London to Bulgaria by train, a 48 hour Balkan adventure...

It's not difficult to travel to Bulgaria by train, in fact it's a safe, comfortable and interesting journey.  The train ride from London to Bulgaria takes as little as 2 nights, with a variety of possible routes and options.  The train times, fares, and how best to buy tickets are all explained on this page.

Train times, fares & tickets...

  London to Sofia by train

  London to Veliko Tarnovo

  Video guide: London to Bulgaria by train...

  Trains to Sofia from other European cities

  Trains from Sofia to other European cities

  Sofia Central Station location & facilities

  General information about train travel in Europe

  Luggage   Taking bikes   Taking dogs

  Hotels & accommodation in Sofia & Bulgaria

Route map:  London to Sofia by train...

Useful country information

London to Sofia by train

Option 1:  London to Sofia via Paris, Munich, Zagreb & Belgrade...

This is the fastest option, London to Bulgaria overland by train, taking 3 days, 2 nights!  It involves comfortable good-quality air-conditioned trains as far as Belgrade, but a more basic train (or, in winter, series of trains) between Belgrade and Sofia.

Incidentally, the line between Budapest & Belgrade is currently affected by work to upgrade the line, and that route will be out of action throughout 2020.  This means that the route via Zagreb shown below is the one to use, until further notice.

London ► Sofia

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras at 10:24 on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 13:47, or at 09:22 on Saturdays arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 12:47.  It's a 10 minute walk from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est.

• Day 1:  Travel from Paris to Munich by 200mph double-decker TGV Duplex, leaving Paris Gare de l'Est at 15:54 Mondays-Fridays & Sundays arriving Munich Hbf at 21:52 (21:36 on some dates).  On Saturdays you leave Paris Gare de l'Est at 13:54, change at Stuttgart and arrive Munich Hbf at 19:27 (20:11 on some dates).  In Munich there's time for dinner or a beer, try www.augustinerkeller.de at Arnulfstrasse 52, to the north side of Munich Hbf.

• Day 1:  Travel from Munich to Zagreb overnight on the sleeper train Lisinski, leaving Munich Hbf at 23:20 and arriving at Zagreb at 08:35 next morning (day 2).  The Lisinski has an excellent modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), a modern Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments) and ordinary seats (not recommended).  Watch the Croatian sleeper video.

• Day 2:  Travel from Zagreb to Belgrade by train.  Until 4 October 2020 it leaves Zagreb at 11:03 and arrives Novi Beograd at 18:00 & Belgrade Centar at 18:07.  From 5 October 2020 onwards it leaves Zagreb at 13:04 and arrives Novi Beograd at 20:17 & Belgrade Centar at 20:25.

  This train has air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 2nd class seats (no 1st class).  There's no dining-car, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.

  Tip:  Although Belgrade Centar is slightly closer to the city centre, you have to rely on a single bus line.  Trams 7 & 9 link Novi Beograd station with the site of the now-defunct old Belgrade station on the edge of the old city every 5-10 minutes so you may prefer to get off at Novi Beograd and take a tram, see the Belgrade station page for more information.

• Stay overnight in Belgrade.  I recommend the famous Hotel Moskva, located at the end of Belgrade's main pedestrianised shopping street- see map of Belgrade showing station.

• Day 3, travel from Belgrade to Sofia on the Balkan Express, see the Belgrade to Sofia page for photos, tips & information.

  From 12 June to 20 September 2020, you leave Belgrade Topcider station at 09:15 and arriving Sofia central station at 20:37.  This direct train has 2nd class seating only, and there's no catering so bring your own picnic and beer.

  In the off-season on dates when the direct train isn't running, you travel from Belgrade to Sofia like this:  Take the 05:58 from Belgrade Centar station, change trains at Nis (arrive 10:40, depart 11:10) and Dimitrovgrad (arrive 14:45, depart 15:25) and arrive at Sofia at 18:36.

Sofia ► London

• Day 1:  Travel from Sofia to Belgrade on the Balkan Express, see the Sofia to Belgrade page for more photos, tips & information.

