There are 7 ways to get from Elena to Istanbul by bus, night train, car, shuttle, 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 Veliko Tirnovo ROMPETROL to Istanbul Kemal Pasa
9h 13m₺3,851–5,143Night train
cheapest- Take the night train from Veliko Tŭrnovo to HalkaliBosphor Express
9h 16m₺893–1,709Drive 442.1 km
- Drive from Elena to Istanbul442.1 km
5h 19m₺2,950–4,261Shuttle to Bucharest Otopeni, fly
- Take a shuttle bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Bucharest Otopeni Airport
- Fly from Bucharest Otopeni (OTP) to Istanbul (IST)OTP - IST
8h 33m₺11,765–22,864Bus via Istanbul Büyük Otogari
- Take the bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Istanbul Büyük OtogariHuntur
10h 40m₺1,365–1,964Shuttle to Varna Airport, fly
- Take a shuttle bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Varna Airport
- Fly from Varna Airport (VAR) to Istanbul (IST)VAR - IST
8h 18m₺10,265–29,864Bus to Sofia Airport, fly
- Take the bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia Airport Terminal 1 Bus Stop
- Fly from Sofia Airport (SOF) to Istanbul (IST)SOF - IST
8h 18m₺5,315–13,414
Bucharest Otopeni (OTP) to Istanbul (IST) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Elena to Istanbul is to night train which costs 850 ₺ - 1.800 ₺ and takes 9h 16m.
The fastest way to get from Elena to Istanbul is to drive which takes 5h 19m and costs 2.900 ₺ - 4.300 ₺.
The distance between Elena and Istanbul is 505 km. The road distance is 442.1 km.
The best way to get from Elena to Istanbul without a car is to bus which takes 9h 13m and costs 3.800 ₺ - 5.500 ₺.
It takes approximately 9h 13m to get from Elena to Istanbul, including transfers.
Istanbul is 1h ahead of Elena. It is currently 2:47 PM in Elena and 3:47 PM in Istanbul.
Yes, the driving distance between Elena to Istanbul is 442 km. It takes approximately 5h 19m to drive from Elena to Istanbul.
There are 4520+ hotels available in Istanbul.
What companies run services between Elena, Oblast Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria and Istanbul, Turkey?
Luks Istanbul operates a bus from Veliko Tirnovo ROMPETROL to Istanbul Kemal Pasa once daily. Tickets cost ₺2,800–3,900 and the journey takes 8h 30m. Alternatively, Bulgarian Railways (BDZh) operates a vehicle from Veliko Tŭrnovo to Halkali twice a week. Tickets cost ₺600–1,291 and the journey takes 6h 49m.
Transport is disrupted due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Read more
- Website
- turkishairlines.com
Flights from Bucharest Otopeni to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 41m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺2,800–9,000
Flights from Varna Airport to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 7m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺5,000–15,000
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 31m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺3,000–10,000
- Website
- tarom.ro
Flights from Bucharest Otopeni to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 41m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- ₺2,800–9,000
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul via Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 35m
- When
- Wednesday to Friday
- Estimated price
- ₺3,000–10,000
- Website
- animawings.com
Flights from Bucharest Otopeni to Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- ₺2,500–7,500
- Website
- en.aegeanair.com
Flights from Sofia Airport to Istanbul via Athens
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 45m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- ₺4,300–14,000
- Phone
- +35929311111
- onlineticket@bdz.bg
- Website
- bdz.bg
Night train from Veliko Tŭrnovo to Halkali
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 49m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- ₺600–1,291
- Website
- https://www.bdz.bg/en
- 2nd Class
- ₺600–900
- 1st Class
- ₺850–1,100
- Phone
- +90544 210 2535
- Website
- luksistanbul.com
Bus from Veliko Tirnovo ROMPETROL to Istanbul Kemal Pasa
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺2,800–3,900
- Schedules at
- luksistanbul.com
- Phone
- +359 89 345 5533
- info@atlastaxi.eu
- Website
- atlastaxi.eu
Shuttle from Veliko Tarnovo to Bucharest Otopeni Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- ₺7,500–12,000
- Website
- https://atlastaxi.eu/
Shuttle from Veliko Tarnovo to Varna Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- Frequency
- On demand
- Estimated price
- ₺3,900–12,000
- Website
- https://atlastaxi.eu/
- Phone
- +90 212 658 00 61
- info@huntur.com.tr
- Website
- huntur.com.tr
Bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Istanbul Büyük Otogari
- Ave. Duration
- 9h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺1,200–1,400
- Website
- https://www.huntur.com.tr/
- Phone
- +359 82 82 81 51
- info@avtogararuse.org
- Website
- avtogararuse.org
Bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Istanbul Büyük Otogari
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 5m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- ₺1,100–1,600
- Schedules at
- avtogararuse.org
- Phone
- +359 2 989000
- support.eu@union-ivkoni.com
- Website
- union-ivkoni.com
Bus from Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia Airport Terminal 1 Bus Stop
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- ₺450–550
- Website
- https://union-ivkoni.com/en
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