Sofia to Poti by train
Travel from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Poti (Georgia) by train (1505km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel by train from Sofia in Bulgaria to Poti in Georgia, the main route leads via Turkey. 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.
- 1Sofia (Bulgaria) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Kars (Turkey) - Batumi (Georgia) - Poti (Georgia)
- 2Sofia (Bulgaria) - Varna (Bulgaria) - Poti (Georgia)
1505 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 Sofia to Poti, 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
Poti - Sofia / Sofia - Batumi / Burgas - Tbilisi / Burgas - Batumi / Plovdiv - Tbilisi / Plovdiv - Batumi / Varna - Tbilisi / Varna - Batumi / Varna - Poti1 Sofia (Bulgaria) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Kars (Turkey) - Batumi (Georgia) - Poti (Georgia)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
1a 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?
Check times&prices 
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
1b Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Kars (Turkey)
To travel in Turkey by train, buy your ticket via the given booking links or locally at a train station. Via the links you also find schedules and ticket prices.
Turkey offers high-speed trains and long-distance trains which run overnight.
If no train connection is available, travel by one of the many bus connections. Bus tickets are also available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Kars?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Optima Express (OPEX) / Standard (TCDD)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest / D 81032 Istanbul - Sofia
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Istanbul - Athens / Istanbul - Thessaloniki
train company:
TCDD Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları / METU Metro Turizm
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Kars - Istanbul / Istanbul - Ankara / Istanbul - Izmir / Istanbul - Samsun / Istanbul - Edirne / Ankara - Istanbul / Ankara - Izmir / Ankara - Kars / Izmir - Ankara / Izmir - Istanbul
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn
1c Travelling from Kars (Turkey) to Batumi (Georgia)
Travel from Turkey to Georgia by train. For the border crossing you have to use a bus.
First travel by train to Erzurum or Kars. There is an overnight train available from Ankara with a journey time of 22 hours (Erzurum) or 27:30 hours (Kars). This overnight train called "Doğu Express" is comfortable and it is a very scenic journey. The train ticket fares start from 60 TRY (7 EUR) in a seat and from 80 TRY (9 EUR) in a 4-bed sleeper-wagon.
From Erzurum or Kars take a bus to the border at Sarp. The journey time is 5 hours. The bus ticket fare is about 10 EUR. Cross the border by foot. And continue by bus to Batumi.
Other options by bus are as follows:
the bus line from Trabzon (Turkey) to Batumi (Georgia). At least four connections daily for about EUR 15. From Istanbul (Turkey) to Batumi (Georgia) at least two connections daily for about EUR 25.
Trabzon (Turkey) is not connected to the railway network of Turkey. Therefore the easiest way is to take a bus directly from Istanbul or Ankara (Turkey) to Batumi (Georgia). Buy your bus ticket for Metro Turizm online.
In Batumi (Georgia) change to a train to continue to Tbilisi (Georgia).
Border crossing is currently: you leave the bus with the luggage before the border, cross the border by foot (easy) and after the border the bus picks you up again.
In future there will be a train connection from Turkey to Georgia. But it is still under construction.
Where to buy a ticket from Kars to Batumi?
Buy your ticket at the bus station or at the website of the bus company.
The following links could be interesting for you.
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Batumi - Trabzon / Trabzon - Batumi
train company:
TCDD Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları / METU Metro Turizm
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Batumi - Kars / Trabzon - Batumi / Istanbul - Batumi / Ankara - Batumi / Istanbul - Tbilisi / Ankara - Tbilisi / Izmir - Tbilisi / Adana - Tbilisi
Where to buy a ticket from Batumi to Poti?
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:
GEORG Sakartwelos Rkinigsa
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Poti - Batumi / Tbilisi - Batumi / Tbilisi - Kutaissi / Tbilisi - Tsqaltubo
2 Sofia (Bulgaria) - Varna (Bulgaria) - Poti (Georgia)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Varna (Bulgaria)
Travel from Sofia to Varna by train. The journey time of the direct train is 7:30 hours. There are at least 4 daily direct train connections available and one by overnight train. The ticket price starts at 24 BGN (12 EUR) ins 2nd class and at 30 BGN (15 EUR) in 1st class. The travel distance is 543 kilometres.
The night train departure time in Sofia is 22:40. The arrival time in Varna is 07:00. A ticket for a standard seat costs 23 BGN (12 EUR). A ticket for a bed in a 1st class compartment costs 40 BGN (21 EUR).
Where to buy a ticket from Sofia to Varna?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Expresen Vlak (FastЗР) / Barz Vlak/Fast Train (BV) / Patnicheski Vlak (P)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
BV 3637 Sofia - Varna / BV 2627 Sofia - Varna
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Varna - Sofia
2b Travelling from Varna (Bulgaria) to Poti (Georgia)
To travel from Bulgaria to Georgia, first travel by train to Varna. Then by taxi or bus to the port of Varna. Change to the ferry to Poti (Georgia). The journey time is about 54 hours. A ticket starts from Euro 100. In Poti walk from the port to the railway station and continue your travels.
Where to buy a ticket from Varna to Poti?
Buy the ticket for the ferry directly at the ferry terminal or at the website of the ferry company.
The following links could be interesting for you.
ferry: Ferry connections that might be helpful.
Varna - Poti / Poti - Varna
train company:
BDZ Български държавни железници / GEORG Sakartwelos Rkinigsa / NAVIBUL Navibulgar
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Poti - Varna / Sofia - Tbilisi / Sofia - Batumi / Sofia - Poti / Burgas - Tbilisi / Burgas - Tbilisi / Plovdiv - Tbilisi / Plovdiv - Batumi / Varna - Tbilisi / Varna - Batumi
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Do you have questions about the connection between Sofia and Poti? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
