World City Guide

Getting There By Road

Roads in Bulgaria tend to be poorly surfaced and inconsistently numbered. European roads are prefixed by the letter ‘E’, while internal motorways and main roads are indicated by numbers only. Place names, signposted along main roads, are in both Cyrillic and Latin script – on minor roads they may be in Cyrillic only – but road signs are international. While petrol stations are found on the main road exits from most large towns and every 30-40km (18-25 miles) along the motorways, on minor roads these can be few and far between. The minimum age for driving is 18 years. Traffic drives on the right. Speed limits are 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 90kph (56mph) on country roads and 50kph (31mph) in urban areas. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.05%.

Driving throughout the country can be slow, as traffic is frequently held up by heavy goods vehicles. The police are known to stop motorists at random and check their documents – it is best to remain calm and polite. Fines for speeding and other driving offences are on the spot and can be heavy. A Green Card and Motor Insurance certificate are obligatory. UK driving licences and EU pink-format licences are valid in Bulgaria. Seatbelts always should be worn, although few locals adhere to this rule. All accidents should be reported to the traffic police, KAT (tel: 165), and a report filed. The process is lengthy but necessary for any insurance claims. If heading into the mountains during winter, it is advisable for drivers to carry snow chains.

The Bulgarian Automobile Touring Association (SBA), 3 Pozitano Ulica (tel: (02) 980 3308), provides information and deals with breakdowns.

Emergency breakdown service:
SBA 146

Routes to the city: The A1 and A2 are the major roads out of Sofia. The A1 heads east toward Plovdiv, while the A2 heads northeast to connect with the E772 toward Veliko Tarnovo, continuing northeast to where it becomes the A2 again, reaching Varna on the Black Sea. The E79 goes to Sofia from Greece, crossing the border at Kulata. The E80 from Turkey crosses the border at Kapitan Andreevo, while the E79 travels from Romania, crossing the border at Vidin-Kalafat. In addition, the E80 motorway runs to Sofia from the Yugoslav border at Kalotina and the E871 from the Russian border at Gyueshevo.

Driving time to the city: From Plovdiv – 1 hour 30 minutes; Veliko Tarnovo – 2 hours 30 minutes; Varna – 5 hours.

Coach services: There is no central coach station in Sofia. International coach services terminate at one of three places. Most go to the bus station, close to the Tsentralna Gara train station, 112 Maria Louiza Boulevard, on Ploshtad Predgarov, just behind the Hotel Princess, 131 Maria Louiza Boulevard. Some companies use the bus station at 38 Damian Gruev Ulica (a ten-minute walk west of the city centre), or the one at 84 Knyaginya Maria Louiza Boulevard (a ten-minute walk north of the city centre). Eurolines (tel: (01582) 404 511, UK number; website: www.eurolines.com) runs international coaches, connecting Sofia to cities throughout Europe. These terminate in front of the train station.

Long distance and local bus services reach all Bulgaria's main cities, such as Bougas, Varna, Plovdiv, Haskovo, Blagoevgrad, Pernek, Montana and Pleven, as well as 90% of its towns and villages. Most domestic coach services, run by private companies, terminate close to the train station or at one of three other bus stations, some way out of the city centre. These are the Avtogara Poduyane terminal, Todorini Kukli Ulica (for buses to the north and northeast), Ovcha Kupel terminal, Tsar Boris III Boulevard (buses southwest), and the Yug terminal, Dragan Tsankov Boulevard (buses southeast). The bus company, Etappe (tel: (02) 981 4213) has a ticket office in the National Palace of Culture (NDK), 1 Ploshtad Bulgaria, Yuzhen Park (website: www.ndk.bg), in the city centre.