Sofia Airport

We've flown in & out of Sofia several times now and have used both terminals (depending on who we've flown with). I'd agree with others that prices for drinks etc are OTT but that's common to most airports. Another reviewer mentioned going to a taxi kiosk - you really should book a cab at the desk and be put into it by the person managing the rank if you don't want to be ripped off. The person in the office will give you an estimate (between x & y depending on the traffic) of cost to your destination. We've used ok taxis to and from the Central Bus Station a few times and have never been charged more than the estimated fare. Do make sure you book at the desk though. There is a shuttle bus service to the City Centre - we haven't given this a go yet but have seen the buses and they seem quite frequent. One thing to watch out for I'm afraid is being over charged at the duty free shops. This has happened to us a few times. Ask for the till receipt as well as your credit / debit card receipt and check the number of items on the till receipt against what you actually bought. Do this as close to the shop as you can and go back if you need to. Someone else was waiting to query her bill while we were being dealt with. The woman in the shop claimed that there was some problem with their bar coding system. If this is so they should get it sorted out - the problem seems to having been going on for quite some time.

Sofia Airport Terminal 2 being light and spacious but calm and quiet. The baggage reclaim took forever! There were 3 or 4 baggage reclaim belts but only one was being used for 3 flights that had just arrived. The baggage took forever to come round and when it did it was all wet and slushy from the snow outside and several bags were damaged. Free WiFi so I could check e-mails etc while I was waiting for bags. When leaving check in staff weren't the nicest but did what they had to efficiently. The security checkpoint is in the middle of the airport between the check in hall and arrivals. The security check was quick but this was because they were very lax about everything many people went through with bottles of water and drinks and they were generally making the minimum of effort. Had to pass through passport control again which was quick. Upon arriving in Bulgaria we had docked at a jet way so walked off the plane and into the airport. When leaving our plane was parked at a remote stand so we went to a bus gate to be bussed to the aircraft. Shops were hard to find but I found this quite refreshing instead of usual duty free shops squashed into the corner of every other airport I usually go through.

Flight inbound to Sofia arrived on time but took nearly an hour for luggage to start coming on the carousel in dribs and drabs. On the outbound flight back to Gatwick the security was slack (a fellow flier was allowed to take bottled water in) and security staff rude in both directions at passport control. The prices were astronomical in the airport (£4 for a can of beer which I didn't purchase) and £5 for two half filled cold cups of coffee with huffy and eye rolling service from a snotty woman in the cafe booth. Seriously not what was needed after a days travelling and the prospect of further travelling to come. The airport was clean and although small appeared spacious. Overall the airport was okay but let down by the staff who are in need of training in customer service regardless of what language they or the travellers speak. Saying that this is the only choice for most travellers coming into Bulgaria however we were disappointed as to how the airport prices were exploiting the travellers using it the most we have experienced in any country so far.

The airport as such is very pleasant. I am only talking about terminal 2. It´s a small airport with limited facilities. Prices are high but I don´t know any airport which is cheap. Immigration and customs formalities are quick kind and very effective. It is an agreeable airport until you leave the building and start looking for a taxi - you can rest assured that you will be cheated the way you can´t imagine. If it is possible ask your hotel to order transport for you.

T2 is modern and OK but T1 is like something out of the Third World not an EU member state! Taxi drivers in Bulgaria are bandits - do not accept an offer from a tout in the arrivals hall - you could easily end up having to pay €60 or €70 - there are two or three little booths opposite from where you emerge in arrivals. Go to them and tell them where you are going - they give you a little form to give the driver and there is usually someone to point you at the right car. If you do this the rate will be reasonable (but still twice the rate back from town if you get an honest driver - ask your hotel to get you a car). Airside facilities are not great and the bars are very expensive

The new airport has a lot of space but there are already signs that the building work might have been a tad rushed. While I was waiting for a BA flight a small piece of rubbish dropped from above followed by a large but (mercifully) dead cockroach. The range of food on offer was limited poor and expensive although the ice cream stall is worth a visit. Bulgarian food is normally good but there is no sign of any Bulgarian grub inside the airport not even a slice of banitsa. The authorities have missed a great chance to promote the food and culture of the country. Elsewhere there could be sales points for good Bulgarian souvenirs plus a good choice of folklore CDs. Bulgaria has a wonderful music culture which many visitors have come specifically to sample. The gentleman in the duty free was very helpful about the different products but again the range was very limited. However I enjoyed the relative peace and quiet.

Public transport not advertised. Go to the Sofia Airport Web site. Click on Transport under Services. Then click on Buses on the left hand menu.

Sofia Terminal 2 is easy to use. That's it. It is a big rip-off if you need to eat or drink. Mind you yesterday (2/4/2008) the restaurant was closed and knowing that Bulgaria Air only provides a sandwich on its 2030 flight to London made things difficult as well as expensive (if it had been open). Coffee in central Sofia 1.5 to 2 lev. airport 4.5 lev. 50cl beer in Sofia downtown 2 lev small-town Bulgaria 1.2 lev. Airport 6 lev. Outrageous. Don't even ask about spirits. Gets even worse airside. So be prepared. There is a taxi prepayment if you arrive at the airport and want to go downtown but be prepared to haggle to go back to the airport from the City. Public transport not advertised and incredibly difficult to find out about. Under no circumstances take a taxi from the Central Rail or bus Station. Taxi driver will calm you by saying he will use the meter - but will flag a tariff 4-5 times the official rate. Sad but true. Probably the worst airport in Europe for rip-off.

Sofia Aiport T1 - Whilst everyone is raving about the new terminal if you are unlucky and have to use T1 be prepared. It is awful. Probably one of the worst airports I have been to. Considering this is the capital of Bulgaria there is nothing there. The only thing that was open was a news-stand. I bought a paper then discovered it was 7 days old! This place needs knocking down.

It was a great relief that the new terminal was opened beginning of this year. Arriving is very quick. Departing is still a mess. Being an elite plus member of Skyteam I use the business check in. This counter however is normally not there or is being used by everybody. There are 2 business lounges. Use the one downstairs a lot larger and more seats and tables to work on. Also duty free is improving. Pleasant airport although the business lounge could do with AC.