Transport in Bulgaria

Now in Bulgaria there are all the most popular modes of transport in the world - land, air and water, with constant updating of vehicles, improving routes and logistics. In recent years, our compatriots, including families with children and the elderly, have most often bought real estate in Bulgaria. In particular, due to the fact that Bulgaria can be reached from the CIS countries not only by air, but also by land, many people buy housing here for summer vacations or for permanent residence - not everyone's health allows getting there by plane.

How to get to Bulgaria

The easiest way to get to the coastal regions of Bulgaria and Sofia from Russia is by plane, but if necessary, there is an alternative: you can do it by car through Romania or by rail. There is a direct train between Sofia and Moscow, and you can get to Varna and Burgas in a trailer car. In this case, the road from the Russian capital to the Bulgarian capital takes two days.

Bulgarian international airports are located exactly in those areas where foreigners most often buy real estate : these are the airports of Varna and Burgas on the Black Sea coast, in Sofia, as well as in Plovdiv near ski resorts. The first three take flights all year round and are especially active in summer; planes from Russia usually fly to Plovdiv airport from December to March, that is, during the high season for skiers. Direct flights from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Novorossiysk, Ufa fly to the Black Sea coast and to Sofia. To Plovdiv - from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The flight from Moscow to Varna takes about three hours, from St. Petersburg - about 3.5 hours. In addition to international ones, Bulgaria also has local airports such as Stara Zagora, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Targovishte and Ruse. Bulgarian airlines operate local flights. You can also get from Russia to Bulgaria by car via Romania (the distance from Moscow to Varna is about 2000 km). If you have a valid Bulgarian visa or permanent residence in Bulgaria, a Romanian transit visa is not required.

Taxi and car rental

Airports in Bulgaria are usually located 10-15 km from the cities themselves, and taxi rides from the airport to the center are inexpensive, about 10 euros. If you need further (for example, from Varna airport to get to Golden Sands, located 25 km from it), then the price will be about 20 euros. It is worth noting that there are many unofficial taxi drivers at Bulgarian airports, who usually charge a lot more for a trip, so it is best to use official taxis. Taxis in Bulgaria can be called by phone or you can approach the driver at a specialized parking lot. The first method is usually much more profitable in terms of price.

In the airport and in large cities, there are widespread companies where you can rent a car. Depending on the class of the car, the rental day will cost 20-60 euros. For example, a small car like the Volkswagen Polo in August for a week will cost from 20 euros per day. If we are talking about an international company that rents a car, then you will also need a deposit, the size of which can vary in the range of 300-600 euros. For an additional fee (about 1 euro per day), you can also rent a child seat, ski carrier and other special equipment. The standard requirements for renting a car in Bulgaria are over 20 years of age, driving experience for more than a year and a valid driver's license with all the data written in Latin (it is recommended to issue an international driver's license). International distributors may have stricter conditions, so it makes sense to familiarize yourself with them in advance when choosing a company.

Traffic and road rules

In Bulgaria, right-hand traffic, the maximum speed for passenger cars in the village is 50 km / h, outside the village - 90 km / h, on the highway - 130 km / h (unless otherwise specified). The allowed amount of alcohol in the blood of drivers is 0.5 ppm (or 0.5 liters of beer). In the early 2000s, most of the country's highways were in a deplorable state, but all this time their construction and modernization continues. They began to be especially actively engaged in their renovation (and construction of new ones) after Bulgaria's accession to the European Union. There are no toll roads as such in Bulgaria, only a vignette tax is levied on all roads (except municipal ones). It concerns drivers crossing the New Europe Bridge and the Danube Bridge on the Bulgarian-Romanian border, but the Bulgarian government also plans to create toll roads for passenger cars. From March 1, 2020, an electronic toll system was put into operation in Bulgaria, levied on vehicles and combinations of vehicles with a maximum permissible weight of more than 3.5 tons. Six highways now pass through Bulgaria, although some sections of them are closed for repairs. A1 connects Sofia and Burgas, A2 - Sofia and Varna, A3 - Varna and Burgas, A4 - Pervomai and Kapitan-Andreevo (still under construction), A5 - Sofia and Pernik, A6 - Pernik and Kula. When entering Bulgaria with your car at the border, you need to purchase a “vignette” sticker for using the roads (about 8 euros per week, and 15 euros per month) and pay a small environmental fee.

Bus transport

The bus fleet in Bulgaria has been almost completely renovated, so even in the heat it is comfortable to use ground public transport thanks to the working air conditioners. Both municipal and private buses operate on the territory of the country. Travel on the first will be cheaper: prices start from 4-5 levs (2.5 euros) and increase as the route lengthens to 16-18 levs (9 euros).

Metro

The most popular public transport in Sofia is the metro, in the country it can be found only here. It consists of four lines with 47 stations. The Sofia Metro is one of the newest in Europe, it was opened in 1998, without ceasing to launch new stations almost every year. Several years ago, the first regular train began to run between Kazichene and Bankya stations, and in the near future it is forecasted that such stations as Pernik, Svoge, Gorna-Malina and Dragoman will be included in the metro routes, as well as villages located on the way to them. The cost of one trip will be 1.6 levs (about 80 euro cents).

Railway transport

The country has a developed railway system connecting all the main Bulgarian cities. The maximum transport speed is 130 km / h. The railways are operated by the Balgarski D'rzhavni Zheleznitsi company. The train journey from Sofia to Varna takes 7-9 hours, from Sofia to Burgas - 6 hours. The cost of the trip will be 10-12 euros, depending on the class of the carriage.

Water communication

Due to the fact that Bulgaria is located on the sea, there are two large port cities on its coast - Varna and Burgas. Through them, communication with the ports of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and Mediterranean countries is carried out. River transport is also developed and the largest national and international waterway is the Danube. In addition, there is a ferry service Odessa (Ilichevsk) - Varna, but the ferry leaves as soon as it is filled, and most reviews about such trips are negative. One person's travel will cost 100-200 euros.

Irina Filatova, Dinara Gracheva