Section 06 — Getting here
LandatBOJ,walktothesea
Burgas Airport sits 10 km north-east of the centre at Sarafovo — roughly 20 minutes by bus or taxi, which makes it one of the shortest airport transfers of any recent host city. Varna and Sofia are the fallbacks, and the coastal train from Sofia is the slow, scenic option.
Routes in
Fivewaystoarrive
Burgas Airport (BOJ) handles most seasonal European traffic to the southern coast. If contest-week fares spike, look at Varna (VAR, two hours north) or Sofia (SOF, six to seven hours by coach, one hour by domestic flight). All prices below are indicative in Bulgarian lev.
| Route | Journey time | Indicative cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgas Airport (BOJ) | 20 min to centre | Bus ~1–2 BGN · Taxi 20–30 BGN | 10 km north-east at Sarafovo. Seasonal direct flights from across Europe; the main summer gateway. |
| Varna Airport (VAR) | 2 h by bus | Bus 20–30 BGN | Alternative when Burgas is full. Frequent intercity coaches down the coast. |
| Sofia Airport (SOF) | 6–7 h by bus · 1 h flight | Bus 30–45 BGN | Bulgaria's biggest hub with year-round flights, then a domestic hop or an overnight coach. |
| Train from Sofia | 7–8 h | ~25–40 BGN | Scenic and slow. Burgas station is the coastal terminus and sits in the city centre. |
| Intercity coach | Varies | From 20 BGN | Dense national network into Burgas Yug station, right beside the railway station. |
Practicalities
Beforeyoufly
- Currency
- Bulgarian lev (BGN). Cards in the centre, cash at markets and taverns.
- Language
- Bulgarian; English widely spoken in tourism. Street signs are in Cyrillic and Latin.
- Time zone
- EET / EEST (UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer) — the same clock as the arena schedule.
- Entry
- Bulgaria is an EU and Schengen state; check your own requirements.
- Power
- Type C/F sockets, 230 V — standard continental European plugs.
- Airport code
- BOJ · Burgas Airport, Sarafovo, 10 km out.
Straight answers
Arrivalquestions
- Which airport do I fly into for Eurovision in Burgas?
- Burgas Airport (BOJ) at Sarafovo, 10 km from the centre and about 20 minutes by bus or taxi. Varna (VAR) and Sofia (SOF) are the fallbacks if Burgas flights are full or expensive.
- How do I get from Burgas Airport to the city centre?
- City bus line 15 runs between the airport and the centre for a couple of lev and takes around 25 minutes. A metered taxi costs roughly 20–30 BGN. Order taxis from the official rank rather than accepting offers in the terminal.
- Do I need a visa to visit Bulgaria?
- Bulgaria is an EU and Schengen member state, so EU/EEA citizens travel with an ID card. Many other nationalities enter visa-free for short stays. Check your own country's requirements before booking; rules change.
- What currency does Burgas use?
- The Bulgarian lev (BGN). Cards are widely accepted in the centre, but markets, taverns and some taxis are cash-only. Withdraw from bank ATMs rather than independent currency-exchange machines on the seafront.