Cheapest€28.23
- Florentia Bus Sofia OOD FB210506:168h 44m15:00Budapest NepligetSofia Central Bus Station
Door to door 9h 28mCO2 17.0 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Travelling from Budapest to Sofia costs €28.23 at the cheapest and takes 4h 24m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 5 operators. The route covers 641 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Flight.
At a glance
- Distance
- 641 km
- Fastest
- 4h 24m
- Average
- 7h 2m
- Services per day
- 24
- Cheapest
- €28.23
- CO2 per passenger
- 88.5 kg
Every way to make this journey
Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on 22 September 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | 4h 24m | 1h 14m | 3h 10m | €71.53 | 159.9 kg | 12 |
| Coach | 9h 14m | 8h 30m | 44m | €33.18 | 17.0 kg | 12 |
- 4h 24mFastest, by Flight
- €33.18Cheapest, by Coach
- 17.0 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 641 kmDistance travelled
The cheapest and the fastest on 22 September 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€63.86
- Ryanair R743218:131h 14m19:27Budapest BUDSofia SOF
Door to door 4h 24mCO2 159.9 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Today's real departures
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modelled until our booking connectors are live.
| Operator | Service | Departs | Arrives | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MÁV2 changes | Z30 | 10:40 | 06:06 | 19h 32m |
| MÁV1 changes | S10 | 14:25 | 08:20 | 18h 1m |
| MÁV1 changes | S10 | 18:25 | 08:20 | 14h 1m |
| FlixBus-eudirect | FlixBus N982 | 19:00 | 08:20 | 13h 56m |
| BKK2 changes | 5 | 21:20 | 17:00 | 19h 55m |
| BKK3 changes | 16 | 22:12 | 17:00 | 19h 9m |
Prices over the next three weeks
Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of travelling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Budapest to Sofia | Tue8 Sept | Wed9 Sept | Thu10 Sept | Fri11 Sept | Sat12 Sept | Sun13 Sept | Mon14 Sept | Tue15 Sept | Wed16 Sept | Thu17 Sept | Fri18 Sept | Sat19 Sept | Sun20 Sept | Mon21 Sept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €60.13 | €52.98 | €70.03 | €51.33 | €52.43 | €51.88 | €47.48 | €33.18 | €35.38 | €45.28 | €41.43 | €41.43 | €38.68 | €35.38 |
| Flight | €113.42 | €105.16 | €131.12 | €101.62 | €103.98 | €98.08 | €87.46 | €71.53 | €74.48 | €99.26 | €81.56 | €85.10 | €79.79 | €73.89 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-22 · €28.23
That is the travelling done. What happens after you walk out into Sofia is not something we sell.
Rooms within reach of Sofia Central
Hotels and flats near the centre, most of them with free cancellation, on a map that shows what is walkable.
Search Sofia on Booking.comOr compare on Expedia
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Budapest to Sofia
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €32.6390 days
- €28.2360 days
- €30.4345 days
- €26.5830 days
- €29.8821 days
- €35.3814 days
- €47.487 days
- €70.033 days
- €60.131 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 30 days ahead, at €26.58.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and dearest lead time is 163 percent. The dearest point is €70.03, 3 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 30 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 30 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €38.68Sun
- €35.38Mon
- €33.18Tue
- €35.38Wed
- €45.28Thu
- €41.43Fri
- €41.43Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €33.18Sept
- €30.43Oct
- €28.23Nov
- €27.68Dec
- €26.03Jan
- €23.83Feb
The route
What the journey actually looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 641 km against 631 km in a straight line, a detour of 2 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Budapest at 06:26 and the last at 18:28, across 12 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Budapest
Rail
- Budapest Keleti
- Budapest-Déli railway station
- Budapest-Közvágóhíd HÉV station
Coach
- Budapest Nepliget
- Budapest, Kelenföld vasútállomás
Air
- BUD
Ferry
- Dock 42
- Dráva utca
Sofia
Rail
- Sofia Central
- Sofia-Sever
- Sofia railway station
Coach
- Sofia Central Bus Station
- спирка Ехо
Air
- SOF
SOF is not in Sofia, and the road in from it is the part of the trip nobody plans. We sell the flight and stop at the terminal door.
Getting from SOF into Sofia?
A price agreed before you fly, a driver at arrivals, and a car big enough for the bags.
Book a transfer from SOF with Welcome PickupsOr check Daytrip
Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bulgaria Air | €58.55 | 4h 24m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 FlixBus | €28.78 | 8h 57m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi |
| Florentia Bus Sofia OOD | €28.23 | 8h 58m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi |
 Ryanair | €57.96 | 4h 24m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 Wizz Air | €62.68 | 4h 24m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €22.50 | 80% |
| Taxes | €2.25 | 8% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 5% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 7% |
| Total you pay | €28.23 | 100% |
The flight gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.
Where to leave your bags in Sofia
Most of the points near Sofia Central open before the first train and shut after the last one.
Check Sofia on StasherOr try Bounce
Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.
Questions about Budapest to Sofia
The questions people actually ask about this journey, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from Budapest to Sofia?
The fastest journey from Budapest to Sofia takes 4h 24m door to door, of which 1h 14m is spent moving, on the Flight. Most services take around 7h 2m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from Budapest to Sofia?
The cheapest fare from Budapest to Sofia is €28.23, checked on 22 September 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €70.19. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from Budapest to Sofia?
The cheapest way from Budapest to Sofia is by Coach, at €33.18 for one passenger on 22 September 2026. That journey takes 9h 14m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
What is the fastest way to get from Budapest to Sofia?
The fastest way from Budapest to Sofia is by Flight, at 4h 24m door to door. Only 1h 14m of that is spent moving; the remaining 3h 10m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €71.53.
When should I book Budapest to Sofia?
Fares from Budapest to Sofia bottom out around 30 days before departure, at €26.58. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the dearest lead time is 163 percent, measured on 22 September 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Budapest to Sofia?
Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Budapest to Sofia, at €33.18. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on 22 September 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Budapest to Sofia?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Budapest to Sofia, at €23.83 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs services from Budapest to Sofia?
5 operators sell services from Budapest to Sofia across 2 modes: Bulgaria Air, FlixBus, Florentia Bus Sofia OOD, Ryanair, Wizz Air. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from Budapest to Sofia?
Every service we sell from Budapest to Sofia is direct, with around 24 departures a day and a fastest journey of 4h 24m door to door. No connection is needed, so there is no missed connection risk to plan around on this corridor.
How much CO2 does the journey from Budapest to Sofia produce?
Travelling from Budapest to Sofia by Coach produces about 17.0 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Flight produces about 159.9 kg, roughly 9 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Budapest to Sofia use?
Services from Budapest to Sofia by Flight leave from Budapest BUD and arrive at Sofia SOF. Allow about 3h 10m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from Budapest to Sofia?
2 of the 5 operators we sell from Budapest to Sofia allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.
Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modelled number pass for a filed one.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for Budapest to Sofia on 7 September 2026: 641 km of route against 631 km in a straight line, 24 services a day, 5 operators, a cheapest fare of €28.23, and 4h 24m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
Plenty of what is worth seeing sits outside Sofia and elsewhere in Bulgaria. None of it is ours to sell.
What to book in Sofia before you go
The tickets worth having in advance, because the queue at the door is usually the whole morning.
See Sofia on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.
Other ways to make this journey
Arriving in Sofia
Leaving Sofia
- 119Places you can leave for
- 35Countries
- 39Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.