There are 12 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 2m$60–275Fly Dortmund Airport to Sofia Airport
cheapest- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane DTM - SOF
6h 35m$37–419Train, bus
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Leipzig Hbftrain 51
- Take the bus from Leipzig to Sofiabus
26h 24m$171–339Drive 1,918.8 km
- Drive from Essen to Sofiacar 1,918.8 km
17h 2m$316–457Fly Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane DUS - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
7h 1m$214–523Train 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 29m$141–346Train, 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 12m$74–319Fly 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$167–559Fly Dortmund Airport to Varna Airport
- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Varna Airport (VAR)plane DTM - VAR
7h 23m$177–489Bus
- Take the bus from Essen to Kumanovobus
- Take the bus from Kumanovo to Sofiabus
28h 41m$116–176Bus via Niš
- Take the bus from Essen Hbf to Niš, Autobuska Stanicabus
- Take the bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdikabus
35h 52m$169–345Car train, drive
- Take the car train from Düsseldorf Hbf to Villach Hbfcartrain
- Drive from Villach Hbf to Sofiacar
15h 50m$305–1,488
Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Sofia Airport (SOF) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Essen to Bulgaria is to fly which costs $35 - $420 and takes 6h 35m.
The fastest way to get from Essen to Bulgaria is to train and fly which takes 6h 2m and costs $55 - $280.
The distance between Essen and Bulgaria is 1640 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 which takes 26h 24m and costs $170 - $340.
It takes approximately 6h 2m to get from Essen to Bulgaria, including transfers.
The best way to get from Essen to Bulgaria is to fly which takes 6h 35m and costs $35 - $420. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs $110 - $180 and takes 28h 41m.
Bulgaria is 1h ahead of Essen. It is currently 2:24 AM in Essen and 3:24 AM in Bulgaria.
Yes, the driving distance between Essen to Bulgaria is 1919 km. It takes approximately 17h 2m to drive from Essen to Bulgaria.
There are 2165+ hotels available in Bulgaria.
What companies run services between Essen, Germany and Bulgaria?
Wizz Air flies from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Sofia Airport (SOF) once daily. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Essen to Serdika via Kumanovo, Sofia, and Central Station in around 28h 41m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 55m
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- $100–410
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 38m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–410
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–410
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 13m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–270
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 10m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–270
- Website
- austrian.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 27m
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- $95–380
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 31m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–380
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 26m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $90–370
- 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 Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Monday to Friday
- Estimated price
- $60–270
Flights from Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport via Bologna
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 10m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- $60–270
- Website
- wizzair.com
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $30–330
Flights from Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 40m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $40–150
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Varna Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 45m
- When
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $80–340
- Website
- airserbia.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Belgrade
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 25m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $100–190
- Website
- flyulendo.com
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $40–260
- Website
- eurowings.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- When
- Monday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $65–200
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Bucharest Otopeni via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 25m
- When
- Saturday
- Estimated price
- $75–410
- Website
- air.bg
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
- Estimated price
- $100–190
- 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
- $16–40
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Leipzig Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 46m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $100–240
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 46m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $50–120
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Viersen Bahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 37 min
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $11–26
- 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
- 4 times a week
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Viersen Bahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 41 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $13–20
- 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
- $6–15
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 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
- +359 88 949 0000
- office@union-ivkoni.com
- Website
- union-ivkoni.com
Bus from Leipzig to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 20h 31m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $65–100
- 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
- +389 42 218 007
- Website
- nasirtours.mk
Bus from Essen to Kumanovo
- Ave. Duration
- 23h 34m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $97
- Website
- https://www.nasirtours.mk/en/destinations
- Phone
- +389 75 209 209
- hakkomerc@gmail.com
- Website
- hakbus.org
Bus from Essen to Kumanovo
- Ave. Duration
- 25h 48m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Website
- https://www.hakbus.org/
- Phone
- +389 46 787 312
- info@eurobus.mk
- Website
- eurobus.mk
Bus from Essen to Kumanovo
- Ave. Duration
- 31h 30m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $110–140
- Schedules at
- eurobus.mk
- Phone
- +389 44 338 003
- info@bashkimtours.com
Bus from Essen to Kumanovo
- Ave. Duration
- 31h 35m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Schedules at
- http://www.bashkimtours.com/en/index.php
- 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
- $22–28
- 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
- +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
- $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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