GETTING AROUND | Bulgaria
TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
Car: We recommend renting a car to get around now that Bulgaria is in the EU, the road signs are generally in both Bulgarian and English. While buses are cheap and efficient, (8 Euros from Sofia to Pleven!) - it will be much more convenient to rely on your map/GPS and drive yourself vs. trying to buy the right bus ticket or hailing a cab driver that doesn't speak English.
Bus: If you don't want to drive and prefer taking a bus, Sofia Central Bus Station is where you can take buses to most of Bulgaria including Pleven. It is located right next to the Sofia Central Train Station. There is no centralized ticket kiosk, so you will have to first go to the information desk and then follow their directions to the right kiosk where you will be able to buy your tickets. Schedules are here:
Trains: We don't recommend taking the trains. They are slower than the buses, often more expensive, and feel older and not as well maintained.
Taxis and Other: Public transportation within the cities is very affordable and so are taxis. We recommend using taxis in both Sofia and Pleven.
Uber: Was available but now temporarily on hold. It may come back up when we are there!
Getting to/from the airport: If you are heading into Sofia from Sofia Airport, we would recommend just taking a taxi to your hotel. You may need to show the driver the address in case he doesn't speak English. If you are heading directly into Pleven, you might want to proceed directly to the Sofia Central Bus Station if you are still early enough to catch one of the buses into Pleven, or arrange for a private transfer.