{"id":119,"date":"2026-08-15T17:40:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T17:40:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/?page_id=119"},"modified":"2026-08-16T17:47:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T17:47:58","slug":"bulgaria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/bulgaria\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulgaria to T\u00fcrkiye"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"119\" class=\"elementor elementor-119\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d510f8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d510f8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c915d9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"1c915d9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div id=\"moc\">\n\n<style>\n#moc .facts{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin-top:34px;font-size:15.5px}\n#moc .facts th,#moc .facts td{text-align:left;padding:15px 18px;border-bottom:1px solid var(--line);vertical-align:top}\n#moc .facts th{width:230px;font-weight:600;color:var(--ink);white-space:nowrap}\n#moc .facts td{color:var(--gray)}\n#moc .facts tr:last-child th,#moc .facts tr:last-child td{border-bottom:0}\n#moc .tblwrap{overflow-x:auto}\n@media(max-width:600px){\n  #moc .facts th{width:auto;display:block;border-bottom:0;padding-bottom:2px}\n  #moc .facts td{display:block;padding-top:0}\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<section class=\"phero\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">Destinations \u00b7 Bulgaria<\/p>\n    <h1>From Bulgaria to T\u00fcrkiye \u2014 <em>your neighbour, properly explained<\/em>.<\/h1>\n    <p>You can drive here. That is the whole difference, and it comes with a set of\n       practicalities nobody puts on a travel website. We will.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"acts\">\n      <a class=\"btn btn-primary\" href=\"\/ro\/contact\/#quote-form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Plan my trip<\/a>\n      <a class=\"btn btn-ghost\" href=\"\/ro\/\">Back to home<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"sec\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">The short version<\/p>\n    <h2>Bulgaria to T\u00fcrkiye at a glance<\/h2>\n    <div class=\"tblwrap\">\n      <table class=\"facts\">\n        <tr><th>Visa<\/th><td>Bulgarian citizens travel to T\u00fcrkiye <b>visa-free<\/b> for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Non-EU passport holders resident in Bulgaria have different rules \u2014 tell us your passport and we confirm before you book.<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><th>By road<\/th><td>Sofia to \u0130stanbul is about <b>550 km, 5\u20136 hours<\/b> of driving plus the border. Plovdiv is closer, Burgas closer still to Edirne. Direct coaches run daily from Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna.<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><th>By air<\/th><td>Sofia to \u0130stanbul is <b>1h 10<\/b> \u2014 barely long enough for a drink. Varna and Burgas also have services in season.<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><th>The border<\/th><td><b>Kapitan Andreevo \/ Kap\u0131kule<\/b> is one of the busiest land crossings in Europe. See the section below \u2014 this is the part that ruins trips.<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><th>Time difference<\/th><td>Same clock in summer. T\u00fcrkiye is <b>1 hour ahead<\/b> in winter, because T\u00fcrkiye does not change its clocks and Bulgaria does.<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><th>Money<\/th><td>Turkish lira (TRY). Whether you are carrying euro or lev, change it <b>in T\u00fcrkiye<\/b> \u2014 the rate at the border and at Bulgarian exchange offices is consistently worse.<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr><th>Best months<\/th><td><b>April\u2013June<\/b> and <b>September\u2013October<\/b>. Avoid the last week of July and all of August at the land border if you can possibly help it.<\/td><\/tr>\n      <\/table>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"sec sec-sand\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">Driving in \u2014 read this properly<\/p>\n    <h2>The border is the trip. Plan it, or it plans you.<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"lead\">Kap\u0131kule can be twenty minutes or it can be six hours. The difference is\n       mostly timing and paperwork, and both are within your control.<\/p>\n\n    <div class=\"g3\">\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83d\udd50<\/div>\n        <h3>When to cross<\/h3>\n        <p>Early morning on a weekday is fastest. The worst windows are Friday evenings, Sunday\n           returns, public holidays, and the whole of August when Turkish families living in\n           Europe drive home.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83d\udcc4<\/div>\n        <h3>What the car needs<\/h3>\n        <p>Vehicle registration, a <b>Green Card<\/b> valid for T\u00fcrkiye, and a letter of authority\n           if the car is not in your name. Without the Green Card you buy insurance at the border\n           and lose an hour.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83d\udee3\ufe0f<\/div>\n        <h3>Tolls<\/h3>\n        <p>Turkish motorways use the electronic <b>HGS<\/b> system \u2014 there are no cash booths.\n           Buy a sticker at the border or at a post office, or you will be fined by post.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div class=\"note\">\n      <p><b>Also worth knowing:<\/b> your car stays registered against your passport while it is in\n         T\u00fcrkiye. You cannot fly home and leave it here casually, and you cannot lend it to\n         someone else. If your plans might change, tell us before you drive in \u2014 it is far easier\n         to solve in advance than at the exit gate.