Pogradec to Ardahan by train
Travel from Pogradec (Albania) to Ardahan (Turkey) by train (1845km): schedule and information to the train connection. Compare fares and buy your ticket.
To travel by train from Pogradec in Albania to Ardahan in Turkey, the main route leads via Macedonia and Bulgaria. Please read the following information and blog posts.
Your travel route could be like that.
1845 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 Pogradec to Ardahan, 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
Ardahan - Pogradec / Tirana - Ankara / Tirana - Izmir / Tirana - Adana / Tirana - Bursa1 Pogradec (Albania) - Skopje (Macedonia) - Sofia (Bulgaria) - Istanbul (Turkey) - Ardahan (Turkey)
The route consist of more than one step. You have to buy several train tickets.
Where to buy a ticket from Pogradec to Skopje?
Check times&prices 
The following links could be interesting for you.
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Skopje - Pogradec / Tirana - Skopje / Tirana - Ohrid
1b Travelling from Skopje (Macedonia) to Sofia (Bulgaria)
Travel from North Macedonia to Bulgaria by bus, as there is no direct train connection available. If you want to travel by train, you have to travel a detour either via Serbia or Greece.
Travel by train from Macedonia via Serbia to Bulgaria: travel from Skopje to Niš. And from Niš to Sofia.
Travel by train from Macedonia via Greece to Bulgaria: travel from Skopje to Thessaloniki. And from Thessaloniki to Sofia.
The train journey will take much longer. Therefore direct bus connections from Skopje to Sofia or other destination might be the best choice for you.
The bus ticket fare from Skopje to Sofia is 15 EUR. The journey time is 4:30 hours.
Where to buy a ticket from Skopje 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.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Brzi (B)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
B 334 Thessaloniki - Belgrade / B335 Belgrade - Thessaloniki
train company:
MŽ Македонски Железници
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Sofia - Skopje / Ohrid - Sofia / Skopje - Plovdiv
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn
1c Travelling from Sofia (Bulgaria) to Istanbul (Turkey)
Travel from Sofia to Istanbul by direct overnight train. The daily train has a journey time of 11 hours. Train tickets start from 29 EUR.
The departure time in Sofia is 18:30 and the arrival time in Istanbul is 05:30. Buy your train ticket locally at the railway station of Sofia. 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 at the border, you have to get out of the train with all your luggage put it through an X-ray machine.
The arrival station is Istanbul Halkali which is located 25 kilometres outside of the historic city centre. Get by Marmaray suburban train in direction of the city centre, to the old Istanbul Sirkeci 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 want to continue your journey in direction of Ankara, continue by Marmaray suburban train until the station "Söğütlüçeşme. Here is the departure of the high-speed-trains to Ankara.
Where to buy a ticket from Sofia to Istanbul?
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
Istanbul - Sofia
1d Travelling from Istanbul (Turkey) to Ardahan (Turkey)
To travel in Turkey by train, buy your ticket via the given booking links or locally at a train station. Via the links you also find schedules and ticket prices.
Turkey offers high-speed trains and long-distance trains which run overnight.
If no train connection is available, travel by one of the many bus connections. Bus tickets are also available via the booking links.
Where to buy a ticket from Istanbul to Ardahan?
The following links could be interesting for you.
train types: Train types you are likely to travel with.
Optima Express (OPEX) / Standard (TCDD)
night train: Night trains that might be suitable for this trip.
Bosfor Istanbul - Bucharest / D 81032 Istanbul - Sofia
bus: Bus connections that might be helpful.
Istanbul - Athens / Istanbul - Thessaloniki
train company:
TCDD Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Devlet Demiryolları / METU Metro Turizm
train connections: popular connections travelled by other users
Ardahan - Istanbul / Istanbul - Ankara / Istanbul - Izmir / Istanbul - Kars / Istanbul - Samsun / Istanbul - Edirne / Ankara - Istanbul / Ankara - Izmir / Ankara - Kars / Izmir - Ankara / Izmir - Istanbul
search for train schedules here: Online timetable information, on which you can find relevant, up-to-date connections.
rail.cc Deutsche Bahn
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Do you have questions about the connection between Pogradec and Ardahan? Does something not work as it should? Just ask in our forum and get competent answers from our rail travel experts.
