Sofia - Romania and Bulgaria - page 667

Public Transport
Trams, buses, minibuses, trolleybuses and the underground metro run from 5.30am to
11pm every day. Tickets within Sofia cost 1 lv, and can often be bought at on-board ticket
machines. But it's far easier and quicker, especially during peak times, to buy tickets from
kiosks at stops before boarding. Metro tickets can only by bought from counters inside the
station.One day/five day/one month transit cards (4/15/50 lv) are valid for all trams, buses
and trolleybuses (but not the metro), and must be validated on board. There's a 10 lv fine
if you don't have a ticket; unwary foreigners are a favourite target. An extra ticket is re-
quired for each piece of oversized luggage, which officially is anything exceeding 60cm x
40cm x 40 cm.
Useful trams for visitors include 1 and 7, which link the central train station with bul
Vitosha (near the NDK) via bul Hristo Botev and tram 10, which runs across the city from
bul Stamboliyski to ul Graf Ignatiev
Buses for Boyana, Zlatni Mostove and Aleko depart from the Hladilnika bus terminal.
It is near the southern terminus of Trams 2, 4, 9 and 12 from pl Sveta Nedelya. (From the
final tram stop, walk through the tiny park to the bus stop on the main road.)
Marshroutki (private minibuses; 1.50 lv) are a popular and efficient alternative to public
transport. Pay the driver upon boarding. Route 30 goes to the airport; 5 goes to the central
train station; 21 runs to Boyana; 41 goes to Simeonovo.
Sofia's metro system ( www.metropolitan.bg ) is expanding rapidly, and at the time of re-
search, much of the city centre was being dug up for new lines. Tickets cost 1 lv, but can-
not be used on other forms of public transport. Useful central stations include Serdika,
near pl Sveta Nedelya, Kliment Ohridski, close to Sofia University, and NDK, at the
southern end of bulevard Vitosha.
Taxi
Taxis are an affordable and easier alternative to public transport. By law, taxis must use
meters, but those that wait around the airport, luxury hotels and within 100m of pl Sveta
Nedelya will often try to negotiate an unmetered fare - which, of course, will be consider-
ably more than the metered fare. All official taxis are yellow, have fares per kilometre dis-
played in the window, and have obvious taxi signs (in English or Bulgarian) on top. Never
accept a lift in a private, unlicensed vehicle, because you will (at best) pay too much or (at
worst) be robbed.
The rates per kilometre may range enormously from one taxi company to another, but
the standard rate is 0.59 lv per minute in the daytime, 0.70 lv per minute at night.
In the very unlikely event that you can't find a taxi, you can order one by ringing OK-
Supertrans ( Click here ) or Yellow Taxi ( 911 19) . You will need to speak Bulgarian.