Istanbul ▸ Sofia
Sofia ▸ Istanbul ⇄2 a dayfastest 8h30☾ 1 overnight busFlixBus🇹🇷 Türkiye → 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
Direct buses · no change
IstanbulPlovdivSofia· 502 km as the crow flies
- 11:00 → 18:30FlixBus N1999İstanbul Esenler bus station → Sofia (Serdika bus station) · via Plovdiv8h301 stopRuns: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sun 18 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30; Mon 19 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30; Tue 20 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30; Wed 21 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30; Thu 22 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30; Fri 23 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30; Sat 24 Oct: 11:00 → 19:30)Book on FlixBus ↗
- 23:00 → 07:00+1FlixBus N1999 ☾ Overnightİstanbul Esenler bus station → Sofia (Serdika bus station) · via Plovdiv9h001 stopRuns: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sun 18 Oct: 23:00 → 08:00+1; Mon 19 Oct: 23:00 → 08:00+1; Tue 20 Oct: 23:00 → 08:00+1; Wed 21 Oct: 23:00 → 08:00+1; Thu 22 Oct: 23:00 → 08:00+1; Fri 23 Oct: 23:00 → 08:00+1)Book on FlixBus ↗
Local times at each stop. Times from official open data: FlixBus (file of 11 Oct 2026) and FlixBus Türkiye (file of 11 Oct 2026). Checked Sun 18 Oct 2026; they cover 18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026. Timetables change, so check with the operator before you travel. Contains FlixBus timetable data (FlixMobility, transport.data.gouv.fr), ODbL 1.0. How we build this.
Quick answers
Is there a direct bus from Istanbul to Sofia?
Yes. 2 a day on average, with FlixBus, no change of bus (18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026).
How long is the bus from Istanbul to Sofia?
The fastest takes 8h30; the slowest 9h00, for 502 km as the crow flies.
When do the buses leave?
The earliest leaves at 11:00 and the latest at 23:00, local time in Istanbul. Not every bus runs every day: pick a date above.
Is there a night bus from Istanbul to Sofia?
Yes: 1 overnight departure in the timetable, for example 23:00 arriving 07:00 the next morning.