Asked in the group: answers to the questions travellers ask most about Bulgaria

Yes, more than one. Nissim's tour is a walking and tasting tour guided entirely in Hebrew, through the city's markets, churches, mosques and Jewish history. Stella's tour, also in Hebrew, takes you between Roman ruins, Ottoman mosques and medieval churches. Both last 2 to 4 hours.

Yes. Most of our day trips from Sofia are guided in Hebrew too: Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, the Seven Rila Lakes, Vitosha and, in winter, a snow day in Borovets with hot springs. For a first visit we recommend Rila Monastery, about two hours each way, and in summer, if you like to walk, the Seven Lakes.

The cheapest way is the metro: line M4 leaves from Terminal 2 and reaches the centre in about 20 minutes for €0.80, and you pay by tapping a contactless card at the gate. For a taxi, go only to the Yellow desk in the arrivals hall: about €10 to €15. Landing at night with kids and suitcases? Book a transfer ahead and the driver waits for you with a sign.

Not for rides. Uber stopped operating in Bulgaria in 2015 and never came back, and in Sofia Bolt offers only food delivery, scooters and e-bikes. To get a taxi from your phone, use a licensed taxi company's app such as TaxiMe; at the airport the simplest option is the Yellow desk in the arrivals hall.

The metro runs from about 5:30 am until a little before midnight, so an early flight means a taxi or a transfer. Order a taxi through a licensed company's app, such as Yellow, OK Supertrans or TaxiMe, and check the rate sticker on the window: at night the maximum is €1.52 per km. Want it settled? Book a fixed-price transfer in advance.

No. Just tap a contactless card or your phone at the metro gate, or on the validator on buses and trams. A ride costs €0.80 and includes changes within 30 minutes, and from the third ride of the day on the same card the charge stops at €2. Just remember to tap again every time you board.

Yes. Plovdiv has buses and trains, roughly 2 to 3 hours; just pick a direct train, since one with a change takes five to six hours. For Bansko, several buses a day leave Sofia central bus station and more leave from Ovcha Kupel, about three hours. With kids and suitcases, a private transfer priced per car saves you all the changes.

Three days cover the city itself and one day trip out of it, and with four you can do both Rila Monastery and Plovdiv. Five days is not too much: add the Seven Rila Lakes in season, or a slow day of museums and spa. A quiet day in the city between two long day trips beats three days in a row on the road.

The historic centre on foot: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Church of St Sofia, the Rotunda and the ruins of Serdika, then the Banya Bashi Mosque, the Central Mineral Baths and the Central Synagogue, ending on Vitosha Boulevard. It comes to about 4 km, roughly an hour of actual walking. Note that the synagogue is closed to visitors on Saturdays.

Pleasant by day and cool in the evening: an average of 18°C by day and about 6°C at night, with around 11 wet days in the month. It is a great time for the city, day trips and the autumn forests on Vitosha and Rila. Pack layers and a rain jacket, and something warm for the mountains: winter comes early up high, and the Rila Lakes usually freeze during October.

It is, if you come ready for the cold. The Christmas markets usually open in mid-November and run until about a week before the year ends: the German market in the City Garden and the festival in front of the National Palace of Culture, both free to enter. December averages 4.6°C by day and minus 2.4°C at night, so bring a coat, gloves and shoes that don't slip.

The centre, around Sveta Nedelya Square and the pedestrian part of Vitosha Boulevard. Our rule: if your hotel is up to 10 minutes' walk from pedestrian Vitosha, you're in the right place, because you'll see most of the city on foot. Want quiet? Lozenets, about 5 minutes' drive from the centre, or Oborishte, calm and still walkable.

It depends on what matters to you. Balkan Palace is as central as it gets: on Sveta Nedelya Square, 200 m from the pedestrian street, with the metro to the airport at the door, though recent reviews complain about dust and cleaning. Millennium is a 5-star tower by the National Palace of Culture, with rooms from 50 m² and a huge spa, about 13 minutes' walk from the pedestrian street.

Only euros: Bulgaria switched to the euro on 1 January 2026, and since 1 February the lev is no longer legal tender. Euros from any eurozone country are accepted; shekels and dollars aren't. Prices were converted at a fixed rate, but some went up over the past year (annual inflation was 5.1% in August 2026, mostly in transport and services), so don't rely on old posts.

Not always. The chairlift usually runs from May to October, but in October it has a maintenance break of about two weeks, and it is closed on the last Monday of every month. October is also cold up there, sometimes below zero at night, with a risk of rain and early snow. From November to May it is closed, and the safe season is July to September.

Yes. The simplest way is our guided trek from Sofia, with a guide who speaks Hebrew or English; the lift is paid separately on the spot. By public transport it can be done: a bus from Ovcha Kupel to Dupnitsa, about an hour and a half, then a minibus to the lift that leaves when it fills up, not on a timetable. Expect an extra hour to an hour and a half of logistics each way.

Yes. Sapareva Banya, about an hour and a quarter from Sofia, has a 103°C geyser and thermal pools, and in winter you sit in the hot water with snow all around. Velingrad, the spa capital of the Balkans, has more than 80 hot springs and suits a night or two. No time to leave the city? Inside Sofia there's the Victoria Spa & Hammam at the Ramada hotel.

Plenty. Muzeiko, a children's museum where they can touch everything, with more than 130 games (closed on Mondays). Bells Park, where kids can ring some of the bells. The Golden Bridges on Vitosha, where they jump between giant boulders (keep an eye on them, wet rock is slippery). And the Sofia Zoo, which has a family ticket.

Yes, with a little planning. Chabad in Sofia hosts Shabbat meals for tourists if you register by Thursday at 12:00, and its King David restaurant is strictly kosher (mehadrin); make sure it's open on your dates. The Central Synagogue sells kosher wine, cheese, chicken and meat, and it is closed to visitors on Shabbat.

We work with Top Rent A Car, one of Bulgaria's largest and longest-running rental companies, with branches at the airports. A valid Israeli licence is recognised in Bulgaria for a short visit, but many companies ask drivers from outside the EU for an international licence, so get one before you fly. Bring the plastic licence card itself, your passport and a credit card in the driver's name.

The vignette is an electronic road toll registered to the car's number plate, with no sticker, and it is required on motorways and most intercity roads. You buy it on bgtoll.bg, in the app or at petrol stations, and a weekly one costs €10. In a car rented through us it's always included; with any other rental, ask for confirmation at the desk.

First, free EU roaming does not cover an Israeli SIM, so without a package the bill can surprise you. A roaming package from your Israeli provider is the simplest, an eSIM is bought in an app and switched on when you land, and a Bulgarian SIM from A1, Yettel or Vivacom is registered in a shop with your passport. Renting a car through us? A Yettel SIM with 7 days of data waits for you at the desk.