  From 12 June to 20 September 2020, you leave Sofia central station at 09:15 arriving Belgrade Topcider station at 18:29.  This direct train has 2nd class seating only, and there's no catering so bring your own picnic and beer.

  In the off-season until June and from September, you travel from Sofia to Belgrade like this:  Take the 09:15 from Sofia, change at Dimitrovgrad (arrive 10:25, depart 11:25) & Nis (arrive 14:44, depart 15:53) and arrive Belgrade Centar station 21:02.

• Stay overnight in Belgrade.  I recommend the famous Hotel Moskva at the end of Belgrade's main pedestrianised shopping street- see map of Belgrade showing station.

• Day 2, travel from Belgrade to Zagreb on the daily train.  Until 3 October 2020 it leaves Belgrade Centar station at 10:02 & Novi Beograd at 10:09 arriving Zagreb at 18:12.  From 4 October 2020 onwards it leaves Belgrade Centar station at 07:00 & Novi Beograd at 07:14 arriving Zagreb at 15:13.

  This train has air-conditioned Serbian carriages with comfortable 1st & 2nd class seats.  There's no catering car, so bring along a picnic and maybe some beer or wine.  You've now time for dinner in Zagreb.

• Day 2:  Travel from Zagreb to Munich overnight on the sleeper train Lisinski, leaving Zagreb at 21:20 and arriving in Munich Hbf at 06:10 next morning (day 3).  The Lisinski has a modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin), and seats (not recommended).  Watch the Croatian sleeper video.  From early April until late summer, it also has a modern Croatian couchette car (4 & 6 berth compartments).

• Day 3:  Travel from Munich to Stuttgart, leaving Munich Hbf at 07:46 by InterCity train arriving Stuttgart at 09:59.  On some Sundays, you'll need to leave earlier, at 07:28 by ICE train arriving Stuttgart at 09:45.

• Day 3:  Travel from Stuttgart to Paris by 200 mph double-decker TGV Duplex, leaving Stuttgart Hbf at 10:54 and arriving Paris Gare de l'Est at 14:05.  In Paris, it's a 10-minute walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.

• Day 3:  Travel from Paris to London by Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 16:13, arriving London St Pancras at 17:39.

How much does it cost?

Each train is ticketed separately, so add up the price for each leg of the journey.

How to buy tickets...

• Step 1, book from London to Munich at www.raileurope.co.uk and print your own tickets.  Tip:  If you'd like a longer connection in Paris, simply click More options, enter Paris (any station) and a suitable stopover duration.  A small booking fee applies.

  Alternatively, if you prefer you can book London to Paris at  www.eurostar.com then book Paris to Munich at the German Railways site www.bahn.de but it should make little or no difference to the price, but there are no booking fees.

• Step 2, book the sleeper from Munich to Zagreb at www.trainline.eu.  Use the journey planner to bring up the direct Munich-Zagreb sleeper train marked EN with 0 changes. You print your own ticket.  You can also book this at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at.

• Step 3, Zagreb to Belgrade cannot be booked online, just buy at the station in Zagreb, this won't be a problem.

• Step 4, the Belgrade-Sofia train cannot be booked online, so either buy it at the station in Belgrade when you get there (there will always be places available) or buy it by phone as above, or perhaps arrange it via Belgrade's ex-Wasteels Mr Popovic.

How to buy tickets by phone:  In the UK call 0844 248 248 3...

• If you'd prefer to book all your tickets together by phone, just call International Rail on 0844 248 248 3, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. 

• Alternatively, you can call Deutsche Bahn's UK telesales line on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards).

Have your trip professionally arranged...

• If you want a custom-made trip with train travel, hotels & transfers all arranged for you, contact Railbookers.  Tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out.  They get positive reviews and look after their customers very well.

    UK call 020 3327 0761, www.railbookers.co.uk. 

    US call free 1-888-829-4775, see website.

    Canada call free 1-855-882-2910, see website.

    Australia call toll-free 1300 971 526, see website. 

    New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or see website.

What are the trains & scenery like?

