This page explains how to travel by train from Sofia to other key European cities, and how to buy the cheapest tickets. For journeys starting in another city, click here. Sofia Central station guide. Information current for 2026.
I want to go from Sofia to...
Before you buy your tickets
Take a moment to read these tips for buying European train tickets. It answers all the usual questions, "Must I book in advance or can I buy at the station?", "Can I stop off?", "Are there Senior fares?" and that old favourite, "Should I buy an $800 railpass or a €35 point-to-point ticket?". How far ahead can you buy train tickets?
European train travel FAQ
Train travel in Bulgaria
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The national rail operator in Bulgaria is Bulgarian State Railways, usually abbreviated to BDZ.
Trains link most major towns & cities, including Sofia, Burgas, Varna, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo.
The nearest main station to Sunny Beach is Burgas.
You can check times at the Bulgarian Railways website www.bdz.bg.
Speed is slow and carriages usually old, but the scenery and remarkably cheap fares more than make up for this.
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How to buy tickets
You can buy tickets for long-distance trains at bileti.bdz.bg.
Click English top right. It only takes a few seconds to register.
Booking opens between 5 and 30 days ahead depending which side of bed BDZ got out of this morning.
Sofia to Istanbul
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A comfortable air-conditioned sleeper train links Sofia to Istanbul every day, see the Sofia to Istanbul page.
The westbound Istanbul-Sofia Express boarding at Halkali station.
Sofia to Belgrade
Sofia to Bucharest
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There's a daily train from Sofia to Bucharest, leaving Sofia central station* at 07:00, arriving Bucharest Gara de Nord 16:56.
From 12 June to 11 October 2026
From mid-June to early October it's a direct train, or more accurately, one direct Bulgarian 2nd class coach with side corridor and classic 6-seat compartments, attached to a Sofia-Ruse train. At Ruse the through carriage is attached to a Romanian train for the rest of journey to Bucharest. There's no air-con, but this means the windows open for a cool inward breeze, ideal for photography.
At all other times of year
At all other times of year you must change trains at Ruse (arrive 13:32, depart 14:15) from the Bulgarian train into an air-conditioned Romanian diesel unit for the last leg to Bucharest, but the timings, route and scenery are exactly the same.
It's a lovely scenic ride, meandering at leisurely speed through the beautiful green valleys of Bulgaria, much of it on a single-track railway. You cross the Danube from Ruse in Bulgaria to Giurgiu in Romania over Europe's longest steel bridge, 2.5 km long. There's no catering so bring a picnic, some wine or beer and a good book.
You can check the schedule at the Bulgarian Railways website www.bdz.bg.
Click English top right. Click Menu and look for International rail-routes, go to the Bucuresti-Sofia-Bucuresti page and open the pdf timetable.
They often only post timetables a few days before they start, so don't expect the June-October timetable to be posted in January, you're lucky if it's posted in May rather than early June days before it starts. Patience!
Tip: The departure boards are in Cyrillic, look for train 2611 to BAPHA (Varna). The main part of this train runs from Sofia to Varna, there are 3 or 4 carriages from Sofia to Ruse (PYCE in Cyrillic) plus the summer-only through car to Bucharest. Make sure you join the right part of the train!
Tip: Car 472 is the Sofia-Bucharest through car (June-Sept only). Cars A2, 11 & 12 are the Sofia-Ruse cars. You can check the train formation & car numbers and see photos of the carriages using the excellent www.vagonweb.cz. Change cs to English, click Train formations, then search for train number 2611.
* Important update: Train starts at Sofia Sever
Due to track upgrading, from 7 May 2024 for up to 2 years (probably longer), the train will start at Sofia Sever (Sofia North) at 07:15. Sofia Sever is 2.7 km from Sofia Central, see map). You can take the 07:00 suburban train from Sofia Central to Sofia Sever or take a taxi from your hotel.
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The fare is €36 including seat reservation. 2nd class only.
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How to buy tickets online
Option 1, you can book Sofia to Bucharest at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro, but only if you can collect tickets in Romania beforehand. If you can't collect tickets at a main CFR station in Romania such as Bucharest Nord, you can't book this way.
