Intercity travel in Iraq: the practical guide

Intercity travel in Iraq runs on shared cars and VIP buses leaving from garages, or by booking online through platforms such as Wb3den Transport where you compare operators, reserve a named seat and get picked up at home. Current fares from Baghdad: Kirkuk and Mosul 25,000 IQD · Erbil and Sulaimaniya 35,000 IQD · Duhok 50,000 IQD per seat, and to Istanbul from about 74,000 IQD.

The traditional way: the garage

Every city has a garage (karaj) where shared cars — a sedan for four or a 14-seat Kia van — leave once full. In Baghdad, northbound and westbound travellers usually go to Al-Alawi garage and southbound travellers to Al-Nahda garage. There are no fixed timetables, you pay the driver in cash, and prices vary with season, time of day and demand.

VIP buses

On long and international lines (Sulaimaniya–Istanbul, Baghdad–Tehran, Baghdad–Mashhad) VIP coaches run with reclining seats, air conditioning, USB ports and sometimes Wi-Fi, on fixed timetables. These are booked in advance by name and are what appears on online booking platforms.

Whole private car

For families and anyone who wants to leave on their own schedule: book a whole car (sedan, SUV, van, VIP) at a fixed door-to-door price. On Wb3den Transport request it from the “Request a private car” page; the price is confirmed on WhatsApp within 30 minutes.

How to book online

1) Open wb3dentransport.com or the app, 2) choose both cities, the date and passenger count, 3) compare trips by price, time and vehicle, 4) pick your seat on the vehicle map, 5) enter your name and phone (and passport for international trips), 6) pay cash on boarding or online, and the QR ticket arrives instantly.

Current prices and durations from Baghdad

Prices are the lowest per-seat fare listed on the platform at the update date; search your date for the final price.

Overland to Türkiye

From Erbil, Sulaimaniya, Kirkuk and Baghdad, 2+1 coaches run to Istanbul, Ankara and Diyarbakır via the Ibrahim Khalil crossing (9 to 26 hours). Passport and a valid Turkish visa required. See the Iraq–Türkiye buses page.

Overland to Iran

From Baghdad, regular departures to Tehran, Qom, Mashhad and Semnan via the Mandali crossing (15 to 29 hours): a minibus to the border, then a VIP coach. Passport required. See the Baghdad–Iran buses page.

Overland to Jordan and Syria

Baghdad–Amman is about 9 hours via Trebil; Baghdad–Damascus about 15 hours via Al-Waleed. Scheduled trips appear when available; private cars are always available.

Practical tips

Always carry your national ID for checkpoints, arrive 15–20 minutes before departure, choose night departures on long lines if you want to arrive in the morning, check the pickup point or home-pickup option in the trip details, and for international trips confirm passport and visa validity before booking.

Frequently asked questions

Useful links