£24+ Cheap flights to Sofia

Getting around Sofia

Sofia’s public transport network of buses, trolleys and trams reaches all corners of the city from early morning to late evening. Buy tickets from street kiosks. Fares are cheap, but one-day and multiple-day tickets will save you even more money. Be prepared and travel with a map, and don’t be afraid to ask locals for help. Despite public transit system’s extensive coverage, stops aren’t well-marked and contain little, if any, information. For a bit more money, you can travel in a private minibus, which is faster than a regular bus. Don’t worry about buying tickets ahead of time, just pay the driver when you board. Calling for a taxi can get lost in translation. Make sure the meter is running and know where you’re going. Drivers expect you to know where you’re going and often need you to give directions. 

Don’t drive in Sofia. With public transport and taxis available, battling the traffic isn’t worth the hassle.

Getting from the airport

Most tourists who take a flight to Sofia will arrive at Sofia International Airport (SOF) which is situated 6 miles (10km) east of the city. Regular bus service runs on a frequent schedule day and night from the bus station close to Arrivals. Taxis are available, and passengers are advised to use O.K. Supertrans taxis from outside the arrivals hall; its enquiries desk is located inside the arrivals hall. Most hotels and tourist resorts run their own airport shuttles.

What is good to know if travelling to Sofia?

• The main sights of the city are concentrated around Aleksander Batenberg Square, Narodno Sabranie Square and Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard. The area is paved with yellow bricks, which were a wedding present from an Austro-Hungarian Emperor to a Bulgarian Tsar.
• If you like places of worship, Sofia is the place for you. The city has several, the best known being the Alexander Nevski Memorial Church. It was built in the early 1900s to honour the Russian soldiers who died trying to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule during the War of Liberation in 1878. The interior is gorgeous with frescoes and woodcarvings by Bulgarian and Russian artists.
• Next to it is the church of Saint Sofia. The Russian church, St. Nicholas, is beautiful with gilded domes. There are also the Orthodox Church of St. Nedelia, the Central Synagogue and Banya Bashi Mosque. Finally, St George Rotunda is said to be the oldest building in Sofia. It dates back to the 4th century. It’s a museum and is listed by Unesco as is the medieval Boyana Church, whose interior is covered with scenes from the bible and paintings of saints.
• Zhenski pazar or “women’s market” is to be found between Slivnitsa Boulevard and Ekzarh Yosif Street on Stefan Stambolov Boulevard. A daily market selling food, flowers, clothes and more. The Tsentralni Hali (Central Food Halls) is beautiful with impressive 20th-century ironwork. It underwent a three-year renovation fairly recently and offers a modern version of the bazaar-shopping experience. It’s a nice place to shop for foodstuffs, have a coffee and soak up the atmosphere.
• Borissovata Gradina is Sofia’s central park. The Ariana Lake, Vassil Levski National Stadium and Bulgarian Army Stadium is there. There are also open-air swimming pools. Yuzhen Park (the Southern Park) is Sofia’s second-largest park, and has several children’s playgrounds.

Sofia airport overview

Originally built in the late 1930s, Sofia Airport received a major facelift in the past few years with the addition of the spacious and modern Terminal 2. A hub for several Eastern European-based airlines such as Bulgaria Air, BH Air and Wizz Air, flights to Sofia Airport now bring in more than three million passengers every year.

With daily flights to many major European cities such as London, Frankfurt, Zurich and Athens, passengers from all over the world can enjoy a bit of Bulgarian hospitality, whether it’s by sampling local cuisine or conversing with the friendly airport staff. Even the ticketing counters are cheery, with brightly coloured mosaics.

The largest airport in Bulgaria, Sofia is a gateway to the natural delights of the country, from the peaks of the Balkan Mountains to the sandy beaches of the Black Sea resorts.