On Board the Turkish Night Train From Sofia to Istanbul
The best way to travel between Bulgaria and Turkey is by taking the daily Sofia-Istanbul night train.
I have taken this train several times as part of #AllTheLinesEurope, where I aim to travel on every railway line in Europe with scheduled passenger services.
Join me for a ride on the Sofia-Istanbul night train to explore the onboard facilities and experience what the journey on this sleeper train is like!
‘Istanbul – Sofya Ekspresi’ destination shield on the outside of one of the sleeper carriages. ©AndyBTravels
Sofia-Istanbul night train: The basics
The Sofia-Istanbul night train is a sleeper service operated daily throughout the year by the Turkish State Railways (TCDD).
This night train, known as the “Istanbul-Sofia Ekspresi” in Turkish (Istanbul-Sofia Express), runs from Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul via Edirne and the Kapıkule railway border crossing to Svilengrad, Dimitrovgrad, Plovdiv, and finally the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.
At Dimitrovgrad, it offers a connection to/from trains on the railway line running north-south across Bulgaria to Veliko Tarnovo, Ruse, and the Romanian border.
In the current timetable, the night train departs from Istanbul Halkali station at 20:00, with a scheduled arrival in Sofia the following morning at 11:00.
On the return journey, the night train departs from Sofia’s Central Station at 17:50, arriving in Istanbul at 06:34 the following morning.
The Sofia to Istanbul night train at Sofia’s central railway station. ©AndyBTravels
Travel classes
On this Turkish night train, you can find both sleeper and couchette carriages.
A sleeper compartment on a Turkish night train has two berths and can be booked either as a single or a double.
Each sleeper compartment is equipped with a washbasin and a complimentary minibar stocked with soft drinks and snacks.
The couchette compartments each have four berths, two lower and two upper ones.
Unless you book all four berths in a couchette compartment, you will share the space with other passengers of the same sex.
Toilets – one Western and one Turkish style – are located at the far ends of each sleeper and couchette carriage.
Pillows, sheets, and blankets are provided, with your bed already made up in a sleeper carriage, but if you’re travelling in a couchette, you’ll need to make it yourself.
As there is no dining car, you will have to bring your own food and drinks for the journey. This is where the minibar comes in handy if you’re travelling in a sleeper compartment, as it will keep your drinks cool during the hot Balkan summers.
Sleeper compartment in daytime mode. ©AndyBTravels
When you’re ready to sleep, you simply flip the seats over to fold out the bed! ©AndyBTravels
Washstand and coat hanger in a sleeper compartment. ©AndyBTravels
Minibar with complimentary drinks and snacks. ©AndyBTravels
A 4-berth couchette compartment in daytime mode. At night, you simply fold down the berths and make your bed. ©AndyBTravels
A look on board
In this video, I will guide you through a Turkish sleeper carriage on the overnight train from Sofia to Istanbul, showcasing the facilities in my sleeper compartment.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Sofia-Istanbul night train has many advantages:
– Affordable price
– Convenient travel times, departing in the evening and arriving the following morning
– Comfortable night of sleep in a proper bed
– Fun journey through a beautiful part of Europe
However, there is one disadvantage on this particular night train route, related to the border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey.
When travelling east from Bulgaria to Turkey, you will need to leave the train with your luggage for an X-ray scan as part of a customs check and go through passport control to get stamped into Turkey.
These formalities take place in border control buildings on the platform at Kapıkule station.
What makes this particularly annoying is that the eastbound border crossing takes place in the middle of the night, meaning your sleep will be interrupted.
When travelling west from Turkey to Bulgaria, you can leave your baggage on board the train, as you only need to pass through passport control.
Westbound, the border crossing is less of a hassle, as it takes place earlier in the night (at 1:05), and you’ll be able to sleep in the following morning due to the later arrival in Sofia.
Book the Sofia-Istanbul night train online
Tickets for the Sofia-Istanbul night train, including Eurail or Interrail reservations for couchettes or sleepers, cannot be booked online and must be purchased at the station in Bulgaria or Turkey.
This can be an issue for travellers with an inflexible schedule, as this popular night train is often fully booked.
However, the booking agency Discover by Rail (which I happen to run!) can arrange these tickets for you for a small fee, and will deliver them to your hotel in Sofia or Istanbul.
