There are 14 ways to get from Essen to Bulgaria by train, plane, 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.
Train to Cologne Bonn Airport, fly to Sofia Airport
best- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bftrain
- Fly from Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane CGN - SOF
6h 22m$58–279Train, bus via Bratislava
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhoftrain 62
- Take the train from Salzburg Hbf to Bratislava Hlavna Stanicatrain Rjx
- Take the bus from Bratislava to Sofiabus
26h 3m$243–312Drive 1,918.8 km
- Drive from Essen to Sofiacar 1,918.8 km
17h 2m$316–457Train to Frankfurt, fly to Sofia Airport
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane FRA - SOF
6h 54m$147–323Fly Dortmund Airport to Sofia Airport
- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane DTM - SOF
6h 54m$60–460Train to Frankfurt, fly to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane FRA - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
8h 6m$256–582Train, train to Eindhoven Airport, fly to Sofia Airport
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Viersen Bahnhoftrain
- Take the train from Venlo to Eindhoventrain
- Fly from Eindhoven Airport (EIN) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane EIN - SOF
8h 31m$78–385Fly Dortmund Airport to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane DTM - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
8h 6m$179–599Fly Dortmund Airport to Varna Airport
- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Varna Airport (VAR)plane DTM - VAR
7h 23m$139–1,039Train, bus
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bftrain 41 / ...
- 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
27h 23m$169–232Bus via Halle (Saale)
- Take the bus from Essen central train station to Hallebus 1304 / ...
- Take the bus from Halle Central Bus Station to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Racic Eurobus
28h 15m$119–168Train, bus #2
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Kassel-Wilhelmshoehetrain Re
- Take the bus from Kassel Grüner Waldweg to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Citylines 17
30h 49m$148–227Bus
- Take the bus from Essen Hbf to Niš, Autobuska Stanicabus
- Take the bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdikabus
35h 52m$143–251Car train, drive
- Take the car train from Düsseldorf Hbf to Villach Hbfcartrain
- Drive from Villach Hbf to Sofiacar
15h 50m$305–1,488
Essen to Bulgaria by bus
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Essen to Bulgaria is to bus via Halle (Saale) which costs $110 - $170 and takes 28h 15m.
The fastest way to get from Essen to Bulgaria is to train and fly which takes 6h 22m and costs $55 - $280.
No, there is no direct bus from Essen station to Bulgaria station. However, there are services departing from Essen central train station and arriving at Sofia Serdica Bus Station via Halle Central Bus Station. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 28h 15m.
The distance between Essen and Bulgaria is 1644 km. The road distance is 1918.8 km.
The best way to get from Essen to Bulgaria without a car is to train and bus via Bratislava which takes 26h 3m and costs $240 - $320.
It takes approximately 6h 22m to get from Essen to Bulgaria, including transfers.
Essen to Bulgaria bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Essen central train station.
The best way to get from Essen to Bulgaria is to fly which takes 6h 54m and costs $60 - $460. Alternatively, you can bus via Halle (Saale), which costs $110 - $170 and takes 28h 15m.
Essen to Bulgaria bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Halle station.
Bulgaria is 1h ahead of Essen. It is currently 4:42 PM in Essen and 5:42 PM in Bulgaria.
What companies run services between Essen, Germany and Bulgaria?
Wizz Air flies from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Sofia Airport (SOF) 6 times a week. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Essen central train station to Sofia Serdica Bus Station via Halle and Halle Central Bus Station in around 28h 15m.
- 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 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
- $65–370
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $65–370
- 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 Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 22m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $90–360
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 43m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $85–350
- Website
- ryanair.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 25m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $35–220
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 2m
- When
- Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $35–220
Flights from Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $50–320
- 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
Flights from Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 40m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $35–240
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Varna Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 45m
- When
- Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $28–850
- Website
- tarom.ro
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 25m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $50–230
- Website
- flyulendo.com
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $40–260
- Website
- air.bg
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $100–200
- Website
- hisky.aero
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Thursday and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $80–170
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday and Friday
- Estimated price
- $70–240
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Frankfurt to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $65–350
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 49 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $32–36
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 56m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $130–160
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 46m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $55–65
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Viersen Bahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 37 min
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $28–32
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Würzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 18m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $60–75
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Kassel-Wilhelmshoehe
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $55–65
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- 0221 13 999 444
- Website
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $17–26
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Kassel-Wilhelmshoehe
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 42m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $45–70
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
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
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Viersen Bahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 41 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $14–20
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +31 30 751 5155
- Website
- ns.nl
Train from Venlo to Eindhoven
- Ave. Duration
- 38 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $11–35
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- $11–17
- 1st Class
- $19–35
- 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
- $320–650
- Car Compartment
- $600–1,200
- Phone
- 07001 8282
- booking@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
- $120–280
- 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 Halle Central Bus Station to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 22h 15m
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- $90–120
- Website
- https://www.racicbg.com/bg/
Bus from Kassel Grüner Waldweg to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 27h 30m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $100–130
- Website
- https://www.racicbg.com/bg/
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- flixbus.fr
Bus from Essen central train station to Halle
- Ave. Duration
- 5h
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- $28–50
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +359 0885700870
- support@citylines.eu
- Website
- citylines.eu
Bus from Kassel Grüner Waldweg to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 27h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $120–160
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
- Phone
- +381 800 334 334
- iuc@lasta.rs
- Website
- lasta.rs
Bus from Essen 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
- $13–23
- Schedules at
- nis-ekspres.rs
- Phone
- 02 952 50 04
- matpu96@abv.bg
- Website
- matpu.com
Bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdika
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $22–28
- Schedules at
- matpu.com
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.
Related travel guides
Heading to Europe? Read this before you buy a Eurail Pass
Read the travel guide
Want to know more about Flixbus?
Read the travel guide
More Questions & Answers
Yes, the driving distance between Essen to Bulgaria is 1919 km. It takes approximately 17h 2m to drive from Essen to Bulgaria.
Book your Essen to Bulgaria bus tickets online with Omio.
There are 2130+ hotels available in Bulgaria.

























































