Buses to and from Bulgaria

The eastern terminus of the Balkan corridor. Sofia connects west to Belgrade, south to Athens, east to Bucharest and Istanbul.

Schengen · EUCapitalSofiaLanguageBulgarianCurrencyBGN
Cities
769
Borders
5
Operators
5
Currency
BGN
Search journeys →
6

Main corridors

Journey times are typical, not a live timetable — search your dates for real-time options and prices.

SofiaBelgradeBus · Rail6h 28m
SofiaThessalonikiBus · Rail6h
SofiaBucharestBus · Rail8h 30m
SofiaSkopjeBus5h 20m
PlovdivIstanbulBus8h
VarnaBucharestBus4h 50m
5

Borders, modes and what you need at each

5 land and sea borders are on the platform. The travel-document column tells you what you'll be asked for at the crossing — we send a confirmation before departure with the specifics.

SerbiaPassport
Principal crossingKalotina → Dimitrovgrad
Bus · RailPassport required for all travellers
North MacedoniaPassport
Principal crossingGyueshevo → Deve Bair
Bus · RailPassport required for all travellers
GreeceEU ID
Principal crossingKulata → Promachonas
Bus · RailEU national ID card or passport — Schengen
TurkeyPassport + visa
Principal crossingKapıkule → Kapitan Andreevo
Bus · RailPassport plus a visa for most non-EU and non-eligible nationalities
RomaniaEU ID or passport
Principal crossingRuse → Giurgiu
Bus · RailEU national ID accepted; non-EU travellers need a passport

Practical facts for the route

Currency conversion, language, document defaults and time-zone differences. We surface these on every booking; they're collected here for the curious.

The same booking and support, whatever the border.

Whatever the border, whatever the operator, your refund eligibility and amount are set by the carrier and the fare you booked — shown on each ticket before you pay. If your journey is cancelled or you cancel within the carrier's window, Panonex handles the refund request with the operator on your behalf.

Read how refunds work →
Official name
Republic of Bulgaria
Capital
Sofia
Language
Bulgarian
Currency
BGN (we display in EUR)
Schengen
Yes
EU membership
Member
5

Carriers in Bulgaria

Operators that run services in Bulgaria. Search your route to see which of their departures you can book on Panonex.

BDŽ
Karat-S
Union Ivkoni
Eurolines BG
FlixBus
1

Travelling to Bulgaria

Questions we get often, answered specifically for this country.

Same as Romania: air and sea ports joined Schengen on 31 March 2024 and land borders on 1 January 2025. Sofia–Bucharest no longer has routine border checks, but Sofia–Belgrade still has full passport control, because Serbia is outside Schengen.
Ready when you are

Search journeys out of Sofia.

Or pick any city above. One checkout, with each carrier's cancellation terms shown before you pay.