"We've arrived at Sofia Airport!🇧🇬 How do I get to the city center from here?"
"How do I get to the airport from Sofia city? How long does it take?"
In this article, I will show you how to get to the airport from Sofia(and from Sofia to the airport), as well as the procedures and precautions to follow.
By No.4 MetroⓂ️ Takes about 40minutes
There are 4 Metro lines in Sofia
The airport and city center can be reached in about 40 minutes by the No.4 metroⓂ️, the yellow line in the photo above.
The cost is 1.6 Lev. (1 lev = approx. 0.55 USD)
Metro Service Hours
No.4 Metro Service Hours
Here are the Metro service hours.
- Weekdays: 05:26-22:51
- Holidays: 05:27-23:04
Early in the morning or late in the evening, the metro seems to run every 10-12 minutes (weekdays). （On weekends, one every 12-14 minutes.)
In the morning, it runs every 6 minutes, and after 10:30, it runs every 8 minutes.
The metro runs quite early in the morning, so you don't have to worry.
Other than the metro, the only other way to get between the airport and the city center is by cab.
Metro arrives at "Terminal 2" of Sofia Airport. Departures are of course only from "Terminal 2".
If you are taking a flight that takes off or lands at "Terminal 1", take the shuttle bus that connects Terminals 1 and 2.
Shuttle bus stop
The shuttle bus between terminals is marked by this sign. The one that says "T1⇄T2."
There are several signs on the road from the train station to the airport, so you shouldn't get lost.
If you are taking a flight from Sofia Airport "Terminal 1", estimate the time for the transfer between terminals here, and then take the metro.
Buy the ticket
Ticket machine
You can buy tickets from a ticket machine.
The ticket machine in the photo is one that only accepts cash.
There were some ticket machines that accepted credit cards, but from what I saw, most of them accepted cash. (It was a little difficult to find a machine that accepts card payments.)
At the "Serdika" metro station in the center of Sofia, I found only one ticket machine that accepts credit cards!
You can also buy tickets at the counter.
In the center of Sofia, Bulgaria, you can pay by card in most places.
However, when using markets located a little further away, only cash is accepted.
1.6 lev（0.9USD）
When you purchase a One Way Ticket, you will receive a blue paper ticket like this.
Just hold up the barcode portion of the ticket to the ticket gate.
You do not need this ticket when you get off the train.
Hold up the barcode to enter
Be careful not to take the wrong ride on the way back
Note the "✈️" mark
There are four metro lines running through the city of Sofia.
Only "No. 4, the yellow metro line" is used for airport access.
The entrances to the stations are the same, but some have different turnstiles, so check before you enter by holding up your ticket.
Once you get off at the platform, the train to the airport has an airplane symbol like the one in the picture, so just keep an eye on it and you'll be fine!
Gift in the Airport
「Terminal２」
There are not many places to buy souvenirs in the airport lobby.
I used "Terminal 2" for this trip, and even after going through passport control, there is a Duty-Free souvenir shop, but it is not that big and has only a small number of items.
There were not so many small items with Bulgarian folk costumes and patterns, so I recommend you to shop in Sofia city beforehand.
(There may be a big souvenir shop in Terminal 1.)
End...
Thank you for reading this far.
In this article, we will introduce how to access Sofia's airport and city center, or rather, what you need to know about it.
As a traveler, you will be quite grateful for the accessibility of a single metro line from the airport, and in addition, Bulgaria offers a wonderful travel environment with inexpensive tickets. Add the money you save here to your travel memories to the fullest.