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Sofia · Bulgaria

Car hire and driving in Sofia

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsHostelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Bulgaria traffic drives on the right. Picking up at SOF means 8 km (5 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.

Drives from Sofia

Car rental from Sofia: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Sofia to PlovdivBulgaria132 km (82 mi)about 2 h 1 min
Sofia to NišSerbia135 km (84 mi)about 2 h 3 min
Sofia to SkopjeNorth Macedonia174 km (108 mi)about 2 h 39 min
Sofia to CraiovaRomania184 km (114 mi)about 2 h 48 min
Sofia to Stara ZagoraBulgaria192 km (119 mi)about 2 h 56 min
Sofia to ThessaloníkiGreece231 km (144 mi)about 3 h 31 min
Sofia to KragujevacSerbia244 km (151 mi)about 3 h 43 min
Sofia to RuseBulgaria248 km (154 mi)about 3 h 47 min
Sofia to PiteştiRomania269 km (167 mi)about 4 h 7 min
Sofia to ČačakSerbia275 km (171 mi)about 4 h 12 min
Sofia to EdirneTurkey289 km (180 mi)about 4 h 25 min
Sofia to BucharestRomania296 km (184 mi)about 4 h 31 min
Sofia to IstanbulTurkey502 km (312 mi)about 7 h 39 min
Sofia to MoscowRussia1,777 km (1,104 mi)about 27 h 6 min
Sofia to AnkaraTurkey853 km (530 mi)about 13 h 1 min
Sofia to BerlinGermany1,319 km (819 mi)about 20 h 7 min
Sofia to BursaTurkey553 km (344 mi)about 8 h 26 min
Sofia to KyivUkraine1,022 km (635 mi)about 15 h 35 min
Sofia to İzmirTurkey575 km (357 mi)about 8 h 46 min
Sofia to RomeItaly893 km (555 mi)about 13 h 37 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Sofia?

The right, as everywhere in Bulgaria.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.