Country info: Bulgaria (България)

Rail companies: BDZ (Български Държавни Железници)

Bulgarian Rail Network Map

Currency: 1 euro = app. 1.95 Bulgarian Lev (BGN)

Train travel in Bulgaria: train types, tickets, fares, discounts & other useful info

National Train Service:

Train types in Bulgaria: Suburban, Passenger, Fast & International trains 

• Suburban (marked as КПВ or 'Sub' on BDZ website) - suburban trains (крайградски пътнически влак), no seat reservation requires
• Passenger (marked as ПВ or 'Ord' on BDZ website) – passenger trains (пътнически влак) on medium & long distance route, no reservation required
• Fast (marked as БВ or 'Fast' on BDZ website) – fast trains (бърз влак) serving long distance routes, seat reservation not compulsory, but possible (0.5 BGN)
• Fast* (marked as RБВ or 'Exp' on BDZ website) – fast trains (бърз влак съ задължителна резервация) serving long distance routes featuring higher tariff applies & compulsory seat reservation (0.5 BGN), most of RБВ trains also have a special name (like 'Rhodopes', 'Golden Sands', 'Seagull' etc.). Previously this category of trains were known as express trains or ускорен бърз влак
• International (marked as МБВ or 'Int' on BDZ website) – international trains (международен бърз влак), seat reservation not compulsory, but possible (0.5 BGN)

Couchette & Sleeper reservation fares on Bulgarian trains: 4 BGN for couchette, 8 BGN for 3 bed sleeper, 10 BGN for double sleeper (NB: 1st class ticket required) & 15 BGN for single sleeper

Majority of Bulgarian domestic tickets are sold only 5 days in advance, but for holidays period and summer season advance sale starts 20 days in advance

 Discounts, special offers & ways to save money for passengers traveling in Bulgaria (BDZ):

1. Purchase of return ticket gives passenger 10% discount from standard ticket price
2. For fast trains on certain routes BDZ gives even greater 20% discount, same 20% discount applies for suburban journey <50 km during weekend & public holidays
3. Groups of 3 to 6 passengers receive 15 % discount for one-way tickets on all Bulgarian trains

International Train Service:

a) Regular discounts

SET tariff (valid for rail journeys between the members of South-East Europe Railways Group (SERG), which are the railway companies of Albania, Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro & Republika Srpska (ZRS)

Passengers can also take advantage of special Multilateral Agreement between a number of Central European railway companies. It allows to get 30% (or 40% for youth<26 years old and 50% for groups more than 6 passengers) discount from regular SCIC-NRT/TCV tariff fare on any return ticket purchased for connections between countries participants of the tariff Agreement (Czech Republic (CD), Hungary (MAV), Romania (CFR), Poland (PKP), Slovakia (ZSSK), Bulgaria (BDZ), Serbia (ZS) and FYR Macedonia (MZ)

Though at the same time potential passengers need to be careful and also consider possible bilateral agreements between Bulgarian Railways (BDZ) and rail companies in other countries (those might be cheaper at the end). In case of Bulgaria it's cheaper to purchase tickets to Serbia, Turkey and Romania using different discount (SET tariff)

b) Special offers (SparSchiene)

'Munich Special' (via Serbia, Hungary and Austria): 373,17 BGN (via Passau) and 357,53 BGN (via Salzburg)

c) CityStars

• Bulgaria-Germany (via Serbia, Hungary and Austria): without use of ICE trains - 465,49 BGN (1 adult passenger), 698,23 BGN (2 passengers) etc.; with use of ICE trains - 508,52 BGN (1 passenger) & 762,77 (2 passengers) etc.
  
• Bulgaria-Austria (via Serbia, Hungary): OeBB <100km: 1 adult passenger – 207,32 BGN, 2 passengers – 310,98 BGN etc.; OeBB >100km<400km: 1 passenger – 254,26 BGN, 2 passengers – 381,39 BGN etc. & OeBB >400km: 1 passenger – 263,65 BGN, 2 passengers – 395,47 BGN etc.
  
• Bulgaria-Czech Republic (via Romania, Hungary and Slovakia): CD <100km: 1 adult passenger – 310,98 BGN, 2 passengers – 466,47 BGN etc.; CD >100km<300km: 1 passenger – 354,01 BGN, 2 passengers – 531,01 BGN etc. & CD >301km: 1 passenger – 391,17 BGN, 2 passengers – 586,75 BGN etc.
  
• Bulgaria-Slovakia (via Romania, Hungary): 273,82 BGN (1 adult passenger), 410,72 (2 passengers) etc.
• Bulgaria-Hungary (via Romania): 221,01 BGN (1 adult passenger), 331,51 (2 passengers) etc.
• Bulgaria-Hungary (via Serbia): BDZ<70km-MAV<210km: 154,51 BGN (1 adult passenger), 231,77 BGN (2 passengers) etc.; BDZ>71km-MAV>211km: 185,80 BGN (1 adult passenger), 278,71 BGN (2 passengers) etc. Also available CityStars BDZ<70km-MAV>210km & BDZ>71km-MAV<210km
• Bulgaria-Greece (Thessaloniki): BDZ<220km (50.07BGN – one person and 75.1BGN – two; 37.94BGN for one student and 56.91BGN for two) etc. RAIL SERVICE TO GREECE SUSPENDED
  
• Bulgaria-Greece (Athens): BDZ<220km (131.04BGN – one person and 196.56GN – two; 98.96BGN for one student and 148.45BGN for two) etc.  RAIL SERVICE TO GREECE SUSPENDED
• Bulgaria-Ukraine (via Romania): UZ<750km: 281,64 BGN (1 adult passenger), 422,46 BGN (2 passengers) etc. & UZ>751km: 328,58 BGN (1 adult passenger), 492,87 BGN (2 passengers) etc.
• Bulgaria-Russia (via Romania, Ukraine) – RZD<1500km (293.37BGN one person and 440.06BGN - two); UZ>1500km (348.14BGN one person and 522.21BGN - two) CityStar to Russia is not offered since December 2012
  

One of the major deals for domestic and international train travels in the region is Balkan Flexi Pass (special pass offer for journeys in the area of south-east Europe). Balkan Flexi Pass (validity period of one month) allows unlimited number of rail journeys during of 5, 7, 10 or 15 days on rail networks of Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Turkey, Serbia & Montenegro 

Balkan Flexi Pass prices (2^nd class):

It is also possible to purchase Rail Plus Card in Bulgaria, it gives the card holder 25% discount on any international ticket for train journeys between many countries in Europe. Rail Plus Card prices: <26 and >60 – 30 BGN and 80 BGN for passengers between 26 & 60 years old

How to Buy Train Tickets in Bulgaria:

At the moment it is not possible to purchase neither domestic, nor international tickets online directly from BDZ, so for ticket purchase potential passengers will have to visit BDZ ticket counter

Do you still have further questions or want to share your own travel experience? You are welcome on our Forum page
 

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