Why go
- Capital and largest city of Bulgaria.
- Served by Sofia Airport (SOF).
History
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river and has many mineral springs, such as the Sofia Central Mineral Baths. It has a humid continental climate.
Restaurants & places to go
292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 25 airlines, 41 direct destinations
- Bulgaria Air FB (Embraer 190, A319, A320, ATR 42, Embraer 175) · 24 routes: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Bourgas, Brussels, Bucharest, Frankfurt, Larnaca, London, Madrid, Malaga, Milano, Moscow, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris, Prague, Rome, Tel-aviv, Varna, Vienna, Warsaw, Zurich
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 14 routes: Barcelona, Beauvais, Bergamo, Bologna, Charleroi, Dortmund, Dubai, Eindhoven, Hahn, Larnaca, London, Madrid, Rome, Valencia
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 4 routes: Berlin, London, London, Manchester
- Alitalia AZ (A319, A321, Embraer 190) · 2 routes: Milano*, Rome
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A321, A319, A320) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Aegean Airlines A3 (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Athens
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A319) · 1 route: Moscow
- Air Berlin AB (737-700) · 1 route: Berlin
- Air France AF (A320, A321) · 1 route: Paris
- Air Malta KM (A320) · 1 route: Athens
- Air Serbia JU (ATR 72) · 1 route: Belgrade
- American Airlines AA (A320) · 1 route: London*
- Austrian Airlines OS (Fokker 100, A319, A320, A321, F70) · 1 route: Vienna*
- British Airways BA (A320) · 1 route: London
- Cyprus Airways CY (A320) · 1 route: Larnaca
- Czech Airlines OK (A319, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Prague*
- El Al Israel Airlines LY (737-800) · 1 route: Tel-aviv
- Ethiopian Airlines ET (A319, A320, A320) · 1 route: Frankfurt*
- Finnair AY (737-700) · 1 route: Berlin*
- Iberia Airlines IB (A319, A320, Embraer 190) · 1 route: Madrid*
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 175, Embraer 170) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Olympic Airlines OA (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Athens
- Qatar Airways QR (A320, A321) · 1 route: Bucharest
- Tarom RO (ATR 42) · 1 route: Bucharest
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Sofia Airport (SOF); 8 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: SOF has direct flights to 41 destinations on 25 airlines (incl. Athens, Berlin, Bucharest, Frankfurt, Larnaca…).
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Sofia (София), Bulgaria. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.