The 17-hour night train across Europe linking two incredible cities for just £50

A 17-hour nighttime train will take people across Europe on an unforgettable journey through two stunning cities for less than the price of a plane ticket.

Budapest in Hungary and Bucharest in Romania are among the prettiest cities the continent has to offer.

Both offer very different experiences despite sharing a border and being several hundred miles apart.

Flights between them take just an hour and 20 minutes, but tickets can cost as much as £150.

Trains on the other hand can cost less than a third of that price and give people a near-unrivalled view of the two nations.

Several trains run per day from Budapest to Bucharest, which are roughly 399 miles away from one another.

The Hungarian capital can be found in the nation’s north, while Bucharest is tucked away in Romania’s south, near the border with Bulgaria.

People can choose from several different routes depending on what they want to see, each offering a unique path between the cities.

One direct route, the Ister, takes people through Szolnok, Arad, Sibiu, Brașov, and Sinaia.

Sinaia is in the Transylvania region, and people can briefly disembark to visit the nearby Bran Castle, known to most Britons as Dracula’s castle.

The Muntenia – or mountain – route takes people via Szolnok, Arad, Timisoara, and Craiova through Romania’s stunning wine country and stunning alpine communities.

The trip takes approximately 17 hours, taking people between the nations overnight.

The route is also relatively cheap, costing just €52 (£47) for views of Eastern Europe’s most stunning vistas.

People can choose whether they want to spend most of the trip sleeping or not, as the first trains usually leave around 7am and the last at 10.45pm.

And, route planners suggest, now is the perfect time to undertake the trip, as tickets are at their cheapest in March.