Buses Turkey-Bulgaria-Europe

Daily buses connect Istanbul's Büyük Otogar (Main Bus Terminal) with major cities in Bulgaria, including Sofia, Plovdiv and Haskovo, and with towns in northeastern Bulgaria. Other routes run to Romania, Macedonia and Kosovo. Check out Metro first.

You may need a Bulgarian visa.

Here's how to buy bus tickets in Turkey.

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 Kosova, Macedonia and Albania (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

Avar (No. 126)
Daily buses to Sofia, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Ruse, Kirdzali (Kircali) and Silistra.
Tel +90 (212) 658 0065

Drina Trans (No. 88)
Buses to Macedonia: Gostivar, Kumanovo, Skoplje (Üsküp) and Tetovo.
Tel +90 (212) 658 1851

Fatih Turizm (No. 156)
Daily buses to Haskovo and Kardzali (Kircali).
Toll-free Tel (within Turkey only): 444 0139

Metro (International Routes: No. 107)
Daily buses from Istanbul to Sofia via Svilengrad, Haskovo and Plovdiv, departing at 12:00 noon and 20:30 (8:30 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 Kapikule 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 Kosova, 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, Burgaz, Dulova, Isperih, Razgrad, Silistra, Sumen, Tervel and Dobriç.
Tel +90 (212) 658 0469, -0470
Fax +90 (212) 658 3965

Özlem (No. 97)
Buses to Burgaz, 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 Kircali
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

Vardar Turizm (No. 85)
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).
Tel +90 (212) 658 3350; Fax 658 0062

Train Instead?
What about taking the train instead? Alas, there's no direct train to Sofia; you have to make a connection. Each evening at 22:00 (10 pm), train No. 81032/40/498 departs Istanbul's Sirkeci Station for Dimitrovgrad, arriving at 06:31 the next morning (if it's on time). At 07:55 train no. 402/106 departs Dimitrovgrad for Sofia, arriving at 12:25 (pm). Buses are faster, probably more comfortable, and perhaps safer.

Büyük Otogar (Istanbul International Bus Terminal)

Bus Companies & Offices at Istanbul's Main Bus Terminal

How to Buy Bus Tickets in Turkey

Bus Travel in Turkey

Istanbul Transport

Maps of Istanbul & Region

Transportation in Turkey

Turkey Travel Planner Homepage

The Metro Turizm European Routes bus ticket office at Istanbul's Büyük Otogar, this photo taken in a March snowstorm.