Difference between revisions of "Sofia"

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'''Sofia''' ([[Bulgaria]]n: ''София'') is the capital and largest city of [[Bulgaria]], lying in the west of the country.
 
'''Sofia''' ([[Bulgaria]]n: ''София'') is the capital and largest city of [[Bulgaria]], lying in the west of the country.
  
== Hitching in and around ==
 
  
Sofia has a ring road. Drivers transiting between Serbia and points further east in Bulgaria will go around the north of the city. If you are dropped off on the ring road, you can walk a few hundred metres to a bus stop and take a bus to the city centre.
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== Hitching out ==
  
== Hitching out ==
 
  
 
=== East towards [[Plovdiv]], [[Edirne]] and [[Istanbul]] ===
 
=== East towards [[Plovdiv]], [[Edirne]] and [[Istanbul]] ===
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===== First option =====
 
===== First option =====
Take metro to the last stop of line 1 (red) called Tsarigradsko mall/congress centre, that is already on the big bd tsarigradsko to Plovdiv. You have Metro (shop, mall) on your right, keep walking 1 km, you will reach a traffic light that is perfect to hitch, never waited more than 5 minutes. Perfect stop.
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Take the metro (blue line) to Tsarigradsko shose, the Inter Expo Center. You have Metro (shop, mall) on your right, keep walking 1 km, you will reach a traffic light that is perfect to hitch, you might not even wait more than 5 minutes. Perfect stop. Some experiences suggest that it is difficult to get a direct ride to Istanbul from here unless you start as early in the morning as possible when the relevant traffic for Istanbul leaves the city. Also, waiting times can be longer than five minutes. Shorter rides are easier to catch.  
  
 
===== Second option =====
 
===== Second option =====
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Take metro and get to stop called Младост 1 (Mladost 1). Walk north along Yerusalim street until you get to the main road Tsarigradsko Shose. You should see Carrefour shopping centre around. Then take bus number 5 direction Lozen and go with it until it leaves main road on a cloverleaf junction. Get off on the next stop and go back to the junction. You will stand on a motorway junction with directions north, east to [[Plovdiv]] and west to [[Sofia]]. Go down the ramp to direction [[Plovdiv]] and you will see some shops and bars where people stop next to the motorway. Try standing on the hard shoulder to get a lift or ask people there. Nearly all traffic there goes to [[Plovdiv]] or even further east
 
Take metro and get to stop called Младост 1 (Mladost 1). Walk north along Yerusalim street until you get to the main road Tsarigradsko Shose. You should see Carrefour shopping centre around. Then take bus number 5 direction Lozen and go with it until it leaves main road on a cloverleaf junction. Get off on the next stop and go back to the junction. You will stand on a motorway junction with directions north, east to [[Plovdiv]] and west to [[Sofia]]. Go down the ramp to direction [[Plovdiv]] and you will see some shops and bars where people stop next to the motorway. Try standing on the hard shoulder to get a lift or ask people there. Nearly all traffic there goes to [[Plovdiv]] or even further east
 +
  
 
=== West towards [[Serbia]] {{E|80}} ===
 
=== West towards [[Serbia]] {{E|80}} ===
  
Take the metro to the stop ''Slivnitsa'' (Сливница). Take bus 54 towards ''Bozhurishe'' or walk northwest along the avenue ''Slivnitsa'' for 2 km until you meet the Sofia ring road. You can hitch 200 m after the intersection with the ring road already, or walk further down the road (two bus stops after the ring road) to the Lukoil station. There is still a lot of local traffic, so you'll probably have to accept at least one short-distance lift before you can stop a car going all the way to the border.
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'''Option 1''' Lukoil petrol station
  
Another way is to take the bus 54 towards Kalotina all the way to the end. It ends on the highway to Belgrade on a very good hitchhiking spot. But bring some cardboard with you from the city center since there aren't any trash cans.  
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Take metro to Slivnitsa and than bus 54 three stops till Magazin Metro 2. Or walk from metro Slivnitsa up E80/8 highway 3.5 km to same bus stop.There is Lukoil fuel station and a bus stop on the highway
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'''Option 2'''
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Bus 54 towards Kalotina all the way to the end. It ends on the highway to Belgrade on a very good hitchhiking spot. But bring some cardboard with you from the city center since there aren't any trash cans.  
  
