Bulgaria
Public Transport
Major cities like Sofia, Varna, Burgas have comprehensive public transportation systems, including buses, trams, trolleys and metro systems.
There are four international airports in the country - Sofia Airport, Burgas Airport, Varna Airport and Plovdiv Airport. The ports along the Danube and the Black Sea are the most important for Bulgaria's water transport system. The two largest of these are the Port of Varna and the Port of Burgas.
Bulgarian Railways operates passenger and freight services. The passenger service is provided by the railway company BDZ Desire. Cargo is transported by DB Schenker Rail Bulgaria.
Public Transport in Sofia
Public transport in Sofia consists of an extensive network of bus, trolleybus, tram and metro lines. Sofia is the only city in Bulgaria that operates four types of public transport.
Metro
Sofia is the only city in Bulgaria that has a metro. There are four lines with 47 metro stations.
30+ transfer
A ticket allowing travel with transfers within 30 minutes of the first validation
1.60 BGN
24 hour pass
24 hour pass for all line types - day and night transport
6.00 BGN
60+ transfer
A ticket allowing travel with transfers within 60 minutes of the first validation
2.20 BGN
72 hour pass
72 hour pass all line types including night transport
15.00 BGN
Daily pass
One day subscription pass for the whole network of the public transport.
4.00 BGN
Sofia City card
Monthly pass for single overground line
One month subscription pass valid for single overground line. 28.00 BGN
Monthly pass for metro
One month subscription pass valid for all metro lines.
42.00 BGN
Monthly pass
One month subscription pass for all lines. 70.00 BGN
Yearly pass incl. night transport
One year subscription pass for all lines including night transport 600.00 BGN
Tram
All tariffs and cards are valid for travel on all types of transport in Sofia.
Tram map in Sofia
Bus
Buses
Lines 84 and 384
These are the two lines that can take you from and to the airport, respectively Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. Line 84 will take you to the city center, while 384 changes to the metro at Mladost 1.
Lines 94 and 280
These two lines will take you to the student city of Sofia (Studentski grad), a place that never sleeps. If you are studying at one of the local universities or want to party, these lines are your best and cheapest way to get there.
Line 72
This is one of the most famous bus lines in the capital, known by the “true locals”. The line is really busy because it also stops at important landmarks such as the Military Hospital, the National Palace of Culture, the National Stadium and the Pliska Hotel.
Line 213
This line directly connects the city centre with the central bus and train stations, and also provides a connection to one of the capital's largest and most populous areas, Mladost.
Line 64
It goes to the Boyana area, home to the National History Museum. Also nearby is the Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a truly beautiful waterfall (Bojana Waterfall). The ride to the final stop takes you to the foot of Mount Vitosha, right next to the Bay Krastyo ski lift, which takes a four-hour hike to the top of the mountain in just 20 minutes.
Varna
Determining the route
Purchasing a ticket
Burgas
Public transport in Burgas is a well-developed and convenient means of transportation that will quickly and easily take you to any point in the city. Intracity and suburban lines in Burgas are served by the municipal company "Burgasbus" Ltd.
The electronic ticket system has been implemented. There are various tourist packages, as well as tickets that can be purchased directly on the bus. Tariffs for the electronic ticket system can be found HERE.
"Burgasbus" Ltd. http://burgasbus.info
Travel passes in Burgas
Validation in public transport is now possible using a mobile phone.
The new functionality is available in the Transport Burgas mobile application in the Tickets section, where the user can select the product they wish to purchase. The application allows you to download both single electronic tickets and packages for 50 and 30 trips. Payment is made by bank card, through an external secure and certified (PCI) service. The application generates a QR code, which is used for validation on buses, and an electronic ticket gives the right to transfer within 45 minutes. Registration in Transport Burgas is carried out via email, AppleID, Google or Facebook account.
Using the Transport Burgas application, users can receive real-time information about bus traffic and the exact time when the bus will be at the next stop, as well as build routes for travel on public transport.
App Burgas transport
Plovdiv
Most of Plovdiv's main attractions are within walking distance of each other, so you'll rarely need to use public transport. If you need transport, the bus is the only way to get around. A one-way ticket costs 1 BGN.
A one-way ticket within the city costs 1 lev.
The ticket is purchased on the bus from the conductor, who will take cash from you for the fare.
Rail Transport
Bulgaria has a well-developed rail network. Rail routes connect Sofia to cities like Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas. International trains also connect the country to neighbouring countries.
