Istanbul to Berlin by train
Travel from Istanbul (Turkey) to Berlin (Germany) by train (1739km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
Travel from Istanbul in Turkey to Berlin in Germany by train. The ticket fare starts from 130 EUR. The journey time is from 50 hours. You have two travel routes. From Istanbul (Turkey) to Bucharest (Romania) or via Sofia (Bulgaria) to Belgrade (Serbia). Continue from there via Vienna (Austria) to Berlin. Please read our detailed travel information with schedules and ticket fares.
There are two main routes. Compare them and decide which one feeds your needs best.
- 1Istanbul (Turkey) - Bucharest (Romania) - Vienna (Austria) - Berlin (Germany)
- 2Istanbul (Turkey) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Belgrade (Serbia) - Budapest (Hungary) - Berlin (Germany)
1739 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 Istanbul to Berlin, 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
Berlin - Istanbul / Istanbul - Hamburg / Istanbul - Munich / Istanbul - Mannheim / Istanbul - Stuttgart / Istanbul - Dortmund / Ankara - Berlin / Ankara - Munich / Ankara - Hamburg / Izmir - Berlin1 Istanbul (Turkey) - Bucharest (Romania) - Vienna (Austria) - Berlin (Germany)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
1a Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Bucharest (Romania)
Travel from Istanbul to Bucharest by direct overnight train. The daily overnight train has a journey time of 20:30 hours. The train ticket fare is 49 EUR.
At off-season (October to May) you have to leave the overnight train in Dimitrovgrad (Bulgaria) at 04:30 in the morning and continue your journey via Gorna Oryahovitsa and Ruse to Bucharest.
The direct overnight train Istanbul to Bucharest departs at Istanbul Halkali station at 21:40 and arrives in Bucharest at 17:00. Buy your train ticket locally at the Istanbul Sirkeci train station (ticket window 4). This is not the departure station Istanbul Halkali.
The ticket price is 38 EUR plus a supplement of 11 EUR for a berth in a 4 person compartment.
In off-season buy a ticket Istanbul to Dimitrovgrad. And the other tickets locally at the stations where you have enough time, at least one hour in Dimitrovgrad, Gorna Oryahovitsa and Ruse. It is also possible to buy the ticket in the train from the conductor.
The departure station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Buy your ticket for the overnight train at Istanbul Sirkeci railway station and get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Halkali 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 come by train from Ankara, the Marmaray suburban train station is "Söğütlüçeşme". From there you get directly to "Istanbul Sirkeci" (buy the overnight train ticket) and on to "Istanbul Halkali" (departure of the overnight train).
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Bucharest?
Check times&prices 
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Bucharest - Istanbul / Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Bucharest - Istanbul
1b Travelling from Bucharest (Romania) to Vienna (Austria)
Travel from Bucharest to Vienna by overnight train. The journey time is 18:20 hours. Train ticket fares start from 49 EUR.
The overnight train "Dacia" (EN346) is comfortable and the recommended way of travel. There are the following service classes available:
- standard seats. Ticket fares from 49 EUR.
- couchettes: compartments with berths for 4 or 6 passengers. Ticket fares from 59 EUR.
- sleeper-wagon: private compartments with beds for 1 to 3 passengers and washbasin. Optional you can book these compartments with private shower and toilet. Ticket fares from 79 EUR for a bed in a 3-persons-compartment. And from 159 EUR for a private sleeper-compartment only for yourself.
The departure time in Bucharest is 14:00 and the arrival time in Vienna is 08:20.
Beside this direct overnight train you can travel first by overnight train from Bucharest to Budapest. In Budapest you change trains to Railjet day train to Vienna.
All in all it is a recommended rail trip trough the beautiful scenery trough the Carpathian mountains and Transylvania.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Bucharest to Vienna?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Railjet (RJ)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
EN 346 Bucharest - Vienna / EN 347 Vienna - Bucharest / EN 473 Budapest - Bucharest / EN 472 Bucharest - Budapest
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Vienna - Bucharest
1c Travelling from Vienna (Austria) to Berlin (Germany)
Travel from Vienna to Berlin by direct ICE and Railjet day train connection. Or more comfortable by "ÖBB nightjet" overnight train.
The journey time by ICE train connection is 7:45 hours. Train tickets are available from 37 EUR. The departure times in Vienna are 10:15 and 13:10. The arrival times in Berlin main station are at 18:00 and 22:00.
