Istanbul to Kharkiv by train
Travel from Istanbul (Turkey) to Kharkiv (Ukraine) by train (1147km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel by train from Istanbul in Turkey to Kharkiv in Ukraine, the main route leads via Bulgaria, Romania and Moldavia. An nice option is the ferry via the Black Sea. Please read the following information and blog posts.
There are two main routes. Compare them and decide which one feeds your needs best.
- 1Istanbul (Turkey) - Bucharest (Romania) - Chisinau (Moldova) - Kharkiv (Ukraine)
- 2Istanbul (Turkey) - Chornomorsk (Ukraine) - Odesa (Ukraine) - Kharkiv (Ukraine)
1147 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 Kharkiv, 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
Kharkiv - Istanbul / Ankara - Dnipro / Izmir - Kharkiv / Istanbul - Lviv / Ankara - Kyiv / Ankara - Dnipro / Ankara - Kharkiv / Ankara - Lviv / Izmir - Kyiv / Izmir - Lviv1 Istanbul (Turkey) - Bucharest (Romania) - Chisinau (Moldova) - Kharkiv (Ukraine)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
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
1b Travelling from Bucharest (Romania) to Chisinau (Moldova)
Travel from Romania to Moldova by overnight train on the route from Bucharest to Chisinau. The journey time is 14 hours. The train ticket price starts from 25 EUR. The train route runs via Iași (Romania) and Ungheni (Moldova).
The overnight train Bucharest to Chisinau offers the following service categories:
- 2nd class: 4-bed compartments. The ticket price 135 RON (28 EUR).
- 1st class: 2-bed compartments. The ticket price 290 RON (60 EUR).
The departure time in Bucharest is 19:15. The arrival time in Chisinau is 09:30.
Additionally there are local trains from Iași (Romania) across the border to Ungheni (Moldova). Regular train connections are available from Ungheni to Chisinau.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Bucharest to Chisinau?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
402/106 Bucharest - Chisinau
train company:
CFR Căile Ferate Române / CFM Calea Ferată din Moldova
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Chisinau - Bucharest
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / CFR
1c Travelling from Chisinau (Moldova) to Kharkiv (Ukraine)
Travel from Moldova to Ukraine by direct train. There exist train connections from Chisinau to Kiev and Odessa.
From Chisinau to Kiev the journey time is 13 hours. The ticket price starts from 30 EUR in a couchette and from 50 EUR in a sleeper-wagon. There are three train connections daily.
From Chisinau to Odessa the journey time is four hours. The ticket price starts from 8 EUR. This train connection usually runs on weekends.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your tickets via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Chisinau to Kharkiv?
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 company:
UZ Укрзалізниця / CFM Calea Ferată din Moldova
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Kharkiv - Chisinau / Chisinau - Kyiv / Chisinau - Lviv / Chisinau - Dnipro / Chisinau - Odesa / Chisinau - Donetsk
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / Ukraine Railways
2 Istanbul (Turkey) - Chornomorsk (Ukraine) - Odesa (Ukraine) - Kharkiv (Ukraine)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Chornomorsk (Ukraine)
To travel from Turkey to Ukraine, first travel to Istanbul Haydarpaşa ferry and rail terminal. From there take the ferry to Chornomorsk (Ukraine). The journey time is about 30 hours. Ticket price starts from USD 80. In Chornomorsk which is located 20 kilometres south of Odessa, take a taxi, mini-bus or bus from the port to the railway station of Odessa.
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Chornomorsk?
The following links could be interesting for you.
ferry: Ferry connections that might be helpful.
Chornomorsk - Istanbul / Istanbul - Chornomorsk
train company:
TCDD Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları / UZ Укрзалізниця / UKRF СК Укрферрі
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Chornomorsk - Istanbul / Istanbul - Kyiv / Istanbul - Dnipro / Istanbul - Lviv / Istanbul - Odesa / Ankara - Kyiv / Ankara - Lviv / Ankara - Odesa / Izmir - Kyiv / Trabzon - Kyiv
2b Travelling from Chornomorsk (Ukraine) to Odesa (Ukraine)
To get from the port of Chornomorsk to the railway station of Odessa, take a taxi, mini-bus or bus. It is a journey of about 20 kilometres.
Where to buy a ticket from Chornomorsk to Odesa?
Buy your ticket at the bus station or at the website of the bus company.
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Odesa - Chornomorsk
2c Travelling from Odesa (Ukraine) to Kharkiv (Ukraine)
To travel in Ukraine, you can easily buy train tickets for most long-distance trains online. Many tickets are available as e-tickets however some tickets have to be collected from a ticket office at a railway station. You can of course also buy all tickets locally at a station.
Most long-distance trains are overnight trains with different types of accommodation. On some routes between major cities there are also long-distance train which run during the day with seats only.
Where to buy a ticket from Odesa to Kharkiv?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
поїзд (UZ)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
D 67 Kyiv - Warsaw / D 771/800 Kyiv - Bratislava / D 771/442 Kyiv - Prague / IC 81/33 Kyiv - Budapest / 117/381 Kyiv - Bucharest
train company:
UZ Укрзалізниця
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Kharkiv - Odesa / Kyiv - Lviv / Kyiv - Dnipro / Kyiv - Odesa / Kyiv - Kharkiv / Kyiv - Donetsk / Lviv - Odesa / Lviv - Kharkiv
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn / Ukraine Railways
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Do you have questions about the connection between Istanbul and Kharkiv? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
