Travel to Sozopol
How to reach Sozopol from Sofia or Bourgas

The fastest way to reach Sozopol is to fly to Bourgas, then take a taxi or a bus to Sozopol. The organizers will try to ensure that participants are met at Bourgas airport or train station. However there are a number of traveling possibilities:

Bourgas to Sozopol by Bus, Sofia to Bourgas by Plane, Sofia to Bourgas by Train, By bus from Sofia to Bourgas (or Sozopol), By Car

Remark: All prices below are in the local currency (BG leva).  1 BG leva = 1 DM.

I. By bus from Bourgas to Sozopol

Sozopol is situated 30 km south of Bourgas.  There are regular buses from Bourgas to Sozopol which leave every hour during the day (from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.) from just outside the central railway station in Bourgas.  The price is approximately 1.50 BG leva and the travel takes no more than 40 minutes. You can take a taxi which costs approximately 20 BG leva (40 at night).  But keep in mind that the prices for taxis can be a bit higher around this time of year at the seaside.

II. By plane from Sofia to Bourgas

Bourgas has an international airport which is 12 km north of the city. Every day of the week there are at least two flights between Sofia and Bourgas in both directions. The timetable can be found at the following address:

http://www.balkan.com/BOJ.htm

The price for a return (two-way) ticket is expensive -160 US dollars - if you buy it separately. It will no doubt be cheaper if you combine this flight with your flight into Sofia.

From many European cities (typically in UK, Germany and Russia) there are direct flights to Bourgas. In any case contact your travel agent to get more information about possible charter flights to Bourgas.

There are buses that will take you from Bourgas airport to the same place (in front of the central railway station) where the buses Bourgas-Sozopol operate.

III. By train from Sofia to Bourgas

Below you will find a timetable for trains running between Sofia and Bourgas. The letter E stands for "express" and the letter R stands for a "rapid" train. The price for a single (one-way) ticket is about 15 BG leva 1st class (12 BG leva 2nd class).

The central station in Sofia is easy to get to; just ask for directions at any information desk. To get from Sofia airport to the central station by public transport, take the airport bus No. 84 and change at the Pliska Hotel stop to any of the following lines: No 213, 313, 413, 305. All of these buses terminate at the central station. You need to buy tickets for these buses in advance at the bus stop kiosks and validate them when you get on board. The price is 0.30 BG leva per ticket. Transfers are not included: one ticket is valid for one bus.

Taxis cost around 0.40 BG leva per kilometer in Sofia (around 0.50 at night). By law, the prices must be posted on the front or side windows of the taxi. The distance between the airport and the railway station is about 12 km.

TIMETABLE for the trains (subject to change): 
Sofia-Bourgas
R   departure 06:30  arrival 12:30
R   departure 07:05  arrival 13:55
R   departure 10:15  arrival 16:55
R   departure 12:30  arrival 18:50
R   departure 14:15  arrival 20:55
E   departure 16:00  arrival 21:45
R   departure 22:45  arrival 06:00		 Bourgas-Sofia

R   departure 05:30  arrival 11:13
R   departure 06:30  arrival 13:21
R   departure 10:30  arrival 16:57
R   departure 11:45  arrival 18:21
R   departure 14:10  arrival 21:03
E   departure 16:05  arrival 22:03
R   departure 22:45  arrival 06:00

Upon arrival at Bourgas railway station you can catch the bus to Sozopol.

IV. By bus from Sofia to Bourgas (or Sozopol)

Buses leave from a large bus terminal just opposite the central railway station in Sofia. The prices vary but it costs approximately 15 BG leva to get to Bourgas and 16 BG leva to Sozopol. The journey to Bourgas takes around 6 hours; to Sozopol it takes 7 hours. Here is part of a timetable from the relatively big transport firm "GROUP". Their buses are air-conditioned.

(subject to change)
Sofia-Bourgas
departure 7:45 arrival 13:45
departure 15:00 arrival 21:00

Sofia-Sozopol
departure 7:30 arrival 14:30

 Bourgas-Sofia
departure 6:30 arrival 12:30
departure 16:00 arrival 22:00

Sozopol-Sofia
There are buses but the schedule is not available at the moment

In Bourgas the buses arrive near the central railway station (a 5 minute walk). From there, you can take the bus to Sozopol.

V. By car

This is not difficult. You have to reach Bourgas by one of the usual main routes (from Sofia, or north from Varna, consult your map) and then proceed south in the direction of Istanbul, Turkey. Sozopol is 30 km along this route. The price of petrol in Bulgaria is now about 1 BG leva per litre Regular, 1.15 per litre Super, 1.07 per litre Unleaded and 0.70 per litre Diesel. The prices are subject to change but should not deviate too much from these levels.