Flights to Bulgaria 2026: Flight Times, Airlines, Airports

A direct flight from Ben Gurion Airport to Sofia spends about 2 hours 15 minutes in the air. Most tickets say 2:35 to 2:55, because airlines count from gate to gate, including taxiing and the wait for take-off, and the flight back to Israel is shorter, about 2:20 to 2:40. There is no time difference either: Bulgaria and Israel keep the same clock almost all year.

Sofia has direct flights all year round with El Al, Israir, Wizz Air, Bulgaria Air and Bluebird, plus Arkia and charter flights in peak seasons. On the Black Sea coast, Varna has flights all year, with more in summer, and Burgas is a summer-only route. Here is what you need to know before you book: flight times for each airport, who flies where in 2026, when fares drop, the low-cost baggage traps, and what to do the moment you land in Sofia.

Contents

• How long is the flight to Bulgaria
• Time difference between Bulgaria and Israel
• Which airport: Sofia, Burgas, Varna or Plovdiv
• Who flies direct to Bulgaria in 2026
• When flights to Bulgaria are cheaper
• Baggage and low-cost traps
• You have landed in Sofia: what now
• Frequently asked questions
• Next steps

How long is the flight to Bulgaria

The short answer: about two and a half hours from Ben Gurion, depending on the airport. Tel Aviv to Sofia is roughly 1,560 km, and 2026 timetables mostly list the flight at 2:35 to 2:55. The plane is actually in the air for about 2 hours 15 minutes; the rest is taxiing and a buffer for congestion. These are the scheduled times by airport:

Destination	From Tel Aviv	Back to Israel	When there are direct flights
Sofia (SOF)	2:35 to 2:55 hours	2:20 to 2:40 hours	All year
Burgas (BOJ)	About 2:20 hours	About 2:10 hours	Summer, roughly late May to early October
Varna (VAR)	About 2:30 hours	2:15 to 2:25 hours	All year, more flights in summer
Plovdiv (PDV)	About the same as Sofia	About the same as Sofia	Winter charters, when they run
Sofia, flying from Haifa	About 3:45 hours	About 3:30 hours	Winter only

Two things to keep in mind. First, delays on this route are not rare: in the month before we wrote this guide, the Wizz Air morning flight to Sofia was late 14 times, by 43 minutes on average, so don't book a transfer or a tour too close to your landing time. Second, some flights run at awkward hours. In summer 2026 Bulgaria Air also left Ben Gurion at 04:50, and the Wizz Air flight home leaves Sofia at 05:45. Check the time before you get excited about the fare.

Time difference between Bulgaria and Israel

There is none. In winter both countries are two hours ahead of GMT, and in summer both move their clocks forward one hour. When it is 10:00 in Tel Aviv, it is 10:00 in Sofia.

There is one small exception at the end of March. Israel switches to summer time on the Friday before the last Sunday of March, while Bulgaria, like the rest of the EU, switches on that Sunday. For those two days Israel is one hour ahead: in 2027 that happens from 26 to 28 March. In autumn both countries go back to winter time on the same night (in 2026, the night of 24 to 25 October), so there is effectively no gap.

If you fly on that late-March weekend, your ticket will look odd, because each time is printed in local time: the flight to Bulgaria will look an hour shorter and the flight home an hour longer. It is not a bug, it is the clock.

Which airport: Sofia, Burgas, Varna or Plovdiv

Bulgaria has four international airports that matter for travelers from Israel. In practice, Sofia is the main gateway, with the most flights all year. Varna also has direct flights all year, and Burgas only in summer. The choice comes down to one thing: where you are heading after you land.

Sofia: the main gateway

Sofia Airport is about 10 km from the city center. It is the right airport for Sofia itself, the ski resorts of Bansko and Borovets, Rila Monastery and the Seven Rila Lakes, and also Plovdiv, about 145 km away or roughly 1 hour 40 minutes by road. All the ways to get there are in our guide how to get from Sofia to Plovdiv.

