Sofia ▸ Istanbul
Istanbul ▸ Sofia ⇄2 a dayfastest 8h00☾ 1 overnight busFlixBus🇧🇬 Bulgaria → 🇹🇷 Türkiye
Direct buses · no change
SofiaPlovdivIstanbul· 502 km as the crow flies
- 11:00 → 20:30FlixBus N1999Sofia (Serdika bus station) → İstanbul Esenler 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 → 08:00+1FlixBus N1999 ☾ OvernightSofia (Serdika bus station) → İstanbul Esenler bus station · via Plovdiv8h001 stopRuns: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sun 18 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+1; Mon 19 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+1; Tue 20 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+1; Wed 21 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+1; Thu 22 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+1; Fri 23 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+1; Sat 24 Oct: 23:00 → 07:00+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 Sofia to Istanbul?
Yes. 2 a day on average, with FlixBus, no change of bus (18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026).
How long is the bus from Sofia to Istanbul?
The fastest takes 8h00; the slowest 8h30, 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 Sofia. Not every bus runs every day: pick a date above.
Is there a night bus from Sofia to Istanbul?
Yes: 1 overnight departure in the timetable, for example 23:00 arriving 08:00 the next morning.