Public Transport in Sofia
Public Transport Hours And Costs, How To Get From The Airport To The City And More
Quick Links: From the airport to Sofia center | From the main rail/bus station to Sofia center | From the airport to the main rail/bus station
Being the largest city in Bulgaria, Sofia is also the most chaotically organized, and sometimes it may take you up to 2-3 hours to get from one part of it to another one. This page aims to save you some of the hassle you may have transporting yourself in Sofia.
A typical bus in Sofia (Mladost neighborhood)
Prices and Hours Of The Urban Transport In Sofia
The current price of the single ticket is BGN 1 (equals €0.5). You can use the ticket from the first stop to the last stop of the vehicle you enter (metro, bus, trolley, or tram). You must have a ticket before jumping in the vehicle, although this is not obvious. Drivers usually sell tickets inside, at the same price, but you can't always be sure that the drivers will have tickets on hand, and don't hope too much that they'll speak English. Once you are inside make sure to punch your ticket.
Tickets are sold from kiosks near the bus stops which are available almost everywhere in the center (and not so often outside of it). If you plan to travel more than once in short period of time, there are some options to save money:
| Document type | Cost in BGN |
|---|---|
| Single ticket | 1.00 |
| 1 ground + 1 metro travel This ticket is usable in interval of 60 minutes | 1.60 |
| A batch of 10 tickets ("Talon") Keep the last ticket from the set until you use it. Don't share tickets of the same set with other persons. | 8.00 |
| 1 day pass Unlimited journeys for 1 person in the entire urban transport system. | 4.00 |
| 5 days pass Unlimited journeys for 1 person in the entire urban transport system. | 15.00 |
| 1 month pass Unlimited journeys on a single route (line number) | 23.00 |
| 1 month pass Unlimited journeys on all routes (entire system) | 50.00 |
It's important to know that the still working network of mini-buses (so called "marshrutka") is not included in the public urban transport tarrif. If you want to use marshutka, you need to pay inside the vehicle and there are no passes of any kind.
The rail system is also used to cover some intercity routes, but they are less popular and mostly in the periphery of Sofia. If such journeys are within your plans have in mind that they are also not included in the passes or tickets and have to be paid apart.
Single tickets and 10 ticket batches for the ground transport do not work in the subway and vice-versa. You need either entire-system pass or to buy tickets apart.
Approximate hours when urban Transport in Sofia works are between 4:30 and 23:30. There are few buses run after 23:30, but in general you should not rely on using public transport after this hour. The interval between the cars differs a lot in different lines and time of the day, but with very few exceptions (peripheral buses) it's between 5 and 20 minutes.
Tram, Bus, Metro, Trolley, Marshrutka - What to choose how to use it?
In most cases the different means of transportation in Sofia cover different routes. So it's not exactly a question of choice but a question of where you want to go. In the cases where you do have a choice, here is what we recommend in the given order:
- Metro/Subway. Metro trains are still clean and less crowded, except in the peak hours. Using the subway is the fastest way to get from point A to point B. The subway stations are clean, comfortable, and have free wi-fi hotspots. Do use the subway in Sofia always when you have a chance. Here's a map of Sofia Metro Community. The site is a bit pathetic and you may get some error messages and broken encoding, but the map should work.
- Trams. Trams cover mostly the central parts of the city and few of the neighborhoods. Many of the trams go to the main rail and bus station. Trams are relatively comfortable and fast, although subway remains better choice.
- Trolleys. Yes, we have some of these strange things in Sofia. They cover some of the routes in the center. If you've never riden a trolley, have in mind you must either have a seat or clung to a handle as they tend to change speed sharply.
- Coaches (Buses). Everything that's not covered by other means is covered by buses, plus some overlaps. Buses are often dirty and crowded but they are the only way to reach the airport (except taxis of course), many neighborhoods and most of the peripheral suburbs.
- Mini-buses (marshrutka) Small seats, uncomfortable ride, higher price, risky driving - if you enjoy this, use marshrutka. Otherwise skip them. They are supposed to be suspended from the public transportation system soon anyway. Update from 2015: I think they are no-more at least in most places of the city.
Note that the numbers of the lines aren't the same for the different vehicles. So tram number 1 and bus number 1 go to entirely different routes.
Of course, you can always use taxis. The price per km is around BGN 0.80 / €0.40. Be careful and do check the price before jumping in because there are some cheaters who are way out of the given range. If you get involved into a harsh dispute about the price with a taxi driver immediately call police (dial number 112).
Below we'll give you details how to travel the most important distances. Taxis, provided they are not cheaters, are affordable option and cost between &eur;5 and &eur;10 for these routes. But you can do it much cheaper:
From the airport to the Sofia center
Update from April 2015: The subway now goes from Sofia center to the airport. This is the best and fastest way to go to the city.
From the airport get bus number 84 and drop at the last stop - the Sofia University. From there you can reach most points of the city by going to the main street Vasil Levski or going in the subway station which is at the other side of the university building.
Take the same bus from the university to get to the airport. See more details about this route here.
From the rail/bus station to the Sofia center
The main rail and bus stations are very close to each other. If you arrive at the bus station, walk (5 minutes) to the rail station because most of the stops are there.
Getting to the city center is actually very easy, because most of the routes go through it. To get to NDK or Sheraton Hotel take tram 1 or 7. To reach Orlov Most or Hotel Pliska take bus number 213, 214, 305, 313 or 404.
Since September 2012 you can easily reach NDK from the Central Railway Metro Station. This is the best and fastest route so if NDK is a good place for you, use it.
From the airport to the station
Update from April 2015: The subway now goes from Sofia center to the airport. This is the best and fastest way to go to the city.
Use bus 84 from the airpot and get off at Hotel Pliska stop. This should be the 12th stop from the airport. At Hotel Pliska just take bus 213, 214, 305, 313 or 404 from the same stop and you'll be on the station. The total time of travel will be 60 - 90 minutes, but allow 120 in case you travel in peak hours. The total cost will be 2 tickets which means €1.
To reach the airport if you are coming from the main rail station just do the opposite - take bus 213, 214, 305, 313 or 404 and take off at Hotel Pliska stop. From there take bus 84 to the airport.
Cycling in Sofia
Check out the page about cycling in Sofia.