Burgas: closest to Sunny Beach and Nessebar

Burgas Airport, about 10 km from the city, serves the southern coast: Sunny Beach, Nessebar, Sozopol and Pomorie. Flights from Israel are seasonal: in summer 2026 the Bluebird route ran from late May to early October, and Israir also flew to Burgas in season. Out of season you can land in Varna, which has flights all year, and head south along the coast, or land in Sofia and drive four hours or more. The coast is not a day trip, so plan at least one night there. Read about the beaches and towns in our Black Sea coast guide.

Varna: the northern coast

Varna Airport is about 10 km from the city and serves the northern coast, including Golden Sands. Varna has direct flights all year. Wizz Air flew there three times a week last winter and four times a week as of September 2026, Israir runs charters (two a week last winter, more in summer), and El Al also flew there in summer 2026. Winter has fewer flights, so check a current timetable.

Plovdiv: no scheduled route

Plovdiv's small airport has no scheduled route from Israel. For winter 2025-2026 Israir announced flights there as part of ski packages, and no timetable has been published for winter 2026-2027 yet. If there is nothing on your dates, land in Sofia and continue by road.

A summer tip: you can mix airports. Land in Sofia, travel through the mountains on your way to the coast, and fly home from Burgas or Varna, or the other way round. You can buy each direction as a separate ticket, which saves you the long drive back to Sofia.

Who flies direct to Bulgaria in 2026

2026 was not an easy year in the sky. On 28 February, when the war with Iran broke out, Israel's airspace closed to foreign airlines, and the routes to Bulgaria came back gradually: El Al resumed Sofia in April, Wizz Air returned to Ben Gurion on 28 May and Bulgaria Air on 4 June. As of September 2026, these are the airlines flying direct:

• El Al: several flights a week to Sofia, some in the early morning, and to Varna in summer 2026. It usually departs from Terminal 3 and lands at Terminal 2 in Sofia.
• Israir: the airline with the most Bulgarian destinations: Sofia through the year, Varna, and Burgas in summer. For winter 2025-2026 it also announced flights to Plovdiv as part of ski packages. In Sofia it lands at Terminal 2.
• Wizz Air: the Hungarian low-cost carrier flies to Sofia every day (in September 2026 it announced a move from six to seven weekly flights) and to Varna three to four times a week. Note that it usually departs from Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion and usually lands at Terminal 1 in Sofia.
• Bulgaria Air: Bulgaria's national airline returned to the route in June 2026. It usually departs from Terminal 3 and lands at Terminal 2.
• Bluebird: a few flights a week to Sofia (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday as of September 2026) and to Burgas in summer. It lands at Terminal 2 in Sofia. Its timetable lists the Sofia flight as longer, about 3:30.
• Arkia: flies to Sofia in peak seasons: the ski season (January to March 2026) and July and August 2026. It lands at Terminal 1 in Sofia.
• Other airlines: in summer there are also charter flights to Burgas and Varna, and sometimes to Sofia.
• Air Haifa: the only option from Haifa, winter only, on a small turboprop. The flight is longer, about 3:45 to Sofia and 3:30 back, but it saves people in the north the trip to Ben Gurion. At the time of writing, dates for winter 2026-2027 are already on sale. Note: Air Haifa does not accept skis or snowboards in the hold, so if you fly from Haifa to ski, plan to rent gear at the resort.

The list changes from season to season, and 2026 showed how quickly a route can disappear and come back. So before you book, check the ticket's change and cancellation terms, and if you are flying at a sensitive time, it is worth paying a little more for a flexible fare.

When flights to Bulgaria are cheaper

Fares to Bulgaria depend far more on demand in Israel than on the weather in Bulgaria. The expensive periods are the Jewish holidays (Sukkot, Hanukkah and Passover), the Israeli school summer break in July and August, and the peak of the ski season in late December. Dates to plan around: Hanukkah 2026 runs from 4 to 12 December, Passover 2027 starts on the evening of 21 April, and Sukkot 2027 on the evening of 15 October.

