Around Pleven
Walk. The city is compact — the centre, the university and most student life sit within a 20–30 minute walk. Most students barely use transport day to day.
City buses & trolleybuses cover the wider city. Ticket details, lines students actually use and where to buy cards are being verified — coming here soon.
Taxis are cheap by European standards and the night-time option. There’s no taxi app in Pleven — you call:
- Orion Taxi: +359 64 805 555 ✓
- More verified numbers coming soon
Ask roughly what the ride will cost when you get in, or make sure the meter is running. Have the destination written in Bulgarian (or shown on Google Maps) — not every driver speaks English.
Pleven ⇄ Sofia
The route you’ll use most — for the airport, embassies, and big-city weekends.
Train (BDZ) — Pleven is on the main Sofia–Varna line, so trains run all day. The fast trains take ~2.5–3 hours; tickets are cheap (roughly €7–12). Buy at the station or online at bdz.bg — the site has English. Students with Bulgarian student certification get discounted fares.
Bus — private intercity buses run Sofia ⇄ Pleven in ~2.5–3 hours at similar prices, from Pleven’s central bus station next to the train station.
Getting to/from Sofia Airport (SOF)
The standard route: Sofia Airport → metro to Sofia Central Station (~25 min) → train or bus to Pleven. Total journey ≈ 3.5–4.5 hours and usually under €15 all-in.
- The metro runs from Terminal 2 into the city every few minutes.
- Plan backwards from your flight: for a morning flight, you realistically need the earliest train — or travel to Sofia the evening before.
- Shared taxi/transfer vans between Pleven and Sofia Airport exist and cost more but go door-to-door — worth it for 3+ people with luggage or awkward flight times.
Going home & weekend trips
- Flights home: Sofia (SOF) has the most connections. For some routes, Bucharest (OTP) in Romania can be cheaper — reachable but a longer trek; compare total cost + time before booking.
- Weekend ideas (all doable by train/bus): Veliko Tarnovo (the old capital), Sofia, Ruse on the Danube — full guides coming to Nature & Day Trips.
Book trains the day before in busy periods (Friday evenings, holidays, September arrivals). The train is rarely full otherwise — locals just buy at the station.