Hard-copy tickets must be collected from the international ticket window at Bucharest Nord. They cannot be printed out, or collected in Bulgaria.
Important: While the Sofia Central - Sofia Sever trackwork continues, you need to book from Sofia Sever to Bucuresti to get a .pdf e-ticket. If you book from plain Sofia to Bucuresti it will only offer hard copy ticket collection from a Romanian station which is of no use when starting in Bulgaria, because it is unable to e-ticket the suburban train between Sofia Central and Sofia Sever.
This easy method should work, but sometimes doesn't in the off-season when the direct Sofia-Bucharest carriage isn't running.
Option 2, if you can't use option 1:
Step 1, buy a ticket from Sofia to Ruse for at the Bulgarian Railways website www.bdz.bg.
The fare is around €12.
Booking opens 30 days before departure. Click English top right, click TICKETS and the booking page opens, click English again (twice!).
Book from Sofia to Ruse and look carefully at the search results for the train leaving Sofia around 07:00, arriving Ruse around 13:31.
You need to register, you even get to select seats from a seat map. Tickets can be printed out or shown on your phone.
Step 2, buy a ticket from Ruse to Bucharest at the Romanian Railways international website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro.
The fare is around 88 lei (€17).
Click EN top right for English. For Bucharest use Bucuresti (Romania). Booking usually opens 60 days before departure. Look for train 460 (summer) or 1094 (winter) arriving 16:56. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Or if that fails, buy a ticket from Giurgiu Nord to Bucharest at the Romanian railways domestic website www.cfrcalatori.ro, reports suggest the conductor doesn't care whether your ticket is from Ruse or Giurgiu. Or buy from the conductor, in Romanian cash or he may accept cards.
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How to buy tickets at the station
Go to the international ticket windows at Sofia Central and ask for a ticket to Bucharest.
It was previously reported that staff couldn't sell tickets to Bucharest, only as far as Ruse on the Romanian border. However, it's reported that they can now sell Sofia-Bucharest tickets. If they can indeed sell you a ticket all the way to Bucharest, great. Feedback appreciated.
But if they can't, no worries, here's Plan B: Buy a ticket to Ruse, if you tell them you're going to Bucharest they'll book you a seat in the through carriage to Bucharest if and when it runs direct. There are almost always places available, even on the day. Then buy the Ruse to Bucharest ticket online at the Romanian Railways international website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro. Click EN for English, use Bucuresti for Bucharest. You should get a .pdf ticket you can print or show on your phone.
If you have any problems, use your phone to buy a ticket from Giurgiu Nord to Bucharest at the Romanian Railways domestic website www.cfrcalatori.ro, looking for train 460 (summer) or 1094 (winter) arriving 16:56. Reports suggest that the conductor won't care whether your ticket is from Ruse or Giurgiu. If all else fails, buy a ticket from the Romanian conductor on board the train when you get to Ruse. He will accept cash in Romanian currency or possibly euros, he will usually also accept bank cards, but he won't accept Bulgarian currency.
Incidentally, if you're making a round trip starting in Bucharest, you can buy Bucharest-Sofia tickets in either direction at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro but hard copy tickets must be collected from the CFR international ticket office at Bucharest Gara de Nord. So don't use this method if you can't collect tickets in Romania before you go to Sofia!
Above, the Sofia to Bucharest through car. In spite of the exterior graffiti, it's quite comfortable inside.
The train crosses Bulgaria, much or the route is single track with a lot of clickety-clack on jointed rail and an occasional blast from the locomotive horn.
The train crosses the Danube from Bulgaria to Romania over a 2.5 km long steel bridge, the longest steel bridge in Europe, built in 1954 and now also provided with a road deck above the railway.
Sofia to Budapest & Vienna
Option 1, fastest, taking 1 night with a same-day connection in Bucharest
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Day 1, travel from Sofia to Bucharest, leaving Sofia Central* at 07:00, arriving Bucharest Nord 16:56.
