Bulgaria
CURRENCY: Euro TIME ZONE: GMT+2 STATE CARRIER: BDZ
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Last updated: 29 Apr 26
Getting to Bulgaria...
Getting to Bulgaria...
Regular flights from the UK run daily to most airports in Bulgaria. The capital, Sofia, is well served and the most popular airport in Bulgaria. There are also regular flights to minor airports such as Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas.
The primary lanuage is Bulgarian. English is widely understood in Sofia, but less so in other regions and cities though there is a good understanding of the language among young people.
Most ATMs in Bulgaria do not charge for withdrawals on UK bank cards, cards are widely accepted, however this is not the case everywhere. Bulgaria has recently ditched their national currency, the Lev, at the start of 2026. Some prices have risen as a result however it is still generally cheaper than western Europe.
Sofia Airport Arrival
Sofia Airport Arrival
Sofia airport has two terminals;
Terminal 1 is the old terminal mainly used by low cost carriers, Terminal 2 is the very new terminal with the Metro station. A free shuttle bus runs between the two terminals every half an hour during the day, and every 40 minutes at night, 24 hours a day. This bus is regularly full and standing. Times are found here.
I would highly recommend making sure that your flight arrives or departs from Terminal 2 for ease of access to the metro, however city buses do operate from Terminal 1. Bus route 84 operates around every 12 minutes during the day into the city centre. Up to date times and live arrivals are found here. The route terminates near to the Orlov Most metro stop where you can connect to virtually anywhere in the city.
Contactless cards are accepted on all forms of city transport in Sofia
If arriving into Terminal 2, you can head straight for the metro station for Metro Line M4. If you wish to take a mainline train, change at Iskarsko Shose for connections across the country. A live departure board is found here.
Alternatively, stay on board for the city centre. For Sofia Central station, change at Serdika for line M2.
Fares in Sofia are €0.80 for a single ticket for 30 minutes, three or more trips on the same bank card will result in a cap at €2 which is the day ticket price.
Varna Airport Arrival
Varna Airport Arrival
Arrival into Varna is fairly straightforward.
Outside the arrivals area, you will find a bus stop on the right hand side for route 409 which will take you into the city centre. Be advised, buses heading in two different directions serve this stop so ensure you board the service bound for VSU. The bus to the centre takes around 20 minutes, and you can connect onto other buses to the main station at the Cathedral.
You can pay for the bus on board are there are machines that accept both card and cash, or you can also buy tickets on your phone. Fares are €0.51 for 60 min, €0.77 for 90 min and €2.05 for a 24 hour ticket.
Plovdiv Airport
Plovdiv Airport
Plovdiv airport is not served by public transport.
You can take a taxi from the front of the airport, licensed of course, which takes around 20 minutes and should cost between €15 and €20.
Alternatively, there is also an official shuttle minibus timed to connect with flights arriving and departing from Plovdiv. The timetable is updated weekly according to the flight schedule. A single ticket is €6 per person paid on board the shuttle bus. the bus terminates by the station in Plovdiv, and picks up toward the airport nearby at this stop.
Burgas Airport
Burgas Airport
Bus route number 15 serves Burgas airport, and operates every 20 minutes during the day. The bus will take you to the South bus station in the city, which is located right next to the rail station. Fares for a single ticket are €0.80, and both cash and contactless card are accepted on board.
A live tracker for this bus for departures from the airport towards the city is found here.
Locomotive Hauled Trains
Locomotive Hauled Trains
BDZ Class 07
BDZ Class 07
Diesel Class 07, Lyudmillas, currently work two booked diagrams in Bulgaria.
The first diagram is based in Varna, with runs to Dobrich and Kardam.
The second diagram is on the Silistra sleeper from Sofia, joining at Samuil.
DIAGRAMS DOWNLOAD
BDZ Class 44/45
BDZ Class 44/45
Electric Class 44 and 45 locomotives are still the mainstay of hauled services in Bulgaria, working alongside newer Siemens Smartron Class 80s.
The key difference is the bogeys. 44's are capable of 130 km/h, while 45s are only capable of 110 km/h
Class 46 photo still pending, however they are amost exactly the same as ZPCG Class 461s
BDZ Class 46
BDZ Class 46
Seldom used on passenger services, these locomotives still have some booked work, though occasional.
DIAGRAMS DOWNLOAD
BDZ Class 55
BDZ Class 55
Primarily used as shunting locomotives, there is one of these locomotives with a carriage ready to step in if a DMU fails based at Levski. It can appear on one of these two diagrams at short notice. However this has not been the case for a while and is based on pure luck.