 
This road enters Serbia at the [[Kalotina-Dimitrovgrad border crossing]].
 
This road enters Serbia at the [[Kalotina-Dimitrovgrad border crossing]].
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Update 2022: It is by far the best to take a bus out to the highway, like the 54, instead of standing in near the city on the nr 8 highway. If you are near the city you may wait hours, if you even get a ride. Not recommended.
  
 
=== Southwest towards [[Skopje]] ===
 
=== Southwest towards [[Skopje]] ===
  
Take tram number 19 in the direction ''Knyazhevo'' all the way to the last stop. You will recognize the last stop because it turns off the road to make a tight loop and doubles back on its route. As you hop off the tram, to the left of the water fountains in front of you is a short staircase that leads into a small park. 50 m from the stairs, directly through the park, you will find a bus station where you can catch bus number 59 that will take you all the way out of the city to nice spots to hitch from along the road that goes towards Pernik.
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Take tram number 19 in the direction ''Knyazhevo'' all the way to the last stop. You will recognize the last stop because it turns off the road to make a tight loop and doubles back on its route. As you hop off the tram, come back on the main road and keep walking the direction of tram
  
For the first nice spot along this direction heed the following: after about 8 minutes on the bus be on the look out for a gas station on the left side of the road. Get off as soon as you see this gas station as there is a nice place about 400 meters up the road where cars and lorries can safely pull off for you.
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To get out of city you need to walk 2 km till Lukoil fuel station
  
It is possible to ride on a bit farther if you miss this stop. The bus pulls off the main road about 3km later and goes into rural neighborhood where you must get off less you wish to be lost in the countryside. If you find yourself here walk in the same direction as you are destined on a small road that runs parallel with the highway until you cross under it. On the left just after the bridge is a small foot path that will lead you up onto the bridge, over the railway, and onto the highway where right here you can find another space for cars to pull off the road safely for you.
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Or After getting out of tram  catch bus number 59 after about 8 minutes on the bus get out at Ul. Mala Koriya bus stop and look for Lukoil fuel station
  
[Update: as of September 2012, tram #19 is apparently not working anymore. Tram #5, anyway, goes all the way on Bulevard Tsar Boris III to the city limits, and you can hitch on that road directly.]
 
  
 
=== North towards [[Veliko Tarnovo]], [[Bucureşti|Bucharest]], [[Varna]] ===
 
=== North towards [[Veliko Tarnovo]], [[Bucureşti|Bucharest]], [[Varna]] ===
  
 
Take tram 22 in direction east, get off at the last stop.  The road parallel to the tramline runs directly out of the city, its possible to hitch anywhere from here but I would suggest a better place after the ring road which isolates only the traffic running to the A2 motorway. 7 km up the road is a Shell petrol station, the last stop for gas before the motorway, you can either walk the 7 km straight up the road or if you look to the left you will see a carpark in front of a car dealership.  This is the bus station, take either the 117, 90 or 12, all will run directly up the road and stop more or less in front of the Shell petrol station. You can choose either the petrol station or just up the road is also ideal for hitching. An even better option is to take the 90 and persist with it until you reach the end of a road village called Gorni Bogrov (Bulgarian: Горни Богров), where you can hitch-hike from the bus station directly with great success since it has a lot of room for stopping and cars drive slow.
 
