Sofia, Bulgaria’s historic capital city, is definitely an up and coming destination. With an increase in low-cost flights from other parts of Europe, as well as some serious investment in tourist sites and infrastructure, it may still be a little off your radar – but it’s time to look a bit closer! With affordable accommodation to match the great airfares, it’s the perfect budget destination; and if you’re looking to get to your city accommodation without breaking the bank, look no further than the city’s cheap and efficient metro line for the perfect Sofia airport transfer.
But arriving in a new city can be daunting at the best of times. How easy is it to use the metro as soon as you step off the plane? Well, the good news is that getting to and from Sofia airport by metro is pretty straightforward. Read on for your step-by-step guide…
IMPORTANT: The metro runs from 5am to midnight, however the shuttle bus between terminals only runs from 7am to 7pm. If you are arriving into Terminal 1, this means that this option is only viable if you will arrive between these times, otherwise you should plan to use buses or taxis to reach the city centre, or pre-book your Sofia airport transfers with a specialist company. This is not a problem at Terminal 2, which you can reach at any time during metro operating hours.
Arriving in Terminal 1
On your exit from the plane, you will be taken by shuttle bus to the terminal building where you will pass first through immigration. If you are an EU national, your passport will not be stamped. EU citizens with national identity cards can enter Bulgaria using these rather than their passports. (If you are not an EU national, check with your country’s Bulgarian embassy for details of any visa requirements).
Shortly after passport control, you will collect your luggage before passing through to the arrivals area. You will need Bulgarian currency (leva) for your metro ticket, so head to the left as you exit, up the ramp by the car rental desks, and you will see an ATM to your right. If you prefer to exchange cash, there is a bureau de change in the baggage reclaim area at both terminals.
Exit the terminal using the main doors, and head for the shuttle bus stop which is located almost directly in front of you, across the dropoff lane. Look for the glass and chrome bus stop and the “SHUTTLE BUS T1 <—–> T2” sign (it is written in English). The Sofia airport shuttle bus departs every half hour at .00 and .30, and is free to use. It will take you directly to Terminal 2 in about 10 minutes, and there is no other stop in between. The terminals are some distance apart through city streets, so unfortunately it’s not possible to walk from one to the other if you find you’ve just missed a bus.
On arrival at Terminal 2, disembark and look for the metro entrance to the right of where the bus has dropped you off.
Arriving in Terminal 2
If your flight lands at Terminal 2, your journey just got a whole lot simpler. Once you have passed through immigration and baggage reclaim, simply exit the terminal through the main doors and turn left. Walk along the front of the building until you see the metro stop straight ahead of you.
Taking the metro to the city centre
Head into the station and look for the ticket machine, on your left as you approach the main concourse. There is another ATM next to the ticket machine if you didn’t use the one in the airport terminal.
To buy a ticket, select your preferred language on the ticket machine (yes, English is available!), and press the button for a single journey ticket. Enter coins or a banknote to the correct value (currently 1.60 leva in December 2017); the ticket and change will drop into the tray below the machine.
View Comments (14)
I did this too and it was so easy! The only thing we didn’t know was that the shuttle bus btwn terminals runs every half hour so we had to wait a while for it to come. We would have timed our trip to the airport better had we known. So helpful that you provided that specific info!
I was definitely glad I had the information! I was lucky, I had to sprint for the bus when I arrived because it was already waiting, so I knew to research the times for the way back! Glad you found it as easy as I did, though.
That's super handy! I've been thinking of visiting Sofia for a long time now, as soon as I see there are some cheap flights on dates that I'm available, I'll go straigt away! Great to know there's a cheap way to get to the city center, otherwise you always have to pay for a taxi and that can be annoying if you try to travel on a budget...
Yes, it's the most budget-friendly airport transfer I've ever found! Sofia is great for a budget break, and there are loads of cheap/cheapish day trips you can do from there as well. Definitely worth a look.
Hehe so glad to see a post about my own country! And to be honest, the most confusing part about the Sofia tube is the only place where you can change lines!! I've lived in Madrid, Munich, I've been to London 5 times and never had any issues with their tubes, but ours is... oh well :D Great guide, thank you for sharing!
Haha yes, fair point! I found the Sofia metro super easy, but the only transfer point is really practical for tourists. I can see it would be more of a pain for locals though!
This is really useful information. It is always so daunting in a new place to know what to expect and where to begin. Sofia is on our list but we were planning to taxi from the airport but I think we may revise that now - thank you!!
Oh, don't taxi unless you're really on a luxury break! The metro is so easy, and you can spend the money on a great meal instead, haha!
I love detailed instructions like this, they come in so handy, because like you said in a new city it's nice to know. I'm hoping when I visit my flight lands in Terminal 2! Pinning this for future reference.
Yes, definitely Terminal 2 is easier! But the bus really isn't so bad, and it IS free...
Informative though.
Loved the way you shared the details.
Thanks, Jill for writing about it.
I was just doing some more research for our trip to Sofia in December and your post popped up. Unfortunately we're arriving around 8pm so will have to use a taxi - which we'll book in advance as apparently there are lots of rip off ones that look the same as the official ones! We'll be able to use the metro on our way back though so it's useful to know what time the shuttle bus is - this is a great post as it's so detailed, we plan our holidays with military precision so that's really helpful.
So glad it’s helpful to you!!
A piece of advice for all the guests of the Bulgarian capital.
Public transportation is cheap, but the private transportation services are also quite affordable.
You can also use the local taxi service, just make sure you book it at the airport arrivals taxi kiosk, or in advance. When booking at the airport, you will get a honest taxi, but the driver will not speak English or accept foreign currencies. When booking in advance with a local airport transfer provider, you know the price in advance, and your driver will speak English. They will also accept credit cards, and the regular taxi driver will mostly likely tell you that the "machine is broken"