Stara Zagora: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Stara Zagora is a city of 121,582 people in Bulgaria, 205 m (673 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Plovdiv International Airport (PDV), 77 km (48 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Open Stara Zagora in Google Maps
Daylight in Stara Zagora runs from about 9 h 7 min a day in late December to 15 h 21 min in late June (computed for 42.43° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Stara Zagora is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Plovdiv International Airport (PDV), 77 km (48 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 8,202 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Stara Zagora: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Stara Zagora · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Istanbul, 317 km (Turkey) — flights · buses · car rental
- Bursa, 379 km (Turkey) — flights · buses · car rental
- Bucharest, 226 km (Romania) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Sofia, 192 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Esenyurt, 296 km (Turkey) — tours
- Küçükçekmece, 305 km (Turkey)
- Bağcılar, 308 km (Turkey)
- Bahçelievler, 311 km (Turkey)
- Umraniye, 329 km (Turkey)
- Pristina, 368 km (Kosovo)
Twin towns and sister cities: Samara, Radom, Barreiro, Yueyang, Yiyang.
Common questions
Which airport serves Stara Zagora?
Plovdiv International Airport (PDV), 77 km (48 mi) from the centre.
How big is Stara Zagora?
About 121,582 people live in Stara Zagora, across 86 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Stara Zagora in?
Europe/Sofia, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Stara Zagora?
The Lev (BGN). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Stara Zagora?
Istanbul (317 km), Bursa (379 km), Bucharest (226 km), Sofia (192 km), Esenyurt (296 km).
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.