Take tram 22 in direction east, get off at the last stop.  The road parallel to the tramline runs directly out of the city, its possible to hitch anywhere from here but I would suggest a better place after the ring road which isolates only the traffic running to the A2 motorway. 7 km up the road is a Shell petrol station, the last stop for gas before the motorway, you can either walk the 7 km straight up the road or if you look to the left you will see a carpark in front of a car dealership.  This is the bus station, take either the 117, 90 or 12, all will run directly up the road and stop more or less in front of the Shell petrol station. You can choose either the petrol station or just up the road is also ideal for hitching. An even better option is to take the 90 and persist with it until you reach the end of a road village called Gorni Bogrov (Bulgarian: Горни Богров), where you can hitch-hike from the bus station directly with great success since it has a lot of room for stopping and cars drive slow.
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=== South towards [[Blagoevgrad]], [[Thessaloniki]] ===
 
=== South towards [[Blagoevgrad]], [[Thessaloniki]] ===
  
Take tram 5 to the last stop - the tram originates behind the court building (Съдебна палата) in the center of Sofia. Walk another 5-10 minutes in the same direction of the tram until it is clear you are out of that neighborhood where all the traffic is heading out of the city. A good place to stop is at or just after the last stop light so the drivers are already stopped and have time to see you. Or don't mess with the walking, take the bus #58 and go till it leaves the road for the village of Vladaya/Владая. If you are lucky a trucker will pick you up going all the way to [[Thessaloniki]] and on to [[Italy]], otherwise the first 20 km are tricky (lot or cars going short distances) but after you pass [[Pernik]] you'll get a ride all the way to [[Blagoevgrad]] in no time.
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Take tram 5 to the last stop - the tram originates behind the court building (Съдебна палата) in the center of Sofia. Walk another 5-10 minutes in the same direction of the tram until it is clear you are out of that neighborhood where all the traffic is heading out of the city. A good place to stop is at or just after the last stop light so the drivers are already stopped and have time to see you. Or don't mess with the walking, take the bus #58 and go till it leaves the road for the village of Vladaya/Владая. If you are lucky a trucker will pick you up going all the way to Thessaloniki and on to Italy, otherwise the first 20 km are tricky (lot or cars going short distances) but after you pass Pernik you'll get a ride all the way to Blagoevgrad in no time.
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== Hitching In ==
 
== Hitching In ==
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 +
 
=== West from [[Plovdiv]], [[Edirne]] and [[Istanbul]] ===
 
=== West from [[Plovdiv]], [[Edirne]] and [[Istanbul]] ===
  
 
If you're in a car continuing in the direction of Belgrade you can get off where they turn right, where it says something like "transit Belgrado".  If you walk a bit further you will find a bus stop for bus #5.
 
If you're in a car continuing in the direction of Belgrade you can get off where they turn right, where it says something like "transit Belgrado".  If you walk a bit further you will find a bus stop for bus #5.
 +
  
 
== Transport between north and south ==
 
== Transport between north and south ==
If you just want to get through the city as hitching from the direction of the Serbian [[Niš|Nis]] to [[Greece]] to the south or opposite there's a quite useful bus to take. The number is 111 and goes around the ring on the west outskirts of the city. On the north, the end stop is just around some DIY shopping center, need to cross these to get to the ring. On the south the end is not the road to [[Greece]], so be aware to get off in time.
 
  
== Public transport ==
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If you just want to get through the city as hitching from the direction of the Serbian Niš to Greece to the south or opposite there's a quite useful bus to take. The number is 111 and goes around the ring on the west outskirts of the city. On the north, the end stop is just around some DIY shopping center, need to cross these to get to the ring. On the south the end is not the road to Greece, so be aware to get off in time.
* Inspectors on the busses may ask for a ticket for bigger baggages (your backpack will be considered like that). If you don't have ticket for baggage they most probably will fine you and expect for cash payment at the moment, threatening you with a fine of 200lev (100E) at the border. Of course it is not true and you can let them write down your name without paying any money.
 
