On the bus from the airport, I calculated a tight fifteen-minute dash from arriving at Budapest Keleti (eastern) railway station to catching my onward sleeper train, thanks to a three hour delay on my British Airways flight from London. This wasn’t exactly the start I imagined, which had involved slurping goulash soup in a local café and stretching my legs along the Danube beforehand, but that’s a story for another day. Instead, I accepted that this is the joy of travel relieved to have made it in time, as I met my friend on the platform who had more sensibly arrived at Budapest by train from the UK.

Waiting beside us were the carriages of the Retro Istria Express, a seasonal summer night train from Budapest that runs in two sections – one bound for Koper in Slovenia and the other for Rijeka in Croatia – both gateways to the Adriatic.

The Retro Istria Express is another one of Hungary’s holiday special trains, carrying families – and a healthy contingent of rail enthusiasts – to the nearest coastline. Hungary, of course, is landlocked and so, the only option to travel to the sea is to cross the border to neighbouring Croatia or Slovenia, though thanks to the Schengen zone these borders are barely noticeable.

Hungary’s other seaside special is the InterCity Adria – which I took a trip on in 2022 from the Croatian city of Split on its return journey to Budapest. This train conveyed a wonderfully nostalgic Hungarian restaurant carriage – one that was better placed in a museum than modern dining car. You can read all about that experience by clicking here.

This time I opted for Koper, keen to explore somewhere new, having already visited Rijeka on a previous trip.

Here’s the all important route map of the trip from Budapest to Koper onboard the Retro Istria Express train.

Departure from Budapest Keleti

One of my favourite railway stations in Europe is the majestic, cathedral-like Budapest Keleti station, dating from the late 19th century. I have a soft spot for historic stations – especially where grand architecture meets modern rail travel.

Facilities at Budapest Keleti include a ticket office, ATMs, premium class lounge, left-luggage lockers, and a range of stalls selling food and drink. Several supermarkets are also located nearby.

Budapest Keleti Premium Lounge

Included in a ticket for the sleeping car is access to the Business or Premium Lounge at Budapest Keleti. This comfortable lounge has a range of complimentary items, including sandwiches. Unfortunately, as I was tight for time, I didn’t get to enjoy it on this occassion, but I have discussed it in other posts.

Onboard the Retro Istria Express train

The Retro Istria Express certainly lives up to its name, with carriages dating back to the 1960s — the same stock used on the Corona InterCity, which I travelled on in 2022 through the heart of Transylvania (you can read about that trip here).

Hungarian Railways (MÁV) has only recently begun marketing this service as “Retro”, and refreshingly doesn’t hide what that means: the official website notes that the train operates with older rolling stock and “offers a lower level of comfort compared with other night trains”. I admire the honesty.

The ageing carriages stood beneath the dim lights of platform four in MÁV’s former blue-and-white livery. I found my carriage – number 425 – near the middle of the train, confirmed by a destination board in retro typeface, with “Koper” displayed in lettering that looked like it had been stamped on by hand.

Accommodation onboard includes seated coaches, couchettes and sleeping cars, with one of each allocated to the Koper portion and another set attached at the rear for passengers travelling to Rijeka.

Seated Car Accommodation

The seated car accomodation is arguably the newest on the train – though that doesn’t say much. Seats are arranged in enclosed compartments, with a rather tight eight seats in each – four facing each other. The compartments are basic and lacking some basic comforts, including curtains. Seasoned travellers came prepared and improvised where needed; I watched one family cover their windows with newspaper and sellotape before departure. Toilets are located at the end of the carriage.

Couchette Car Accommodation

Unlike the seated coaches, the more premium couchette accommodation is fitted with curtains. Each compartment contains four couchette berths, with a blanket, sheet and pillow provided for overnight comfort.

Sleeping Car Accommodation

For this trip, I treated myself to a private sleeping-car compartment – the most premium accommodation available on the train.

In a similar style to the couchettes, the sleeping car featured wood panelling throughout, with pink curtains and matching carpets lining the corridor. The same retro aesthetic continued inside the compartments.

Inside the compartment, the number of beds made up was dependant on how many people the compartment was booked for with the other berths folded away. In this case, only one bed was set-up – the lower berth. A pillow, sheet and duvet was provided. The compartment also had a reading light, a socket (one per compartment), a wash-basin concealed beneath a wooden lid, coat hooks, as well as shelving and a net for storage.

