Overview
The Sofia Metro (Bulgarian: Софийски метрополитен, romanized: Sofiyski Metropoliten, colloquially Софийско метро, romanized: Sofiysko Metro) is the rapid transit network serving the Bulgarian capital and the only metro in the country. It opened on 28 January 1998 and, as of 2026, consists of four interconnected lines serving 50 stations over 52.0 kilometres (32.3 mi), making it one of Europe's more extensive metro systems.
For a visitor, the system is straightforward to use end to end. You enter a station, validate a ticket or tap a contactless bank card at the barrier, ride to your destination, and exit through the gates. The metro is widely described as the most reliable and punctual mode of transport in the city because it avoids road traffic, and trains generally run every few minutes at peak times. It links the airport, the city centre, and most major districts, so for many trips it will be your fastest option.
The network
Sofia's public transport combines a metro, an extensive surface network of trams, trolleybuses and buses, night buses, and the national railway network centred on the city. The metro is the backbone; surface routes fill in the gaps.
Metro
- M1 (Red) – links the densely populated Lyulin district with Mladost, running through the city centre. Its first section opened in 1998, and it has been extended in stages since.
- M2 (Blue) – links Nadezhda and the city centre with the Lozenets district to the south, via the Central railway station and the National Palace of Culture. It runs from Vitosha station to Obelya station.
- M3 (Green) – planned to connect the Ovcha Kupel neighbourhood in the southwest with the Vasil Levski neighbourhood in the northeast, with 16 stations in total including two central transfer stations. The first stations entered service on 26 August 2020, with further stations added in 2021 and 2026. Unlike lines 1, 2 and 4, which draw power from a third rail, M3 trains use pantographs, and the line is designed for driverless operation with platform screen doors.
- M4 (Yellow) – runs from Obelya to Sofia Airport. It was split out of the M2 line on 26 August 2020; trains continue to run the length of both lines, but maps and signage show them separately. Since 19 July 2025, M4 has been cut back to Slivnitsa and M2 to Obelya because of construction of the new Pancho Vladigerov station, expected to open in 2026.
Surface transport and rail
- Trams – a light-rail network covering much of the city, generally fairly reliable because trams run on dedicated tracks. Tram routes serving the Central Bus Station area include № 1, 3, 6 and 7; trams № 4 and 11 serve Bus Station West (Ovcha Kupel).
- Trolleybuses and buses – buses and trolleybuses cover most of the city, though suburban areas may have less frequent service and buses are subject to traffic delays. Useful routes for travellers include bus № 84 between the airport and the city centre, bus № 213 and others at the Central Bus Station, and trolleybus № 1 near Bus Station Poduyane.
- Night buses – four night lines, N1–N4, run hourly between midnight and 04:00, with a central hub at Knyaz Alexander Square. They are included in most travel passes.
- National rail – Sofia is the country's largest railway hub, with Sofia Central Station (Централна железопътна гара София, romanized: Tsentralna zhelezopatna gara Sofiya) on the northern edge of the centre, served by the same metro station as the Central Bus Station on Metro Line 2 (Blue). Some trains to northern Bulgaria currently use Sofia North station, with shuttle trains from Sofia Central.
Note that Sofia has no ferry service; it is an inland city.
Tickets & fares
Sofia's fare system is now mostly digital. You can tap a contactless bank card, phone or smartwatch directly at the blue validation devices on station barriers and in vehicles, or use a reloadable electronic card. Paper tickets still exist but are less convenient. All prices below are approximate, are given in euros with lev equivalents where the sources provide them, and are subject to change.
Single tickets
- Single metro ticket – €0.80 / 1.86 BGN. One trip with no transfers, valid 60 minutes from issuance at the specific station. Sold by cashier or ticket machine at metro stations.
- Ticket 30+ – €0.80 / 1.86 BGN. Allows transfers within the first 30 minutes, including combined surface and metro trips. Loadable onto a Sofia City Card or Ultralight card, or payable by bank card at a validator. You must validate in each vehicle you use.
- Ticket 60+ – €1.10 / 2.15 BGN. Same rules as Ticket 30+ but with a 60-minute transfer window.
Day and multi-day passes
- Day pass – €2.00 / 3.91 BGN. Unlimited trips for the calendar day on all metro lines, trams, trolleybuses and buses.
- 24-hour pass – €3.00 / 5.87 BGN, including night transport. Activates immediately and runs for 24 hours; can be pre-purchased for a future date.
- 72-hour pass – €7.60 / 14.86 BGN, including night transport. Activates immediately and runs for 72 hours, with a pre-purchase option.
Monthly and yearly passes
- Personalized 1-month metro pass – €17.50; metro lines only, non-transferable.
- 1-month metro pass – €21.00; metro lines only, transferable.
