The summer season is starting and this means also that there will be extra international train services to / from Serbia. I get a lot of questions actually about it, I really should get paid for it. Since the information provided by the Serbian railways is very minimal and also mostly only available in Serbian I will give you here all the information about these international services to and from Serbia. The timetable of international trains can be downloaded, but yes it is only in Serbian language, the link: http://www.srbvoz.rs/ms.pdf . So I write this train travel guide / summary for you who ask me many questions about international trains to and from Serbia!
Hungary (-Vienna, Austria)
The trains Belgrade (Beograd) –Budapest – Vienna are suspended since 01/02/2019 between Belgrade and Novi Sad until further notice due construction works. Estimation is that the line will re-open in December 2019, but mark my words: this is not going to happen.
Here an overview from the only passenger trains between Serbia and Hungary:
1) The night train B340 (return B341) is running only between Kelebia (HU) and Budapest;
2) The day train “Ivo Andric” B342 (return B343) is running only between Novi Sad and Budapest with a change in Kelebia.
The Serbian railways do not provide any replacement services between Novi Sad and Belgrade so you need to go by a regular bus which do operate quite often or other means of transport.
*Note that The EC 344 “Avala” is not running between Belgrade and Budapest.
Croatia-Slovenia
There is one train running between Belgrade (leaving from Beograd-Centar), Croatia, Slovenia, this is the train 414/415 which goes to/comes from Ljubljana in Slovenia via Zagreb (Croatia). In Zagreb they attach a wagon (wagons) for Schwarzach St. Veit (Austria) and Zurich (Switzerland), so you have more or less a connection there, at least something (danke Helmut!). In summer season there is a night train to Ljubljana running in the period 23/24 June 2019 until 16/17 September 2019.
Montenegro, the famous Belgrade-Bar railway.
There are two trains between Belgrade and Bar, the port in Montenegro:
1) A day train which leaves from Belgrade Topčider railway station;
2) A night train also leaving from Belgrade Topčider railway station.
This railway is one of the most beautiful railways in Europe.
Macedonia-Greece
A night train between Belgrade Topčider and Macedonia and Greece is running in the period 14/15 June until 15/16 September 2019. You can also put your car on this train.
Conclusion
These are all the services you can use to get (or to get away) to (from) Serbia by train. I only forgot the Erdut (HR) to Bogojevo local service, but I doubt any tourist will take it, because that is far off beaten track. Of course I can not be hold reliable for the information (if you miss the train sorry) , but I hope it is useful and if you have additional questions you can send me a Tweet or contact me here.
An overview of the Belgrade railway stations can be found here.
It is sad to see that there are not so many international services left any more to and from Serbia. Remember the days when Belgrade was once well connected to all over Europe and of course was a stop of the famous Orient Express. These days are over unfortunately….
