By train
There are two daily trains from Istanbulâs Sirkeci station one at 8:30AM in the morning, and the other at 3:50PM in the afternoon. Both arrives in Edirne about four hours later. Trains from Europe to Istanbul also call at the station.
The main station signed as Edirne Gar on the station building lies about 4 km east of downtown, close to the main avenue heading eastern suburbs of the city which is also the main highway to Istanbul. However, all trains to Edirne drive onward west to Kapıkule main borderpost on Bulgarian border and call at Edirne Åehir station on the way, too, which is little more than a platform next to the rail tracks, lying less than a kilometre away from downtown to southwest, on the edge of the old quarter Kaleiçi and close to the banks of Tundzha.
By bus
Easiest way to reach to Edirne is by bus from Istanbul. Departures are at any time with a fare of some â¬10 and a trip of two hours, although stiff competition between the bus companies may sometimes result in fares as low as 10 TL â¬5 pp. Bus station in Edirne is located way out of the city but free service midibuses will take you to the city center.
There are no direct buses to Bulgaria. It is, however, possible to take a taxi to Kapikule on the Bulgarian border. From there one can sometimes wave over a bus traveling on to Plovdiv and Sofia. Another approach could be to walk across the border and take a bus or train from Kapitan Andreevo on the Bulgarian side of the border.
By plane
Of the nearby airports, the most convenient is Atatürk International in Istanbul, which has flights from all inhabited continents and a metro line providing an easy connection to main bus station otogar.
By car
The city is on the main highways linking Turkey and Europe road numbers: toll-free D100 and toll-road/motorway O-3/E80. A drive takes no more than two hours from Istanbul 224 km away to Edirne on the motorway, even less if you drive very fast. The main European-Turkish border post Kapikule/Kapitan Andreevo between Turkey and Bulgaria, SE of Svilengrad is about 15-20 km away from the city, while less significant Pazarkule border post between Turkey and Greece, north of Orestiada is even nearer.
By ship
While it's theoretically possible for even large ships to enter the Maritsa River from the Aegean Sea and navigate upriver up to Edirne which was indeed common during the time of Romans, the intense border area through which the river flows makes any use of any kind of water transportation impractical.