Getting Around The City – Sofia Metro Guide
Over the years I’ve used the Sofia Metro many times and I think it’s one of the easiest ways to get around the city. It’s clean, efficient and inexpensive, and once you understand how the lines and tickets work, it’s very straightforward.
The centre of Sofia is very walkable but the metro is particularly useful if you’re arriving at Sofia Airport, staying somewhere outside the immediate centre, or simply want to avoid sitting in Sofia traffic (which seems to get busier with every passing year!).
The Sofia Metro Lines
There are currently four numbered routes, M1, M2, M3 and M4, with 50 stations across the network. You don’t really need to understand the entire network. Find your destination on the map, check which line you need and, most importantly, look at the final station in the direction you’re travelling. This is how the direction of the trains is shown on signs and platforms.
A few useful routes to know:
M4: Sofia Airport
This is the line you’ll use if travelling from Sofia Airport Terminal 2 into the city.
M1: Business Park
Useful for travelling through Mladost and towards Business Park Sofia.
M2: Vitosha
Runs through central Sofia and south towards Vitosha station, next to Paradise Center.
M3: Gorna Banya
The newer line serving areas including Ovcha Kupel as well as parts of central Sofia.
The Easiest Way to Pay:
You don’t need to buy a ticket if you have a contactless bank card, phone or smartwatch.
At the Metro entrance you’ll see a contactless reader on the barrier. Simply tap your card or device. Once it has been accepted, the barrier will open and you can go through. If you then use another Metro, bus, tram or trolleybus, validate your card again when required. Sofia’s ticketing system will calculate the appropriate fare.
One important thing to remember is to keep using the same payment method throughout the day. Your physical bank card and the same card stored in Apple Pay or Google Wallet are treated as different payment methods by the system. If you start by tapping your phone, continue using your phone. Also, each person needs their own payment method or ticket. You can’t tap the same bank card several times to pay for a group travelling together.
How Much Does the Sofia Metro Cost?
Public transport in Sofia is very inexpensive. A ticket costs €0.80 and allows transfers during the first 30 minutes after your initial validation, as long as you validate again when changing transport.
If you use the same contactless bank card throughout the day, the system automatically calculates your journeys and, after more than two 30+ tickets, converts them into the daily fare. The maximum is €2 for the day across Sofia’s public transport network. So if you’re using contactless, you don’t need to decide in advance whether it’s worth buying a day pass. The system works it out for you.
Prefer to Buy a Ticket?
You can still buy a traditional ticket if you’d rather not use a bank card. Metro tickets are available from ticket machines and ticket desks at the stations. A single Metro journey currently costs €0.80. There are also Sofia City Cards and other transport cards available for people who use public transport regularly but as someone who is making only occasional journeys, I personally find contactless payment option much easier.
Getting From Sofia Airport to the City Centre
The Metro is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get from Sofia Airport into the city. The Sofia Airport Metro station is directly beside Terminal 2 and is served by the M4 line. From there you can travel straight into central Sofia.
If you arrive at Terminal 1, don’t worry, there is a free airport shuttle bus connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, running 24 hours a day. Once you reach Terminal 2, simply follow the signs for the Metro.
M4 takes you directly to Serdika, right in the centre of Sofia. From Serdika you can also change onto M2 if you need to continue your journey elsewhere in the city. For anyone travelling reasonably light and staying near a Metro station, it’s a really easy way to get into Sofia.
The stations are generally easy to navigate and signs include English as well as Bulgarian. The main thing to check before getting on a train is that you’re travelling in the right direction. Look for the name of the final station on the line, as this is used to indicate which direction the train is travelling. If you’re changing lines, follow the signs for the line number you need rather than heading towards the exit.
If you’re paying contactless, remember that the card, phone or watch you tapped is effectively your ticket. Use the same one throughout your journey and keep it available in case your ticket is checked.
Useful official information:
Sofia Metro map, August 2026. Map: MapDraw / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Sofia Metro passenger information
Sofia public transport contactless payment information