In summer from mid-June to early October this is a direct train, or rather, one 2nd class Sofia-Bucharest through coach with side corridor & compartments. The other cars in this train run between Sofia & Ruse.
At other times of year you must change trains at Ruse (arrive 13:32, depart 14:15) from the Bulgarian train into a modern air-conditioned Romanian diesel unit for the last leg to Bucharest, but the timings, route and scenery are exactly the same.
It's a lovely scenic journey, meandering at leisurely speed through the beautiful green valleys of Bulgaria. You then cross the Danube from Ruse in Bulgaria to Giurgiu in Romania over Europe's longest steel bridge, 2.5 km long. There's no catering so bring a picnic and some wine or beer, a good book, and enjoy the ride.
* Important update: Due to track upgrading, from 7 May 2024 for up to 2 years, probably longer, the train will start at Sofia Sever (Sofia North) at 07:15. Sofia Sever is 2.7 km from Sofia Central, see map). You can take the 07:00 suburban train from Sofia Central to Sofia Sever or take a taxi from your hotel.
The fare is €36 including seat reservation. 2nd class only.
Book from Sofia to Bucharest at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro.
You get a .pdf format ticket and can print it out or show it on your phone.
Important: While the Sofia Central - Sofia Sever trackwork continues, you need to book from Sofia Sever to Bucuresti to get a .pdf e-ticket. If you book from plain Sofia to Bucuresti it will only offer hard copy ticket collection from a Romanian station which is of no use when starting in Bulgaria, because it is unable to e-ticket the suburban train between Sofia Central and Sofia Sever.
If you have any problems, other ways to book are shown in the Sofia to Bucharest section above.
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Day 1, travel from Bucharest to Budapest by sleeper train Muntenia, leaving Bucharest Nord at 21:19, arriving Budapest Keleti 12:50 (day 2).
The Muntenia has 4 & 6-berth couchettes and ordinary seats. A Romanian sleeping-car is attached from Bucharest as far as Arad (arrive 08:41). There's no catering so bring your own food & drink.
Fares start at €40 with a couchette in 6-berth or €47 with a couchette in 4-berth. These are limited-availability advance-purchase fares.
Book this at the Romanian Railways international website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro/en.
Booking normally opens 90 days ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
If you want the comfort & privacy of a proper sleeper from Bucharest to Arad, (1) book berths in a 1, 2 or 3-bed sleeper from Bucharest Nord to Arad at the Romanian Railways domestic website bilete.cfrcalatori.ro and print your own ticket or show it on your phone. A single sleeper all to yourself costs as little as €59. Then (2) book a 2nd class seat from Arad to Budapest from €17 using the Romanian Railways international website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro/en (you print your own ticket or can show it on your phone) or using the Hungarian Railways website www.mavcsoport.hu (you print your own ticket or can show it in the MAV app). Booking opens 60 days ahead.
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Day 2, travel from Budapest to Vienna by EuroCity train, leaving Budapest Keleti at 14:40, arriving Vienna Hbf 17:20.
An earlier connection is possible, but I'd allow for delay and book this one.
Fares start at €19.90 in 2nd class or €29.90 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
Book this train at www.thetrainline.com (easy to use, in €, £ or $, international credit cards no problem, small booking fee) or at the Austrian Railways website www.oebb.at (in €, a bit more fiddly, same fares).
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead and you print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Option 2, more relaxed, taking 2 nights with an overnight stop in Bucharest - recommended!
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Day 1, travel from Sofia to Bucharest, leaving Sofia Central* at 07:00, arriving Bucharest Nord 16:56.
In summer from mid-June to early October this is a direct train, or rather, one 2nd class Sofia-Bucharest through coach with side corridor & compartments. The other cars in this train run between Sofia & Ruse.
At other times of year you must change trains at Ruse (arrive 13:32, depart 14:15) from the Bulgarian train into a modern air-conditioned Romanian diesel unit for the last leg to Bucharest, but the timings, route and scenery are exactly the same.
