Renting a car is possible, but not necessarily a good idea if you are not used to driving here. Be prepared for traffic jams and disorganized traffic. Parking is a major problem. To park you can use tickets for parking in the so-called Blue Zone (sinya zona/синя зона). These tickets can be purchased from the people wearing bright green jackets, hanging around the parking lots. The tickets should be clearly marked with pen and placed on the dashboard so they are clearly visible. The price is 1 lev for 1 hour. The easier and more convenient way however is to SMS the vehicle registration number to "1302" - same for all mobile operators. It will charge your bill with 1 lev. Five minutes before the prepaid time is up you will receive a warning sms. You can either send another message for another hour or move your car.
Pay attention to this traffic rule: "If a tram, bus or trolley stops and is on your left side of your car you must stop in your lane and behind it, ie. public transportation vehicle should be on your left side and in front of your car." It is because tram rails are in the middle of the road and tram station is on the pavement so passengers of a tram will disembark to the road. Even buses have bus stops in the middle of a road. Failing to stop in such manner may cause you to kill bunch of people who are disembarking from a public transportation vehicle and ensure to you a prolonged stay in Bulgaria, or to be precise Bulgarian prison.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Sofia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Sofia - updated Apr 2024
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Sofia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
