Transportation

From Sofia Airport (SOF), the easiest way into the city is Metro Line 1 (M1), which connects directly to Terminal 2 and reaches the centre in about 20 minutes. City buses also serve the airport, and taxis are available, but use an official rank (OK Supertrans) or a ride-hailing app to avoid overcharging.

Sofia has an integrated network of metro (3 lines), trams, trolleybuses and buses, run by the Sofia Urban Mobility Centre (Sofiatraffic). It is cheap and covers the city well. Buy tickets from machines, kiosks or the app, and validate paper tickets on board. Signs are often in Cyrillic, so a translation app helps.

Sofia uses a public transport card (an Ultralight card) plus single tickets. You can load a card at metro stations and kiosks, or buy single/day passes. Tap the card at the readers or validate paper tickets on board. Contactless bank cards are increasingly accepted on the metro and buses.

The state railway BDZ (Bulgarian State Railways / БДЖ) links Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas; it is cheap but often slow. Long-distance coaches such as Union Ivkoni and Biomet are well developed, usually faster and frequent. Book buses ahead in summer for the Black Sea coast, and note that station names and signs are often in Cyrillic.

The country is medium-sized, so domestic flights are limited, though carriers such as Bulgaria Air fly Sofia to Varna and Burgas, saving time to the Black Sea coast in summer. For most trips, buses and trains are cheaper and cover the country well, so flying is only worth it when you are short on time.

Learn to read a few Cyrillic letters so you can match station names and destinations, or use a translation app that reads Cyrillic. Buy motorway e-vignettes before you drive toll roads, and avoid taxi overcharging by using apps like TaxiMe. For the Black Sea coast, long-distance buses are frequent and convenient in summer.