London to Paris by Eurostar:  See the Eurostar guide

A Eurostar e320 about to leave London St Pancras...		1st class:  Standard Premier or Business Premier.

Paris to Munich by TGV Duplex...        Click for video guide

Sit back with a glass of red and enjoy the ride - book an upper deck seat for the best views.  The train is equipped with power sockets for laptops & mobiles at all seats in both classes, and a cafe-bar serves drinks, snacks & microwaved hot dishes.  First class passengers on this route are given a simple but tasty meal box with a small bottle of beer or wine served at their seat, included in the fare.  The train soon leaves the Paris suburbs behind and speeds across a vast wide open plateau of woods & farmland at up to 200mph, past picturesque French villages of the Champagne region.  An hour or two later, the train leaves the high-speed line and slowly meanders through pretty wooded hills, the countryside eventually flattening out towards Strasbourg.  On leaving Strasbourg, look out for Strasbourg cathedral on the left with its famously missing second tower.  Minutes afterwards you rumble across the river Rhine into Germany, before heading on to Stuttgart & Munich.

TGV Duplex at Paris Est. These impressive 200 mph double-deck trains link Paris with Nice, Marseille, Munich, Barcelona & Switzerland...		2nd class table for 4 on TGV Duplex upper deck...

1st class seats on the upper deck, with a club duo on the left, a club quatre on the right.		A TGV Duplex.  The red near the door indicates 1st class, pale green indicates 2nd class.

Munich to Zagreb by sleeper train Lisinski...   Watch the video

This modern sleeper train is a pleasure to travel on, whether in the privacy of your own sleeper or in economical couchettes.  There's time for dinner in Munich before boarding.

The sleeping-car on the Lisinski:  The modern air-conditioned Croatian sleeping-car of the Lisinski from Munich to Zagreb has 10 compartments with washbasin, each of which can be used as a 1, 2 or 3 berth room, with toilets at the end of the corridor.  Above left, the sleeper arrived at Zagreb.

The couchette car on the Lisinski has modern air-conditioned 6-berth and 4-berth compartments.  Above right, the westbound train is seen boarding at Zagreb. See panorama photo.

Wake up to scenery like this between Ljubljana & Zagreb, along the river Sava...

Zagreb to Belgrade by train...

This is a spacious and comfortable air-conditioned Serbian train, with modern 2nd class seats - there's no 1st class.  There's no restaurant car, so take a picnic and some beer or wine with you.  On arrival in Belgrade, you have time to wander into town, perhaps visit the fortress overlooking the confluence of Danube and Sava, have a coffee at the Hotel Moskva (free WiFi!) and perhaps dinner at the basic but remarkably cheap Zelturist restaurant in the corner inside Belgrade station.

Belgrade to Sofia by Balkan Express.  More photos & information...

This train has only two carriages, it's old and graffitied but comfortable enough.  Power sockets, WiFi, even catering?  Forget those!  Bring your own picnic and bottles of beer, and buckle up for an old-school ride through the Balkans on the route of the Orient Express.  If you get any more photos of this particular train or especially the scenery please let me know!  In summer this train runs direct, in winter it's a series of connecting trains, one even has air-con(!).

The Belgrade-Sofia train, currently summer-only, at Topcider station in Belgrade.  Just two coaches, one Bulgarian, one Serbian, but comfy enough in spite of the graffiti.  Bring your own food & drink and enjoy a scenic run across the Balkans.   Photo courtesy of Matthew Woodward - see more photos & an account of this journey on his blog.

2nd class seats in the Serbian car.  Photos courtesy of Remco van der Kort.		The train snakes through a gorge east of Nis.  Courtesy of Matthew Woodward.

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Watch the video:  London to Bulgaria by train...

The video shows what a train ride from London to Bulgaria is like.  There's a slight variation from the journey shown above, the video shows a journey by TGV from the Gare de Lyon to Zurich, then Croatian sleeping-car to Zagreb, instead of a TGV from the Gare de l'Est to Munich, then Croatian sleeping-car to Zagreb, but the sleeping-car is the same type and you see the same wonderful scenery between Ljubljana & Zagreb.  The couchette train between Belgrade & Sofia has been discontinued, you now use the day train.

