almost felt sorry when the train arrived in Villach, I could have watched for hours. Keep on going 👍

@plonss Год назад

What a fantastic trip ! Nostalgia for me. I travelled many times by train from Germany to Turkey in the 1980s. The incredible slow journey in Serbia with stops in sunflower fields every 2 km, the heat, etc - it evoked many old memories. Back then those trains were often incredible crowded, even the corridors filled with sleeping, drinking and singing people, accompanied by accordeon, throwing their empty beer bottles from the window .. I will never forget those journeys. Frankly, despite the heat I would prefer the old couchette car above that prison-cell like compartment in the old Austrian sleeping car. No windows to hang out from on a 36 hrs journey that is truly torture ! I was amazed to see the reasonable prices of the restaurant car, but the price of the train journey is unfortunately way too high ... BTW: A question: could the lower berths in the refurbished car still be used as one large bed covering the whole compartment ? That was feature not everyone knew about and very popular with lovers in the night ...

@talhadurdu Год назад

Not Turkey. Turkiye 🇹🇷👍

@plonss Год назад

Something like writing Deutschland in an English text you mean ?

@montpellierand Год назад

@@plonss Nope. Germany did not change its name, but Türkiye did. It's more like saying Czechia instead of Czech Republic.

@plonss Год назад

@@montpellierand Germany did not change its name, but is called Deutschland by Germans and Germany by English speaking folks. So what is the difference ? Türkiye was already the name of the country for Turks, and it is called Turkey in English. You cannot impose another name on foreign speakers, it would simply not work.

@montpellierand Год назад

@@plonss No one imposes anything on another language. The pronunciation of the words Turkey and Türkiye is the same. Also, re-read what I wrote. The United Nations adopted this word.

@joermnyc Год назад

The odd start and end points (not near a major city or rail station) remind me of the AutoTrain in the US.

@vijaysharma8382 Год назад

Nice video. Seeing the number of border crossings and related complexities no other company would find it easy to operate than Optima. Must be the reason why they are operating since 1954!

@ananwongpinyochit4919 Год назад

Thanks for sharing. It is fun to ride on a train when you are not in a hurry.

@HideyoshiMichael 10 месяцев назад

The sound of the old track, Klahk, klahk, klahk, and beer, sausage and cupnoodle...one of my best memories with my father and mother in the northen area when i was i child.

@jesslockett6184 Год назад

I envy you 🤫 I love Euro so much ♥ I am very pleased you have taken us with you. Travelling Europe by train is one of the things that I absolutely love doing. Thanks for the detailed and very useful information.

@ChefAndy69 Год назад

I was there in Austria 1st district year 2017 to 2019 work as a Chef in Mexican Embassy and it was very nice place... I went to train stations of hupbannhaup and westbannhaup I really miss that place😢

@Ellisepha 11 месяцев назад

Thank you very much for recording your travels! I used to live in Villach a few years ago, quite close to the trainstation; my workplace was also in the vicinity. Watching the trains everyday, I had no idea there was one going all the way through the Balkans straight to Turkey and back! Seeing that station really makes me nostalgic :D You definitely make me wanna travel by train too now!

@ampersand. Год назад

Another excellent video! Thanks for sharing your very warm trip :)

@imsbvs Год назад

Facinating .. gosh it was slow, not for me! But the open windows were grand, in some ways better than aircon. Back in 1992 I took the Santander - Malaga overnight motorail, I wish I'd taken more photos. I don't speak Spanish and this was before internet usage, I telephoned the office and was given a fax number ... ticket on departure. I had sailed there from the UK, and had a few hours in Santander (great market, great beaches) whilst waiting for the train. The car was in an open wagon, outside filthy dirty on arrival, I made sure my cabin was for single occupancy, I recall being woken middle of the night by shunting around Madrid. Still, much quicker than driving across Spain, and a fun way to travel. Thanks for enduring and posting. I am intrigued by how cars travelled between the wagons, or if each wagon was shunted to the ramp one by one. Also, how cars reached and fitted the upper level.

@erkinalp Год назад

Cars travel between wagons. Lower deck is filled first, then the whole consist leaves the ramp to the lower deck and reverses to another ramp to fill the upper deck.