To give you a feel for it: when we checked El Al's Sofia fare calendar on 24 September 2026, the lowest round-trip fares for October and November were less than half the fare for the Sukkot dates. The winter months were higher, but still well below holiday prices. Fares move every day, but the pattern is clear: the window between the holidays is the cheapest.

A few rules that work:

• For holidays and summer, book as soon as you have dates. The cheapest seats go first, and low-cost fares climb as the plane fills up.
• Compare the final price, not the headline fare. A cheap ticket without a trolley or a suitcase can end up costing more than a fare that already includes baggage. Price it with everything you are actually taking.
• Check nearby dates. Moving by a day in either direction can change the price.
• Set a price alert and compare airlines. Our flights to Bulgaria search page lets you compare fares across airlines in one place.
• Heading to the coast in summer? Compare Burgas and Varna, since each airport has its own schedule and prices.

Baggage and low-cost traps

Most surprises on a flight to Bulgaria happen at the check-in desk and the boarding gate, not in the air. These are the common traps:

• Wizz Air's free bag is small. The basic fare includes only a personal item of up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm that must fit under the seat in front of you. A trolley of 55 x 40 x 23 cm and up to 10 kg costs extra, and so does a checked bag (10, 20, 26 or 32 kg). Adding bags at the airport costs more, so buy them in advance.
• Checking in at the desk costs money. With Wizz Air, free online check-in opens 24 hours before the flight (30 days before if you bought a seat) and closes 3 hours before departure. Miss that window and you pay for airport check-in.
• Terminal 1 or Terminal 3. Wizz Air usually departs from Terminal 1 at Ben Gurion, while El Al and Bulgaria Air usually use Terminal 3. Since Terminal 1 reopened for international flights in July 2026, some El Al, Israir and Arkia flights leave from there too, so check your booking before you leave home.
• Check what is included with other airlines too. The headline fare does not always include baggage, even when the airline is not a classic low-cost carrier. The fares Air Haifa shows for Sofia, for example, include neither a suitcase nor a trolley.
• Ski gear. Flying with skis or a snowboard? Add them to the booking in advance as special baggage. The alternative is renting gear at the resort and flying light. Flying from Haifa? Air Haifa does not accept ski gear or snowboards in the hold, so plan to rent at the resort.
• An early flight home. A 05:45 departure from Sofia means leaving your hotel in the middle of the night, before the metro starts running. Sort out how you will get to the airport in advance.

You have landed in Sofia: what now

Passport control

Israeli citizens do not need a visa for Bulgaria for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, as in the rest of the Schengen area. Passport control now runs the EU Entry/Exit System: instead of a stamp in your passport, officers take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints, and the first entry can take a little longer. And if a website offers to sell you a "European travel authorization", note that as of September 2026 that system (ETIAS) is not running yet and no applications are being accepted.

Which terminal you landed at

El Al, Israir, Bulgaria Air, Bluebird and Air Haifa land at Terminal 2. Wizz Air usually lands at Terminal 1, and so does Arkia, so check your ticket. A free shuttle runs between the terminals around the clock, every 20 to 40 minutes, which matters because the metro only leaves from Terminal 2.

From the airport to central Sofia

• Metro: line M4 leaves from the eastern end of Terminal 2 and reaches the city center in about 20 minutes. A single ticket costs €0.80 and you pay with a contactless card right at the gate. It costs the same as the bus but is much faster; it is only a hassle if you are hauling two big suitcases.
• Bus 84: stops at both terminals, runs roughly every 12 minutes and takes about 45 minutes to the center on weekdays. Between midnight and 4:00 there is a night bus, N4, once an hour.
• Taxi: only from the official desk in the arrivals hall, which you will find in both terminals. If someone approaches you outside offering a "taxi", say thanks and keep walking. Every way from the airport to the city, including the metro and bus, is in our Sofia Airport transfer guide.
• Private transfer: booked in advance, at a fixed price per vehicle rather than per passenger. To central Sofia it starts at about €30 (as of September 2026). What each option costs, including a licensed taxi, is in our airport to city center transfer guide.

