Sofia Airport (SOF) - Airport Guide

Sofia Airport

1 Christopher Columbus boulevard, Sofia 1540, Bulgaria

SOF

359

(02) 937 2211 (departures) or (02) 937 2212 (arrivals)

None

public@sofia-airport.bg

2

GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October)

The airport is located 10km (6 miles) east of Sofia.

Terminal 2, a new state-of-the art passenger terminal described by the airport authorities as the 'new European face of the airport', opened in December 2006. The terminal project had a budget of €135 million.

A free shuttle takes travellers between the two passenger terminals.

Starting from Orlov Most, the bridge at the centre point of the city, drive towards the Tsarigradsko Shose boulevard and then follow signs first to Christopher Columbus boulevard and then to the airport.

A large parking lot is located in front of the old terminal building. A new multi-level parking garage providing 820 parking spaces is linked to the departures area of the new passenger terminal. The car parks are open non-stop.

Car hire is offered by Avis, Budget, Hertz, Moto-Pfohe Rent-a-Car, SIXT and Tany Rent.

Road: Bus: Sofia Public Transport Company (SKGT) (tel: (02) 831 9071/5; website: www.skgt-bg.com) operates two buses serving the airport. Both run between the airport and the university in the city centre, albeit following different routes. Bus 84 goes to the airport's Terminal 1 while bus 284 serves Terminal 2. Services are frequent during the day and available from 0500-2300. In addition, several of the bigger hotels provide shuttles bus to or from the airport.
Taxi: The best way to get a reliable taxi service to the city centre is to book the transfer with taxi company OK Supertrans (tel: (02) 973 2121) in the arrivals hall.

There are information desks (tel: (02) 937 2211 or 2212) in both terminals.

Money and communications: There are banks and bureaux de change in both terminals. ATMs and a post office are available in the Departures. The airport also offers free Wireless Internet access.
Eating and drinking: There is a restaurant, a pizzeria and a self-service area offering a variety of international dishes, sandwiches, salads, soft drinks, beer and wine. Hot and soft drinks, beer, wine and snacks are on offer at various bars.
Shopping: There are several shops at the airport, including a duty-free shop selling alcohol, tobacco, toiletries, cosmetics, accessories and much more. There is a shop selling Bulgarian wines and alcoholic beverages. There are also souvenir and gift shops.
Luggage: There are lost and found offices in both terminals (tel: (02) 937 2491). Luggage wrapping facilities are available in the Departures terminal.
Other facilities: There are baby changing rooms in the general access area and in the transit hall (both on the lower floor). Children's play areas are located on the first floor in the self-service restaurant Panorama Market Place and in the transit hall. The airport also has a First Aid centre with a doctor always on call. The visitors' terraces at both terminals are open free of charge every day.

The 'Sofia' Business Class Lounge is located on the second floor of the passenger terminal, in the transit area of the Departures hall. Copying and fax services, Internet access and newspapers and magazines are available in the lounge. To get access, travellers need a special invitation card issued by their airline at the check-in desk.

Terminal 1 has slopes for wheelchairs leading to the car park nearby where there are parking spaces reserved for disabled people. There are also separate toilets for the disabled and an elevator to the business class lounge in the terminal. Terminal 2 was designed with special attention to disabled passengers. There are toilets for wheelchair users, and access to the different terminal levels and the multistorey parking garage is facilitated via elevators and escalators. The airport also has facilities to aid boarding or disembarkation of disabled travellers.

There are no hotels at the airport, but there are several hotels in central Sofia.