@rajk2677 Год назад

Very beautiful. The verdant greenery is indeed a feast for tired eyes. Of course the heat is a dampener. The journey is laid-back and leisurely. The journey bordering Austria is indeed stunning with the shrubs and bushes neatly arranged and beckoning the tired traveler. Well done bro

@EILEENZ0122 Месяц назад

Exactly. Train will be faster and has more scenery on the way🥹 and with discount the price will be affordable as well😂

@bright7sky Год назад

Many thanks for this epic video! Also thanks for providing complete information and comments on the different locomotives and trains encountered along the journey!

@rajeshchopra2565 Год назад

Thanks for the amazing video... beautifully captured the scenic beauty.... thoroughly enjoyed the journey

@zerberus500 Год назад

WOW...what a great journey with outstanding views!😎👍

@ChrisH-1952 Год назад

Absolutely fascinating. I had never heard of this train before and you have told us about it really well. It would be too hot for me, but that is why your videos are so enjoyable: you take the pain, we have the gain.

@cherylsemrau7100 Год назад

Wonderful. Greetings from Canada.

@johndornoff Год назад

What an interesting journey on a very unique train.

@guillaumedarbin2433 Год назад

Let's gooooo! Finally a YT about the Optima

@cyberi4a Год назад

I would have died from the heat with no a/c since I don't like hot weather. I'm glad you survived the weather.

@MAS_ANGGORO1983 10 месяцев назад

Good afternoon,, I am a train lover from INDONESIA. This video gave me a lot of information about long-distance trains in Europe. What a BEAUTIFUL trip.

@luath5579 Год назад

What an incredible journey!

@bwolper Год назад

Excellent video. The photography was fantastic! I could amost see the heat.of the day. Wonderful editing. Cheers!

@sebastienvacca9602 Год назад

Amazing video Thibault as usual!

@mikemcalister4919 Год назад

Thank you! That was an awesome adventure.

@vladcraciunoiu6046 Год назад

Very nice video Sir, thank you ! Quite a ride though, 35 hours is a lot... I guess the best part of it is that you can put your car on the train and avoid driving all that way. Best regards to all travelers !

@djordjemisirlic6081 Год назад

A few corrections for you lad... The Elektrichka that you saw at the Belgrade Central station (Prokop) is actually called "Gorbatschow". And the "little guy" that drove you through Croatia is so called "Brena" (by the famous Yugoslavian singer). Safe trips lad!

@MrBnsftrain Год назад

17:00 I like this diesel. Similar ones are used in Egypt and Ireland 25:04 shoutout to that guy, filming a train while driving a stopped train I'm glad you were able to get inside the historic aluminum-sided sleeper car

@special5513 Год назад

12:32 Amtrak style. It’s so true. 🤣🤣🤣👍

@kevinellis8869 Год назад

Good to see you back in Europe, an amazing journey, have you got any more long distance trips lined up?

@johnmehaffey9953 Год назад

As much as I love sleeper trains and long distance travel and even though the views were epic don’t think I’d want to do this trip, you got lucky getting a compartment to yourself but imagine having to share with strangers in that oppressive heat

@TypicalDutchSaysHi Год назад

Most modern sleepers, such as NightJet, have private options too. And A/C.

@Thecrazyvaclav Год назад

You just book a single room, it’s that simple

@gokceaydin3324 Год назад

This train has the option to book a compartment with solo occupancy. It is very expensive of course but it is possible.

@dariusschonberg2683 Год назад

17:10 ... thrown out of the window of the train rubbish heap on the sidewalk = fine 1000 € and banned from the house for the train! :(

@dariusschonberg2683 Год назад

18:12 garbage thrown out of the window again - PRIMITIVE - passager :(

@werwobel Год назад

I love traveling by train. Thanks for your videos.

@mattflaneur407 Год назад

Thanks for making this excellent and informative video! Wonderful window hanging! I completely agree about the freedom. Try doing that anymore in the UK and you'll either be decapitated by Buddleia bushes or defenestrated by the guard! 7:30: the absolutely reckless Turkish shunter, standing between the coaches as they meet. Nobody sane does that! Also, did you spot the old water crane later on? I know it's bad for you, but I need an "Optima Express" ashtray! Takes me back to the 1980s 🙂

@NerdX151 Год назад

Standing between the coaches during coupling is not that uncommon. I know many railway companies have strict rules about it, but it still happens pretty frequently, especially with the older crew, because they used to do it this way.