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Option 2, via the Harwich to Hoek van Holland ferry...

This is a variation on option 1, taking an extra night.  But if you live in East Anglia or prefer a ferry to Eurostar and the Channel Tunnel for some reason, this can be a useful alternative.  It's often cheaper than Eurostar at short notice.  Like option 1, this runs every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

London ► Sofia

• Day 1,  travel from London to Utrecht overnight using the Stena Line Rail & Sail service explained in detail here.  You leave London Liverpool Street at 19:32, sleep in a cosy private cabin with shower, toilet & satellite TV on board Stena Line's Harwich-Hoek superferry 21:00-08:00, and reach Utrecht at or before 10:28 next morning.  Fares from £55 + cabin cost.  Book this as shown on the Stena Line Rail & Sail page.

• Day 2, travel from Utrecht to Munich on any suitable trains, usually with one simple change en route.  Check times and buy tickets for this journey at www.bahn.de.  Fares from €39.90, you print your own ticket.  For example, a train leaves Utrecht at 11:07, change at Dusseldorf, arriving Munich Hbf at 18:07.  You've time for dinner in Munich, try www.augustinerkeller.de at Arnulfstrasse 52, to the north side of Munich Hbf.

• Day 2 evening:  Now continue from Munich to Sofia as shown in option 1 above, just remember that as option 2 takes an extra night, where option 1 says 'day 1', this is now day 2, and so on.  Travel from Munich to Zagreb by sleeper, onwards by day train to Belgrade.  Stray overnight in Belgrade, day train to Sofia arriving in the evening of day 4.  Book this part of the journey as shown in option 1 above.

Sofia ► London

• Days 1-3, travel from Sofia to Munich exactly as shown in option 1 above:  Day train Sofia-Belgrade, overnight stop in Belgrade, day train Belgrade-Zagreb and overnight sleeper Zagreb-Munich, arriving in the morning of day 3.  Buy tickets as shown in option 1.

• Day 3, travel from Munich to Amsterdam, there's one leaving Munich Hbf at 07:52, change at Dusseldorf, arriving Amsterdam Centraal at 15:28.  Check times and buy this ticket at www.bahn.de.  Fares from €39.90, you print your own ticket.

• Day 3, travel from Amsterdam to London overnight using the Stena Line Rail & Sail service explained in detail here.  You leave Amsterdam Centraal around 18:34, sleep in a cosy private cabin with shower, toilet & satellite TV on board Stena Line's Hoek van Holland to Harwich superferry 21:00-06:30, and arrive London Liverpool Street station around 08:54 next morning (day 4).  Fares from £55 + cabin cost.  Book this as shown on the Stena Line Rail & Sail page.

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Option 3, via Vienna & Bucharest...

This takes 3 nights, so is longer than options 1 or 2.  But it can be a useful alternative.  By all means go out one way and back another.

London ► Sofia

• Step 1, travel from London to Bucharest using any of the options shown on the London to Romania page.  The journey takes 2 nights.

• Stay overnight in Bucharest - the Hotel Ibis Gara de Nord is walking distance from the station, inexpensive and gets reasonable reports

• Step 2, travel from Bucharest to Sofia by daytime train, leaving Bucuresti Gara de Nord at 11:00 arriving Sofia Central at 22:20. 

  In summer from 5 June to 5 October 2020 this is a direct train with one 2nd class through car.  At other times of year you must change at Ruse (arrive 13:45, depart 14:15), taking a modern air-conditioned diesel unit from Bucharest to Ruse then a Bulgarian train from Ruse to Sofia.

  There's great scenery as the train negotiates the lush valleys of Bulgaria.  There's no catering, so take your own food and drink.

  Book this train at the Romanian Railways international booking site bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro, tickets must be collected from the ticket office at Bucuresti Gara de Nord.  The fare is around €33.

