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Daily buses connect Istanbul with
major cities in Bulgaria,
including Sofia, Plovdiv and Haskovo, and
with towns in northeastern
Bulgaria. Other routes run to Romania,
Macedonia and Kosovo.
Many of
these buses operate from the Emniyet
Garajı bus terminal, but tickets are
also on sale at Istanbul's Büyük
Otogar (Main Bus Terminal)
My friends at Efendi
Travel may
be able to help you to buy bus tickets,
as well as all other travel services.
More...
You may need a Bulgarian
visa.
Here's how
to buy bus tickets in Turkey.
Efendi Travelsells
tickets for buses and trains to Bulgaria,
Greece and Europe.
More...)
Here are the companies (with their Istanbul Büyük
Otogar ticket office numbers):
Alpar Turizm (No. 37)
Buses to Plovdiv and Sofia,
as well as to Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania (Kosova,
Arnavutluk, Sqiperi).
Tel +90 (212) 658 3540, -3541, -2, -3; Fax 658 3956
Agents in Sofia, Tel +359 (2) 525004; in Plovdiv,
Tel (2) 631 948
Derya
Tur (Office
No. 57)
Tel: +90 (212) 658 0292, -0293, -0298, -0299
Routes from Istanbul to
K. Andreevo, Itaskovo, Stara Zagora,
Gabrovo and Lovec, Bulgaria; and Tirana, Albania.
Drina Trans (No. 88)
Buses to Macedonia: Gostivar, Kumanovo,
Skoplje (Üsküp) and Tetovo.
Tel +90 (212) 658 1851, office@drinatrans.com
Fatih Turizm (No. 156)
Daily buses to Haskovo and Kardzali (Kırcalı).
Toll-free Tel (within Turkey only): 444 0139
Huntur
Turizm (No. 126)
Daily buses from Istanbul, Bursa and Izmir to Sofia, Plovdiv, Haskovo,
Ruse, Kirdzali (Kırcalı) and Silistra.
Tel +90 (212) 658 0061
Metro (International
Routes: No. 107)
Daily buses from Istanbul to Sofia via
Svilengrad, Haskovo and Plovdiv, depart at 09:00
am, 12:00 noon, 17:30 (5:30 pm), 20:30 (8:30 pm),
21:30 (9:30 pm) and 23:00 (11 pm).
From Sofia to Istanbul, departures
are at 07:15 and 09:00 am, 12:00 noon,
17:00 (5 pm), 20:30 (8:30 pm) and 23:00
(11 pm).
Daily buses from Istanbul
to Silistra via Svilengrad,
Topolovgrad, Elhovo, Yanbol, Peteloçka,
Kotel, Omurtak, Targoviste, Sumen,
Razgrad, Isperih, Duolvo and Alfatar
departing at 09:00 am.
Another daily bus goes from Istanbul
to Silistra via Dereköy,
Malko Tarnovo, Burgaz, Aytos, Lülekovo,
Sumen, Venetz, Kliment, Isperih and
Dulovo, departing at 20:00 (8 pm).
Daily buses from Istanbul
to Dobriç via Burgaz
and Varna departing at 09:30 am.
Tel +90 (212) 658 1050, -1051
In Sofia: Tel +359 (2) 325131, 333281; in Plovdiv,
(32) 620063.
Morava (No. 81)
Buses from Istanbul daily except Monday and Saturday
to Kapıkule border crossing and the northeastern
Bulgarian towns of Kotel, Omurtag, Targoviste,
Sumen, Razgrad, Isperih, Dulovo, and Silistre.
Return trips depart Bulgaria daily except Monday
and Thursday. Morava also runs buses from Istanbul
to Kosovo, and Tirana, Albania.
Tel +90 (212) 658 0657, -8, -9; Fax 658 0960.
Nisikli Turizm (No. 159)
Buses to the eastern Bulgarian towns of
Aytos, Burgas, Dulova, Isperih, Razgrad, Silistra,
Sumen, Tervel and Dobriç.
Tel +90 (212) 658 0469, -0470
Fax +90 (212) 658 3965
Özlem Tur (No. 97)
Buses to Burgas, Dobriç, Razgrad and Varna,
also to Romania (Braila, Constanta, Galati and Tulcea).
Tel +90 (212) 658 0522, -0524
Öz
Varol Turizm (No. 161)
Three buses daily to Sofia via Haskovo and Plovdiv,
departing Istanbul at 10:00 am, 6 and 9 pm (18:00
and 21:00), and each evening to Kırcalı
Tel +90 (212) 658 3436, -0179
Fax +90 (212) 658 1836
Agents: Fara Tour, Sofia, Tel +359 (2) 316087 or
315763; Plovdiv, Tel +359 (32) 638065
Materik Tour, Sofia, Tel +359 (2) 831 2107 or 315763;
Plovdiv +359 (32) 638065
Varan Turizm (No. 15-16)
One of Turkey's best bus companies
operates daily buses between Istanbul
and Burgas, Dobrich, Haskovo, Plovdiv,
Sofia, Tervel and Varna. More...
Vardar
Turizm (No. 85)
iletisim@vardarturizm.com.tr
Istanbul: Tel +90 (212) 658 3350,
658 2034; Fax 658 3062; Vardar has an
office near Beyazıt
Square: Dibekli Cami
Sokak No. 10; and also offices at the
Emniyet
Garajı near Aksaray Square.
Buses from Istanbul to Macedonia via
Gostivar, Kumanovo, Skoplje (Üsküp)
and Tetovo daily at 18:00 (6 pm).
Buses from Istanbul to Kosovo (Kosova:
Prizren and Pristina) twice weekly,
and from Istanbul to Germany on
Tuesday at 17:00 (5 pm).
Prizren: Dardania Tours, Tel: 00381 29 22 358 -00381
29 44 968
Ipek: Tel:
00381 39 43 2326
Some of these buses also depart from
the Eminyet Garajı at
the southern end of Abdullah Çavuş
Sokak just southwest of Aksaray
Square in Old Istanbul (map).
Train Istanbul - Bulgaria - Europe
What about taking the train instead?
I don't recommend it. The train equipment is old and in poor condition. More...
If you decide to dare it, the direct train to Sofia departs each evening at 22:00
(10 pm), train No. 81032/468/492 departs Istanbul's Sirkeci
Station for Dimitrovgrad, arriving
at 06:37 the next morning (if it's on time). At Dimitrovgrad,this train continues toward Plovdiv and Sofia , but some cars are routed toward Bucharest as Train no. 490/492. More...
Buses are faster, probably
more comfortable, and perhaps safer.
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Above, St.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral,
Sofia,
Bulgaria.
Below, the Emniyet
Garajı is a prime
point for buses to Turkey's neighboring
countries.
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