Iraklion to Istanbul by train
Travel from Iraklion (Greece) to Istanbul (Turkey) by train (716km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel from Iraklion in Greece to Istanbul in Turkey, the easiest and fastest way is by bus. There is no direct train connection anymore between these two countries. Please read the information bellow.
There are two main routes. Compare them and decide which one feeds your needs best.
- 1Iraklion (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Istanbul (Turkey)
- 2Iraklion (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Istanbul (Turkey)
716 km
How to use the following information: we show you the best routes and where to buy tickets. On longer routes you may need more than one ticket. Book your tickets step by step as explained. If you have questions about the route from Iraklion to Istanbul, please ask in our forum. Of course, sometimes there are as well other travel routes possible.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections : popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Iraklion / Athens - Istanbul / Athens - Izmir / Thessaloniki - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Ankara / Thessaloniki - Izmir / Alexandroupoli - Istanbul / Larissa - Istanbul / Patras - Istanbul1 Iraklion (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Istanbul (Turkey)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
1a Travelling from Iraklion (Greece) to Thessaloniki (Greece)
Train tickets for Greece can be bought locally or online. Advance tickets for Intercity connections are cheaper than normal fare and are available online only.
Check times&prices 
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Inter City (IC) / Proastiakos (P)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
B 334 Thessaloniki - Belgrade / B335 Belgrade - Thessaloniki / T 600 Athens - Alexandroupoli / T 601 Alexandroupoli - Athens
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Athens - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Skopje
ferry: Ferry connections that might be helpful.
Patras - Ancona / Patras - Bari
train company:
OSE TRAINOSE / BLUE Blue Star Ferries / MINO Minoan Lines / METU Metro Turizm / CRZH Crazy Holidays
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Thessaloniki - Iraklion / Athens - Alexandroupoli / Athens - Igoumenitsa / Athens - Iraklion / Athens - Larissa / Athens - Patras / Athens - Piraeus / Athens - Thessaloniki / Thessaloniki - Athens / Thessaloniki - Larissa / Thessaloniki - Patras
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / OSE
1b Travelling from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Istanbul (Turkey)
Travel from Greece to Turkey by bus. There exists no direct train connection anymore. If you want to travel by train, travel from Thessaloniki to Sofia (Bulgaria) and from there to Istanbul. But it takes a lot more time than by bus.
There are several direct (overnight) bus connections available from the bigger Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, ...) to Istanbul (Turkey). Find bus and train schedules via the booking links provided.
The bus journey time from Thessaloniki to Istanbul is 10 hours. Buy your bus ticket for this travel route from 45 EUR.
To book your ticket, use the following city names to find connections.
Athens = Atina
Thessaloniki = Selanik
Istanbul = Istanbul Avrupa
Where to buy a ticket from Thessaloniki to Istanbul?
The following links could be interesting for you.
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Istanbul - Athens / Athens - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Istanbul / Istanbul - Thessaloniki
train company:
TCDD Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları / OSE TRAINOSE / METU Metro Turizm / CRZH Crazy Holidays
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Thessaloniki / Athens - Istanbul / Athens - Ankara / Athens - Izmir / Thessaloniki - Ankara / Alexandroupoli - Istanbul / Piraeus - Istanbul / Patras - Istanbul / Igoumenitsa - Istanbul / Larissa - Istanbul
2 Iraklion (Greece) - Thessaloniki (Greece) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Istanbul (Turkey)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Iraklion (Greece) to Thessaloniki (Greece)
Train tickets for Greece can be bought locally or online. Advance tickets for Intercity connections are cheaper than normal fare and are available online only.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Inter City (IC) / Proastiakos (P)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
B 334 Thessaloniki - Belgrade / B335 Belgrade - Thessaloniki / T 600 Athens - Alexandroupoli / T 601 Alexandroupoli - Athens
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Athens - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Istanbul / Thessaloniki - Skopje
ferry: Ferry connections that might be helpful.
Patras - Ancona / Patras - Bari
train company:
OSE TRAINOSE / BLUE Blue Star Ferries / MINO Minoan Lines / METU Metro Turizm / CRZH Crazy Holidays
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Thessaloniki - Iraklion / Athens - Alexandroupoli / Athens - Igoumenitsa / Athens - Iraklion / Athens - Larissa / Athens - Patras / Athens - Piraeus / Athens - Thessaloniki / Thessaloniki - Athens / Thessaloniki - Larissa / Thessaloniki - Patras
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / OSE
2b Travelling from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Sofia (Bulgaria)
Travel from Thessaloniki to Sofia by direct day train. The journey time is 8:30 hours. Buy your train ticket for 18 EUR at the train station in Thessaloniki.
The departure time in Thessaloniki is 05:50. The arrival time in Sofia is 14:20. There are always seats available therefore it is no problem to buy the ticket at the day of departure, even very early in the morning at Thessaloniki railway station.
Note (2022/2023): currently the train traffic is interrupted and you have to travel by bus. The bus ticket price is 15-20 EUR. Buy it via the given links or on union-ivkoni.com
No discount with Interrail/Eurail.
Where to buy a ticket from Thessaloniki to Sofia?
Buy the train ticket at a railway station. Note: in some countries you have to pay a service fee at the ticket counter. The ticket can be purchased at a station in the country of departure, also sometimes in other countries.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Sofia - Thessaloniki
2c Travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Istanbul (Turkey)
Travel from Sofia to Istanbul by direct overnight train. The daily train has a journey time of 11 hours. Train tickets start from 29 EUR.
The departure time in Sofia is 18:30 and the arrival time in Istanbul is 05:30. Buy your train ticket locally at the railway station of Sofia. The ticket price is 19 EUR plus a supplement of 10 EUR for a 4-berth couchette or 15 EUR for a 2-bed sleeper. The private sleeper compartment for one single traveller is 28 EUR plus a supplement of 35 EUR. In the middle of the night at the border, you have to get out of the train with all your luggage put it through an X-ray machine.
The arrival station is Istanbul Halkali which is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Get by Marmaray suburban train in direction of the city centre, to the old Istanbul Sirkeci railway station. These suburban trains run every 15 minutes with a ticket fare of less than 2 EUR. The journey time is 35 minutes.
If you want to continue your journey in direction of Ankara, continue by Marmaray suburban train until the station "Söğütlüçeşme. Here is the departure of the high-speed-trains to Ankara.
Where to buy a ticket from Sofia to Istanbul?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
D 493 Sofia - Istanbul / D 81032 Istanbul - Sofia
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Istanbul - Sofia
Need a cheap place to sleep? We recommend booking.com
Find a cheap flight! Compare prices on Kiwi.com
Do you have questions about the connection between Iraklion and Istanbul? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
Eurail: if you want to travel this route by Eurail instead of train tickets, have a look here for reservation fees and further information.