* Ticket costs 1 lev (0.50 EUR)
 
* You can easily find tickets to use on the buses and trams if you look in the bins next to the bus stop. The tickets get validated by hole punching and it's really easy to find tickets with the same holes that the bus you will take. Just stamp a normal piece of paper and compare the holes on it with the ones on tickets which you find. Blackriding is also doable as controllers are not SO frequent. They do happen though.
 
  
==Sleep==
 
Sofia has lots of very nice parks where it's not really hard wild camp. Borisova gradina, near the stadium (metro stop kliment ohridski SU or Stadion vasil levski) is the most central one, and could be visited by people at night. Zapaden Park (western part of city, metro stop Vardar or Zapaden Park) is so much bigger and less transited, really perfect for camping, not so many dogs around either.
 
  
===Busking===
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== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
  
== Places==
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{{nomadwiki}}
There are several very good spot to busk in Sofia. Any exit of the underground stops in the city centre (NDK, Serdika, Kliment Ohridski Sofia University, Stadion Vasil Levski) are very good as also the main pedestrian, commercial streets, Vitosha bd and Graf Ignatiev st. In summer time and during the weekends parks (Ndk, Borisova Gradina) are also a very good alternative when there is good weather.
 
Some spot are particularly sensitive to police interventions so try to avoid them unless you really need it, like inside the underground (where you need an extra special permission) except Kliment Ohridski stop where (next to McDo and bookshop) is one of the most profitable place, especailly in the early morning (up to 40lev/h); or bd Vitosha (in the non pedestrian part) where the locals living there easily complain and call police.
 
Don't play between 2 and 4 pm since is the "resting time" and is implicit for bulgarian not to disturb "public calm". Perfect to rest between lunch break (12 - 2pm) and after work session (4.30 - 7 pm)
 
  
== Law - Police ==
 
Officially, you need a permit to sell any kind of merchandise in the streets, and music or street spectacles are of course considered as something you are selling to people since you get money from it. Though it is almost impossible to get the permission since there are so many request and the municipality doesn't issue any until the old ones expire, therefore most of people, busk, juggle sell flowers or whatsoever without any kind of authorisation and just disappear when authorities arrive. Depending on the spots almost nobody cares about it and you can play without. Police may come to annoy and stop you but since they don't speak english and don't love to mess with foreigner they'll probably let you go easily.
 
  
  
== Personal experiences ==
 
[[User:Fedecicco|Fede]] waited more than 2 months busking "illegally", insisting at the local offices and hoping to get a permit, then discovered that almost none (really few) of the other local busker had it and gave up his hope on the law. Though found it a really good job and way of living as he could sustain himself in the city for more than 2 months with a wage so much higher than the average bulgarian, affording rent, bills, good food, etc
 
  
 
{{hitchbase_city|205}}
 
{{hitchbase_city|205}}
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[[bg:София]]
 
[[bg:София]]
 
[[de:Sofia]]
 
[[de:Sofia]]
[[fr:Sofia]]
 
 
{{IsIn| Bulgaria}}
 
{{IsIn| Bulgaria}}

Latest revision as of 13:07, 26 November 2022

Sofia
<map lat='42.69858589169842' lng='23.37066650390625' zoom='10' view='3'/>
Information
Country:
Flag of Bulgaria
Bulgaria
State: Sofia-City
Population: 1,400,000
Licence plate: C, CA, CO
Major roads: A1, A2, A5
More info: Hitchbase
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Sofia (Bulgarian: София) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria, lying in the west of the country.


Hitching out

East towards Plovdiv, Edirne and Istanbul

First option

Take the metro (blue line) to Tsarigradsko shose, the Inter Expo Center. You have Metro (shop, mall) on your right, keep walking 1 km, you will reach a traffic light that is perfect to hitch, you might not even wait more than 5 minutes. Perfect stop. Some experiences suggest that it is difficult to get a direct ride to Istanbul from here unless you start as early in the morning as possible when the relevant traffic for Istanbul leaves the city. Also, waiting times can be longer than five minutes. Shorter rides are easier to catch.

