Buses, trains, metro, taxis and the hotline in Bulgaria

Let’s start with the bus stations in Bulgaria; they are located in all the large cities of Bulgaria – Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, etc., and are also found in small towns and at the resorts, such as Obzor, Sunny Beach and so on.

Translated from Russian into Bulgarian, it is called “avtogara”. Of course, in the big cities the bus stations also serve international routes; tickets are sold at the central ticket offices and elsewhere. There are separate windows – you can buy a ticket from Ecolines, Maxi Travel, etc.

Every company that handles passenger transport, whether on domestic or international routes, has its own prices, departure times and itineraries. The price of the ticket includes luggage.

Many people use Bulgarian trains; there are day and night services, with seated and sleeper berths. “Train” in Bulgarian is “vlak”, and the railway station is “ZhP Gara”. Rail connections are very well developed – you can even reach small towns and villages by train.

City buses, minibuses, trams and trolleybuses – public transport in Bulgaria costs 1 lev, but you can buy a travel pass and save the cost of 2–3 journeys or more, depending on the period of validity. The document required for the purchase is a personal ID card with an LNCh number (personal number for foreigners). If your child goes to school, you can buy a school travel pass, starting from 10 leva per month.

If you live in Sofia, you have the excellent opportunity to use the metro: excellent connections with the city and its districts, a fast route to the railway station, the bus station and also the airport. Fares start from 1 lev 60 stotinki per journey.

You need to be vigilant with taxis in Bulgaria, so that you don’t get  ripped off. When you get into a taxi, the first thing you should have in front of you is the meter, which shows the boarding fee; then every taxi has a price list for daytime and night-time journeys, where the price is stated per kilometre. You can call a taxi by phone or hail a passing one on the street – a green light lit in the top corner of the windscreen means the cab is free. The most widespread taxi companies in Bulgaria are:

In Varna – Triumph Taxi (tel. 052 644 444), Omega Trans (tel. 052 388 888)

In Burgas – O’Kay (tel. 088 832 1123)

In Sofia – OK (tel. 02 973 21 21)

If something happens to you on the road because of the weather (snow, a fallen tree blocking the way, a landslide and the like), you can get in touch by calling 0700 130 20.

The hotline number in Bulgaria is 122; on this number you can call an ambulance or the fire brigade, and if anyone is suddenly in trouble, you will be helped.