Bulgarian Railways train schedule. Trains in Bulgaria. Train tickets and discounts

Information about iron Bulgaria roads at first hand: types of tickets, fares, calculations of how much it costs to get from Sofia to Burgas and other cities, information about luggage storage, types of cars, photos and descriptions of what Bulgarian trains look like, instructions on how to buy a ticket for Bulgarian trains and other tips

The Bulgarian railway system developed back in Soviet time, and has not undergone much change since then. And if more or less decent new Bulgarian trains are installed on international routes, domestic transportation is served by well-worn trains. In terms of comfort, motor transport seems preferable. For example, on routes between major cities, buses depart hourly. In addition, trains in Bulgaria take a long time, and where a regular train spends less than 5 hours on the road, the railway takes 6-7 hours. True, there is a small gain in money: the price train tickets in Bulgaria is lower than the cost of bus travel. If you can get from Sofia to Burgas by bus for about 24 levs, then the train will cost 21 levs. In addition, you can save money by purchasing a round-trip ticket right away. Such a pass in Bulgaria costs a third less, and, in relation to a voyage from Sofia to Burgas, the entire trip will cost 30 levs.

But not everything is so simple: alas, you will have to save at the expense of comfort. In the bus, at least, there are “airplane” seats, while the seated cars of the Bulgarian railways are deprived of this convenience, and the sleeping cars, which, in theory, can be used at night from Sofia to Varna or Burgas, are equipped with shelves in three rows - that’s another entertainment . In short, I personally am not at all sure whether it is worth traveling around Bulgaria by train. Well, if you really want to, then if you please, here are some guiding threads for you...

The Bulgarian Railways website contains a minimum of information. There is no Russian interface, so we immediately switch to English.

From the entire modest menu, tourists, in fact, need one single item, namely “Timetable”.

As you can see from the example, less than ten trains go from Sofia to Burgas per day, of which only three are direct.

Clicking the "Fares" button allows you to understand how much Bulgarian railway tickets cost.

As you can see from the example, to get to Burgas from Sofia, you will need to pay 21 levs. The fare is reduced if a group of 3 to 6 passengers is traveling.

Now let's look at the question of how to buy tickets for Bulgarian trains online. In general, the Bulgarian railways do not experience an influx of applicants, but it may happen that it will be necessary to make an order in advance. Therefore, we move on to the ticket booking system. It looks like this:

In order to buy a Bulgarian train ticket online, you will need to register by entering your details, including your mobile phone number, which must be entered only in numbers, without a plus at the beginning; As practice shows, Russian numbers are quite suitable. Upon completion of the formalities, a letter with a password will be dropped into the new client’s mailbox, and the email address will serve as the login.

Once you have logged into the system, you can begin the purchasing process. Having selected the departure and arrival stations, the traveler in the next step sees a list of available travel options.

Depending on which Bulgarian railway train the client prefers, different options open up to him. For example, on daytime trains only first and second class seats are available.

Free seats are marked in white, occupied seats are marked in grey.

Night trains of Bulgarian Railways include sleeping cars. Here you can choose either first or second class, as well as the level of comfort. The worst option is three-seater compartments, where the distance between the shelves only allows you to lie down. There is minimal free space in them, and the whole trip will be one continuous nightmare. It’s easier to pay a little extra and travel first class. Well, in this example, the passenger is given the opportunity to decide which of the three shelves he will sleep on, if, of course, he manages to fit in and fall asleep. In any case, whether we are talking about seated or sleeping cars of the Bulgarian railways, after choosing a seat you will need to pay for the order in full. Do it

as easy as pie , fortunately there is nothing to choose a payment method from. When paying, you must enter information about

Upon arrival at the station, you should not expect any frills. While the large stations look decent, the smaller ones are mostly forgotten and abandoned. This is the Burgas train station, and it’s only nice from the outside. There are minimal amenities inside.

The advertisements are clear even without English translation. It’s not for nothing that they say that Bulgarian and Russian are twin brothers...

There are almost no places for people waiting; most people have to wait for the train on the platforms. Luggage storage is not available everywhere: in Burgas it is present, and, for example, those leaving Sofia are better off going to the bus station.

This is nothing more or less than an international train schedule...

But it’s not all bad: in the corner of the hall hangs an electronic display for local flights, looking perfect. In my opinion, the information displayed on it does not need translation...

The best way to wait for departure is in the fresh air...

This is what Bulgarian trains look like upon closer inspection.

Typical Soviet layout adjusted for local flavor.

