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Vienna/Budapest to Istanbul

  • 3 January 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 220 views

Hi, I am planning a family trip this summer and looking for some early advice. We are trying to do a little initially planning on what is possible but we keep getting stuck with how to get to and from Istanbul. All the information says there is a overnight train between Sofia and Istanbul but it’s does show up in any planners for summer 2023. Could it be I am looking to plan to early or is this route no longer available? Thanks in advance from a noobie

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Best answer by Hektor 3 January 2023, 16:29

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Userlevel 7
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It’s too early. Seasonal summer trains show up much later and the rail planner app is to be avoided. Best use local planners or a planner from Deutsche Bahn or ÖBB. But in General, if you check  your trains about 3 months in advance, you get to see the correct itinerary.

If not, a lot of people in the community can guide you to the cross-border busses in case they shouldn’t show up.

Here’s the timetable for the international train from Sofia to Istanbul:

https://p.bdz.bg/www/r/a/razpisanie-sofiya-istanbul-3580.pdf

Should be the same in summer. Kind regards, Hektor.

Thanks Hektor for the quick reply. Any idea on when they might be available to book? 

Userlevel 7
Badge +9

Thanks Hektor for the quick reply. Any idea on when they might be available to book? 

Probably 60 days in advance. But only in Bulgaria, as far as I know.

Thanks again, great community 👍 

Userlevel 7
Badge +5

As this scheme also shows only in summer-late june till half sept roughly, this train will also convey a very few through coaches from Bucuresti-one of the wonders of trains: they can couple-and uncouple cars.

FROM BG you can only RES-and its couchette=a type of dorm-sleeper, in Sofia, this office was even reported to be closed on SUN. Any spare space can also arrange via car-conductor. At least no worries for now about trying to do bookings that cannot be done. This train was always said to hav enough space-even on the day-but last summer in the then travel-boom was sometimes completely full

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