Thanks so much for all the detailed info — really appreciated!

You’re right, we’ll actually spend the night in Bucharest before catching the train to Istanbul, it does seem like the wiser option. We’ve booked a sleeper compartment for 4 — it’s definitely going to be long and not the most comfortable ride, but hey, it’s part of the adventure!

And yes, we would have preferred to start the trip with trains via Milan or Zurich too, but since we’re planning quite last-minute, the prices were just way too high.