Flights and Travel information for travelling to and from Bulgaria - SimpliBulgaria

Flights & Transfers

Flights
There is any every increasing number of budget and mainstream airlines who are opening new routes to Bulgaria. In previous years Bulgaria air travel was mainly seasonal, but now there are daily flights and internal transfers to the main 3 airports.

Flights times from the UK are approximately 3 hrs

Sofia (SOF) is 10km (6 miles) east of the city (travel time - 20 minutes). Buses run approximately every 10 minutes to the city centre during the day and every 20 minutes between 2100-0030

Taxis are also available, although taxi drivers may not use their meters and travellers are advised to agree on the fare beforehand. The airport itself only advises its passengers to use the taxi company OK Supertrains.

Airport facilities include banks and currency exchange (24 hours), post office, duty-free shop, nursery, restaurant, bar and car hire is located in the public area of the Arrivals Hall (Avis, Hertz, Sixt and Tany Rent).

Varna (VAR) is 9km (5.5 miles) from the city. A bus service to Varna city centre departs every 20 minutes. A taxi service is also available. Airport facilities include outgoing duty-free shop, banking and currency exchange (24 hours), a restaurant, bar and car hire by prior arrangement with travel agents.

Bourgas (BOJ) is 13km (8 miles) from the city. A bus service departs every 20 minutes to the city centre. A coach service is available by prior arrangement with tour operators. A taxi service is also available. Airport facilities include outgoing duty-free shop, banking and currency exchange (24 hours), a restaurant, bar and car hire (by prior arrangement).



Bulgaria Air operates flights to Bulgaria every day from London. We operate flights from London Gatwick to Sofia airport in Bulgaria. We also started operating flights to Bulgaria from Manchester airport. We fly three times a week now from Gatwick to the Black Sea town of Varna.



Budget connections from the UK to the south east Balkans are in short supply. If you need a return flight to Bulgaria and you are happy to start and end your journey in the UK, British Airways offers a web-only low fare route, flying return from London Heathrow to Sofia for the equivalent of £74.25 each way including taxes. Consider the 36 hour long distance coach service Balkan Horn as a cheaper and more flexible alternative... better yet, look at what Thomson Flights has on offer.



Amidst all the charter and web-fare competitors, Wizz Air was the first dedicated foreign low cost airline to serve Bulgaria. The no-frills operator - which operates mainly out of Poland but also has a base in Hungary - flies from Sofia to Budapest and also to Frankfurt Hahn and London Luton via Budapest.



Just when it seemed safe to breathe again, the Bulgarian fledgling start-up virtual low cost airline, bexx air, has once again been suspended pending Bulgaria's adoption of the European open skies treaty. Keep watching this space for further news on Dirk Wiesemann's project to operate low cost flights in and out of Bulgaria.



The resurrected Condor which now operates as a Thomas Cook owned hybrid charter / low cost airline connects Burgas and Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast to numerous airports all over Germany. And yes, the cheapest one-way fares of €29 including taxes really do exist - subject to availability.



The most recent budget airline to start flying to Bulgaria, Sky Europe is now connecting Sofia to Bratislava in western Slovakia. The airline also operates onward connections from Bratislava airport by air to Kosice in eastern Slovakia near the border of Ukraine and by shuttle bus to Vienna, in neighbouring Austria.



As a charter airline, Thomson Flights operates return flights to Varna from three UK airports: from Newcastle and also from the principal charter hubs at London Gatwick and Manchester. No single flights are available in either direction and, just as with BA's flights to Sofia, the return journey must begin and end in Britain. However, if you can find the right fares this can prove a much cheaper option than BA.