There are 9 ways to get from Turkey to Bulgaria by train, plane, bus, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Metro to Istanbul, fly to Sofia Airport
best- Take the train from Vezneciler to Gayrettepetrain
- Fly from Istanbul (IST) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane IST - SOF
5h 2m$103–243Train
cheapest- Take the train from Halkalı to Sofiatrain
15h 19m$17–25Bus via Haskovo
- Take the bus from Istanbul to Haskovobus
- Take the bus from Haskovo Central Bus Station to Sofia Central Bus Stationbus Group Plus 1705 / ...
9h 20m$35–52Drive 546.7 km
- Drive from Istanbul to Sofiacar 546.7 km
4h 56m$87–125Fly Antalya Airport to Sofia Airport
- Fly from Antalya Airport (AYT) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane AYT - SOF
5h 7m$87–235Metro to Istanbul, fly to Varna Airport
- Take the train from Vezneciler to Gayrettepetrain
- Fly from Istanbul (IST) to Varna Airport (VAR)plane IST - VAR
5h 4m$217–502Metro to Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, fly to Sofia Airport
- Take the train from Ayrılık Çeşmesi to Sabiha Gokcen Airporttrain
- Fly from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW) to Sofia Airport (SOF)plane SAW - SOF
5h 22m$123–703Bus
- Take the bus from Istanbul Esenler Otogari to Sofia Airport Terminal 2 Bus Stationbus Arda-Tur
10h 32m$47–77Bus #2
- Take the bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Citylines 19 / ...
10h 33m$27–32
Istanbul (IST) to Sofia Airport (SOF) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Turkey to Bulgaria is to train which costs $17 - $25 and takes 15h 19m.
The fastest way to get from Turkey to Bulgaria is to drive which takes 4h 56m and costs $85 - $130.
No, there is no direct bus from Turkey to Bulgaria station. However, there are services departing from İskenderpaşa and arriving at Sofia Serdica Bus Station via Istanbul Büyük Otogari. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 10h 33m.
No, there is no direct train from Turkey to Bulgaria. However, there are services departing from Yenikapi and arriving at Serdika via Halkalı and Central Station. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 15h 19m.
The distance between Turkey and Bulgaria is 527 km. The road distance is 546.7 km.
The best way to get from Turkey to Bulgaria without a car is to bus via Haskovo which takes 9h 20m and costs $35 - $55.
It takes approximately 5h 2m to get from Turkey to Bulgaria, including transfers.
Turkey to Bulgaria bus services, operated by Citylines, depart from Istanbul Büyük Otogari station.
Turkey to Bulgaria train services, operated by Turkish Railways (TCDD), depart from Halkalı station.
The best way to get from Turkey to Bulgaria is to bus via Haskovo which takes 9h 20m and costs $35 - $55. Alternatively, you can train, which costs $17 - $25 and takes 15h 19m, you could also fly, which costs $85 - $240 and takes 5h 7m.
What companies run services between Turkey and Bulgaria?
You can take a train from Aksaray to Serdika via Esenler Otogar, Istanbul, Haskovo Central Bus Station, Sofia Central Bus Station, and Central Station in around 9h 20m. Alternatively, Turkish Railways (TCDD) operates a train from Halkalı to Sofia once daily. Tickets cost $15–22 and the journey takes 13h 40m.
- Website
- turkishairlines.com
Flights from Istanbul to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 16m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $100–230
Flights from Antalya Airport to Sofia Airport via Istanbul
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 17m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $160–240
Flights from Istanbul to Varna Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $180–400
- Website
- flypgs.com
Flights from Antalya Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 50m
- When
- Tuesday and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $45–260
Flights from Antalya Airport to Sofia Airport via Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- When
- Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday
- Estimated price
- $50–270
Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $30–210
- Website
- sunexpress.com
Flights from Antalya Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 50m
- When
- Tuesday and Friday
- Estimated price
- $80–190
- Phone
- +90 850 252 88 00
- info@metro.istanbul
- Website
- metro.istanbul
Train from Vezneciler to Gayrettepe
- Ave. Duration
- 16 min
- Frequency
- Every 10 minutes
- Estimated price
- $1
- Schedules at
- metro.istanbul
Train from Vezneciler to Gayrettepe
- Ave. Duration
- 16 min
- Frequency
- Every 10 minutes
- Estimated price
- $1
- Schedules at
- metro.istanbul
Train from Ayrılık Çeşmesi to Sabiha Gokcen Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- Frequency
- Every 10 minutes
- Estimated price
- $1
- Schedules at
- metro.istanbul
- Phone
- +90 444 8 233
- cozum@tcddtasimacilik.gov.tr
- Website
- tcdd.gov.tr
Train from Halkalı to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 13h 40m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $15–22
- Website
- https://www.tcdd.gov.tr/lang/en
- Phone
- +90 212 658 18 51
- info@alparturizm.com.tr
- Website
- alparturizm.com.tr
Bus from Istanbul to Haskovo
- Ave. Duration
- 4h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $16–23
- Website
- https://www.alparturizm.com.tr/en/
- Phone
- +359 889 59 00 00
- support.eu@union-ivkoni.com
- Website
- union-ivkoni.com
Bus from Haskovo Central Bus Station to Sofia Central Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 3h
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $17–27
- Website
- https://union-ivkoni.com/en
- Phone
- +359 700 20 544
- Website
- ardatur.bg
Bus from Istanbul Esenler Otogari to Sofia Airport Terminal 2 Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 50m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–75
- Website
- https://ardatur.bg/en/
Bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $45–75
- Website
- https://ardatur.bg/en/
- Phone
- +359 0885700870
- support@citylines.eu
- Website
- citylines.eu
Bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- $35–50
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.fr
Bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 8h 30m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $45–80
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +90 212 658 00 61
- info@huntur.com.tr
- Website
- huntur.com.tr
Bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 10h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $26–31
- Website
- https://www.huntur.com.tr/?l=EN
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
Want to know more about Flixbus?
Read the travel guide
More Questions & Answers
Turkey to Bulgaria bus services, operated by Citylines, arrive at Sofia Serdica Bus Station.
Turkey to Bulgaria train services, operated by Turkish Railways (TCDD), arrive at Sofia station.
Yes, the driving distance between Turkey to Bulgaria is 547 km. It takes approximately 4h 56m to drive from Turkey to Bulgaria.
There are 2293+ hotels available in Bulgaria.

