@plonss Год назад

"the absolutely reckless Turkish shunter" that was completely accepted and standard practice some decades ago - I watched it many times in amazement.

@Hauketal Год назад

There is a Berne Convention about some minimum space at the end of the cars between the buffers just for standing there.

@nickpapagiorgio5056 Год назад

Comparing these speeds to Amtrak is a bit harsh lol this was a crawl especially through Serbia! The Amtrak Acela trains are much better than the regular lines! I’m sure you have been on both! Great video man! I also remember you made a video with the auto trains on Amtrak heading to Florida right?!?!

@Nooticus Год назад

Thank you for this amazing trip review! I haven’t even watched it yet but I know it’ll be amazing because I’ve been interested in this super unusual service for years and never seen a trip report of it until now! Thank you!

@jamesmathew6236 Год назад

This is a really incredible Train trip with lots of scenic views!!

@user-wv5kz9gr9g Год назад

Amazing trip! Slow, but Amazing views! Good luck for you!

@aptjournal2241 Год назад

this is an amazing experience..i wish to be there in Europe someday:)

@cheeseblog Год назад

Fantastic! I love your videos. Thanks!

@97Devils Год назад

This was awesome! I'm adding this to the list.

@andriiret Год назад

cool video! i wish you can make more videos like this

@Benjamin0c Год назад

Super voyage !

@pauloschilling7338 9 месяцев назад

Wow that’s a great journey you did with the Optima Express from turkey to Austria😊🚂🚂I am really impressed of the journey you did.👏👏

@dyutimoybose5713 Год назад

Many many thanks for posting such a magnificent video coverage about the longest route in Europe. God bless you.

@Dovndyr13 Год назад

i love that the train runs almost year round Last time I was at Belgrade central station there were no lockers nor anything els beside a ticket office. Maybe it will come in a decade or two. but i agree the nature of the Balkans is great

@BrokenBackMountains Год назад

I enjoyed that. It has been a long time since I was on a train with windows like that. Unlike a lot of people commenting, I'd like to try this trip. Slow travel😁 The journey is part of the holiday.

@velikiradojica Год назад

23:20 the Tito coach is there because they use it for the train that connects Belgrade to Bar, in Montenegro. It's a fast passanger service with cars for automobiles, just like Optima express. During the summer there's both a day and night train. The service takes about 14 hours, but it's really nice.

@ozenfant_ozn Год назад

fantastic video of an epic journey! gives me a massive attack of fernweh!

@themazeLE Год назад

That's a very interesting journey. 3:57 The cars belong to GfF, as can be seen from the logos on the outside. This is a German company that owns some ex-DB wagons and currently uses them on a daily basis. They were once in Slovakia, so far the paintwork and lettering have obviously not been changed. 16:28 Niš! 23:40 Topčider 29:00 No control in Dobova? That should actually only be the case in the course of the coming year, when Croatia is finally a Schengen member.

@Barflax Год назад

I saw 74 on the auto waggons which is Swedish railway.

@themazeLE Год назад

That only referred to the couchette cars.

@s125ish Год назад

Croatia is not part of schengen

@themazeLE Год назад

Nothing else was claimed. But that should change over the course of the next year, according to the current status at the end of March.

@mahmoudalothman8534 Год назад

Thank you for your very interesting content , i am Train driver ,, But 35 hours for 1400 km it is toooo much Best regards from Germany

11 месяцев назад

This was amazing, thank you!

@manolodezen2469 3 месяца назад

Very very well done mate, i love it!

@denizalgazi Год назад

That was a wonderful train journey but I need aircon during Summer!

@ce1834 Год назад

Makes you appreciate flying (if you don't have a car), sleepers with so many knocks on the door for border control in the middle of the night is a nightmare

@smn46 Год назад

Very nice trip. Thank you !

@ici_marmotte Год назад

Wow, I never heard of this long train route without having to change trains before and I never knew you could carry cars in these kind of closed wagons! The design of the passenger's seats just looks the same as the one known from German regional trains (DB Regio), dark blue squares on blue ground, as you've mentioned in the video. This could be a quite good alternative for flights from Central Europe to Turkey and back if the tickets were a bit less expensive and if you've got enough time to travel such a long way by train. I love these train videos without annoying music or speech, so you can just enjoy the natural silence and the hypnotic sound of the train's wheels and the engines carrying it. Stunning views of this beautiful landscape.