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"sec\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">Unde merg oamenii<\/p>\n    <h2>Four trips that make sense from Bulgaria<\/h2>\n    <div class=\"g4\">\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83d\udd4c<\/div>\n        <h3>Edirne<\/h3>\n        <p>Twenty minutes past the border. Selimiye Mosque is a UNESCO site and genuinely one of\n           the great buildings in the world. A day trip that costs almost nothing.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83d\udecd\ufe0f<\/div>\n        <h3>Shopping<\/h3>\n        <p>The reason many Bulgarians cross in the first place. Edirne for a day, \u0130stanbul for a\n           weekend. We arrange the driver so nobody carries bags on a coach.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83c\udfd9\ufe0f<\/div>\n        <h3>Istanbul<\/h3>\n        <p>Close enough for a long weekend, big enough for a week. One hour by air from Sofia.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"card\">\n        <div class=\"ico\">\ud83c\udfd6\ufe0f<\/div>\n        <h3>The Aegean coast<\/h3>\n        <p>Further, but a very different sea from the Black Sea coast you already have at home.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"sec sec-sand\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">Health cover<\/p>\n    <h2>Your EHIC does not work here.<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"lead\">T\u00fcrkiye is not in the EU or the EEA, so the European Health Insurance Card\n       gives you no cover at all \u2014 not partial cover, none. The fact that you can drive here in\n       five hours makes people forget they have left the EU.<\/p>\n\n    <ul class=\"inc\">\n      <li><b>Travel insurance<\/b><span>Inexpensive, and it should include medical treatment and repatriation.<\/span><\/li>\n      <li><b>Declare pre-existing conditions<\/b><span>An undeclared condition is the usual reason a claim is refused.<\/span><\/li>\n      <li><b>Green Card is not health cover<\/b><span>It insures the car, not you. Two completely different documents.<\/span><\/li>\n      <li><b>Planned treatment<\/b><span>Not covered by travel insurance either \u2014 see <a href=\"\/ro\/medical-travel\/\">medical travel<\/a>.<\/span><\/li>\n    <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"sec\">\n  <div class=\"narrow\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">\u00centreb\u0103ri<\/p>\n    <h2>Before you write<\/h2>\n    <details open>\n      <summary>Should I drive or fly?<\/summary>\n      <p>From Sofia for a weekend in \u0130stanbul, fly \u2014 it is an hour, and you do not want a car in\n         \u0130stanbul anyway. Drive if you are going to Edirne, travelling with a big family, or\n         bringing back more than you can carry.<\/p>\n    <\/details>\n    <details>\n      <summary>How long does the border really take?<\/summary>\n      <p>Anywhere from twenty minutes to several hours. Early on a weekday morning it is usually\n         quick. In August it can be genuinely bad. We will tell you honestly which day to pick.<\/p>\n    <\/details>\n    <details>\n      <summary>Can I use my Bulgarian driving licence?<\/summary>\n      <p>Yes. Driving between cities is straightforward; driving inside \u0130stanbul is not, and most\n         visitors park the car and take a driver for the city part.<\/p>\n    <\/details>\n    <details>\n      <summary>Will my phone work?<\/summary>\n      <p>T\u00fcrkiye is outside the EU, so EU roaming rules do not apply and Bulgarian roaming charges\n         here can be high. Check your tariff, or buy a Turkish SIM \u2014 we can arrange one.<\/p>\n    <\/details>\n    <details>\n      <summary>Do you speak Bulgarian?<\/summary>\n      <p>Not in our office, no \u2014 we will not pretend otherwise. We work in English and Turkish,\n         and arrange Bulgarian-speaking guides when a trip needs one.<\/p>\n    <\/details>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"sec endcta\">\n  <div class=\"wrap\">\n    <p class=\"eyebrow\">\u00cencepe\u021bi de aici<\/p>\n    <h2>Driving or flying?<\/h2>\n    <p class=\"lead\" style=\"text-align:center\">Tell us which, and when. The advice changes completely depending on the answer.<\/p>\n    <div class=\"acts\">\n      <a class=\"btn btn-primary\" href=\"\/ro\/contact\/#quote-form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Solicit\u0103 o ofert\u0103<\/a>\n      <a class=\"btn btn-ghost\" href=\"mailto:info@moctravel.com\">info@moctravel.com<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n    <p class=\"legal\">\n      <b>MOC Health Turism<\/b> \u2014 Licen\u021b\u0103 de func\u021bionare a agen\u021biei de turism din categoria A <b>nr. 13801<\/b>\n      (Ministerul Culturii \u0219i Turismului, Legea nr. 1618, \u00een vigoare din 2022).\n      Verifica\u021bi la <a href=\"https:\/\/online.tursab.org.tr\/tr-tr\/seyahat-acentasi-arama\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">online.tursab.org.tr<\/a><br>\n      \u015eirinevler Mah. Meri\u00e7 Sok. Toyak \u0130\u015f Merkezi No: 11 \/ 612, Bah\u00e7elievler \/ \u0130stanbul \u00b7 +90 536 568 17 96<br>\n      Operated by Bookinhospital.com Dan\u0131\u015fmanl\u0131k ve Ticaret Ltd. \u015eti. \u00b7 MERS\u0130S 0179135604700001<br>\n      Visa, border, vehicle and insurance information is general guidance and can change.\n      We confirm the current rules for your passport and vehicle before any booking is made.\n    <\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Destinations \u00b7 Bulgaria From Bulgaria to T\u00fcrkiye \u2014 your neighbour, properly explained. You can drive here. That is the whole difference, and it comes with a set of practicalities nobody puts on a travel website. We will. Plan my trip Back to home The short version Bulgaria to T\u00fcrkiye at a glance Visa Bulgarian citizens [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-119","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","travel-monster-post","no-post-thumbnail","latest_post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":268,"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/119\/revisions\/268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moctravel.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}