There are 8 ways to get from Turkey to Bulgaria by train, plane, bus, car, or shuttle
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 5mTrain
cheapest- Take the train from Halkalı to Sofiatrain
15h 19m$16–25Bus
- Take the bus from Istanbul Esenler to Sofiabus
8h 34m$29Drive 546.7 km
- Drive from Istanbul to Sofiacar 546.7 km
4h 57m$87–125Metro 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 26mMetro 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 9mFly Istanbul to Bucharest Otopeni, shuttle
- Fly from Istanbul (IST) to Bucharest Otopeni (OTP)plane IST - OTP
- Take a shuttle bus from Bucharest Otopeni Airport to Ruse
6h 12m$190–490Bus via Esenler Otogar
- Take the bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Stationbus Citylines 19 / ...
10h 20m$30–33
Istanbul (IST) to Sofia Airport (SOF) flights
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Turkey to Bulgaria is to train which costs $15 - $25 and takes 15h 19m.
The fastest way to get from Turkey to Bulgaria is to drive which takes 4h 57m and costs $85 - $130.
No, there is no direct bus from Turkey to Bulgaria. However, there are services departing from Yenikapı Sahil and arriving at Sofia via Istanbul Esenler. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 8h 34m.
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 which takes 8h 34m and costs $29.
It takes approximately 5h 5m to get from Turkey to Bulgaria, including transfers.
Turkey to Bulgaria bus services, operated by Luks Yonca, depart from Istanbul Esenler 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 which takes 8h 34m and costs $29. Alternatively, you can train, which costs $15 - $25 and takes 15h 19m.
What companies run services between Turkey and Bulgaria?
Luks Yonca operates a bus from Istanbul Esenler to Sofia once daily. Tickets cost $28 and the journey takes 7h 30m. Alternatively, Turkish Railways (TCDD) operates a train from Halkalı to Sofia once daily. Tickets cost $14–23 and the journey takes 13h 40m.
- Website
- turkishairlines.com
Flights from Istanbul to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 18m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $75–180
Flights from Istanbul to Varna Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $140–280
Flights from Istanbul to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–160
- Website
- tarom.ro
Flights from Istanbul to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 28m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $70–160
- Website
- flypgs.com
Flights from Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport to Sofia Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $30–230
- Website
- animawings.com
Flights from Istanbul to Bucharest Otopeni
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 20m
- When
- Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- $65–200
- 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
- Schedules at
- metro.istanbul
Train from Ayrılık Çeşmesi to Sabiha Gokcen Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- Frequency
- Every 10 minutes
- 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
- $14–23
- Website
- https://www.tcdd.gov.tr/lang/en
- Phone
- 0545 792 30 02
- info@luksyonca.com.tr
- Website
- luksyonca.com.tr
Bus from Istanbul Esenler to Sofia
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $28
- Schedules at
- luksyonca.com.tr
- 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
- $120–290
- Website
- https://atlastaxi.eu/
- Phone
- +359 0885700870
- support@citylines.eu
- Website
- citylines.eu
Bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- $35–50
- Website
- https://citylines.eu/
- Phone
- +359 700 20 544
- Website
- ardatur.bg
Bus from Istanbul Büyük Otogari to Sofia Serdica Bus Station
- Ave. Duration
- 9h
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $35–55
- Website
- https://ardatur.bg/en/
- 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
- $28–33
- Website
- https://www.huntur.com.tr/?l=EN
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More Questions & Answers
Turkey to Bulgaria bus services, operated by Luks Yonca, arrive at Sofia station.
Bulgaria is 1h behind Turkey. It is currently 10:20 AM in Turkey and 9:20 AM in Bulgaria.
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 57m to drive from Turkey to Bulgaria.
There are 2130+ hotels available in Bulgaria.