It's a lovely scenic journey, meandering at leisurely speed through the beautiful green valleys of Bulgaria. You cross the Danube from Ruse in Bulgaria to Giurgiu in Romania over Europe's longest steel bridge, 2.5 km long. There's no catering so bring a picnic and some wine or beer, a good book, and enjoy the ride.
* Important update: Due to track upgrading, from 7 May 2024 for up to 18 months, possibly longer, the train will start at Sofia Sever (Sofia North) at 07:15. Sofia Sever is 2.7 km from Sofia Central, see map). You can take the 07:00 suburban train from Sofia Central to Sofia Sever or take a taxi from your hotel.
The fare is €36 including seat reservation. 2nd class only.
Book from Sofia to Bucharest at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro.
You get a .pdf format ticket and can print it out or show it on your phone.
Important: While the Sofia Central - Sofia Sever trackwork continues, you need to book from Sofia Sever to Bucuresti to get a .pdf e-ticket. If you book from plain Sofia to Bucuresti it will only offer hard copy ticket collection from a Romanian station which is of no use when starting in Bulgaria, because it is unable to e-ticket the suburban train between Sofia Central and Sofia Sever.
If you have any problems, other ways to book are shown in the Sofia to Bucharest section above.
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Stay overnight in Bucharest.
The Hotel MyContinental Bucuresti Gara de Nord, Hello Hotels Gara de Nord & Euro Hotel Grivita are all just a 350m 5 minute walk from the station, inexpensive with good reviews. I personally didn't get on with the Grivita in spite of its good reviews, perhaps try Hello Hotels Gara de Nord. The Ibis Styles Bucharest Center is an 18-minute hike from the station (see walking map), but would be a reliable choice.
However, if you want an upmarket landmark hotel in the city centre, go for the Athenee Palace Hotel, see why I love that hotel here.
Enjoy a morning in Bucharest and have lunch.
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Day 2, take the Dacia, leaving Bucharest Nord at 16:00, arriving Budapest Kelenfold 06:16 & Vienna Hbf 08:53 (day 3).
The Dacia has an air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car of the latest type, some sleeper compartments have toilet & shower. It has a Romanian couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and 2nd class seats.
There's wonderful almost Alpine scenery through the Carpathian mountains between Bucharest & Brasov and more pretty scenery as the train crosses rural Transylvania. There's no catering, so bring a picnic & bottle of wine.
Fares start at €39 with a couchette in 6-berth, €46 with a couchette in 4-berth, €69 with a bed in a 3-bed sleeper, €84 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €162 with a single-bed sleeper all to yourself. All prices per person per berth.
Alternatively, you can travel from Bucharest to Budapest on the sleeper train Ister, leaving Bucharest Nord at 17:58, arriving Budapest Keleti 08:50.
The Ister has a safe & comfortable air-conditioned Romanian sleeping-car with 1, 2 or 3 bed compartments with washbasin and a Romanian couchette car with 4 & 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats.
Book these sleeper trains at the Romanian Railways website bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro.
Booking usually opens 90 days ahead. Click EN top right for English. For Bucharest enter Bucuresti.
You print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
Above, the Sofia to Bucharest through car. In spite of the exterior graffiti, it's quite comfortable inside.
The train crosses Bulgaria, much or the route is single track with a lot of clickety-clack on jointed rail and an occasional blast from the locomotive horn.
The train crosses the Danube from Bulgaria to Romania over a 2.5 km long steel bridge, the longest steel bridge in Europe, built in 1954 and now also provided with a road deck above the railway.
Videle station.
Option 3, via Belgrade - currently involves a bus
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Day 1, travel from Sofia to Belgrade either by bus+train or bus as shown here.
Unfortunately, the Sofia-Belgrade train has been suspended for some years now.
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Stay overnight in Belgrade
I recommend the comfortable and historic Hotel Moskva, opened in 1906 near the old town.
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Day 2, travel from Belgrade to Budapest as shown on the Belgrade-Budapest page or from Belgrade to Vienna as shown on the Trains from Belgrade page.