BDZ Class 75&77
BDZ Class 75&77
Narrow gauge Romanian diesel locomotives found on the Septembri to Dobrinishte Rhodope narrow gauge railway
BDZ Class 80
BDZ Class 80
The newest locomotives in Bulgaria, a fleet of Siemens Smartrons mainly operate on long distance trains, along with sleeper services across the country.
Diesel Multiple Units
Diesel Multiple Units
BDZ Class 10
BDZ Class 10
Electric Multiple Units
Electric Multiple Units
BDZ Class 30
BDZ Class 30
3 carriage Siemes Desiro electric units
BDZ Class 31
BDZ Class 31
4 carriage Siemes Desiro electric units
BDZ Class 32
BDZ Class 32
Still working some services in and around Sofia, these RVR EMUs built in the former Soviet Union operate alongside newer Siemens Desiro electric multiple units.
DIAGRAMS DOWNLOAD
BDZ Class 34
BDZ Class 34
Brand new Skoda 'RegioPanther' 4 carriage Electric Multiple Units due to enter service soon.
Rhodope Narrow Gauge
Rhodope Narrow Gauge
FIP/INTER-RAIL VALID? ✅ Yes
The Rhodope narrow gauge route is a popular tourist attraction in Bulgaria. The line starts at Septemvri, just over a 2 hour train journey from Sofia, or around 35 minutes from Plovdiv.
The 125km route was completed in late 1945 after the end of the second world war. The line was intended to go further towards the Turkish border to finish at Gotse Delchev, but this was never realised.
The line is 'Bosnian Gauge' at just 760mm, has a max speed of 50kph (51mph) and is home to the highest rail station in the Balkans, 1267m (4157ft) above sea level at Avramovo. The route is mostly single track with passing points at stations en route.
Currently, 4 trains operate in each direction per day across the full route with an extra run in the morning and evening to/from Velingrad. The full route takes just over 4 hours one way.
The route also serves Bansko, a popular skiing destination for tourists in season.
This route is highly recommended, however I would strongly encourage booking a seat reservation in advance as trains can fill up when you least expect it. The BDZ website will offer seat reservations with tickets purchased for the route, alrernatively you can visit any BDZ ticket office who will be able to sell you a single seat reservation at €0,51.
Rhodope Ticketing
Rhodope Ticketing
A single ticket for the full route currently costs €5,27 with a seat reservation from Septemvri to Dobrinishte. A return fare is €9,61 with seat reservations in both directions.
FIP discounts do not apply to seat reservations, so take the €0.51 off first before halving the remaining total for an accurate fare.
Both FIP coupons for BDZ, and Interrail tickets are valid for travel throughout.
Domestic Sleeper Services
Domestic Sleeper Services
BDZ Sleeper services operate all over the country. Modern air conditioned sleeper stock built in Turkey operate all services. Travel is offered in three types of 'class' however they all operate using the same carriages.
Berth 2nd class: For 3 passengers, if travelling solo you may have to share
Berth 1st class: For 2 passengers, if travelling solo you may have to share
Berth Business class: For solo travellers, no sharing
As always, prices increase in each class upgrade however you will be hard pressed to spend more than €40 for a solo cabin on any sleeper.
BDZ allows you online to purchase sleeper tickets, however reservation/supplement only tickets are not available. If you only wish to buy a reservation, you will need to do so at a ticket office.
Typical berth fares for Sofia-Varna sleeper service
Typical berth fares for Sofia-Varna sleeper service
2nd class berth €21.42 (inc. €7.67 reservation)
1st class berth €27.46 (inc. €10.23 reservation)
Business class berth €32.57 (inc. €15.34 reservation)
In addition, seat only reservations are always avaliable on all sleeper trains. Seat reservations are always €0.51 regardless of class of travel.
Typical 3 person berth on Bulgarian sleepers
Current Bulgarian sleeper services, created with railmapgen.github.io
Full timetable for domestic overnight trains in Bulgaria found here
International Trains
International Trains
International trains run on a regular basis between Bulgaria and Romania to the north, and Turkey to the south.
Day trains connect across the border with Romania using the railway at Ruse. There is one connection per day in each direction.
Night trains conect Sofia with Turkey. Trains depart every night from Sofia and head for Istanbul Halkalı station arriving the next morning, and the same in reverse.
Connections will see more detail added in separate border pages which will be added in time.
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