The overnight train "ÖBB nightjet" NJ456 offers the following service classes:
- Seats. Tickets fares from 29 EUR.
- Couchettes: compartments with berths for 4 or 6 passengers. Tickets fares from 49 EUR.
- Sleeper-car: private compartments for 1 to 3 passengers with washing basin and optional private shower and toilet. Tickets fares from 69 EUR.
The journey time is 11:40 hours. The departure time in Vienna is 22:10. The arrival time in Berlin is 09:50.
Find the exact train schedules and book your tickets via the given booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Vienna to Berlin?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
IntercityExpress (ICE) / Railjet (RJ) / EuroCity (EC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
ÖBB nightjet NJ456 Vienna - Berlin / ÖBB nightjet NJ457 Berlin - Vienna
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Berlin - Vienna
2 Istanbul (Turkey) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Belgrade (Serbia) - Budapest (Hungary) - Berlin (Germany)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
2a Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Sofia (Bulgaria)
Travel from Istanbul to Sofia by direct overnight train. The daily train has a journey time of 12 hours. Train tickets start from 29 EUR.
The train departure time in Istanbul Halkali station is at 21:40 and the arrival time in Sofia is 08:40. Buy your train ticket locally at the Istanbul Sirkeci train station (ticket window 4). This is not the departure station Istanbul Halkali. 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 there is a control at the border.
The departure station Istanbul Halkali is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Buy your ticket for the overnight train at Istanbul Sirkeci railway station and get by Marmaray suburban train directly to Istanbul Halkali 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 come by train from Ankara, the Marmaray suburban train station is "Söğütlüçeşme". From there you get directly to "Istanbul Sirkeci" (buy the overnight train ticket) and on to "Istanbul Halkali" (departure of the overnight train).
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Sofia?
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.
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
Sofia - Istanbul
2b Travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Belgrade (Serbia)
Travel from Sofia to Belgrade by direct day train connection. In off-season (October to May) you have to change trains in Dimitrovgrad and Niš. Sometimes an overnight train is offered as well.
The journey time from Sofia to Belgrade by direct day train is 09:15 hours. Train tickets are available from 21 EUR in 2nd class. Buy your ticket locally at the railway station. The departure time in Sofia is 09:15. The arrival time in Belgrade (Topcider) is 18:30.
If no direct train is available, you have to travel in several steps:
1. Sofia to Niš.
2. Niš to Dimitrovgrad.
3. Dimitrovgrad to Belgrade.
Find the exact schedules via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Sofia to Belgrade?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Belgrade - Sofia
2c Travelling from Belgrade (Serbia) to Budapest (Hungary)
Travel from Serbia to Hungary by direct train on the route from Belgrade, Novi Sad to Budapest.
There are saver fare tickets available from 15 EUR.
2021: the direct route Belgrade, Novi Sad to Budapest is under construction. The best option is to travel by train from Belgrade to Zagreb and from Zagreb to Budapest if you want to avoid changes and buses.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your train tickets via the given booking websites.
Where to buy a ticket from Belgrade to Budapest?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
EuroCity (EC)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
B340 Belgrade - Budapest
train company:
MÁV Magyar Államvasutak - MÁV START
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Budapest - Belgrade / Novi Sad - Budapest
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn
2d Travelling from Budapest (Hungary) to Berlin (Germany)
Travel from Budapest to Berlin by train. Train tickets start from 29 EUR. A comfortable overnight train is available. The journey time by the direct day train is 11 hours.
The night train offers as cheapest category seats from 29 EUR. More comfortable is a berth in compartments for 4 or 6 persons. Or a sleeper compartment which you can book for one to three persons. The departure time in Budapest is 19:30. The arrival time in Berlin is 09:15.
Train ticket fares for the direct day train start from 46,90 EUR. The departure time in Budapest is 07:40. The arrival time in Berlin is 18:40.
Find the exact train schedules and buy your ticket via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Budapest to Berlin?
The following links could be interesting for you.
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
EN 40457 Berlin - Budapest / EN 40476 Budapest - Berlin
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Berlin - Budapest
Need a cheap place to sleep? We recommend booking.com
Find a cheap flight! Compare prices on Kiwi.com
Do you have questions about the connection between Istanbul and Berlin? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
Eurail: if you want to travel this route by Eurail instead of train tickets, have a look here for reservation fees and further information.
