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Car hire at Sofia Airport - Discovering the Bulgarian Capital

Located just 10 kilometres from the city centre, Sofia Airport is the main international airport of Bulgaria and one of the busiest in Eastern Europe, With over seven million passenger movements annually, it is the home base for the national carrier, Bulgaria Air, as well as a number of smaller Bulgarian airlines. Several low-cost airlines uch as Wizz Air, easyJet and Ryanair also use the airport as a strategic base from which many routes operate all over the European continent.

Capital of Bulgaria since 1879, Sofia is a very pleasant city with a wealth of attractions, many of them conveniently located in and around its historic centre. Housed in a former 15th-century mosque, the excellent Archaeological Museum feature many rare exhibits, including some unique Roman artifacts, a golden Thracian burial mask from 4 BC and a splendid floor mosaic taken from a nearby church. With its eye-ctaching gold domes, the city's magnificent 13th-century cathedral is another must for visitors whi can see Europe's largest collection of Orthodox icons in its crypt.

A highlight for visitors who pick up their car hire at Sofia Airport is a drive out to the Vitosha Mountains, the centrepiece of the oldest nature park in the Balkans. Other popular day-trips from the Bulgarian capital include an exhilarating trip to the spectacular Rila Lake District about an hour's drive south of the city and a tour of the country's second city, Plovdiv, which is home to one of the best-preserved Roman arenas in Europe. With your own transport you'll be able to go further and discover many of the other jewels in Bulgaria's tourism crown, such as Varna and Bourgas, two exceptionally beautiful cities.

Auto Europe specialises in low-cost, high-quality car hire currently offering more than 28,000 pick-up locations in over 190 popular destinations worldwide, including Sofia Airport. You can confirm your booking with us online now or get in touch with our highly-trained rental specialists for assistance and they'll happy to find you the best deal. For extra peace of mind, take a look at the user ratings and comments posted by previous Auto Europe customers in the city on our Sofia car hire reviews page.

Airport Information

Inaugurated on the 16th of September 1937, Sofia Airport has been steadily evolving in recent years to become one of the central aviation hubs for the more central parts of Eastern Europe. Soon after opening it opened its first passenger waiting-room and two years later the airport unveiled a completely finished airfield with a paved runway. Nine years later the first concrete runway was constructed of 1050 meters in length. Today the airport is ultra modern with a new passenger terminal and a third one currently in the pipeline.

Sofia Airport (SOF)
Address: 1 Chistophor Columbus Blvd, Sofia Airport EAD, 1540 Sofia, Bulgaria
Telephone: +359 2 937 2211
Airlines operating at Sofia Airport: The list of the most important airlines operating at Sofia Airport currently includes Aegean Airlines, Air France, Air Serbia, ALK Airlines, Austrian Airlines, BH Air, British Airways (London–Heathrow), Bulgaria Air (London–Heathrow), Corendon Airlines, easyJet (London–Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol), El Al, European Air Charter, flydubai, GullivAir, Israir Airlines, ITA Airways, Jet2.com (Belfast–International, Bristol, East Midlands, London–Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle-upon-Tyne), LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Pegasus Airlines, Qatar Airways, Ryanair (Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London–Stansted and Bristol), Smartwings, Sky Express, SkyUp, Swiss International Air Lines, TAROM, TUI Airways (Birmingham, London–Gatwick and Manchester), Turkish Airlines, Windrose Airlines and Wizz Air (London–Gatwick and London–Luton).

Where to pick up my car hire at Sofia Airport

Several global car rental companies operate on-site at the airport, including Avis, Budget, Europcar, Sixt and Thrifty, along with a selection of local car hire suppliers. Their reception desks can be found in both terminals, so to pick up your car hire at Sofia Airport just head for the Arrivals Hall in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, making sure you have all the necessary documents ready in order to make the pick-up process as quick as possible.

