Skip to content
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia with its gilded main dome, green copper roofs and bell tower under a blue sky with white clouds

Where to stay in Sofia

Photographed in 2017. Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Sofia

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Sofia

The centre of Sofia is about 12 km by road from the airport, and the M4 metro covers the same trip. With a car, the paid zones in the centre and the park and ride car parks on the edge shape the choice of district.

Bulgaria. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Sofia (SOF), about 10 km from the centre; rental desks in Terminal 2 arrivals. The M4 metro runs from Terminal 2 to the centre in about 20 minutes. Source
Tourist tax
Per night: EUR 0.51 at 1 star and in registered guest rooms and apartments, EUR 0.77 at 2 stars, EUR 1.02 at 3, EUR 1.28 at 4, EUR 1.53 at 5; shown separately on the bill. In force since 1 January 2026. Source
Guest registration
Every host, private guest rooms and apartments included, reports guests to the national Unified Tourism Information System, with passport or ID details. Source
Parking with a rental car
Hourly paid Blue and Green zones in the centre. New 2026 prices of EUR 2.00 and EUR 1.00 an hour were suspended by the Supreme Administrative Court in March 2026, so check the zone signs. Park and ride car parks on the edge. Source
Schengen
Bulgaria joined the Schengen area on 1 January 2025 and uses the EU Entry/Exit System. Source
Currency
The euro since 1 January 2026, at EUR 1 = 1.95583 lev; banks and post offices exchange leva to the end of 2026. Source
Monthly stays
Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay. The tourist tax runs per night with no cap: 30 nights for one guest at EUR 0.51 come to EUR 15.30. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Sofia

The National Palace of Culture at the southern end of central Sofia, seen along a long fountain pool lined with flower beds and strolling people, with Vitosha mountain behind
Photo: Radek Kucharski from Warsaw, Poland, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

City centre

The centre between Sveta Nedelya, Vitosha Boulevard and the National Palace of Culture, with Vitosha mountain behind it. It suits a first visit and a short stay on foot, with the sights and the metro close by.

Airport
about 12 km
Aleko, on Vitosha
about 22 km

Car and parking

The centre lies in the hourly paid parking zones, paid on arrival, for example with the Sofia Plus app. New prices for 2026, EUR 2.00 an hour in the Blue zone and EUR 1.00 in the Green zone, were suspended by the Supreme Administrative Court in March 2026, so the price on the day is on the zone signs. A flat with its own parking avoids the question.

The stone Doctors' Monument in the Doctors' Garden in Sofia, ringed by trees, shrubs and lawn, with a paved path in the morning sun
Photo: Gitanes232, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Oborishte

A residential district east of the centre around the Doctor's Garden, with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on its edge and the centre about 2 km away. It suits a longer stay in an apartment within walking distance of the sights.

Airport
about 12 km
Centre
about 2 km

Car and parking

Streets near the centre fall in the paid zones, whose limits the city extended on paper for 2026 before the court suspended the extension. Ask the host whether a space comes with the flat.

Apartment buildings of Lozenets and a tall white hotel tower seen across the lawns and blossoming trees of South Park in Sofia
Photographed in 2011. Photo: MrPanyGoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lozenets

A residential district south of the centre beside South Park, with apartment blocks and hotels on the way towards Vitosha. It suits a longer stay with a park close by, about 5 km from the centre by road.

Airport
about 12 km
Centre
about 5 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Lozenets was found as of September 2026 beyond the paid zones in and near the centre, whose 2026 extension is suspended. Ask the host about a space.

The medieval Boyana Church on the edge of Sofia, with red brick and stone walls, a small drum dome and an outside staircase, among tall trees in sunshine
Photographed in 2011. Photo: Todor Bozhinov / Тодор Божинов, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Boyana and Dragalevtsi

The southern edge of the city at the foot of Vitosha, with the medieval Boyana Church. Houses and small hotels, the mountain close and the centre a drive away, for a stay built around walking on Vitosha.

Airport, from Boyana
about 19 km
Centre, from Boyana
about 9 km
Centre, from Dragalevtsi
about 10 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Boyana or Dragalevtsi was found as of September 2026. A car or a taxi is the way to the centre, about 9 km from Boyana and 10 km from Dragalevtsi by road; for the mountain, the Simeonovo gondola also runs up to Aleko.

Tall apartment blocks of Mladost behind the office buildings and gardens of Business Park Sofia, with mountains on the horizon
Photographed in 2015. Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mladost and Business Park Sofia

The south-eastern district of apartment blocks around Business Park Sofia, for work trips and long stays, about 9 km from the airport by road.

Airport
about 9 km
Centre
about 11 km

Car and parking

Sofia's Urban Mobility Centre runs park and ride car parks at Business Park and on Tsarigradsko shose and shows their free spaces live on its website.

Guides

Questions

How much is the tourist tax in Sofia?

Per night, EUR 0.51 at 1 star and in registered guest rooms and apartments, EUR 0.77 at 2 stars, EUR 1.02 at 3, EUR 1.28 at 4 and EUR 1.53 at 5, under the city ordinance in force since 1 January 2026. The host must show it separately on the bill.

What does parking cost in central Sofia?

The city adopted new prices for 2026, EUR 2.00 an hour in the Blue zone and EUR 1.00 in the Green zone, but the Supreme Administrative Court suspended the increase and the extension of the zones in March 2026. The price on the day is on the zone signs, and the Sofia Plus app pays for parking.

How far is Sofia airport from the centre?

About 12 km by road from Sveta Nedelya square; the airport gives about 10 km to the centre. The M4 metro runs from Terminal 2 to the centre in about 20 minutes.

Which area of Sofia is best for a first visit?

The centre, for Vitosha Boulevard and the sights on foot, or Oborishte next to it, a residential district about 2 km from the centre around the Doctor's Garden.