Sofia to Athens, Thessaloniki & Greece
There used to be a Sofia-Thessaloniki train, but problems in Greece mean it hasn't run south of the border since around 2018.
Option 1, by bus to Thessaloniki then train to Athens.
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Step 1, travel from Sofia bus station to Thessaloniki by bus, taking around 5h, see www.flixbus.com.
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Step 2, travel from Thessaloniki to Athens by train.
Trains link Thessaloniki with Larissa and Athens, journey time as little as 4h09 after a significant speed-up in 2019 (one morning train takes only 3h57). It's a wonderfully scenic ride, past Mount Olympus and along the Aegean, then past the mountains south of Larissa, see the photos & information here.
The fare is €45 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class.
Buy tickets at www.hellenictrain.gr, see step-by-step advice on using it.
Option 2, by train + bus to Thessaloniki then train to Athens - more interesting, less time in a bus.
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Step 1, travel from Sofia Central to Blagoevgrad by train.
Journey time around 2h10-2h30 by fast train, fare around €5. Various departures every day.
Check times & buy a ticket at the Bulgarian Railways website www.bdz.bg.
More about Blagoevgrad at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blagoevgrad.
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Step 2, travel from Blagoevgrad to Thessaloniki railway station by bus.
3 buses a day, journey time 3-4h, fare around €9, check times & buy a ticket at ardatur.bg.
In Blagoevgrad, the bus stop is on the main road just outside the station.
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Times may vary, check for yourself, but for example you may find:
07:30 train from Sofia Central connects with an 11:30 bus from Blagoevgrad, arriving Thessaloniki station at 15:25.
10:20 train from Sofia Central connects with an 14:10 bus from Blagoevgrad, arriving Thessaloniki station at 18:30.
12:35 train from Sofia Central connects with an 18:15 bus from Blagoevgrad, arriving Thessaloniki station at 22:30.
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Step 3, travel from Thessaloniki to Athens by train.
Trains link Thessaloniki with Larissa and Athens, journey time as little as 4h09 after a significant speed-up in 2019 (one morning train takes only 3h57). It's a wonderfully scenic ride, past Mount Olympus and along the Aegean, then past the mountains south of Larissa, see the photos & information here.
The fare is €45 in 2nd class or €55 in 1st class.
Buy tickets at www.hellenictrain.gr, see step-by-step advice on using it.
Sofia to Moscow
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There are currently no international trains to or from Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
Sofia to Zagreb, Munich, Paris, London
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See the London to Bulgaria page for details. Look for the inward journey details.
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Alternatively:
Step 1, travel to Bucharest as shown here.
Step 2, see the Trains from Bucharest page for onward trains.
Allow plenty of time in Bucharest for connections, if necessary stay overnight.
Sofia to all other destinations: Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen & Scandinavia, Spain & Portugal
Option 1, via Bucharest & Budapest
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Day 1, travel from Sofia to Bucharest by daytime train then Bucharest to Budapest by sleeper, as shown above.
You leave Sofia station at 07:00 on day 1, spend an evening in Bucharest and arrive Budapest Keleti at 12:50 on day 2.
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Day 2, travel on from Budapest as shown on the Trains from Budapest page.
You can take a daytime train from Budapest to Munich, Bratislava, Prague and arrive in the evening of day 2.
You can take a sleeper from Budapest to Warsaw or Berlin, arriving in the morning of day 3.
You can take a train to Vienna then a sleeper to Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Hamburg or Zurich arriving in the morning of day 3.
Option 2, via Belgrade - currently involves a bus
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Day 1, travel from Sofia to Belgrade either by bus+train or bus as shown here.
Unfortunately, the Sofia-Belgrade train has been suspended for some years now.
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Stay overnight in Belgrade
I recommend the comfortable and historic Hotel Moskva, opened in 1906 near the old town.
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Day 2, travel from Beograd Centar to Budapest, Vienna & all points west as shown on the Trains from Belgrade page.
Hotels in Sofia
For an inexpensive hotel with great reviews near Sofia Central station, see here.
Backpacker
hostels
www.hostelworld.com: If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels. Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.