For the Bulgarian economy to develop, the Bulgarian transport system had to expand. Road transport is the common mode for ferrying both goods and people. The railways also transport a small percentage of passengers and freight. Sofia is linked to Istanbul via the European International Highway, while the main rail routes connect Sofia with the coastal areas along the Black Sea. Ruse, Lom and Svishtov are the major ports on the Danube, and the river sees both internal as well as international traffic.

Domestic air travel has grown considerably. Sofia, Burgas and Varna all have international airports.

Our Regional Bulgarian Transportation guide below will give you useful information about your travel to Burgas, Plovdiv, Varna, and Veliko Tarnovo. For information about things to see and do, take a look at our Regional Bulgaria Destination Guide. For more general country travel information visit our Bulgaria Country Guide, Bulgaria Destination Guide and Bulgaria Transportation pages. If you are looking for exciting things to do during your Bulgarian holiday, visit out Regional Bulgarian Tours.

Regional Bulgaria Transportation

You can reach most of the tourist spots with the public transport system. Buses are common in the urban areas. You will also find trolleys and trams in the larger cities, and taxis in all the towns. Varna and Burgas are Bulgaria's main seaports and you will find that sea travel is a piece of cake with the regular merchant service on the Black Sea.

Burgas | Plovdiv | Varna | Veliko Tarnovo

Transport in Burgas

Flights take off from Burgas airport to the capital city, Sofia, every day. During summer, there are at least seven flights daily to and from Sofia. It takes about 40 minutes of flying time to get to the capital city. In summer, the international airport in Burgas is even busier with chartered flights.

You can take a train from Burgas to any part of the country. It takes less than six and a half hours to get to Sofia by an express train. Buses from the central bus station, which adjoins the railway station, ply to Sofia and other major cities of Bulgaria. You'll also find private carriers that will take you to the coastal resorts and towns in the northern and southern parts of Bourgas. You can use trolley buses, route taxis and buses for travel within the city.

Transport in Plovdiv

Two types of transport namely road and railway connect this city to the rest of the country. There is also an existing air transport infrastructure. Highway connects the city with Sofia, while major road infrastructures connect it with Pazardjik, Assenovgrad, Stara Zagora, Burgas, Haskovo, Kardjali, Karlovo, Smolyan. There are railway lines from Plovdiv to Sofia, Burgas, Svilengrad, Karlovo, Panagyurishte, Peshtera, Hissarya and Assenovgrad.

Transport in Varna

If you want to get to Varna from Sofia as fast as possible, travel by air as it takes just under an hour. During the summer, you will find six to seven flights a day between Varna and Sofia. If you choose to travel around by sea, you can use the regular ferries between Balchik, Nessebar Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach), and Bourgas. Varna is connected by rail to all the major rail heads in the country. The express train to Sofia takes seven hours, while the express to Plovdiv takes four and a half hours. From the main bus station which is 1.5 km from the centre of the city, you can travel to nearby seaside resorts, the bigger cities in Bulgaria, Istanbul, Athens and some cities in Eastern and Central Europe. Trolley buses and a network of over 60 bus lines make it easy to travel within Varna.

Transport in Veliko Tarnovo

You can easily explore Veliko Tarnovo because of the convenience of a regular train and bus transport system. It is also easy to explore smaller towns around the old Metropolis as they are linked by bus and rail. Buses ply regularly to Sofia, Rousse, Gabrovo, Lovech, Tryavna, Kazanlak, Drya-novo, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Sevlievo, Lyaskovets, Turgovishte, Pavlikeni and Byala Popovo.

The bus station located at 86, Nikola Gabrovski Street, and the central railway station are quite a distance from each other. The former is in the western portion of town, while the latter is situated in the southern portion just beneath the Sveta Gora Hill. You can call the bus station at 062 40908 and the railway station at 062 620065.

Beneath the Trapezitsa Hill in the north west is the Trapezitsa railway station. Both railway stations in Veliko Tarnovo are part of the main railway line running through Rousse, Gorna Oryahovitsa, Stara Zagora and Podkova. The railway station of Gorna Oryahovitsa, which is the largest railway junction in Northern Bulgaria, is situated to the north east of Veliko Turnovo. From this station, you can take a taxi to Veliko Tarnovo and en route, pass through the Arbanassi village.