The coupe looks quite modern, there are even sockets. But don't be fooled by decent appearance: shabby, faded seats remind you of the age of the carriage quite loudly. And, of course, it should be remembered that the entire journey, that is, 6-8 hours, passengers will have to sit opposite each other, without the opportunity to properly stretch their legs.

In a word, Bulgarian trains are far from the best way to move around the country...

Traveling by train in Bulgaria is a unique experience for both the traveler and the railway fan. This mountainous Balkan country has preserved an extensive network of passenger lines, allowing you to travel by train to almost any destination, even the most remote one. locality high in the mountains. Trains and carriages are usually old, rickety and not very clean, and the average age of the rolling stock is clearly older than you and me. But this is also part of the color! Add to this the fantastic Balkan mountains, gorges, waterfalls and snowy peaks along the way and you get a real highlight on the map southern Europe. Unfortunately, all this will not last long - the Bulgarian railways (like the neighboring Greek ones) are extremely inefficient and unprofitable. At the same time, travel costs mere pennies, since BJW is entirely subsidized by the state. Without a doubt, in the very near future the number of lines will be reduced and there will be only three or five main ones between the major cities of the country. Hurry while all this exotic stuff still exists.

Take a look at how extensive the railway network is in this small country. And don't forget that there are mountains there! Almost the entire country is two ridges Balkan mountains, stretching parallel to each other from the border with Serbia and Macedonia and to the Black Sea -

Today we are leaving Bulgaria, but late in the evening. And so we decided to take a ride to some interesting place near Sofia in order to return to the plane in time. Why not see the small town of Vratsa, 80 km north of Sofia, which is interesting for its ice cave, a waterfall and mountains literally towering over it like a wall? These are a lot of picturesque routes for walks and hikes. That's where we'll go.

In principle, tickets can be purchased in advance through the website of the Bulgarian railway BJ, but there is little point in this. Trains are rarely full and there are no problems with purchasing at the ticket office. Just like there are no queues in front of the cash registers. Sofia station is huge and has long been out of proportion to the relatively modest number of people using it -

There are usually no people near the ticket office, since many people prefer to buy a ticket from the conductor, while others have travel cards. The majority of Bulgarians who use trains are people living somewhere in the suburbs and commuting to Sofia for work.

In recent years, the station has been improved; it has become clean and comfortable. When I first came here in 2000, everything was bad: dirt, homeless people, shopping stalls on every corner, pickpockets. Trash, in a word. Having been here once, I no longer wanted to return. Now everything is different -

An underground passage to the tracks where a decade and a half ago whole camps of gypsies lived, and now it’s straight up Europe -

But the trains for the most part have not changed and are still mostly old, covered in graffiti and not very clean inside. Let's take a ride and take a closer look -

Old German carriages, produced back in the seventies -

Creepy passages, dirty and downright smelly -

It's quite comfortable inside, the ventilation works fine. However, in October it is still quite warm and the windows still open while driving -

This is our ticket, it is for three and costs 16.50 leva (8 euros) in total -

Rules for traveling by rail, hanging in every carriage. You can practice your Bulgarian language -

As you guessed correctly, toilets are a weak point in Bulgarian trains. They are as tired of life as the carriages themselves. Take this as a given and if you are an esthete, try to relieve yourself before the trip. But if it’s “hot”, then you can try it -

None of the carriages (well, I looked in three out of seven) had a working drain or hand-washing faucet. There is no paper anywhere either. The moral of this is to take care of wet hand wipes and toilet paper.

The door separating the carriage from the locomotive pulling us is not fixed in any way and is tied to a string -

At each stop, the conductor opens the door, looks out, and if he doesn’t see any hurrying passengers, then he waves his hand to the driver, saying, let’s go -

At the exit from Sofia there are abandoned factories -

But after half an hour they start picturesque mountains and colorful villages -

It’s noticeably cooler in the mountains than in the capital and it’s starting to rain a little -

The stations are almost all old and many of them are completely empty. We stop, a couple of people get out and immediately move on -

And some stations are completely abandoned. Bulgaria is experiencing the most serious demographic crisis today; its population, which stood at exactly 10 million in 1989, has dropped to 7 million today due to low birth rates and mass migration to Western Europe. In the capital of the country, Sofia, as well as in Varna and Plovdiv, the population decline is felt to a lesser extent. Because people from rural areas leave their villages and go to the city. But provincial towns and villages are dying out before our eyes, as well as their railway stations. It's a sad sight -

