Istanbul to Bucharest by train
Travel from Istanbul (Turkey) to Bucharest (Romania) by train (446km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel by train from Istanbul in Turkey to Bucharest in Romania, make use of the direct overnight train from Istanbul to Bucharest, crossing Bulgaria.
Your travel route could be like that.
446 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 Istanbul to Bucharest, 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
Bucharest - Istanbul / Ankara - Bucharest / Izmir - Bucharest / Istanbul - Arad / Istanbul - Brașov / Istanbul - Cluj-Napoca / Istanbul - Constanța / Istanbul - Iași / Istanbul - Sibiu / Istanbul - Timișoara1 Istanbul (Turkey) - Bucharest (Romania)
1a Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Bucharest (Romania)
Travel from Istanbul to Bucharest by direct overnight train. The daily overnight train has a journey time of 20:30 hours. The train ticket fare is 49 EUR.
At off-season (October to May) you have to leave the overnight train in Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) at 04:30 in the morning and continue your journey via Gorna Oryahovitsa and Ruse to Bucharest.
The direct overnight train Istanbul to Bucharest departs at Istanbul Halkali station at 21:40 and arrives in Bucharest at 17:00. Buy your train ticket locally at the Istanbul Sirkeci train station (ticket window 4). This is not the departure station Istanbul Halkali.
The ticket price is 38 EUR plus a supplement of 11 EUR for a berth in a 4 person compartment.
In off-season buy a ticket Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad. And the other tickets locally at the stations where you have enough time, at least one hour in Dimitrovgrad, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Ruse. It is also possible to buy the ticket in the train from the conductor.
The departure station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Buy your ticket for the overnight train at Istanbul Sirkeci railway station and get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Halkali 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 come by train from Ankara, the Marmaray suburban train station is "Söğütlüçeşme". From there you get directly to "Istanbul Sirkeci" (buy the overnight train ticket) and on to "Istanbul Halkali" (departure of the overnight train).
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Bucharest?
Check times&prices 
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Bucharest - Istanbul / Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Bucharest - Istanbul
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 Istanbul and Bucharest? 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.
