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How to get to Plovdiv

Traveling from Sofia to Plovdiv, you can rent a car, take a taxi, the public bus or rail transport. The distance between the two cities is 130 km. You can take this distance for hour and a half by car and about two hours by bus along Trakia highway. The express train reaches Plovdiv for 2 hours and 15 minutes, and the fast train - for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Some international flights are with destination Varna and Burgas. The distance from Varna to Plovdiv is 398 km along the first - class roads E87 and E773, and from Burgas to Plovdiv – 260 km along the first-class road E773. Travel time from Varna to Plovdiv by car is about 5 hours and from Burgas to Plovdiv is – about 3 hours and 30 minutes. By bus and express train travel time is by about one hour longer each way.

Arrivals to Bulgaria by car or bus from Western and Central Europe cross the country`s western border predominantly via the Kalotina and Gyueshevo border checkpoints. The rout from Kalotina to Plovdiv is 204 km along the first –class road E80 via Dragoman and Sofia, and from Gyueshevo to Plovdiv is 221 km along first –class road E871 via Kyustendil, Pernik and Sofia.

Most of the car and bus transport across Romania to Bulgaria is along the Danube Bridge that links the cities of Giurgiu / Romania / and Ruse / Bulgaria / - the main Bulgarian river port on the Danube. The distance from Ruse to Plovdiv is 299 km via Byala and Veliko Tarnovo along the first-class road E85q and via Gabrovo, the Shipka mountain pass, the Valley of Roses and Karlovo along road № 64.

The access from Greece to Plovdiv is via the Kulata, Kapitan Petko voyvoda and Ilinden border checkpoints. The distances are correlative: Kulata t- Plovdiv i- 260 km along the first –class road E79, Plovdiv - Kapitan Petko voyvoda – 164 km and Ilinden – Plovdiv – 190 km.

Travellers from Turkey to Plovdiv cross at the check borders Kapitan Andreevo – 160 km to Plovdiv, at the Malko Tarnovo – 291 km to Plovdiv and at the Lesovo – 194 km to Plovdiv. The distance from Istanbul to Plovdiv is 400 km.

International passenger railway transport to Plovdiv is part of the train schedules from Western Europe to Istanbul and the Middle East.