- Personalized 1-month all-mode pass – €25.50; all modes, non-transferable.
- 1-month all-mode pass – €35.50; all modes, transferable.
- Personalized 1-month all-mode pass, under 25 – €12.70.
- Personalized yearly all-mode pass – €185.00, with instalment options.
- Yearly all-mode pass – €305.00, with instalment options.
- Personalized yearly all-mode pass, under 26 – €127.00.
Cards and where to buy
- Sofia City Card – sold at metro station cashier desks and Center of Urban Mobility desks. Can be personalized or non-personalized, holds multiple tickets or passes at once, and is reloadable. One-time card cost: €1.50. Best suited to residents and frequent users.
- Ultralight card – sold at the same locations. Loadable with Tickets 30+ and 60+ and some period passes (daily, 24-hour, 72-hour). One-time cost: €0.40. Best suited to visitors and infrequent users.
- Contactless bank card – no ticket purchase needed; tap at the blue validation devices. Using the same card three or more times in one day triggers a €2.00 day-ticket charge, and the bank transaction is processed after midnight.
Children under 7 travel free. The fine for travelling without a valid ticket is €20.00, and the controller issues a one-way ticket during inspection. Season tickets for the whole urban network are issued by the Center for Urban Mobility and are valid for metro travel; electronic cards are validated at the barriers on metro entry. Note that passes are general rather than tourist-specific.
From the airport
Sofia Airport (Летище "Васил Левски" – София, SOF) lies about 9 km east of the city centre and is the busiest airport in Bulgaria, handling roughly 4 million passengers a year. Budget airlines such as EasyJet, Eurowings and Wizz Air use Terminal 1, while traditional carriers including Bulgaria Air and Ryanair use Terminal 2. A free shuttle bus connects the two terminals every 15–30 minutes between 05:00 and 23:00; outside those hours you can request one at the information desk or use Bus № 84.
- Metro Line 4 (Yellow) – runs to the airport between 05:30 and 24:00. The stop is a few metres outside Terminal 2; follow signs for "Subway" until you leave the southeast corner of the building. The journey to the city centre takes about 40 minutes, and to the central bus station about 55 minutes with a transfer. A single ticket costs €0.80, and you no longer need an extra ticket for each piece of large luggage. A day ticket for all modes of public transport costs €2.00. Access gates and some ticket machines accept credit cards and payment apps such as Apple Pay.
- Bus № 84 – runs between both terminals and the city centre in 30–40 minutes. Tickets can be bought from news stands or ticket machines at the airport, or by contactless payment on board. A single ticket costs €0.80, and no extra large-luggage ticket is needed. The bus stops at Orlov Most (Sofia University metro station), where you can transfer to the metro.
- Taxi – service from the airport is regulated, with OK Supertrans AD the only contracted operator. Request a taxi from the stand to the right as you leave arrivals, or from the office next to the baggage reclaim exit, and beware of touts and non-contracted taxis with fake "OK" logos waiting in front of the terminal. A taxi to the city centre costs approximately €15. The regulated fare is an initial fee of €1.50 (€1.70 at night), €0.75 per km by day or €0.85 at night, €0.25 per minute of waiting, and €0.60 for ordering by phone. The Ridenow Taxi app is also available.
Etiquette & customs
Sofia's transport is informal but orderly, and a few habits will help you fit in.
- Queuing – boarding is generally first-come, first-served rather than strictly queued. Let passengers off before you get on, and don't block the doors.
- Escalators – stand on the right and leave the left side clear for people walking, as is standard across European metro systems.
- Priority seating – seats marked for the elderly, pregnant passengers and those with reduced mobility are respected; offer your seat if someone needs it more than you do.
- Quiet – keep phone calls and music low, and use headphones. Carriages are generally quiet, especially outside rush hour.
- Eating and drinking – avoid eating on board; it is frowned upon and can attract a fine on some systems. Drinks are tolerated but keep them sealed.
- Rush hour – the busiest times are roughly 08:00–09:00 and 17:00–18:00, when large numbers of passengers head toward the centre in the morning and away from it in the evening. The metro is faster than buses in traffic at these times, so plan around the crush if you can.
- Validation – always validate your ticket or tap your card, even when barriers are open. Inspections are common and the fine is €20.00.
Official links
Survival terms
- Metro / subway – метро (metro)
- Ticket – билет (bilet)
- Line – линия (liniya)
- Entrance – вход (vhod)
- Exit – изход (izhod)
- Transfer – прекачване (prekachvane)
- Single fare – единична тарифа (edinichna tarifa)
- Day pass – дневна карта (dnevna karta)
If you plan to move around the city a lot, load a day or 72-hour pass onto an Ultralight card at a metro cashier desk on your first day, and you can then tap straight through the barriers without worrying about individual tickets.