How to Get from Sofia to Bucharest: Bus, Train or Flight Compared

Trying to work out the best way from Sofia to Bucharest can be confusing, because the bus, train and flight all have very different trade-offs.

I’ve spent a lot of time on Balkan buses, and I travelled around Romania by bus and BlaBlaCar, so I know how long these journeys can feel.

The cheapest option isn’t always the most comfortable, especially if it means arriving before sunrise.

So here’s how to get from Sofia to Bucharest by bus, train or flight, with prices, times and where I’d stay at both ends.

Quick Answer

⭐⭐⭐ The bus is the cheapest way and usually faster than the train, at about 7 to 9 hours and from around €20 to €30. Compare bus and train tickets on Omio →

⭐⭐ In Bucharest, I’d stay at The Marmorosch, right in the old town. Check prices & availability →

⭐ In Sofia, Sentro Boutique Hotel has a 9.6 from almost 1,900 guests. Check prices & availability →

Sofia to Bucharest by bus

This is the cheapest way to get from Sofia to Bucharest, and it’s usually faster than the train too.

While Bucharest is conveniently located to the south of Romania, fairly close to the border of Bulgaria, Sofia is located inconveniently further away, to the west of Bulgaria.

This means that getting from Sofia to Bucharest by bus can take quite a while.

FlixBus runs a few buses a day between Sofia and Bucharest, including overnight ones.

The night bus leaves Sofia in the evening and gets you into Bucharest in the early hours of the morning.

The journey takes around 7 to 9 hours, and on the night bus a faster trip just means an earlier arrival.

Arriving early in the morning means being trapped.

The bus station you arrive at is far to the west of the city, and Bucharest is a very spread-out Romanian city.

You will then need a taxi to get you from the bus station and into the city centre.

While this is certainly inconvenient, it still makes for a relatively simple journey, as long as you’re prepared to call an Uber or a taxi upon arrival, and you may be doing so before the sun even rises.

Getting the night bus can be tough on your body; sleep doesn’t come easy and you may find yourself truly exhausted by the end.

However, getting on the bus is simple.

You can buy your ticket online through Omio, wander over to the bus station in Sofia after a day of exploring, hop on the bus, try to sleep, and arrive in Bucharest by sunrise.

Tickets usually start from around €20 to €30 per person, which is still cheap for a bus ride between two countries.

Sofia to Bucharest by train

Travelling from Sofia to Bucharest by train is, honestly, not a great option.

The train is slower than the bus, taking around 10 hours with a change in Ruse, unless the summer through carriage is running (June to October).

And, as mentioned, the bus is often quicker if the traffic is good and the roads are clear.

The train also isn’t much cheaper than the bus.

Second-class train tickets are around €30, plus a seat reservation.

All of that said, there are a few perks to travelling from Sofia to Bucharest by train.

One is that you have more freedom when it comes to time.

If you can only travel at a certain time of day, or you would prefer to avoid travelling through the night, then you can hop on a train in the morning and get to Bucharest by nightfall.

This avoids the very frustrating and unfortunate danger of being exhausted and unable to sleep on the night bus.

The other perk to the train is that it’s safer, though this is minor.

Bus travel in Bulgaria and Romania is perfectly safe, but statistics are definitely on the side of trains in general when it comes to safety.

This is true everywhere, though, and not a good enough reason to take a train over a bus since buses are still perfectly safe.

You can book the train online too, and Omio is an easy place to compare times and prices.

The train station in Bucharest is also far more central than the bus station, and you can take the metro from there to the city centre.

Sofia to Bucharest by flight

Travelling from Sofia to Bucharest by flight is absolutely the quickest way to do this journey, with the only downside being how unpredictable the price of flights tends to be.

In order to have the best chance of scoring a good deal, you’ll need to book your flight as far in advance as possible.

If you book your flight within the same month you plan on flying, expect to pay around $100.

Booking further in advance (or sometimes last minute, though that’s a big risk) can get you a flight for $30, which is very reasonable and cheaper than taking the train.

The flight itself from Sofia to Bucharest takes only one hour, which is delightfully short.

The only extra time is spent getting through security, being at the airport two hours ahead of time, and then passing through immigration and baggage claim.

Getting to and from the airport in Sofia and Bucharest will require getting a taxi or an Uber on either end, but that’s easily done since airport taxis are always around, 24 hours a day.

Going from Sofia to Bucharest by flight is the best option, provided you can get a cheap enough flight.

It is much faster than taking a bus or a train; you are up and back down before you’ve barely had chance to open a book.

This is a good option if you have a shorter itinerary and time spent in Romania.

Airport transport is quick and easy in both Bulgaria and Romania.

And flights can be very cheap.

If you’re prepared to make your flight a few hours longer, though still often shorter than taking the bus or train, you can get a flight with a single stop (often in Budapest) that might extend the flight to five or six hours.

This will guarantee a cheaper ticket option, with these flights costing around $50 even if you book a week in advance.

But the best and most convenient way to fly is still to book far in advance, get the cheapest possible deal, and enjoy a one-hour flight from Sofia to Bucharest.

If you would rather have the freedom of travel and stopovers, then you could rent a car and take a Romanian road trip instead!

But warning, if you’re travelling in winter, just be careful as there can be heavy snowfall.

This will give you the ultimate flexibility for your trip and maybe you can tick off some unique things to do in Romania on the way, such as visiting the fine dining restaurant of La Hambar.