There are 12 ways to get from Cologne to Bulgaria by plane, train, bus, car, shuttle, or car train
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport
best- Fly from Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane CGN - SOF
5h 27m$39–248Train, bus via Bratislava
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to München Hbftrain 41 / ...
- Take the train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhoftrain 90 / ...
- Take the train from Salzburg Hbf to Bratislava Hlavna Stanicatrain Rjx
- Take the bus from Bratislava to Sofiabus
24h 19m$239–512Drive 1,859.1 km
- Drive from Cologne to Sofiacar 1,859.1 km
16h 33m$307–443Fly Cologne Bonn Airport to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Fly from Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane CGN - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
6h 42m$178–527Train to Frankfurt, fly to Sofia Airport
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane FRA - SOF
5h 59m$124–317Train to Dortmund Airport, fly to Sofia Airport
- Take the train from Koeln Hbf to Holzwickedetrain
- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane DTM - SOF
6h 59mTrain to Frankfurt, fly to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane FRA - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
7h 14m$228–596Train, bus
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Würzburg Hbftrain 41 / ...
- Take the bus from Wurzburg Bismarckstrasse Bus Stop to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Racic Eurobus
25h 55m$151–258Bus
- Take the bus from Cologne to Kumanovobus
- Take the bus from Kumanovo to Sofiabus
27h 17m$103–126Train, bus #2
- Take the train from Köln Hbf to Frankfurttrain 49 / ...
- Take the bus from Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt central to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Citylines 64 / ...
31h 12m$137–243Bus via Niš
- Take the bus from Köln Hbf to Niš, Autobuska Stanicabus
- Take the bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdikabus
33h 17m$167–277Drive, car train
- Drive from Cologne to Düsseldorf Hbfcar
- Take the car train from Düsseldorf Hbf to Villach Hbfcartrain
- Drive from Villach Hbf to Sofiacar
15h 53m$307–1,490
Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Sofia Airport (SOF) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Cologne to Bulgaria is to bus which costs $100 - $130 and takes 27h 17m.
The fastest way to get from Cologne to Bulgaria is to fly which takes 5h 27m and costs $35 - $250.
No, there is no direct bus from Cologne to Bulgaria. However, there are services departing from Cologne and arriving at Sofia via Kumanovo. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 27h 17m.
The distance between Cologne and Bulgaria is 1564 km. The road distance is 1859.1 km.
The best way to get from Cologne to Bulgaria without a car is to train and bus via Bratislava which takes 24h 19m and costs $230 - $550.
It takes approximately 5h 27m to get from Cologne to Bulgaria, including transfers.
Cologne to Bulgaria bus services, operated by Nasir Tours, depart from Cologne station.
The best way to get from Cologne to Bulgaria is to fly which takes 5h 27m and costs $35 - $250. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs $100 - $130 and takes 27h 17m.
Cologne to Bulgaria bus services, operated by Nasir Tours, arrive at Kumanovo station.
Bulgaria is 1h ahead of Cologne. It is currently 3:21 AM in Cologne and 4:21 AM in Bulgaria.
What companies run services between Cologne, Germany and Bulgaria?