Mezdra is a fairly large hub city in the north-west of the country. Well, how big? Under communism, about twenty thousand people lived here, today there are not even ten thousand. Here we have a 20-minute stop, the locomotive is being interchanged. It's time to take a walk and see the station -

The most common locomotive in Bulgaria is the good old Skoda -

I said above that our locomotive is being recoupled. This is not entirely accurate. The locomotive just came from the other side and will now pull us in a different direction. First, a few kilometers back where we came from, but then we will go west, to the city of Vratsa -

Mezdra station with waiting room -

Ticket offices -

Colorful schedules, still set manually -

There is poverty and decay all around -

A passing train from Varna on the Black Sea to Sofia -

Today I am the leader of the “expedition”, it’s true -

Vratsa is located fifteen kilometers west of Mezdra, it takes about twenty minutes to drive and here we are. And our train departs north, towards the city of Vidin on the banks of the Danube -

Inside the station there is a mystical darkness and the smell of lack of repair, which is a combination of dust, unclean bodies, a refreshing breeze from the public toilet and... sandwiches. Romance!

But the schedules here, unlike Mezdra, are electronic -

I’ll tell you about this cool town and its attractions separately.

Railways in Bulgaria they are not available everywhere, and no one bothers to build new ones, exploiting the heritage of previous centuries.
Painted train at the station in Varna The first line was built between Ruse and Varna in 1865. Why so far from the capital? Because Bulgaria was part Ottoman Empire, and was not yet the capital. And it was already a large city, the most European in Bulgaria, although its true heyday began a little later. Later, other railway lines began to open, but not everywhere. With direct trains, things are also the same - you have to get to many cities with one, or even two or three transfers, which, of course, is very inconvenient. But it’s okay, over time you get used to the fact that not every major city can be reached comfortably by rail in Bulgaria. Well, nothing, but there are buses.
Trains run not only throughout Bulgaria, but also abroad. Previously, the Moscow-Kyiv-Bucharest-Sofia train ran, and in the summer additional cars were attached to it, which went to Varna and Burgas. Travel time is 2 days, the cost of a ticket in a compartment is 100 euros. It was a good time. Then, it seems, they launched a train that went from Moscow across all of Europe, long and expensive, but for some reason nothing was heard about it for a long time. It is possible that there was simply no one willing to pay for transit visas and spend 52 hours on a long and expensive journey.

Trains

We really liked the electric train. On Russian websites you can read that the Bulgarian railways are morally outdated, and the rolling stock has not been updated for a long time. This is not entirely true. Along with the well-deserved seating carriages, there are sleeping carriages - with nice compartments for 3 people, with washbasins, comfortable stairs, air conditioning and other amenities. We traveled in such a coupe to Sofia in 2014 and were very pleased.
We were terribly scolded at the “sit-down” carriages. They say it’s incredibly dirty there, the smell, the crowd is kind of bad. However, we had very good impressions of the Varna-Plovdiv train, which was very reminiscent of the train to Hogwarts. But I liked the carriages on the Varna-Sofia route much less - they resembled an ordinary train, albeit with toilets and without sellers/singers/beggars. Tickets can be purchased first or second class. The whole difference is in the number of seats in the compartment: in the first class there are 6, and in the second class there are 8. In principle, there is no noticeable difference, as far as we can judge. The class of the carriage is written on the outside.
And between Dobrich and Varna there runs a completely luxurious train with doors that open at the touch of a button and other delights. By the way, stops are announced in it, unlike regular trains. And in general it’s very cozy and beautiful, but the windows are a little dirty. In general, dirty windows are also typical for long-distance trains, but we got the impression that the rest of the cars are quite decent.

Stations

Empty station in Dobrich At the same time, the stations look rather neglected. If Sofia or Plovdiv are normal, then the Dobrich station is a rather sad Soviet-built building, where, judging by the evacuation scheme, there was once a restaurant and shops, but today all that remains of its former luxury are chairs in a dusty waiting room and a couple of working cash desks. There’s not even a proper scoreboard, just a dusty schedule. Varna Station looks more cheerful, there are at least some cafes and kiosks there. And Rusensky made an indelible impression on us. A huge building with echoing and completely empty corridors, some mysterious nooks, giant compartments in a second-class carriage designed for 8 people, empty halls, high ceilings. When we were there, the storage room was closed without explanation, and all the toilets were locked, so we did not have any fondness for this station.
A serious problem of many railway stations and stations is the lack of numbering of platforms. If there is only one platform in Dobrich, you can’t go wrong, but at railway junctions the lack of signs can play a cruel joke, especially if you find yourself at this station for the first time and there is no one to ask. We already had the experience of a little confusion - we got on the wrong train, but, fortunately, we left not far away; everything became clear when checking the tickets. By the way, tickets are checked constantly, the conductor runs the train between all stations. If for some reason you were unable to buy a travel document in advance, the sleeping cars are very pleasant, each compartment has air conditioning, then the conductor will issue it for you.
All information about railways is collected on the BDZ website - http://www.bdz.bg/bg/. Here you can find out the schedule, buy (book) tickets online, and find out all kinds of news. There is also information about discounts. However, when we arrived at the station and began to ask for tickets, armed with this information, we were told that the discounts were not valid. Now we no longer remember what exactly was discussed, maybe we were not prepared correctly. But when writing this article, we tried to buy online ticket from Dobrich to - and nothing came of it. It turns out that Dobrich tickets are not sold online. Moreover, according to reviews, they are not sold online and from other cities. These are the sudden surprises.