Travel passes for domestic trains
“CHILD" – a travel card for children aged 7 to 10 years. This card is offered at a 50% discount on the basic adult fare.
“FAMILY" – this travel card is issued to families with two or more children under 18. It offers families the opportunity to purchase tickets with a 50% discount.
“DISABLED" – this travel card is issued to disabled people. It gives the disabled person the right to purchase tickets and travel cards with a 50% discount.
“YOUTH" – this annual travel card is issued to young people up to 26 years of age. It gives the young person the right to purchase tickets with a 50% discount and travel cards with a 25% discount. The cost of the travel card is 30.50 leva.
“CLASSIC" – this personalized annual travel card is issued to regular customers of BDZ EAD. It gives the customer the right to purchase tickets with a 50% discount and travel cards with a 25% discount. The cost of the travel card is 50.90 leva.
“STUDENT" – the travel card is offered to pupils of all schools and students up to 26 years of age. The travel card gives the student the right to purchase tickets and travel cards with a 50% discount.
“SENIOR CITIZEN" – this travel card is for female pensioners over 60 years and 8 months old, and for male pensioners over 63 years and 8 months old. The travel card gives the right to purchase tickets and travel cards with a 50% discount.
Travel cards are issued for travel on the entire railway network or on the route chosen by the client. The validity period of travel cards is 1 month or 3 months. During this time, the passenger can make an unlimited number of trips on the route chosen by him. text.
App Train BG
is an application for train schedules in Bulgaria.
- shows the arrival and departure times of trains to the destination selected by the user
- shows the board of arrivals and departures of trains at the main stations (+ possible delays of trains and the track they are on)
- shows a detailed schedule of a specific train
The application requires an internet connection to work, since it takes its data from the BDZ website.
The CityStar Railway Company offers special fares for travel from a randomly selected Bulgarian railway station to a randomly selected station in a European country.
For example, the City Star BDZ-HELLENIC TRAIN. The ticket issued for this route is valid for travel on trains on the section from Bulgaria to Thessaloniki and back.
The offer is valid for a round trip - first or second class.
Valid for one month from the start of the trip, the start date of the trip is chosen by the passenger.
Breaks in the trip are allowed during the validity of the tickets.
Rail passes and discounts
10% discounted travel
A 10% discount on the regular price applies to roundtrip tickets.
15% discounted travel
Small groups of 3-6 passengers receive a 15% discount on the regular price for a one-way trip. The discount does not apply to routes where zonal discounted fares apply.
20% discounted travel
A 20% discount on the regular price applies to roundtrip tickets on certain routes. This offer applies to travel on express and high-speed trains.
For travel in suburban areas up to 50 km on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, BDZ EAD offers holiday return tickets with a 20% discount. The holiday tickets are valid until 24:00 on the last day of the holiday cycle (including Saturday and Sunday).
25% discount
Holders of the Youth, Classic and Railway Card tickets are entitled to purchase tickets with a 25% discount on the regular price. These tickets are intended for travel in the second class of express and regular trains and are valid for 1 and 3 months.
50% discount
Tickets with a 50% discount are offered to certain social groups and regular BDZ customers.
75% discount
Students under 26 years of age are entitled to a 75% discount when travelling in organized groups of at least ten students and an accompanying person.
Free travel
The following categories of passengers have the right to free travel:
Children under 7 years old
Travel for groups of children under 7 years old
Disabled persons with a disability of 71% or permanent loss of working capacity of more than 71% (first and second groups of disability), war invalids, children with severe physical and mental disorders, as well as their accompanying persons.
War veterans
War veterans have the right to an unlimited number of trips within the region of residence and a second-class return ticket throughout the country once a year in fast and normal rains.
Cavaliers of the Order of Courage
Cavaliers of the Order of Courage have the right to three free return journeys per year in second class on express and regular trains.
Mothers with many children
Mothers with many children have the right to a free return ticket once a year in second class on express or regular trains.
Members of Parliament
Members of Parliament have the right to an unlimited number of journeys on all categories of trains.
Buses and coaches
Buses are often used in Bulgaria for long-distance travel. In addition to public buses, buses are also operated by private companies such as Union-Ivkoni, Biomet or Etap-Grup. Some companies offer online booking. There are many international routes to several European countries. Minibuses, called marshrutkas, operate in Sofia and in the countryside between smaller towns.
The largest company is Union Ivkoni and you can book a ticket through the button below. The company operates more then 100 cities in Bulgaria and more over 150 in Europe.
Bulgarian River ports on the Danube River
Bulgarian sea ports