Car hire operating hours

	Avis at Sofia Airport Arrivals Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria 1000 +359 2 945 92 24	Opening Hours: Daily 9am-11pm
	Budget at Sofia Airport Arrivals Hall, Sofia, Bulgaria1000 +359 899 700001	Opening Hours: Daily 9am-11pm
	Enterprise at Sofia Airport Arrivals Hall Sofia, Bulgaria 1000 +359 2 937 3594	Opening Hours: Daily 8am-10pm
	Hertz at Sofia Airport Arrivals Hall Sofia, Bulgaria 1000 +359 2 945 9217	Opening Hours: Daily 6pm-9pm
	Sixt at Sofia Airport Arrivals Hall Sofia, Bulgaria 1000 +359 2 945 9276	Opening Hours: Daily 8am-11.30pm

Terminals

Sofia Airport currently has two main terminals - Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 - with the former having been built at the same time the airport opened in the 1930s. Since then the building has been extended many times, culminating with a full renovation in 2000. Terminal 1 still bears the imprint of the architectural influences of the period in which it was built, with large chandeliers of wrought iron and impressive stone wall mosaics for passengers to admire. It now serves many of the low-cost and charter carriers operating at the airport. The 27th of December 2006 marked the opening of Terminal 2 which was designed to allow for a future expansion and increased passenger numbers. to meet the requirements of the fast developing traffic during the next decade. Indeed, in December 2013 Terminal 2 was extended to the north, which increased its passenger capacity with about 200 000 per year. Covering a total area of 56,850 square-metres, Terminal 2 is designed to handle 2,000 passengers per hour at its peak. A third terminal - Terminal 3 - is currently in the pipeline and is due to open by 2030 with the main purpose of replacing the existing Terminal 1.

Airport Facilities

As one of Britain's most quickly-developing air transportation hubs, Sofia Airport offers passengers an extensive range of on-site facilities and amenities, with several cafés, fast food outlets and other eateries in both terminals (before and after security) serving a wide selection of drinks, light meals and snacks. Terminal 2 (being the busier terminal) has more dining options, including an excellent restaurant serving a good variety of dishes, sandwiches, salads. soft drinks, beers and wines in the main departures area. For passengers looking to pick up a bargain, there are several shops at Sofia Airport, including a large Duty-free store in Terminal 2 selling tobacco, alcoholic drinks, cosmetics, toiletries, electronics, etc. Look out for the shop selling Bulgarian wines and other local beverages, in addition to a couple of shops selling gifts and souvenirs close by. Besides banks, cash machines (ATMs) and bureaux de change in both terminalsThere are baby-changing rooms in the both public areas and in the transit halls as well as children's play areas located on the first-floor of Terminal 2.

How to get to and from Sofia Airport

When you arrive to pick up or drop off your car rental at Sofia Airport (located just 10 km east of Sofia's city centre), you'll most probably use the main Trakia motorway (A1). From the northern parts of Sofia, the airport is more accessible via the East Tangent route, while its junction with Botevgradsko Shose provides access to north-bound destinations via the Hemus motorway (A2). Connecting to the southern parts of Sofia and Southwestern Bulgaria is the route via Brussels Boulevard and Boulevard Aleksandar Malinov to Sofia's ring-road which has an interchange with the south-bound Struma motorway (A3). The fastest way to get to and from the centre of Sofia using public transport is by metro which takes about 20 minutes, plus a selection of buses also serve the centre of the city and its suburbs.

Parking Tips

Visitors who rent a car at Sofia Airport need to know that there are short-term paid parking zones in Sofia's streets, boulevards, squares and car parks, with the Blue Zone allowing parking up to two hours (8.30am to 8pm Mon-Sat) and the Green Zone which allows parking up to four hours (8.30am to 7.30pm Mon-Fri). Payment in both zones can be done using the free URBO Parking app. At the airport itself, Terminal 1 has two car parks (one underground and the other outdoor with 400 spaces) and Terminal 2 has a large multi-storey car park with 800 spaces available.

Useful links

Sofia Airport