There are 10 ways to get from Essen to Sofia by plane, train, bus, car, 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 from Düsseldorf International Airport
best- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane DUS - SOF
7h 15m$93–294Fly from Dortmund Airport
cheapest- Fly from Dortmund Airport (DTM) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane DTM - SOF
6h 46m$60–350Train, bus
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to München Hbftrain 41 / ...
- Take the train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbftrain Re
- Take the bus from Salzburg Lastenstrasse to Sofia Serdica Bus Stopbus
25h 17m$122–303Drive 1,918.8 km
- Drive from Essen to Sofiacar 1,918.8 km
17h 8m$316–457Train to Cologne Bonn Airport, fly
- 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 21m$66–322Train to Frankfurt, fly
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane FRA - SOF
6h 53m$125–349Train, train to Eindhoven Airport, fly
- 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 30m$85–376Bus
- Take the bus from Duisburg Portsmouthplatz to Sofia Serdica Bus Stopbus Union Ivkoni - Unibus 3632
31h 56m$97–193Bus via Niš
- Take the bus from Essen Hbf to Niš, Autobuska Stanicabus
- Take the bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdikabus
35h 45m$151–251Car 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 Sofia by train and bus
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Essen to Sofia is to bus which costs $95 - $200 and takes 31h 56m.
The fastest way to get from Essen to Sofia is to train and fly which takes 6h 21m and costs $65 - $330.
No, there is no direct bus from Essen to Sofia. However, there are services departing from Essen Hbf and arriving at Sofiya, Avtogara Serdika via Niš, Autobuska Stanica. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 35h 45m.
The distance between Essen and Sofia is 1630 km. The road distance is 1918.8 km.
The best way to get from Essen to Sofia without a car is to train and bus which takes 25h 17m and costs $120 - $310.
It takes approximately 7h 15m to get from Essen to Sofia, including transfers.
Essen to Sofia bus services, operated by Lasta, depart from Essen Hbf station.
The best way to get from Essen to Sofia is to fly which takes 7h 15m and costs $90 - $300. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs $95 - $200 and takes 31h 56m.
Essen to Sofia bus services, operated by Lasta, arrive at Niš, Autobuska Stanica station.
Sofia is 1h ahead of Essen. It is currently 10:26 AM in Essen and 11:26 AM in Sofia.
What companies run services between Essen, Germany and Sofia, Bulgaria?
Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, and two other airlines fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Sofia Airport (SOF) every 4 hours. Alternatively, Union Ivkoni operates a bus from Duisburg Portsmouthplatz to Sofia Serdica Bus Stop once a week. Tickets cost $90–140 and the journey takes 30h 45m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 50m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–390
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Sofia Airport via Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 6h 45m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $95–390
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 27m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–380
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 15m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $90–360
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 6m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $90–360
- Website
- austrian.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 6h
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $90–390
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 30m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $90–380
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport via Vienna
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $85–350
- Website
- air.bg
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Sofia Airport via Belgrade
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 17m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $80–160
Flights from Frankfurt to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 20m
- When
- Monday and Friday
- Estimated price
- $100–220
- Website
- ryanair.com
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 25m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $30–230
Flights from Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $40–340
- Website
- airserbia.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Sofia Airport via Belgrade
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 17m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $80–160
- Website
- wizzair.com
Flights from Dortmund Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 30m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $50–290
Flights from Eindhoven Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 40m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $45–250
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Essen Hbf to München Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 13m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $55–170
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 44m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $15–55
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 48 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $21–60
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 45m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- $30–100
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Viersen Bahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 38 min
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $28–32
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +49 30 200730
- post@transdev.de
- Website
- transdev.de
Train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 51m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- $30–45
- Schedules at
- transdev.de
- Phone
- +43 1 89900
- meinenachricht@westbahn.at
- Website
- westbahn.at
Train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 23m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- $16–60
- Website
- https://westbahn.at/en/
- Phone
- +49 8024 997171
- info@brb.de
- Website
- brb.de
Train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 2h
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- $35–55
- Schedules at
- brb.de
- Phone
- +48 22 322 22 22
- infokraj@intercity.pl
- Website
- intercity.pl
Train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 59m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $15–55
- Website
- https://www.intercity.pl/en/
- Phone
- +43 5 1717
- Website
- oebb.at
Train from Muenchen Hbf Gl.5-10 to Salzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 51m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $35–60
- 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
- +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
- $13–15
- 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
- 07001 8282
- booking@union-ivkoni.com
- Website
- union-ivkoni.com
Bus from Salzburg Lastenstrasse to Sofia Serdica Bus Stop
- Ave. Duration
- 17h
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- $50–80
- Website
- https://union-ivkoni.com/en
Bus from Duisburg Portsmouthplatz to Sofia Serdica Bus Stop
- Ave. Duration
- 30h 45m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $90–140
- Website
- https://union-ivkoni.com/en
- Phone
- +381 800 334 334
- iuc@lasta.rs
- Website
- lasta.rs
Bus from Essen Hbf to Niš, Autobuska Stanica
- Phone
- +381 18 255 177
- rezervacije@nis-ekspres.rs
- Website
- nis-ekspres.rs
Bus from Niš, Autobuska Stanica to Sofiya, Avtogara Serdika
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $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.
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More Questions & Answers
Yes, the driving distance between Essen to Sofia is 1919 km. It takes approximately 17h 8m to drive from Essen to Sofia.
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