Landed in the morning and staying in town? Once your bags are at the hotel, a small-group walking tour of central Sofia (up to two hours, from €18) is a good way to get to know the city on day one.

Straight to Bansko or Borovets

Landing in winter on your way to the slopes? You will probably head straight out of the airport. Bansko is about 160 km away, roughly two and a half hours by road and up to three in snow. Borovets is about 70 km, roughly an hour and 25 minutes. There are shuttles and buses to the ski resorts, but they depend on the date and time, and after an evening flight with kids and ski gear they are not ideal. A private transfer from Sofia starts at about €168 per vehicle to Bansko and about €77 to Borovets (as of September 2026; the price from the airport can differ slightly). The details are in our guides Sofia to Bansko and Sofia to Borovets, and you can book directly on our private transfers page.

Money at the airport

Since 1 January 2026 Bulgaria's currency has been the euro. When you withdraw cash or pay by card and are asked whether to be charged in shekels or in euros, choose euros: the conversion offered on the spot is almost always more expensive than your card issuer's. More in our guide to money in Bulgaria.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the flight from Tel Aviv to Sofia?

About 2 hours 15 minutes in the air. Most tickets show 2:35 to 2:55 because the time includes taxiing, and the flight back to Israel is shorter, about 2:20 to 2:40.

Is there a time difference between Israel and Bulgaria?

No. Both countries keep the same clock in winter and in summer. The only exception is two days at the end of March, when Israel moves to summer time on Friday and Bulgaria on Sunday, so Israel is one hour ahead.

How long is the flight to Burgas and to Varna?

About 2:20 to Burgas and about 2:30 to Varna on the timetable. Burgas is a summer-only route (roughly late May to early October); Varna has flights all year, with more in summer.

Which airlines fly direct to Bulgaria?

As of September 2026: El Al, Israir, Wizz Air, Bulgaria Air and Bluebird to Sofia, with Arkia in peak seasons. Bluebird and Israir fly to Burgas in summer, Wizz Air and Israir to Varna all year (El Al too in summer 2026), and Air Haifa from Haifa to Sofia in winter.

When is it cheapest to fly to Bulgaria?

Outside the Jewish holidays and the Israeli summer break. When we checked in September 2026, October and November were the cheapest months to Sofia, and December, with Hanukkah and the ski season, was more expensive.

Which terminal do flights from Israel use in Sofia?

El Al, Israir, Bulgaria Air, Bluebird and Air Haifa land at Terminal 2, where the metro to the city leaves from. Wizz Air and Arkia usually land at Terminal 1, and a free shuttle connects the two.

Do Israelis need a visa for Bulgaria?

No. Israeli citizens can enter Bulgaria without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. At passport control your face is photographed and/or your fingerprints are scanned instead of a passport stamp.

Can you fly to Bulgaria from Haifa?

Yes, in winter. Air Haifa flies from Haifa to Sofia on a turboprop, about 3:45 to Sofia and 3:30 back, and at the time of writing dates for winter 2026-2027 are already on sale. Note that Air Haifa does not accept ski gear in the hold.

Next steps

Got your dates? Before you book, check the best time to visit Bulgaria for what you want to do there, and read everything to know before you fly to Bulgaria, from power sockets to safety. Going skiing? Our guide to skiing in Bulgaria compares Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo. And if this is your first trip to the country, start with the complete Bulgaria travel guide.

We live in Sofia and know this airport well. Want to walk out of the terminal knowing exactly how you will get to your hotel and what it will cost? Book a private transfer before you fly and start your holiday without hunting for a taxi.