Eastern Thrace

By train

The only line out of Istanbul’s European station Sirkeci splits into two near Babaeski, one of them continues towards Bulgaria and the other one towards Greece, there is at least one daily train both local and international operating in each line. As the railline wasn’t laid down as straight as the highways, train journeys take more time than bus/car travel.

By Bus/Minibus

All cities in the region are connected to each other by bus, and smaller towns have minibus connections to nearby bigger towns and cities.

There are also many relatively long-haul inter-town dolmuş lines in the region started recently, such as between Keşan and Çerkezköy via Tekirdağ and Çorlu or between Gelibolu and Silivri, via Tekirdağ and Marmara Ereğlisi. These are faster and slightly more expensive than buses.

By car

The main highways of the region radiate out of Istanbul and generally follow a straight line towards Greek and Bulgarian borders, and Aegean Sea. Here is a list of the road numbers of main highways of the region and the notable towns and cities located along:

D100

Istanbul – Silivri – Corlu – Luleburgaz – Babaeski – Edirne to Bulgaria

O-3/E80

toll-road follows more or less the same route with D100 except that it avoids city and town centres, only providing exits to them.

D110/E84

after splitting from D100 near Silivri: Marmara Ereglisi – Tekirdag – Keşan to Greece as D110/E90

D550/E87

after splitting from D100 near Edirne: Uzunkopru – Keşan – Gallipoli to Çanakkale as D550/E87/E90

D555/E87

after splitting from D100 near Babaeski: Kirklareli to Bulgaria

All roads in the region, even those leading to far away villages, are sealed, although pavement quality and road breadth varies according to how important and busy the road is.