Greetings,
I am planning on travelling solo in Bulgaria for two weeks starting in mid-May.
My route is Sofia - Plovdiv - Veliko Turnova - Sozopol - Varna - Bucharest.
I'm currently booking accommodations but am having trouble finding advance online bus ticket bookings.
Am I just booking too early or is it just as easy to get tickets on the ground upon arrival?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks and Safe Journeys!
We're doing something similar: Sofia - Plovdiv - Veliko Tarnovo - Bucharest. We're going to wait until closer to the time before purchasing our tickets.
The buses look convenient, although there isn't one from Veliko Tarnovo to Bucharest on the day we're going. I think our best opton is to hire a driver.
Anyone have any alternatives?
I used this company last year for a transfer and was happy with them.
https://vtravel.bg/category/outdoor-tours/
I had researched bus transit as Plan B travel if needed when I took my RS Best of Bulgaria tour earlier this year. It turns out I didn't need it, but I used this website to reasearch bus companies, routes and timetables:
https://getbybus.com/en/blog/bus-bulgaria/#Domestic_bus_routes
I do see some route options available for mid-May (and beyond.) Some routes appear to run daily. Others do not. Interestingly, I'm not seeing daily routes for Sofia to Plovdiv, for example.
I also used V Travel for some day trips that I took and was very, very happy with their services. I had booked about 4 different trips with them and when one didn't have enough people to go, the owner took two of us anyway, rather than risk that I might cancel any or all of my trips with them.
A third option that I had seen (but did not need to use) was a sightseeing transfer. They would take you and your "reasonable luggage" from one city to another, with sightseeing options along the way.
I didn't take this one, and it isn't cheap:
https://mydaytrip.com/configurator?adults=2&children=0¤cy=0&departureAt=1715763600000&isOtherDirection=true&luggage=2&passengers=2&routeId=2a80c8b0-2778-4924-abbc-4dc9af31ceee&vehicles=0
I've done these sorts of sightseeing transfers in other locations and enjoyed making the best use of my time with sightseeing along the way. This one is interesting because you get to choose the stops along the way.
When I traveled Bulgaria last summer, I purchased most of my tickets at the bus station. Only a couple routes could I find online. I would say just book a day in advance. Or just when you arrive in a city, book your departure transport. I had no issues booking last minute. It just almost came to bite me when I was booking my Veliko Tarnovo to Sofia bus and a lot of the times were sold out.
Ive been to Bulgaria a few times. Its beautiful, interesting and worth every moment. It is also very inexpensive. That means for less than the cost of doing it myself in a Western European country I can have a little better and easier experience in Bulgaria (and in most Eastern European countries). To that end, consider seeing if Pavlina can help (never hurts to have a conversation):
Pavlina Docheva, Manager
Easy Bulgaria Travel Ltd
Bulgarian Tour Operator
Member of the Association of Bulgarian Tour Guides
1839 Sofia, Vrajdebna district, 9, 61 str.
pavlina@easybulgariatravel.com
www.easybulgariatravel.com
www.bulgariarosefestival.com
www.viptransfersofia.com
Mobile: 00359 878 956 414
Customer Care – 24/7 Viber and WhatsApp