Ticket prices

Ticket prices are quite affordable; traveling by train is cheaper than by bus. But usually it takes longer, including due to transplants. Nevertheless, we like this method of travel, if only for the reason that trains travel calmly through tunnels, and do not rush along mountain serpentines, risking falling into the abyss.
Discounts are offered for various reasons (information from the Belarusian Railways website, we cannot guarantee in any way that when purchasing a ticket it will not turn out that today and specifically you will be denied them):

Leisure trips

In addition to normal trains, Belarusian Railways also offers entertainment ones. This interesting trips, which we will probably write about separately. Speaking of entertainment: there is a museum in Ruse railway transport. We didn’t have time to visit there, which we greatly regret, because there are quite interesting exhibits there.

You may also be interested in our other articles:

Vladimir Burakshaev

Here I will present photographs of the rolling stock of the Bulgarian Railway, taken in July 2017. I'll start with Sofia. There is one big one in Sofia Train Station, generating trains to almost all parts of Bulgaria. The station is in many ways reminiscent of Russian stations of the USSR era, built in major cities. Bulgarians do not call it a train station, they call it “zhelezoptna gara”, and small stopping points in Bulgaria are called “spirka”. Whoever goes, it may come in handy. The station has several high platforms and dead ends for commuter trains. Suburban trains presented by new trains from the Siemens plant, quite comfortable, with working toilets and air conditioning. Passenger carriages mainly consist of seated carriages with chairs. Moreover, the seats are available both in the general cabin (as in interregional carriages running across Russia) and in separate 3x3 compartments facing each other; compartments are separated from the corridor by glazed doors. I traveled in both, and it had virtually no effect on the fare. By the way, train in Bulgarian is “vlak”. Trains are designated as follows: KPV (Kraigradski patnicheski vlak) - an analogue of ours commuter train; PV (Patnicheski Vlak) - runs across the territory of Bulgaria at distances of up to 150 kilometers, with stops at all stations; BV (barz vlak) - faster and comfortable trains servicing routes over 200 kilometers long, with a small number of stops; RBV (byrz vlak with long-term reservation) - fast trains with pre-booked tickets; MBV (International Barz Vlak) is an international fast train. (Based on materials from the site http://travelask.ru/bulgaria/vse-o-zheleznoy-doroge-bolgarii)
Like us, there are ticket offices inside the station that sell tickets for all departing trains. The tickets are still paper, with the BJJ logo. Instead of ticket, Bulgarians say “ticket card”. If there is no direct train to the desired station, the ticket office will give you a ticket with a transfer, where both trains will be indicated. There, on the ground floor of the station, there is a timetable. Departure is written “zaminavane”, arrival - “pristigane”. Access to the train platforms is through a tunnel. At small stations like ours, there are pedestrian decks. The path in Bulgarian is “kolovoz”. And now the local Sofian features. Two trains going in opposite directions can be boarded on the same track to the same platform. And the schedule shows, accordingly, the same platform and track twice (opposite different trains). Therefore, before boarding the carriage, you must carefully look at what is written on the route board of the carriage and the class of the carriage. Passenger trains may have 1st and 2nd class carriages; the class is marked with a number on the outer wall of the carriage. Electric trains (ER25) have only 2nd class carriages. The doors in many carriages are opened by the passenger himself during a stop, using a handle, and they close automatically. To drive passenger trains, far from new, but very reliable electric locomotives are used, which in appearance are very reminiscent of ChS2 of the Soviet railways. Only these were alternating current, but ChS2 were constant. Shunting work in Sofia is performed by small shunting electric locomotives. The Sofia-Burgas train with sleeping cars regularly appears at the Sofia station. Very convenient for those who leave Sofia in the evening to arrive in Burgas in the morning. I didn't ride in it. They say that there are not 2 but 3 shelves in the compartment, located one above the other. There are also two steam locomotives at the Sofia station - monuments. One, a tank-steam locomotive, stands on the station square (on the side of the building), the other, a narrow-gauge locomotive, is located inside the station, on the first floor.

