Kazanluk Transportation

The bus and railway stations are situated across each other south of the city centre. Local buses 4 and 6 will take you into the centre, otherwise it wouldn't take more than 5 - 10 min to walk.

The Sofia- Kazanluk bus schedule -in English - is here:
It is a bit outdated (2008) so you will have to double check the schedule.

http://www.blackseaestates.net/myfolder/Travel%20in%20bulgaria/sofia%20kazanlak%20bus%20schedule.htm

The train schedule is here:
http://www.bgrazpisanie.com/indexen45.php?lang=en

Kazanluk is situated about halfway on the Sofia-Burgas line. Three trains per day travel into each direction.
The bus station is just opposite the train station with good connections all bigger towns. Tickets usually can be purchased either in advance at the station or directly from the driver.

The bus station from Plovdiv to Kazanluk is the North station, Sever Avtogar

There are 2 in the morning at 0700 and at 1330. More later in the day. The trip takes ~2 hours.

Be aware - the bus station in Kazanluk does not appear to be a large city station. No signs!
It looks like a small town on a busy thoroughfare (highway).
I wouldn't have recognized it if a very nice lady didn't tell me that this was the Kazanluk station!

The driver stopped off about 1/2 way into the trip to buy a bunch of tomato plants!!
Seems he is a local man - talked to some of the passengers quite familiarly.

Here is a picture of a local double bus from Kazanlak. Prices vary from destination to destination. It's common also for people to give away their tickets to the next person.

Like on a train, a person comes from end of the bus to the other asking for tickets. You can enter the bus from either the front or rear.
These buses only travel within the same town.

There are other buses that travel to different towns all over the country

Tickets can be purchased at the bus station, airport and also on the bus.

Here is a picture of the local bus station in Kazanlak. Here you can catch most local buses & buses going through out the country.

All buses run on time tables that can be found at the station and also by asking locals.

Here is a few time shedules:

Kazanlak to Plodiv: 12pm
Kazanlak to Sofia: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm & 4pm

From here you can take a bus to:
Varna
Stara Zagora
Shipka
Gabrovo
Veliko Turnavo

I took the train at 7:50 from one of the trainstations in Sofia - Poduyane - which is near my flat. The train was late for 5-10 minutes already and when it finally arrived in Kazanluk it was late for 40 minutes.
There are several train 'categories' of trains in Bulgaria - the fastest one is 'express', the next one is 'fast train'(burz vlak) and the last very slow train is called 'travellers train'(putnicheski vlak). The one I was travelled with was from the second category. The trains from this category are usually the old machines used years ago as express trains. Nowadays the cabines of the express trains look similar to the ones in Germany, where the waggon is not separated into several cabines. In the last years I travelled only with the express trains so it was an interesting experience to travel in a fast train again, where there are 8-10 cabines in a waggon. On the way to Kazanluk there was a group of mountain hikers in the cabine so I was listening to their conversation (and trying not to laugh to their jokes, at times without success). And I was sorry that I don't have such friends who like going in the mountain to join them.
On the back way the train was late for about an hour.

Near the bus station in Kazanluk, there is a small mini van depot with vans only to Stara Zagora. Here you can catch a mini van to different towns. Van fit 8 to 10 people per van. Tickets are purchased the moment you arrive at the van. The vans are mostly van with the occasial blue. They have written on the front windsheild their distanation. Price is 2 leves. (Price date June 2004).

4 more images

This the Kazanlak Train Station. You can also take the train from here to other cities around Bulgaria.

*Prices may differ depending on the time you travel.