Sofia ► London

• Step 1, travel from Sofia to Bucharest, leaving Sofia Central at 09:00 and arriving Bucuresti Gara de Nord at 18:55.  In summer from 5 June to 5 October 2020 this is a direct train, in winter one simple change of train is necessary at Ruse in Bulgaria, just south of the border with Romania.  There's great scenery as the train negotiates the lush valleys of Bulgaria.  There's no catering, so take your own food and drink.  The fare is around €33.

  If this is part of a round trip from Bucharest, you can buy online at bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro and collect both outward and return tickets from the ticket office at Bucuresti Gara de Nord.  If you're only going one way, tickets must be bought in person at the ticket office in Sofia, they cannot be bought online.

• Stay overnight in Bucharest - a same-day connection is too tight for comfort.

• Step 2, travel from Bucharest to London using any of the options shown on the London to Romania page.

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London to Veliko Tarnovo

Click for map of Veliko Tarnovo showing station

Bulgaria's ancient capital, Veliko Tarnovo is well worth a visit.  Below left, the main gate to the Royal hill and old cathedral.  Below right, the old town.  The station is at the foot of the hills on which the city is built, it's a longish walk up to the town, you may want to take a taxi.

To reach Veliko Tarnovo from London or Paris,  you have two main options:

• Option 1, travel from London to Sofia using one of the options shown above, then take a Bulgarian domestic train from Sofia.  You can check train Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo train times at www.bdz.bg.

• Option 2, you can travel from London to Bucharest and use the train from Bucharest to Istanbul which calls at Veliko Tarnovo, see the London to Istanbul page for details.

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European Rail Timetable & maps

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online with worldwide shipping at either www.stanfords.co.uk or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu.  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

A Traveller's Railway Map of Europe covers the whole of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  On the back are detailed maps of Switzerland, Benelux & Germany, plus city plans showing stations in major cities.  Scenic & high-speed routes highlighted.  Buy it online for £14.50 + postage worldwide (UK addresses £2.80) at www.stanfords.co.uk/Continents/Europe-A-Travellers-Railway-Map_9789077899090.htm or (in the Netherlands) for €13 + €5.50 postage from www.treinreiswinkel.nl.

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To get the most from your visit, you should take a good guidebook.  For the independent traveller, I think this means one of two guidebooks, either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both series are excellent.  You can buy an in-depth guide for Bulgaria or a guide covering all the countries in Eastern Europe.  Lonely Planet Eastern Europe - Rough Guide Bulgaria.

Click the images to buy online...

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Find hotels in Sofia & Bulgaria

		◄ Favourite hotel search & price comparison: hotelscombined.com
		www.hotelscombined.com checks all the main hotel booking sites at once to find the widest choice of hotels & the cheapest seller.  It's been named as the World's Leading Hotel Comparison Site in the World Travel Awards and I recommend it to find hotels in even the smallest places and to check that another retailer isn't selling the same hotel for less. ► Favourite hotel booking site: www.booking.com www.booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site, and unless HotelsCombined throws up major price differences I prefer doing my bookings in one place here.  You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens.  It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together.

Suggested hotel in Sofia:  Hotel Favorit

For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews just 10 minutes walk from Sofia station with great reviews, I recommend the excellent Hotel Favorit.

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Travel insurance & health card

Take out decent travel insurance, it's essential...

Never travel without proper travel insurance from a reliable insurer with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover loss of cash & belongings (up to a limit), and trip cancellation.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year - I have an annual policy myself.  However, don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, Seat61 gets a little commission if you buy through these links, and feedback from using insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome.

In the UK, use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 65, see www.JustTravelCover.com - 10% discount with code seat61.

        If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the EU, try Columbus Direct's other websites.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an EU health card, it's free...

If you're a UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the NHS.  This replaced the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available from ww.nhs.uk.  It doesn't remove the need for travel insurance, though.

Get a free Curve card to save on exchange rates & foreign transaction fees...

Banks often give you a poor exchange rate, then charge you a currency conversion fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself and it's great - I get some commission if you sign up to Curve, but I only recommend such things when I've read up on reviews and tried it myself.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card. Use code MAN61 to get £5 cashback after signing up and using your Curve card the first time.

Get a VPN for safe browsing when you travel.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use them myself.