I wanted to know, if there is way to travel from Bucharest to Amsterdam by train. If yes what is the route, the cost and time taken? - thanks & regards, Asif, via email

Times Online rail expert Alan Heywood responds: This journey isn't as difficult as you might imagine and, although there are no through trains, none of the changes of train you make involve crossing the city from one station to another. This is a great help, especially if travelling with a family and lots of luggage, as anybody who has done the Northern Line from Waterloo to Euston in the rush hour will testify.

The first decision for you to make is what kind of overnight train accommodation you need between Bucharest and Budapest. The usual choice applies on this route - seats (i.e sitting up all night - OK for the budget concious and you may be able to stretch out if the train isn't full), couchettes and full sleepers.

Couchettes are compartments for four or six people where the daytime seats turn into overnight bunks. A blanket and pillow are provided but undressing for bed consists of taking off your shoes! Couchettes are very popular on those trains which cater for groups and especially ski packages and they are, of course, ideal when you know the other passengers. You will have guessed by now that the downside is that, if you are travelling alone, you are amongst strangers. Please keep your wallet and passport very safe.

Top of the range is a full sleeper. Here you have some privacy and a solid wall separates your compartment from the corridor. On this particular route the "facilities" don't stretch beyond a wash handbasin - the W.C. is down at the end of the coach - but at least you have some security.

We have costed this journey using a full sleeper and we have assumed that there are two of you sharing a "double". The price of a one-way journey on this basis is £326.63 per person.

Now for the times. You would leave Bucharest at 1840 in the evening and your overnight journey takes you to Budapest. Here you change for a train to Vienna leaving at 0710. Three hours later you are in the Austrian capital and, twenty minutes after that, you are off again. There's time to relax now as your German Inter City Express (ICE) follows the Danube across the border via Linz and Passau, then heads for Hannover. This is your final change and your last Inter City train will have you in Amsterdam at 2301.

Your total journey time is 29 hours and you are on the move for almost all of them. Every train has a full restaurant car or a bistro so feeding is not a problem.

Have I any doubts about this recommendation? Well, yes, I have as a matter of fact. The connections are tight and, whilst the Deutsche Bahn timetable computer at www.bahn.de will give you exactly the same recommendation, I have a few misgivings. The problem with computers in this kind of situation is that they take no account of luggage or other mobility problems. If any of your trains are late and a connection is missed, that 2301 arrival in Amsterdam is sometime next morning!

So what would I do? If travelling by myself with just a small overnight bag, I'd take the risk. If I got stuck somewhere, I'd make the best of it with the consolation that at least I hadn't made sombody else's life a misery! If, on the other hand, I had family with me and were travelling for leisure, I'd break my journey for 24 hours in Vienna. So now, if I missed my connection in Budapest, I'd simply catch a later train to Vienna (they are fairly frequent) and still arrive in time for half a day's sightseeing. Next morning, the Hannover train leaves at 1030 so you have time for a leisurely breakfast.

The cost of the rail ticket is the same for both options but you would need to budget for accommodation in Vienna - lots of choice at reasonable prices if you book on line with chains such as Ibis - www.ibishotels.com

Whichever option you take, you'll find the trains clean and comfortable. The German ICE in particular is a superb train - best of the high speed breed, in my opinion.

And now I'll go into hiding before the French TGV supporters' club catches up with me!

Alan Heywood is a director at rail specialists, Ffestiniog Travel

Got a question for Alan, or any of our other travel experts? Email us at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk

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