Istanbul to Berlin by car

2,200 km, about 23 hours of driving, 7 countries. Estimated total €330 (one way).

What this estimate assumes

Diesel, 6.5 l/100 km, 2 people, one way, passenger car (class 1), a 14-day trip. Starting from the European side of İstanbul — the Bosphorus charge depends on which bank you set off from.

Calculate for your own car

Total estimated cost

€330

Fuel
€266
Tolls
€64
Per person
€165
Per km (fuel only)
€0.12
Per km (tolls included)
€0.15
Distance
2,200 km
Duration
22 h 49 min

All amounts are estimates and do not replace official tariffs. · Data as of: 2026-08-17

Return trip

€660

Exactly twice the one-way figure. No vignette on this route lasts long enough to cover a 14-day return, so each direction buys its own.

What each country charges

  • Turkey: a closed motorway system, €3.42 by entry and exit gate.
  • Bulgaria: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €5.30 for this trip.
  • Serbia: charged by the kilometre; €23 over 533 km.
  • Hungary: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €15 for this trip.
  • Slovakia: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €8.10 for this trip.
  • Czechia: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €9.54 for this trip.
  • Germany: no motorway charge for a car.

Country breakdown

CountryDistanceFuelTolls
Turkey257 km€2416.7 L × €1.42€3.42
  • Europe Motorway (O-3): Mahmutbey → Edirne€2.99
  • Other motorway sections (28 km, estimated)€0.43
Part of this country's motorway toll is estimated from the distance driven rather than read from a published gate price, so the real figure may differ somewhat.
Kapıkule – Kapitan Andreevo
BulgariaThe vignette is required on most first-class national roads, not just motorways. Prices include the increase of 1 August 2026. The weekend vignette is valid only from Friday 12:00 to Sunday 23:59.351 km€4022.8 L × €1.77€5.30
  • 1-day e-vignette€5.30
Kalotina – Gradina
Serbia533 km€6834.7 L × €1.95€23
  • Dimitrovgrad–Horgoš transit€23
Horgoš – Röszke
HungaryPrices taken from the official nemzetiutdij.hu e-matrica tariff effective 1 January 2026.351 km€4322.8 L × €1.87€15
  • 1-day vignette (D1)€15
Hungary → Slovakia border crossing
Slovakia79 km€9.395.1 L × €1.83€8.10
  • 1-day e-vignette€8.10
Slovakia → Czechia border crossing
Czechia378 km€4524.6 L × €1.85€9.54
  • 1-day e-vignette€9.54
Czechia → Germany border crossing
GermanyGerman motorways are free for cars. Some cities require an emissions badge (Umweltplakette).247 km€3616.1 L × €2.27€0Free

Lines naming a toll plaza are the published price of a plaza the route actually drives through. Lines reading "tolled road" have their distance measured from the route but charge a national average rate; lines reading "motorway (assumed)" assume the distance too, because plaza-level data does not exist yet for that country. Bridge, tunnel, vignette and published transit prices are actual prices.

About this route

The flagship of the diaspora corridor and the reason this site exists. Out through Kapıkule, then Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia — not the familiar Austrian line; this is what comes out fastest. Four of the five sell vignettes and no two on the same terms, so which you buy depends on how long the trip lasts, while Serbia charges by the kilometre at a booth and is the single dearest crossing on the way. Motorway charges stop at the German border for a car, but a litre there costs about twice what it does in Turkey — the expense changes hands rather than going away.

What this figure leaves out

Accommodation, food, waiting at borders, tyres and wear, green card insurance, parking. Only fuel and the charges on the road itself are counted.

Other routes

Route geometry measured on 2026-08-25. Prices are recalculated from current data on every deployment. · estimate