10–15 minutes’ walk from T1/T2, P3 is Sofia’s on-airport economy lot
Parking P3 sits on airport grounds at Sofia Airport (SOF), slightly farther from T1 and T2 than the main short‑stay areas, and priced as an economy option for longer trips. It’s an open‑air surface lot under the same official security umbrella as the closer parking, and TripAdvisor regulars group it with the “normal” guarded parkings around SOF in terms of safety. If you want to stay on airport property but don’t need a spot right next to the terminal doors, this is the tier to look at.
P3 works best once you cross into multi‑day territory, especially beyond 3–4 days, when the per‑day rate matters more than the walking distance. Long‑stay posters talk about using official lots like P3 for several weeks at a time, then gasping at the final bill after a month. That’s the trade: you keep full airport security and avoid shuttles, but the total climbs quickly if you’re gone 20–30 days.
Local flyers on Facebook often mix strategies: they leave the car in a secure city garage for a 3–4 week trip, grab a taxi to SOF, and only park in official lots like P3 when a promo narrows the price gap with private long‑term options. The whole SOF parking zone is heavily guarded, so they treat P3 as the “cheaper on‑airport” choice rather than the absolute lowest cost in the region.
There are no consistent complaints about damage, lighting, or access at P3 in recent threads, just the usual comment that month‑long stays get expensive compared with off‑airport deals. One TripAdvisor poster notes that the general airport perimeter security covers these more remote official lots along with those closer in, which helps if you’re leaving the car for 10–14 days. For anything beyond that, locals start comparing taxi plus city parking.
Tip: Before a 10+ day trip, check P3’s official long‑stay or promo pricing online and compare it to a city garage plus a 20–30 BGN taxi ride; book P3 only if staying on airport grounds is worth the extra total.