How to get to the venue
Emissions offset and travel by train
We encourage all participants of the conference to investigate possibilities to travel to Sofia by train. Links that provide some information on options to travel to Sofia by train:
- Watch the YouTube video London to Bulgaria by train
- Collection of links how to get to Sofia by train
- Information on trains across Europe, rail passes and booking system
Should you decide to travel by air you may consider to offset travel related emissions through donations for solar, bio-mass or energy-efficiency projects:
- Atmosfair
- What you can do
Language
The Bulgarian Language uses Cyrillic letters. In the Metro and some of the touristic places you will find transcriptions of some of the names in Latin letters. However, street names for example are only given in Cyrillic. Thus it may be an advantage if you have some grasp of the Cyrillic alphabet.
From Sofia airport to the conference
The easiest and cheapest way of going from the airport to the conference location is by using the metro. The metro terminal is adjacent to Terminal 2.
Arrival at Terminal 1: You need to take a shuttle bus from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. Sofia Airport provides free-of-charge transportation services between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at every 30 minutes between 07:00 and 19:00. The stop locations of the shuttle bus in front of both terminals are designated by signage and pavement markings. Between 19:00 and 07:00, free-of-charge transportation between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 can be requested at the Information Desk or at telephone: (+359 2) 937 22 11/ 12/ 13.
Arrival at Terminal 2: Note that there are no signs where the Metro is inside Terminal 2 or outside. At arrivals turn to the left and take one of the exits you pass when walking to the end of the building. Once you step out of Terminal 2 look to the left and you will see the Metro sign, a blue "M" with an arrow pointing downwards underneath. This is the entrance to the Metro Terminal building.
You can either by a ticket at the ticket machine or at the cashier booth. A single-ride ticket costs 1 Bulgarian Lev and is valid for the entire metro network.
Use Line 1 and change to Line 2 at "Serdika" towards "James Bourchier".
Trains on both sides of the platform run into the city (Line 1, red line), the electronic display on the platform indicates from which platform the next train will be leaving. The 12th stop is "Serdika", where you have to change to line 2.
On exit from the carriage walk back in the direction the train came from and follow the signs to line 2 (blue line); the signs are also written in Latin/English. Once you end up on the platform above the trains of line 2 take the left one; the direction written is "Lozenets" (the last station is James Bouchier, but this name is only written at the front of train, in Cyrillic).
The third station is James Bouchier. When you exit the carriage turn right and walk to the back exit (in the direction the train came from) and take the stairs and elevators. After having passed the turnstile take the way out to the right. Once you come up the stairs onto the street you should already be able to see the hotel and the name written at the top of the building.
The conference hotel Marinela Sofia is located at James Bourchier Boulevard 100.
Way back from the hotel to the airport: Take the metro with the direction sign "Sofia Airport station".
Taxi from the airport
At Terminal 1 and 2: Coming out of "Arrivals" an official desk of "OK taxi" is located directly opposite. Reserve a taxi at that desk, you will be given a ticket with the taxi number and be advised where to find your taxi. The price for the trip to the conference hotel Marinela lies between 12 and 15 Bulgarian Lev.
Be aware that there are many private taxi drivers in the terminal that will offer their services unsolicited. On regulations and prices see below the general paragraph on taxis in Bulgaria.
Getting around
Currently (Jan 2015) 1 Bulgarian Lev is worth 0.51 Euro. Please check for updates for example at http://www.oanda.com
Sofia airport
Sofia's airport is conveniently close to the city centre, with the journey into town taking not more than 30 minutes. Public transport bus No. 84 stops at both terminals and travels down bul. Tsarigradsko Shosse to the city centre. The bus ticket (currently 1 BGN) can be bought at the newspaper kiosk in either terminal or on the bus. It is valid only in one bus and an extra ticket for a suitcase must be bought.
Central bus station
Sofia's international bus station (web page is in Cyrillic only) is adjacent to the main railway station.
Public transport
Two metro lines intersect in the city centre at the Serdika stop. Line 1 runs from the East (Sofia Airport) to the West (Obelya), via the city centre while line 2 runs from South (conference hotel, stop "James Bourchier") to North (Obelya). The underground is clean and efficient, though it does get crowded at peak times. Tickets cost one lev and can be bought from the ticket machines at the entrance to the stations. Bus, trolley bus and tram tickets must be bought from kiosks prior to boarding and validated on the bus or tram. Look for the punching devices on the wall. Insert ticket and punch. Many trams and trolley buses now have ticket machines at the front, where you can buy a ticket that does not need punching. The ticket is only valid for the journey on that particular tram/bus so if you change you will need to punch a new ticket. One ticket costs 1 BGN. The fine for not having a ticket is 10 BGN and is payable on the spot. It is valid for the metro, busses, trams etc as well. An extra ticket for a suitcase must be bought. Week tickets are not available.
Taxis
A taxi costs around €5 from the city centre to the hotel and around €15 from the airport to the hotel. Fares per kilometre are displayed on a small piece of paper on the taxi window and any price is legal if written. You need to see it before you enter; Entering the taxi means that you agree with the price. The fees vary between 0.79–4.99 BGN (€0.40-€2.50) per km.
OK Supertrans prices, and average taxi prices as well:
Initial tax 0.70 BGN or 0.35 Euro
Daily rate (from 06:00–22:00): 0.79 BGN/km or 0.40 Euro
Nightly rate (from 22:00–06:00): 0.90 BGN/km or 0.46 Euro
Stay 0.22 BGN/minute or 0.11 Euro
OK SUPERTRANS: tel. (+359) 2 973 21 21.
TAXI-S-EXPRESS: tel. (+359) 2 9 12 80.
YELLOW: tel. (+359) 2 91 119.