There are 8 ways to get from Bulgaria to Istanbul by bus, train, car, or plane
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Bus
best- Take the bus from Sofia Serdica Bus Station to Istanbul Büyük Otogaribus Citylines 40 / ...
8h₺1,000–1,700Train
cheapest- Take the train from Sofia to Halkalıtrain
13h 37m₺702–3,871Drive 546.4 km
- Drive from Sofia to Istanbulcar 546.4 km
4h 57m₺3,709–5,358Fly Sofia Airport to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, Metro
- Fly from Sofia Airport (SOF) to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW)plane SOF - SAW
- Take the train from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Ayrılık Çeşmesitrain
5h 26mBus via Istanbul Esenler
- Take the bus from Sofia to Istanbul Esenlerbus
8h 3m₺1,226Bus via Serdika
- Take the bus from Sofia to İstanbul Esenler bus stationbus FlixBus N1999
9h 3m₺776–1,826Fly Sofia Airport to Istanbul, bus
- Fly from Sofia Airport (SOF) to Istanbul (IST)plane SOF - IST
- Take the bus from Istanbul Airport Bus to Istanbul Otogaribus
6h 6m₺3,856–9,306Fly Varna Airport to Istanbul, bus
- Fly from Varna Airport (VAR) to Istanbul (IST)plane VAR - IST
- Take the bus from Istanbul Airport Bus to Istanbul Otogaribus
5h 24m₺9,484–19,511
Bulgaria to Istanbul by bus
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Bulgaria to Istanbul is to bus via Istanbul Esenler which costs 1.226 ₺ and takes 8h 3m.
The fastest way to get from Bulgaria to Istanbul is to drive which takes 4h 57m and costs 3.700 ₺ - 5.500 ₺.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from Sofia Serdica Bus Station station and arriving at Istanbul Büyük Otogari. Services depart five times a day, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 8h.
No, there is no direct train from Bulgaria to Istanbul. However, there are services departing from Serdika and arriving at Yenikapi via Sofia and Halkali. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 13h 37m.
The distance between Bulgaria and Istanbul is 576 km. The road distance is 546.4 km.
The best way to get from Bulgaria to Istanbul without a car is to bus which takes 8h and costs 1.000 ₺ - 1.700 ₺.
The bus from Sofia Serdica Bus Station to Istanbul Büyük Otogari takes 8h including transfers and departs five times a day.
Bulgaria to Istanbul bus services, operated by Citylines, depart from Sofia Serdica Bus Station.
Bulgaria to Istanbul train services, operated by Turkish Railways (TCDD), depart from Sofia station.
The best way to get from Bulgaria to Istanbul is to bus which takes 8h and costs 1.000 ₺ - 1.700 ₺. Alternatively, you can train, which costs 700 ₺ - 3.900 ₺ and takes 13h 37m.
What companies run services between Bulgaria and Istanbul, Turkey?
Citylines operates a bus from Sofia Serdica Bus Station to Istanbul Büyük Otogari 3 times a day. Tickets cost ₺1,600–2,200 and the journey takes 8h. Two other operators also service this route. Alternatively, Turkish Railways (TCDD) operates a train from Sofia to Halkalı once daily. Tickets cost ₺650–3,741 and the journey takes 11h 49m.
- Website
- turkishairlines.com
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 31m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺3,200–8,500
Flights from Varna Airport to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 7m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺6,000–12,000
- Website
- flypgs.com
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 15m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺1,700–11,000
- Website
- tarom.ro
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul via Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 35m
- When
- Wednesday to Friday
- Estimated price
- ₺3,200–8,500
- Website
- en.aegeanair.com
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 45m
- When
- Monday and Saturday
- Estimated price
- ₺4,400–9,000
- Phone
- +90 444 8 233
- cozum@tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr
- Website
- tcdd.gov.tr
Train from Sofia to Halkalı
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 49m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺650–3,741
- Website
- https://www.tcdd.gov.tr/lang/en
- Double Room
- ₺2,076
- Single Room
- ₺3,741
- Four Person Room
- ₺1,826
- Phone
- +90 850 252 88 00
- info@metro.istanbul
- Website
- metro.istanbul
Train from Sabiha Gokcen Airport to Ayrılık Çeşmesi
- Ave. Duration
- 49 min
- Frequency
- Every 10 minutes
- Schedules at
- metro.istanbul
- Phone
- +359 0885700870
- support@citylines.eu
- Website
- citylines.eu
Bus from Sofia Serdica Bus Station to Istanbul Büyük Otogari
- Ave. Duration
- 8h
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- ₺1,600–2,200
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
- Phone
- +90 212 658 00 61
- info@huntur.com.tr
- Website
- huntur.com.tr
Bus from Sofia Serdica Bus Station to Istanbul Büyük Otogari
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺1,200–1,500
- Website
- https://www.huntur.com.tr/?l=EN
- Phone
- 0545 792 30 02
- info@luksyonca.com.tr
- Website
- luksyonca.com.tr
Bus from Sofia to Istanbul Esenler
- Ave. Duration
- 7h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺1,200
- Schedules at
- luksyonca.com.tr
- Phone
- 444 0 562
- kamilkoc@kamilkoc.com.tr
- Website
- flixbus.com.tr
Bus from Sofia to İstanbul Esenler bus station
- Ave. Duration
- 8h
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- ₺750–1,100
- Schedules at
- flixbus.com.tr
- Phone
- +90 212 658 18 51
- info@alparturizm.com.tr
- Website
- alparturizm.com.tr
Bus from Sofia to İstanbul Esenler bus station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺1,200–1,800
- Website
- https://www.alparturizm.com.tr/en/
- Phone
- 0850 888 33 34
- info@hava.ist
- Website
- hava.ist
Bus from Istanbul Airport Bus to Istanbul Otogari
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 15m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- ₺130–280
- Website
- https://hava.ist/?lang=en
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More Questions & Answers
Bulgaria to Istanbul bus services, operated by Citylines, arrive at Istanbul Büyük Otogari station.
Istanbul is 1h ahead of Bulgaria. It is currently 1:45 PM in Bulgaria and 2:45 PM in Istanbul.
Bulgaria to Istanbul train services, operated by Turkish Railways (TCDD), arrive at Halkalı station.
Yes, the driving distance between Bulgaria to Istanbul is 546 km. It takes approximately 4h 57m to drive from Bulgaria to Istanbul.
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