On country way to Istanbul via Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria


Unfortunately there is no continuous train from Germany to Istanbul therefore you have to change the trains several times and sometimes even have to use the bus because there are no train connections in Eastern Europe.


Nevertheless, you can make nice stopovers in Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucarest, Sighișoara / Transylvania and Sofia. The other option goes from Budapest to Belgrade to Sofia or from Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade to Sofia. However, Serbia has no night trains or train connections between Bulgaria, Hungary or Croatia right now so that you have to use busses. China is just building a highspeed railway (silk road project) between Budapest – Belgrade which hasn’t been finished yet.


Night train Munich – Budapest (or Vienna) / daily

  • Startseite - ÖBB (oebb.at)
  • Departure 12 pm at Munich HBF and arrival 10 am in Budapest / 06:30 am in Vienna (10 hours / 7 hours)
  • Budget price from 30 Euro / regular ticket 69 Euro / couchette for 6 persons + 40 Euro / couchette for 4 persons + 50 Euro
  • Vienna and Budapest have the same price


Night train Vienna – Bucharest / daily

  • Startseite - ÖBB (oebb.at)
  • Departure 7:30 pm Vienna main station or 11:45 pm Budapest and arrival in Bucharest Gara Nord at 3 pm (18,5 hours)
  • Budget price from 49 Euro / regular ticket for 100 Euro for seat / couchette for 6 persons + 14 Euro / couchette for 4 persons + 20 Euro

 

Vienna – Budapest / hourly

  • Vienna – Budapest: 2 hours 45 minutes but the regular ticket costs almost 60 Euro
  • Flixbus: 15 - 25 Euro / 3 hours (hourly)
  • Or: trip to Bratislava / Slovakia (one hour for 11 Euro / every hour) and buy there a ticket for Budapest – regular ticket only costs 17 Euro (2,5 hours / every two hours)
  •  https://www.zssk.sk/en/

 

Night train Budapest – Bucharest / 3 x daily

  • https://www.mavcsoport.hu/en
  • Exchange rate (rounded): 1 Euro = 400 Forint
  • Budget price for 14.000 Forint / 36 Euro; regular ticket for 24.000 Forint / 60 Euro; couchette for six persons + 5.000 Forint / 13 Euro; couchette for 4 persons + 8.000 Forint / 20 Euro

 

Bucharest – Istanbul

  • Train connections are not always available therefore please check the uptodate information
  • https://bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro/en/booking/search
  • Departure 11 am in Bucharest and arrival in Istanbul at 06:30 am (20 hours)
  • Couchette for 4 people: 55 Euro / 270 Lei
  • Link Romanian buses: https://www.autogari.ro/
  • journey time with the bus approx. 11 hours and 4 daily connections; price approx. 40 Euros
  • Exchange rate (rounded): 1 Euro = 5 Lei


Bucharest – Sofia

  • Train connections are not always available therefore please check the uptodate information from the Romanian railway
  • https://bileteinternationale.cfrcalatori.ro/en/booking/search
  • Departure 11 am in Bucharest and arrival in Sofia at 9:30 pm (9,5 hours)
  • Price: 156 Lei / 32 Euro
  • Bus connections are more frequently and are always available
  • One night bus connection for 100 Lei / 20 Euro (7 hours)
  • During the day you have to change the bus at the Bulgarian border town Russe
  • At least three daily connections from Bucharest to Russe for 75 Lei / 15 Euro with Pegasus (2,5 hours): https://pegasusbg.com/
  • In Russe bus change to Sofia approx. 8 daily connections for around 30 Lew / 15 Euros (5 hours):  https://www.busexpress.bg/de/?landing=hr
  • Exchange rate (rounded): 1 Euro = 5 Romanian Lei / 1 Euro = 2 Bulgarian Lew

 

Night train Sofia – Istanbul

 

Other option via Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia

  • Daily night train Munich - Ljubljana – Zagreb:  Startseite - ÖBB (oebb.at)
  • Departure 12 pm Munich, arrival Ljubljana 8 am / Zagreb 10:30 am (9 hours or 11 hours)
  • Budget price from 30 Euro / regular ticket 92 Euro / couchette 6 persons + 25 Euro / couchette 4 persons + 35 Euro
  • Bus Zagreb – Belgrade: 5 hours 30 minutes between 20 – 40 Euro
  • Bus Belgrade – Sofia between 6,5 hours and 10 hours because you often have to change the bus in Nis since (few direct connections) between 20 – 40 Euro
  • Bus Budapest – Belgrade: 6 hours between 20 – 40 Euro

 

Car train Optima Villach – Edirne

  • https://www.optimatours.de/
  • In the months May - November Optima offers a car train several times a week from Villach (Austria close to slovenian border), via Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria to Edirne (first big city after the Turkish border 240 km from Istanbul)
  • Journey time: 21,5 hours with minimum price 210 Euro / person for couchette

 



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