18–25 minutes from Sofia Airport T2 to Serdika on M4
Sofia Metro Line M4 runs from Terminal 2 to Serdika in about 18–25 minutes, with trains every 6–15 minutes from roughly 5:00 until around midnight. It suits solo travellers or anyone with light luggage heading for Serdika, Sofia University, NDK or the InterContinental area who wants a predictable, cheap link into town instead of haggling with taxis.
Where it runs and when
The airport station is directly under Terminal 2; there is no metro stop at T1, so you use the free T1–T2 shuttle bus first if you land at T1. Trains on Line M4 cost about BGN 1.60–2.00 for a single ride and run to Serdika, where you can switch to M1/M2 or continue toward Obelya depending on your stop.
Tickets, cards and price points
A standard single ticket for Sofia Metro Line M4 is BGN 1.60 from the machines or counters in the station at T2. Regulars mention using a rechargeable Sofia Urban Mobility Center card so you just tap and go instead of buying paper tickets after a long flight, which also helps when you ride the metro again to NDK or the university area.
How to ride it step by step
- 1. From arrivals at T2, follow the blue “Metro/Метрo” signs down one level to the station entrance.
- 2. Buy a BGN 1.60–2.00 ticket or load your transport card at the machines or staffed counter.
- 3. Validate at the gates, then follow signs to Line M4 toward Obelya/Serdika; trains come every 6–15 minutes.
- 4. For central hotels, ride about 18–25 minutes to Serdika; stay near the front of the train if you want the quicker exit for tram and bus connections.
- 5. If you need other districts, change at Serdika or Obelya, which adds roughly 5–10 minutes to your overall trip.
- 6. On the way back, board Line M4 marked for “Sofia Airport/Летище София” and get off at the final stop at T2.
What regulars do
Local Reddit users talk up the metro as the default option from SOF, especially for the centre, because it is cheap, clean and avoids taxi scams. Frequent guests at the InterContinental Sofia mention riding M4 routinely from T2, changing once at Serdika, and loading a contactless card so they are not queuing at machines with jet-lagged tourists.
Watch out for
Reddit and TripAdvisor posters warn that the last M4 trains leave around midnight and first ones start near 5:00, so very late arrivals or 4:00 check-ins need a taxi instead. Others note that ticket machines and signage can be confusing if you do not read Bulgarian, and that rush-hour trains between Serdika and residential areas can get crowded if you are dragging a 23 kg suitcase.
One final tip
Landing at T1 after 22:30 with heavy bags and a hotel far from Serdika or NDK can turn the “18–25 minutes” into a 45-minute shuffle with shuttle plus changes, so check your arrival time and destination and be ready to bail to a taxi if the clock is pushing midnight.