Istanbul to Bulgaria: time difference
Bulgaria is 1 h behind Istanbul. Live clocks for both, the working hours they share, and how each one sits against your own time.
Your time
One day, 2 clocks
Drag along the band to read any hour in every place at once.
Istanbul 23:30 11:30 PM Bulgaria 22:30 10:30 PM You –:–
23:30 11:30 PM
Türkiye Standard Time · UTC+3
☀️ 07:41 · 🌙 17:56
22:30 10:30 PM
Eastern European Standard Time · UTC+2
☀️ 07:07 · 🌙 17:15
·
−1 h
Bulgaria is 1 h behind Istanbul.
When you, Istanbul and Bulgaria are all at the desk
Pick the working hours below – the window every location shares appears once your time zone is known.
Working hours
🇹🇷 Istanbul
0 12 AM 1 1 AM 2 2 AM 3 3 AM 4 4 AM 5 5 AM 6 6 AM 7 7 AM 8 8 AM 9 9 AM 10 10 AM 11 11 AM 12 12 PM 13 1 PM 14 2 PM 15 3 PM 16 4 PM 17 5 PM 18 6 PM 19 7 PM 20 8 PM 21 9 PM 22 10 PM 23 11 PM
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
23 11 PM 0 12 AM 1 1 AM 2 2 AM 3 3 AM 4 4 AM 5 5 AM 6 6 AM 7 7 AM 8 8 AM 9 9 AM 10 10 AM 11 11 AM 12 12 PM 13 1 PM 14 2 PM 15 3 PM 16 4 PM 17 5 PM 18 6 PM 19 7 PM 20 8 PM 21 9 PM 22 10 PM
📍 Your time
- Asleep
- Early
- Working hours
- Evening
- Both working
- Right now
Time zones side by side
| Detail | 🇹🇷 Istanbul | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria |
|---|---|---|
| Local time | 23:30 | 22:30 |
| Local date | Friday, November 6, 2026 | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
| Time zone | Türkiye Standard Time | Eastern European Standard Time |
| UTC offset | UTC+3 | UTC+2 |
| Offset from Istanbul | — | −1 h |
| IANA zone | Europe/Istanbul | Europe/Sofia |
| Daylight saving | Not observed | On standard time → UTC+3, Mar 28, 04:00 |
| Sunrise | 07:41 | 07:07 |
| Sunset | 17:56 | 17:15 |
| Daylight | 10 h 15 min | 10 h 8 min |
| People on this clock | 15,701,602 | 6,795,803 |
Compare Istanbul with another city
More comparisons with Istanbul: the time zones next to it and the far side of the clock.
Big time differences
Istanbul and Bulgaria: common questions
How far behind Istanbul is Bulgaria?
Bulgaria is 1 hour behind Istanbul: UTC+2 against UTC+3.
What time is it in Bulgaria at the start of the working day in Istanbul?
The working day in Istanbul starts at 9:00 AM; in Bulgaria it is 8:00 AM at that moment.
What time is it in Bulgaria when it is 6:00 PM in Istanbul?
When it is 6:00 PM in Istanbul, it is 5:00 PM in Bulgaria.
When is a good time to call Bulgaria from Istanbul?
Between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM in Istanbul – that is 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Bulgaria – both places are within working hours (9:00 AM–6:00 PM).
When is it still the previous day in Bulgaria?
Until 1:00 AM in Istanbul it is still the previous day in Bulgaria. The other way round, from 11:00 PM in Bulgaria it is already the next day in Istanbul.
Does the time gap between Istanbul and Bulgaria change during the year?
Yes – daylight saving time is used in Bulgaria but not in Istanbul. From March 28, 2027, Bulgaria and Istanbul will have the same time.
