Get to know and use the Sofia metro lines

Sofia is the only city in Bulgaria so far with its own subway system, or metro as the locals call it. Since its commission in 1998, the metro system has grown and is now one of the most widely used methods of transportation in the capital.

The most important things to know about the Sofia metro before you can use it:

• There are currently two active separate metro lines M1 and M2
• The two lines M1 and M2 intersect in two stations where you can transfer from one to the other
• The metro ticket costs 1,60 lv
• The metro tickets are separate from the other transport tickets and can be bought at the metro stations only

Getting from Sofia Airport to the central bus station

A map of the Sofia metro lines and the metro stations for each one

As you can see on the metro map, old metro line M1 covers the route between the Business park in Mladost district in the south-east part of the city all the way to Lulin district in the north-west part.

The newer line M2 connects the airport with the center of the city, the central bus and train station and the Nadezhda district.

Lines M1 and M2 intersect at two stations:

• Station Serdica – at the center of the city close to the government buildings and Vitoshka street
• Station Mladost I – at the south-east side of Sofia, the Mladost district is a administrative and residential hub

Line M1 is straight-forward and easy to navigate, there are no branches. It starts from the Business park in the Mladost district through the very center of the city and then to Lulin district.

Line M2 is a bit more complex to use since it branches out and it could get a bit confusing. The tricky part of Line M2 is that at the center of the city – Serdica station it separates in two different directions. One option is to go in the direction of National palace of culture (NDK) and Vitosha station, where you can see the Paradise mall. The other direction is towards the Central bus station.

Buses from Sofia Airport

Most important metro stations:

1. Sofia Airport metro station – Line M2 starts at the airport and can get you to the center of the city.
2. Business park station – Line M1 starts at the business park and connects to the center as well.
3. Central bus and train station – Line M2 goes directly to the bus and train station
4. Vitosha station – part of the route of Line M2 that will get you to Paradise mall

Purchasing tickets:

Tickets for the metro are sold only at the metro stations and cost 1,60 lv. This is the same price as the other means of public transportation in Sofia, however the ticket is separate for the subway only. You can use the same ticket if you need to transfer from M1 to M2 or vice versa regardless of how many stops you ride.

Metro schedule:

As a rule, the M1 line schedule starts at around 5:30 AM and the last train is around 11:50 PM. The M2 line schedule is different – first train starts around 5 AM and the last train is around 11:30 PM. The airport subway station closes earlier, at around 10 PM.

A more detailed schedule can be seen here, for now it’s available in Bulgarian only.