If you are travelling to Bulgaria, chances are you may be flying into the country’s capital Sofia. Sofia International Airport (SOF) – or Letishte Sofia-Vrazhdebna -  is Bulgaria’s largest airport and one of the busiest in the region so it’s a key airline hub for Eastern Europe.

If you are exploring on a budget, several low-cost airlines base their Central European operations at Sofia International Airport so there are plenty of flights and price points to choose from.

The airport first opened in the 1930s – hence the historic Terminal 1 building compared to the more modern Terminal 2 which opened in 2006. Today, the airport serves around 7 million customers a year and a third terminal is planned for early 2030.

If you are planning a trip to Bulgaria for business or pleasure, our friendly Avis team at Sofia International Airport is on hand to offer advice and provide the perfect rental car for your trip.

You’ll find our Avis counter at Sofia International Airport handily located in the arrivals halls of both airport terminals 1 and 2. The Avis rental car park is a short walk from the terminal buildings.

After collecting your Avis car rental at Sofia International Airport, Sofia city centre is just a short 11km drive of around 20min via the A1 Thrace (Trakia) motorway. For international travellers, road signs are in both Bulgarian (Cyrillic) and English.

Located in Western Bulgaria, Sofia with its skyline of onion-shaped domes sits in a stunning location at the foot of Mount Vitosha – great for hiking and winter sports.

With 2000 years of history, there is plenty to see during a trip to the city. From Roman ruins to the city’s 13th century Alexander Nevsky cathedral and from Vitoshka, its main shopping street, to its modern architecture and gourmet restaurants, Sofia offers something for everyone.

If you are hiring a car at Sofia Airport, there is plenty to see within easy reach of the capital. Take a drive into the Vitosha Mountains or head 2hr south for the Rila Lake District and bask in Bulgaria’s natural beauty.

A road trip south east from Sofia to Plovdiv will take under 2 hours. As well as being Bulgaria’s second city, Plovdiv, with its ancient roots, is renowned as one of the oldest cities in Europe. Being named the European City of Culture in 2019 has helped put Plovdiv on the map. Take time out wandering around its old town and marvelling at its amphtheatre before enjoying the best of the region’s cuisine.

For a complete change of scene, take a drive east from Sofia to Bulgaria’s beautiful Black Sea coast. Burgas offers both history and natural beauty within its city limits and is around 4hr from the capital via the A80.

The port city of Varna further north, also known as the pearl of the Black Sea, is a further hour away just up the coast.

With so many attractions dotted around the city and scenic beauty on its doorstep, hiring a car from Sofia Airport gives you the ultimate freedom to explore the capital and its surroundings. If you are heading further afield into western Bulgaria, public transport can be limited and some of the most interesting destinations are hard to reach without a car.

Hiring a car is an easy way to travel in Bulgaria whether for work or pleasure. If you have not driven in this part of the world before, we’d advise checking the road rules for driving in Bulgaria before you set off.

Be aware that as in the rest of mainland Europe, you’ll be driving on the right-hand side of the road as you leave the airport. On dual carriageways and motorways, stay in the right hand lane as the left lane is for overtaking. The main road network in Bulgaria is good but rural routes can be uneven. In the older historic areas of the capital and major cities, roads can be narrow and difficult to navigate. It is recommended to avoid rush hour in Sofia which runs between 7:30-9:30 am and 4:30-6:30 pm.

There are designated blue and green parking zones in Sofia. The maximum parking time in the blue zone is 2hrs while you can park for up to 4hr in the green zones. You can pay for parking by sending an SMS message with your rental car license plate to the number advertised in each zone.