Tank locomotive in Sofia near the station.

A narrow gauge steam locomotive with a carriage on the ground floor of the Sofia railway station.

Passenger train at the Sofia station.

Another, slightly less common electric locomotive at the head of a local train.

An electric locomotive performing shunting work at the Sofia station: removing the cars of one of the arriving trains.

Since 1998, the metro has been operating in Sofia, using cars from the Mytishchi Machine-Building Plant, models 81-717.4/714.4 and 81-740.2/741.2 (known in Russia as “Rusich”). There are few of the first, mostly “Rusichs” come across. But for now there is a chance to ride, if you stand and wait. The feeling is like being in my native Moscow metro, as if I had never left anywhere. On this moment There are two lines in the metro, and construction of a third is underway.

Station "Letishche (airport) Sofia" with electric train model 81-717.4/714.4.

Electric train 81-717.4/714.4 at the Lomsko Shosse station.

Electric train model 81-740.2/741.2 at the Lomsko Shosse station.

In addition to Sofia, I visited other stations, including Mezdra, Tsareva Livada, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Ruse, Varna, Carbonat, Burgas. Among the three main railway lines crossing Bulgaria, the most picturesque is the middle one, where there are flat and mountain sections.

An electric locomotive performs maneuvers at Mezdra station.

Passenger train of 2nd and 1st class carriages in Mezdra.

Another steam locomotive monument was discovered at the Tsareva Livada station.

Passenger train at Tsareva Livada station.

In a passenger train carriage.

At the Varna train station.

Diesel locomotive of the Lugansk plant with the Varna - Dobrich train at the Varna station. In the USSR they are known as TE109 and were also used, but in very limited quantities.

Shunting diesel locomotive at Kommunary station.

Electric locomotives at Karnobat station.

At the train station in Burgas.

The Bulgarian Railway has Soviet-built track machines. In particular, DM handcars.

Local graffiti artists pose a serious problem for BJJ. Unfortunately, you don’t often see a completely clean train in Bulgaria. As if on purpose, graffiti artists strive to leave their mark on everything that moves and that stands at a dead end. It's not very easy to fight them yet.

I’ll tell you separately about the trip on the Septemvri - Dobrinishte (Dobrinishte) narrow-gauge railway. This is the only widely known narrow gauge railway in Bulgaria. Track width 760 mm. The road was built in stages: the first section Septemvri - Velingrad was launched in 1922, and the last section - Bansko - Dobrinishte opened in 1945. The route passes through mountain ranges Rila and Rhodopes, 35 tunnels and several viaducts were built along its route. The length of the road is 120 kilometers, a passenger train covers this distance in 5 hours. The line operates with Romanian-made diesel locomotives used to drive trains; there are two diesel locomotives from the Kambarsky Machine-Building Plant, similar to the Russian TU7. The Kambarsky diesel locomotive can be found transporting passenger cars that have arrived from the trip from the platform to the depot. Occasionally, at the request of tourists, retro steam-powered trains are launched on the narrow-gauge railway. For this purpose, several narrow gauge steam locomotives are preserved and maintained in working order at the Septemvri depot.

Septemvri depot. On the right is a Soviet-built narrow-gauge diesel locomotive from the Kambarsky plant.

Yakoruda station. At the station there is a passenger train to Septemvri. There are new comfortable carriages with soft seats and working toilets. I have never seen this before on Russian narrow-gauge railways. But nevertheless, our dear Russian narrow-gauge railways are still miles away.

Razlog station.

Bansko station. From here there is the last stretch to Dobrinishte.

Train station and water pump at Bansko station.

Bansko. Abandoned locomotive.

Bansko. By Russian standards, this is a province. However, the situation is very unusual for the province, as everything is not Russian. I can’t imagine a town or village in the region without wooden huts with chimneys, rickety fences, flowers on the window sills and broken roads that have sunk almost to the ground up to the windows. This is the difference, although Bulgaria is a former socialist, friendly country.

From Bansko you can go by bus to Sofia, it will be faster than by train through Septemvri, or you can return by narrow gauge railway to Septemvri and continue by train east to Plovdiv.