Sofia Transport

You just landed, so now it is time to get to your hotel or favourite destination in Sofia... which may be harder than expected. 

Here are some trips for foreigners to help them travel in Sofia. 

Use the Public Transport

You can find info about the busses, trams and trolleybuses on the following link (Sofia Urban Mobility Center) The single ride costs 1.60 BGN (about 0.85 EUR) and is valid for a single ride with a single vehicle. If you carry larger suitcases, these are also subject to a charge (you should use a regular 1.60 BGN single ride ticket for these). 

If you plan to travel more, you can get a daily ride card for 4.00 BGN (about 2 EUR) (only sold in the specialized kiosks). This card is valid for all means of transportation, but to use it for the subway lines, you need to present it to the cashiers at the entrance for additional validation (free of charge). Another alternative is to buy a combined ticket for 10 rides. This is valid for busses, trolleybuses and trams only. And only a single person can travel with that ticket (e.g. you cannot validate 2 tickets from the same 10-ride ticket if you are a group of two - each must possess their own 10 ride ticket and use the tickets in ascending order- i.e. keep ticket number 10 for last use). 

If you want to buy a combined subway card for 10 rides - a separate chip card is needed. This is sold only in the subway kiosks and you cannot use it for other means of travel. 

You should validate your ticket once you get on the bus/tram/trolleybus. There are punchers (validators) located across the vehicle. In the subways you need to use special subway tickets with a barcode which is validated on the entry in the stations. Be careful, as the single-ride tickets for the subway are valid for entry ONLY for 15 minutes after you buy them (so you cannot buy several of them in advance). This is not the case with the 10-ride chip cards which may be used whenever you want. Keep your ticket, as there are regular checks inside the trains. 

Children under 7 years travel free of charge. Baby strollers are also excluded from fees. We strongly recommend that you always travel with a valid ticket. The penalty fee is 40 BGN (21 EUR) and must be paid cash in BGN to the controllers. Most of the ticket selling kiosks accept only cash (BGN only). Tickets are sold either on specialized kiosks (or some newspaper stands) and by the bus drivers (often the bus drivers do NOT have any tickets to sell, thus you'd better get your tickets before you get on the board). 

Use the subway

You can get almost anywhere, you skip the traffic jams (and believe us, there are huge traffic jams in Sofia, especially 8-10 am and 4-8 pm), you save time and you can enjoy your trip. 

If you need to get a taxi, beware!

See our article for a safe taxi ride in Sofia.

We would be happy to hear about your experience with the public transport in Sofia in the comments below!