Conference venue, Transportation & Useful tips

The conference will take place at the premises of the Federation of the Scientific Engineering Unions (FNTS), located at 108, Georgi S. Rakovski Str., Sofia 1000.

Transportation tips

The best options to reach the Conference venue from Sofia Airport are either by metro, bus or by taxi.

  • By Metro: The Metro station at Sofia airport is the first stop of Line M4. From the Arrivals zone of Terminal 2, follow the blue line on the floor in the public area, go to the left, and enter the station. Sofia Airport provides a free-of-charge shuttle bus between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. To go to the city center, leave the metro at the 11th stop, station “Sofia University”. The ticket costs 1.60 BGN. The trip by metro takes about 30 minutes. The frequency of the trains is about 12-15 minutes from 5:30 to 24:00 on weekdays and weekends/holidays.
  • On the way back, if you opt again for the metro, make sure to take the train to Sofia Airport as final destination, as Line M2 forks at Station “Mladost 1”, and every second train goes to the alternative final destination (“Business Park”). The final destination is indicated on the train platform, the train’s name plate and regularly announced during the trip. The metro serves directly only Terminal 2.
  • By Bus: You can take Bus E84 and leave it at the final stop (“General Gurko” Street). The bus serves both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The ticket costs 1.60 BGN or 2 BGN sold by the bus driver. The trip by bus takes about 40 minutes, depending on the traffic.
  • By Taxi: There is only one licensed taxi operator starting from the taxi piazza of Sofia Airport, OK SuperTrans (+ 359 2 973 21 21). The ride to the hotel can take from 15-25 minutes, depending on the traffic, and it costs about 12-15 BGN from the Airport to the conference venue, both for the day and the night tariff. It is advisable to ask in advance for the price, having in mind the reference price. There is no Uber in Bulgaria, but you can also use alternatively the mobile apps TaxiMe or TaxiStars.

Map of Sofia Metro / Subway

Other useful tips

Electricity sockets

For Bulgaria there are two associated plug types, types C and F. Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins and plug type F is the plug which has two round pins with two earth clips on the side. Bulgaria operates on a 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.

Roaming

Note to the EU Citizens: As of June 15, 2017, there are no roaming charges for people from the European Union, including Bulgaria. You will be able to use your mobile devices in Bulgaria, while paying the same prices as at home.

Local currency

The local currency in Bulgaria is Bulgarian Lev (BGN), which maintains the fixed exchange rate of 1.95583 BGN for 1 EUR. Change bureaus and banks in the city offer exchange rates within reasonably small variation from the official course.

  • There are two ATM machines at Terminal 2 (DSK Bank and United Bulgarian Bank).
  • There are two ATM machines at Terminal 1 (DSK Bank and UniCredit Bulbank).
  • If you need to exchange money at the airport change bureau, we advise you to exchange only a small amount that would cover only basic expenditures like transportation costs to the Hotel (see below), as the exchange rate there is substantially higher than in the city.
  • Downtown, near the conference venue, there are two bank offices (PostBank, Raiffeisenbank) and ATM machines of these and two more banks (UniCredit Bulbank, DSK bank).