There are 10 ways to get from Crete to Bulgaria by plane, car ferry, train, bus, busferry, ferry, or shuttle
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Sofia Airport
best- Fly from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane HER - SOF
4h 32m$92–212Car ferry, train, bus
- Take the car ferry from Heraklion Port to Port of Piraeuscarferry
- Take the train from Athens to Thessalonikitrain Ic
- Take the bus from Thessaloniki train station to Sofiabus 983
20h 32m$194–452Bus and ferry, bus
- Take the busferry from Heraklion to Thessalonikibusferry
- Take the bus from Thessaloniki train station to Sofiabus 983 / ...
21h 40m$113–164Car ferry, ferry, bus
- Take the car ferry from Heraklion Port to Mykonoscarferry
- Take the ferry from Mykonos to Kavalaferry Bsf
- Take the bus from Kavala Central Bus Station to Sofia Central Bus Stationbus
32h 31m$291–662Fly Chania International Airport to Sofia Airport
- Fly from Chania International Airport (CHQ) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane CHQ - SOF
4h 55m$93–286Fly Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Varna Airport
- Fly from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) to Varna Airport (VAR)plane HER - VAR
7h 14m$231–391Fly Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Fly from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane HER - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
6h 2m$186–531Fly Chania International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Fly from Chania International Airport (CHQ) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane CHQ - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
6h 25m$257–675Car ferry, bus
- Take the car ferry from Heraklion Port to Port of Piraeuscarferry
- Take the bus from Piraeus Port Akti Kondili to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Citylines 80
23h 50m$102–243Bus and ferry, train, bus
- Take the busferry from Heraklion to Thessalonikibusferry
- Take the train from Thessaloniki to Serrestrain Re
- Take the bus from Serres to Blagoevgrad Central Bus Terminalbus
- Take the train from Blagoevgrad to Sofiatrain Ic / ...
25h 3m$121–164
Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) to Sofia Airport (SOF) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Crete to Bulgaria is to fly which costs $90 - $220 and takes 4h 32m.
The fastest way to get from Crete to Bulgaria is to fly which takes 4h 32m and costs $90 - $220.
No, there is no direct bus from Crete to Bulgaria. However, there are services departing from Heraklion and arriving at Sofia via Thessaloniki train station. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 21h 40m.
The distance between Crete and Bulgaria is 850 km.
The best way to get from Crete to Bulgaria without a car is to car ferry and train and bus which takes 20h 32m and costs $190 - $460.
It takes approximately 4h 32m to get from Crete to Bulgaria, including transfers.
Crete to Bulgaria bus services, operated by KTEL Irakleiou - Lasithiou S.A, depart from Heraklion station.
Crete to Bulgaria bus services, operated by KTEL Irakleiou - Lasithiou S.A, arrive at Thessaloniki station.
There are 337+ hotels available in Bulgaria.
What companies run services between Crete, Greece and Bulgaria?
Bulgaria Air and Aegean Airlines fly from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” (HER) to Sofia Airport (SOF) twice daily.
- Website
- en.aegeanair.com
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Sofia Airport via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–200
Flights from Chania International Airport to Sofia Airport via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 5m
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- $100–180
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Bucharest Otopeni via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 45m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $110–270
Flights from Chania International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $110–250
- Website
- air.bg
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 35m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- $75–200
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Varna Airport via Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 40m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- $110–310
- Website
- ryanair.com
Flights from Chania International Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 35m
- When
- Tuesday
- Estimated price
- $50–240
Flights from Chania International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 55m
- When
- Monday
- Estimated price
- $55–250
- Website
- flyulendo.com
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 55m
- When
- Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $50–140
- Website
- animawings.com
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 55m
- When
- Saturday
- Estimated price
- $75–240
Flights from Chania International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h
- When
- Saturday
- Estimated price
- $95–290
- Website
- wizzair.com
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Varna Airport via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $55–280
- Website
- austrian.com
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Varna Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 20m
- When
- Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $95–330
- Website
- elal.com
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Varna Airport via Tel Aviv
- Ave. Duration
- 7h
- When
- Thursday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $250–1,600
- Website
- israir.co.il
Flights from Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” to Varna Airport via Tel Aviv
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 40m
- When
- Thursday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $240–550
- Phone
- 14511
- Website
- hellenictrain.gr
Train from Athens to Thessaloniki
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 12m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $25–40
- Website
- https://www.hellenictrain.gr/en
Train from Thessaloniki to Serres
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 3m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $9–13
- Website
- https://www.hellenictrain.gr/en
- Phone
- +35929311111
- onlineticket@bdz.bg
- Website
- bdz.bg
Train from Blagoevgrad to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 10m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- $6–10
- Website
- https://www.bdz.bg/en
- 2nd Class
- $6–9
- 1st Class
- $8–10
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.fr
Bus from Thessaloniki train station to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 40m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $23–40
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +359 0885700870
- support@citylines.eu
- Website
- citylines.eu
Bus from Thessaloniki train station to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 45m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $19–26
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
Bus from Piraeus Port Akti Kondili to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 15m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $55–75
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
- Phone
- +30 2810 246530
- info@ktelherlas.gr
- Website
- ktelherlas.gr
Busferry from Heraklion to Thessaloniki
- Ave. Duration
- 16h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $90–130
- Schedules at
- ktelherlas.gr
- Phone
- +359 894 77 44 02
- office@kaleiatravel.com
- Website
- kaleiatravel.com
Bus from Kavala Central Bus Station to Sofia Central Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 15m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $35–55
- Website
- https://en.kaleiatravel.com/
- 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
- $120–290
- Website
- https://atlastaxi.eu/
- Phone
- +30 23210-22822
- ktelserres@gmail.com
- Website
- ktelserron.gr
Bus from Serres to Blagoevgrad Central Bus Terminal
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 4m
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- $11–16
- Schedules at
- ktelserron.gr
- Book at
- ktelserron.e-ticketing.gr
- Phone
- +30 210 710 7 710
- info@seajets.gr
- Website
- seajets.com
Car ferry from Heraklion Port to Port of Piraeus
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 50m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $140–370
- Website
- https://www.seajets.com/
Car ferry from Heraklion Port to Mykonos
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 20m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- $110–290
- Website
- https://www.seajets.com/
Ferry from Mykonos to Kavala
- Ave. Duration
- 20h 40m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $140–320
- Website
- https://www.bluestarferries.com/en-gb/
- Phone
- +30 210 89 19 800
- anek@anek.gr
- Website
- anek.gr
Car ferry from Heraklion Port to Port of Piraeus
- Ave. Duration
- 9h 15m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–170
- Website
- https://www.anek.gr/en-gb
- Economy
- $45–70
- Airplane-type seats
- $45–70
- 2 beds - outside cabin
- $120–170
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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