A selection of complimentary snacks were also provided in the cupboard above the sink. This included some salty breadsticks, a glass bottle of water and a carton of orange juice.

As I reflected on a chaotic day, and nearly missing out on this fulfilling experience, the train’s depature caught me off guard.

I struggled to comprehend that just over an hour ago, I was walking off the plane. I jumped up to the window to film the last of the departure from Keleti (see the Scenery Showcase video below).

The sleeping car attendant dropped by. She kindly waited for me to finish my recording and asked for my ticket, while offering me a wine or beer – a perk for solo occupancy and a much deserved refreshment I felt after the ordeal. I opted for a white wine and she soon returned with it, nice and chilled. The attendant didn’t have a glass, so I was left to consume directly from the bottle. Who needs standards?

Yet another perk of travelling in the sleeping car is a small complimentary breakfast. The attendant took my order and translated the options into English – “sandwich or waffles”. Having a sweet tooth to satisfy, I opted for the latter. She leaves me to enjoy the compartment and settle down for the night.

I did manage some sleep, and woke up at the Hungary-Slovenia border station at Hodoš, where the train paused after meeting its eastbound-travelling counterpart. There was a surprising amount of activity for 2am with passengers getting off the train and walking along the platform.

After some more sleep, my alarm sounded just before the Slovenian capital at Ljubljana, keen not to miss the scenery en-route for the remainder of the journey. Ljubljana station isn’t much to write home about, undergoing a major overhaul, with scaffolding dominating the building facade and platforms.

Approximately an hour before arrival in Koper, the attendant spotted me in the corridor. She asked if I was ready for my breakfast and brought the waffles down to me, accompanied by an orange juice and a coffee. This wasn’t anything special but did arrive with plenty of condiments to customise including jam and chocolate spread.

Scenery Showcase

All of the views to witness on this journey were in the morning as you’d expect, with daylight being a requirement. Firstly, there was the aforementioned stop in Ljubljana, with not much to look at with its building work. I’m looking forward to seeing the station once complete. On departure from the capital, the route then became more rural with the green scenery Slovenia is known for with vast countryside.

The land then dries up a little through the Karst region as the train heads towards the Adriatic. The train made a brief stop in Divača, followed by a longer one in Postojna. Here many my fellow travellers emerged from their compartments and positioned themselves in a prime viewing position in the corridor to see the train, the locomotive swapping and the carriages decoupled. This was where we would leave the segment to Rijeka behind and continue as a three-carriage train of our own. The curvature of the platform, provided a great viewing spot to see the length of our full train, with carriages in sight also from Warsaw on the recently launched overnight train from there to Rijeka.

Then the train continued with some wonderful views across Slovenian Istria and hints of the Adriatic Coast before we arrived at Koper.

Check out our Scenery Showcase video below for some of the main scenic stretches of the trip.

Arrival at Koper station

The Retro Istria Express arrived at Koper after an enjoyable overnight journey from Budapest. The station itself is fairly basic, with just a handful of largely unsheltered platforms. Inside, there’s a small waiting room with a ticket office, ticket machines, and snack vending machines. Limited luggage storage is available at the station – though it was full on arrival – but additional lockers can be found at the nearby bus station.

Booking and Fares

Travel on the Retro Istria Express may be less than you think. Tickets can only be purchased from the Hungarian Railways (MÁV), or from the station prior to departure (also for eastbound journeys). These can be purchased direct by clicking the link here (English language version). Please note that this is a seasonal operation and bookings can go on sale very late for early summer departures with trains only being bookable a couple of weeks in advance.

Journey Leg	Sleeping Car (solo occupancy)
Budapest to Koper	£64.35 / €74,00 / 28,000 HUF

Conclusion

Travelling on the Retro Istria Express is as much about the journey as the destination. The vintage carriages, attentive service, and unfolding landscapes create an experience that is part nostalgia, part adventure. For rail enthusiasts, families, or anyone keen to explore the Adriatic from Hungary, it’s a charming reminder that the magic of train travel lies not just in getting somewhere, but in seeing and experiencing the world pass by along the way.

This travel report was first published in February 2026.

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