Bulgaria offers over 4000 km of rail tracks. The two major train routes are Sofia - Varna and Sofia - Bourgas. The railway centre is the capital Sofia, which has connections to Greece, Romania, Serbia and Turkey. The Bulgarian trains have many scenic views to offer.
The two major train routes are Sofia - Varna (duration: 7-8 hours) and Sofia - Burgas (duration: 6-7 hours). You can also travel both routes overnight. The main train station is the Central Station ('Tsentralna Gara') in Sofia, where most international trains depart and arrive. Sofia has direct international connections with Belgrade, Bucharest, Istanbul, Budapest, Vienna and Thessaloniki/Athens.
Visit the Bulgarian railway company (BDZ) website.
Another useful website: BGrazpisanie.com (Bulgaria public transport planner).
Due to flood damage to railway lines in southern Bulgaria, there will be no international trains running between Sofia (Bulgaria) and Istanbul (Turkey). Read more details and alternative routes.
There are three types of domestic trains in Bulgaria.
- Expresen Vlak: faster trains (routes: Sofia - Plovdiv, Sofia-Varna, Sofia -Burgas), reservations required
- Barz Vlak: local 'rapid' trains, no reservation needed
- Patnicheski: slower local trains, no reservation needed
Reservations cost about 0,25 euro. You may have to pay additional commission though. Reservations can be made at the Rila travel agencies, which you can find for example at Sofia train station. See for addresses the BDZ website. Good to know: a reservation is called 'zapazeno myasto' in Bulgarian.
Bikes are allowed on most domestic trains upon payment of a supplement based on the distance.
International connections
There are various train connections with other European countries:
- Sofia - Belgrade - one day train and one night train
- Sofia - Bucharest - one day train and one night train
- Sofia - Thessaloniki
- Svilengrad - Alexandroupolis
- Bulgaria Express from Sofia to Kiev, Moscow, Minsk and Saint Petersburg.
- The Black Sea Train circulates during certain periods of the year from Moscow and Minsk to Varna and vice versa.
- The Bucharest / Istanbul Express - circulating on the route Bucharest / Stara Zagora / Istanbul.
Reservations are recommended for international connections.
