Getting around Sofia: public transport, passes and taxis

Sofia is compact enough that the centre is walkable, but the metro, trams, trolleybuses and buses cover the rest cheaply. Match the mode to the trip: metro for distance and the airport, surface transport for short hops, taxi or app car for late nights, luggage and cross-city runs that would need two changes.

The simplest way to ride is to tap a contactless bank card or phone at the metro gate, which charges a single fare. Ticket machines and kiosks sell paper tickets and passes; on trams, buses and trolleybuses you validate a paper ticket in the machine on board, and inspectors do check. Keep the ticket until you leave the vehicle.

If you plan three or more rides in a day, a day pass is cheaper than singles, and multi-day passes suit longer stays. Passes are usually loaded onto a card, so buy one at a metro station kiosk rather than from a driver. Children, students and seniors often travel at reduced fares with ID.

The metro is the fastest way across the city and the easiest airport link: from Terminal 2 it reaches the centre in about 25 minutes. Four lines cover the centre, the airport and the main residential and business districts, and stations have English signage. Trains run from early morning until around midnight.

Trams and trolleybuses fill the gaps, with routes threading the centre and inner neighbourhoods; buses reach the outer districts. They are slower in traffic and signage is mostly in Cyrillic, so use a map app with live departures. Night buses run limited routes after the metro closes.

Taxis are cheap by Western European standards, roughly €0.80–1 per km in Sofia, and useful for late nights, heavy bags and trips that would need two changes. Use a metered car from a rank or an app; rates posted on the window vary between companies, and unmarked cars that approach you at the airport or station are the ones that overcharge.

Ride-hailing apps work in Sofia and usually give a fixed price before you ride, which removes the meter question. Pay in cash or by card; keep small notes. At the airport, follow signs to the official rank rather than accepting an offer inside the terminal.

Public transport is the cheapest way to move: singles around €1, day passes around €2, and multi-day passes lower still per day. Taxis land around €0.80–1 per km, so a 15-minute cross-city ride is usually under €10. Airport runs by taxi are about €10–15. These are 2026 estimates; confirm current fares at the gate, kiosk or meter.

Sofia's centre is walkable, so pair walking with the metro for longer hops. Streets and signage are in Cyrillic; a map app with offline Sofia loaded saves time. Rush hours are roughly 08:00–09:30 and 17:30–19:00, when surface transport slows but the metro stays quick.

Buy a pass at a station kiosk rather than from a driver, keep your validated ticket, and carry a contactless card as backup. If you are heading out of the city, buses and trains leave from separate terminals, so check which one before you set off.