Getting from Sofia Airport to the city centre and travelling around town

There are three available transport options from Sofia Airport to the city centre: by taxi, metro or public bus. In town there are also trams and trolleybuses. Buying and validating tickets for all ground means of transportation is the same.

By taxi

A taxi ride to the city centre of Sofia costs approximately €9 (BGN17.6) and the journey takes about 25 minutes on average. Taxis are located at both Sofia Airport terminals. To get a ride, approach the company desks in the Arrivals Hall of Terminals 1 and 2 and arrange a taxi ride. Collect your slip and head to the taxi ranks following the yellow markings on the floor. Once you’re at the taxi ranks, board a vehicle showing the driver your slip and they will take you to your destination. In case something goes wrong with your ride, you can refer back to the slip collected at the counters to ask for assistance.

The airport is operated by OK Supertrans AD. Avoid using non-authorised taxi drivers and operators at Sofia Airport and any verbal negotiations with drivers. Keep to the instructions above. Keep the taxi ride slip until after you have arrived at your destination to make sure the driver follows your instructions and charges you fairly.

Public transport

A single trip for all kinds of mass transit costs €0.80 (BGN1.60). A daily farе is €2.00 (BGN4.00). Besides buying a ticket at the designated desks and kiosks, you can use a contactless bank card to make the payment by placing the card on the card reader at the doors of the vehicle (buses, trolleybuses, trams) or at the entrance barriers (metro). If you use the same bank card for multiple trips, it is charged until you reach the daily limit of €2.00 (BGN4.00) after which your travel is free.

Paper tickets for the ground public transport must be punched at the devices in the vehicle. If a ticket inspector enters the vehicle/car, you must show your paper ticket; if you have used a debit or credit card to pay the fare, you should show your card, which the inspector will swipe with a device he or she carries.

By metro

If you land at Terminal 2, you need to walk to the metro station (about 20 metres to the left from the main entrance/exit, metro station at the airport is above ground). If you land at Terminal 1, there is a free shuttle service to leaving every 30 minutes from T1 to T2 between 7am-7pm (schedule).

Metro trains leave approximately every 15 minutes and the journey to the city centre take about 25 minutes. The metro network operates from 5am to midnight daily (schedule). You can buy a ticket from the cashier desks and the automatic ticket machines at the Airport Metro Station. It should be validated at the barriers at the entrance to the metro station where you enter the metro network. The ticket is valid for the entire network so you can use the same ticket for transfer to other lines.

Serdika station is one of the most central stations in downtown Sofia, but you may need to get off at a different stop so check in advance which station is most convenient for you.

By bus

There are two buses from Sofia Airport to the city centre: 84 and 184. Both buses follow the same route to the city centre, where you need to get off the bus at General Gurko Street next to Knyazheska Garden. The journey duration is 40 minutes and buses leave the airport daily, every 30 minutes on average, passing by both terminals.

You can purchase a bus ticket from kiosks and machines at Sofia Airport Arrivals Hall. There’s also an Urban Mobility Centre in Terminal 2, where you can purchase tickets and ask for help.

Buses stop at both Sofia Airport terminals, right outside the Arrivals Hall as you exit the building. You can request more information at the kiosks.

Transport info provided by Sofia Airport.

More useful transportat info.

COVID-19 and travelling to Bulgaria

Updated 1 September 2022

As of 1 May 2022 all COVID-19 related travel restrictions have been lifted. From this date on, all the arriving passengers are no longer obliged to provide COVID-19 related documents (i.e., COVID-19 vaccination certificates, COVID-19 recovery certificates, COVID-19 medical examinations) in order for them to be allowed to enter the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria. Read more

Covid-19 testing is available at Sofia Airport (check the right-most option Covid laboratories on the yellow bar at the very top of the Airport’s homepage for more info) as well as at a number of labs in town.

Please consult your country’s authorities for information about requirements for re-entry from Bulgaria. Let us know if you need assistance locally. You can contact us at clib2022@dcl.bas.bg.

Sofia: Masks are not required in open spaces, in closed public spaces or public transport. You need to wear one at hospitals, pharmacies, optician’s, social institutions (such as retirement homes).