Flow of the day

Optional plans

• Keep this day almost entirely about the rail move and station logistics.
• Only add a short Faleza walk after arrival if the trip is running calmly.

Background / read during travel

This is the beginning of the trip’s rail-side chapter. It changes the mood from route-building to execution and lets Galați become a destination chapter instead of a van-era complication.

• Romania Travel: Galați County
• Lower Danube context

Restaurants & nearby grocery

• Restaurant ideas
  • Faleza / Danube-side restaurant search — open map/search
  • Central Galați family dinner search — open map/search
• Nearby grocery — Carrefour Market, Str. Domnească 24, Galați, Romania · open map/search

Family rhythm note

Rail days feel lighter than road days only if station handling is simple. Keep bags clearly assigned and avoid overcomplicating the Galați arrival evening.

Low-energy fallback

If train timing is worse than expected, make Galați arrival a dinner-and-sleep evening. The city has a full day tomorrow.

Interactive rail-day map

Station-to-hotel orientation and the easiest optional evening stretch after arrival.

Lodging context

ibis Styles Dunărea Galați · Galați · reservation QFSHCVXG

• Exact address — 13C Strada Domnească, 800015 Galați, Romania
• Cost — €211.70 total ≈ 1,079 lei for 2 nights
• Check-in window — Thu Aug 20 · from 3:00 PM
• Check-out window — Sat Aug 22 · until 12:00 PM
• Booking split — 2 standard double-bed rooms
• Beds — 2 double beds total (1 per room)
• Bathrooms — Likely 2 bathrooms total (1 per room)
• Parking note — n/a · not needed — you reach Galați by train, with no vehicle on this leg
• Laundry / washing machine — No in-room washing machine
• Check-in / contact note — Call or email directly if you need crib confirmation, adjacent rooms, or late-arrival reassurance after the rail leg.
• Notable features — Breakfast included, air conditioning, minibar, chain-hotel setup in a central Danube-side position

Execution guidance

• Tickets are booked. Each of the six needs their own QR code + photo ID — birth certificates (copy or original) for Mara and Jolene.
• Two separate tickets: IRN 473 to București Nord, then IR 1575 onward. The 2h46 Gara de Nord layover is a deliberate buffer that protects against any delay on the first leg.
• Seats are Coach 3, 12/14/16/21/23/25 — same seats on the Galați leg and the Day 15 return.
• Assign luggage by adult before reaching the station; watch the "Plecări / Departures" board at Gara de Nord for the IR 1575 platform.

Relevant follow-up: cost page

Useful links

• CFR itineraries + buy
• CFR train status / My train
• ibis Styles Dunărea Galați booking fit
• Cost page for this day’s higher-spend context

Night marker

Night 13 · Thu, Aug 20 · Galați