Ryanair, Lufthansa, and two other airlines fly from Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Sofia Airport (SOF) 4 times a day. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Cologne to Sofia via Kumanovo in around 27h 17m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 57m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $100–410
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 21m
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- $75–400
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 15m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–270
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 6m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–270
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–380
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–390
- Website
- austrian.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- $95–390
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 40m
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- $95–380
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 22m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $90–370
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 43m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $90–360
- Website
- ryanair.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 25m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $35–230
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 2m
- When
- Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $35–230
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- When
- Thursday
- Estimated price
- $65–150
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 20m
- When
- Monday and Wednesday
- Estimated price
- $75–400
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–370
- Website
- tarom.ro
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 25m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $50–230
- Website
- flyulendo.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $55–170
- Website
- air.bg
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $100–190
- Website
- wizzair.com
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $30–290
- Website
- hisky.aero
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Tuesday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $85–170
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday and Friday
- Estimated price
- $70–250
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to München Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 27m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $110–270
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 30m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $29–70
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $30–80
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Würzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 18m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $60–140
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Hbf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $35–85
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +43 1 89900
- meinenachricht@westbahn.at
- Website
- westbahn.at
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 49m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- $29–50
- Website
- https://westbahn.at/en/
- Phone
- +49 30 200730
- post@transdev.de
- Website
- transdev.de
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 2m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $30–45
- Schedules at
- transdev.de
- Phone
- +49 8024 997171
- info@brb.de
- Website
- brb.de
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 58m
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- $50–90
- Schedules at
- brb.de
- Phone
- +43 5 1717
- Website
- oebb.at
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 51m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $19–45
- Website
- https://www.oebb.at/en/reiseplanung-services/im-zug/unsere-zuege/eurocity-intercity
- Website
- https://shop.oebbtickets.at/en/ticket?cref=oebb-header
- Phone
- +48 22 322 22 22
- infokraj@intercity.pl
- Website
- intercity.pl
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 51m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $25–60
- Website
- https://www.intercity.pl/en/
Train from Salzburg Hbf to Bratislava Hlavna Stanica
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 44m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $65–100
- Website
- https://www.oebb.at/en/reiseplanung-services/im-zug/unsere-zuege/railjet
- *
- $65–100
- Phone
- 0221 13 999 444
- Website
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Koeln Hbf to Holzwickede
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 16m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
- Phone
- +49 (0) 221 800 20 820
- info@urlaubs-express.de
- Website
- urlaubs-express.de
Car train from Düsseldorf Hbf to Villach Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 53m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $110–1,200
- Website
- https://urlaubs-express.de/?lang=en
- Car Single Bed
- $310–650
- Car Compartment
- $600–1,200
- Phone
- +359 88 949 0000
- office@union-ivkoni.com
- Website
- union-ivkoni.com
Bus from Bratislava to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 12h 16m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $40–60
- Website
- https://union-ivkoni.com/en
- Phone
- +359 89 345 5533
- info@atlastaxi.eu
- Website
- atlastaxi.eu
Shuttle from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 30m
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $110–280
- Website
- https://atlastaxi.eu/
- Phone
- +359-887-208-506
- racic_bg@yahoo.com
- Website
- racicbg.com
Bus from Wurzburg Bismarckstrasse Bus Stop to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 22h 30m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $90–120
- Website
- https://www.racicbg.com/bg/
Bus from Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt central to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 24h 30m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $100–130
- Website
- https://www.racicbg.com/bg/
- Phone
- +389 42 218 007
- Website
- nasirtours.mk
Bus from Cologne to Kumanovo
- Ave. Duration
- 22h 17m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $92
- Website
- https://www.nasirtours.mk/en/destinations
- Phone
- +389 75 209 209
- hakkomerc@gmail.com
- Website
- hakbus.org
Bus from Cologne to Kumanovo
- Ave. Duration
- 24h 37m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Website
- https://www.hakbus.org/
- Phone
- 02 952 50 04
- matpu96@abv.bg
- Website
- matpu.com
Bus from Kumanovo to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $25–35
- Schedules at
- matpu.com
Bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdika
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $21–28
- Schedules at
- matpu.com
- Phone
- +389 47 231 192
- info@transkop.mk
- Website
- transkop.mk
Bus from Kumanovo to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $18–29
- Schedules at
- transkop.mk
- Phone
- +359 0885700870
- support@citylines.eu
- Website
- citylines.eu
Bus from Kumanovo to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $12–35
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
Bus from Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt central to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 28h 45m
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- $120–160
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
- Phone
- +381 800 334 334
- iuc@lasta.rs
- Website
- lasta.rs
Bus from Köln Hbf to Niš, Autobuska Stanica
- Phone
- +381 18 255 177
- Website
- nis-ekspres.rs
Bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdika
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $16–26
- Schedules at
- nis-ekspres.rs
Want to know more about travelling around Bulgaria
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
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More Questions & Answers
Yes, the driving distance between Cologne to Bulgaria is 1859 km. It takes approximately 16h 33m to drive from Cologne to Bulgaria.
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