Second option

Take metro and get to stop called Младост 1 (Mladost 1). Walk north along Yerusalim street until you get to the main road Tsarigradsko Shose. You should see Carrefour shopping centre around. Then take bus number 5 direction Lozen and go with it until it leaves main road on a cloverleaf junction. Get off on the next stop and go back to the junction. You will stand on a motorway junction with directions north, east to Plovdiv and west to Sofia. Go down the ramp to direction Plovdiv and you will see some shops and bars where people stop next to the motorway. Try standing on the hard shoulder to get a lift or ask people there. Nearly all traffic there goes to Plovdiv or even further east


West towards Serbia E 80

Option 1 Lukoil petrol station

Take metro to Slivnitsa and than bus 54 three stops till Magazin Metro 2. Or walk from metro Slivnitsa up E80/8 highway 3.5 km to same bus stop.There is Lukoil fuel station and a bus stop on the highway

Option 2

Bus 54 towards Kalotina all the way to the end. It ends on the highway to Belgrade on a very good hitchhiking spot. But bring some cardboard with you from the city center since there aren't any trash cans.

This road enters Serbia at the Kalotina-Dimitrovgrad border crossing.

Update 2022: It is by far the best to take a bus out to the highway, like the 54, instead of standing in near the city on the nr 8 highway. If you are near the city you may wait hours, if you even get a ride. Not recommended.

Southwest towards Skopje

Take tram number 19 in the direction Knyazhevo all the way to the last stop. You will recognize the last stop because it turns off the road to make a tight loop and doubles back on its route. As you hop off the tram, come back on the main road and keep walking the direction of tram

To get out of city you need to walk 2 km till Lukoil fuel station

Or After getting out of tram catch bus number 59 after about 8 minutes on the bus get out at Ul. Mala Koriya bus stop and look for Lukoil fuel station


North towards Veliko Tarnovo, Bucharest, Varna

Take tram 22 in direction east, get off at the last stop. The road parallel to the tramline runs directly out of the city, its possible to hitch anywhere from here but I would suggest a better place after the ring road which isolates only the traffic running to the A2 motorway. 7 km up the road is a Shell petrol station, the last stop for gas before the motorway, you can either walk the 7 km straight up the road or if you look to the left you will see a carpark in front of a car dealership. This is the bus station, take either the 117, 90 or 12, all will run directly up the road and stop more or less in front of the Shell petrol station. You can choose either the petrol station or just up the road is also ideal for hitching. An even better option is to take the 90 and persist with it until you reach the end of a road village called Gorni Bogrov (Bulgarian: Горни Богров), where you can hitch-hike from the bus station directly with great success since it has a lot of room for stopping and cars drive slow.


South towards Blagoevgrad, Thessaloniki

Take tram 5 to the last stop - the tram originates behind the court building (Съдебна палата) in the center of Sofia. Walk another 5-10 minutes in the same direction of the tram until it is clear you are out of that neighborhood where all the traffic is heading out of the city. A good place to stop is at or just after the last stop light so the drivers are already stopped and have time to see you. Or don't mess with the walking, take the bus #58 and go till it leaves the road for the village of Vladaya/Владая. If you are lucky a trucker will pick you up going all the way to Thessaloniki and on to Italy, otherwise the first 20 km are tricky (lot or cars going short distances) but after you pass Pernik you'll get a ride all the way to Blagoevgrad in no time.


Hitching In

West from Plovdiv, Edirne and Istanbul

If you're in a car continuing in the direction of Belgrade you can get off where they turn right, where it says something like "transit Belgrado". If you walk a bit further you will find a bus stop for bus #5.


Transport between north and south

If you just want to get through the city as hitching from the direction of the Serbian Niš to Greece to the south or opposite there's a quite useful bus to take. The number is 111 and goes around the ring on the west outskirts of the city. On the north, the end stop is just around some DIY shopping center, need to cross these to get to the ring. On the south the end is not the road to Greece, so be aware to get off in time.


Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)