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.
Trolleybuses and buses cover the wider city. Full details below.
City transport: tickets, cards and the student discount
Prices below are the official ones, in force from 1 January 2026.
How you actually pay — there’s a conductor
This surprises almost everyone arriving from Western Europe or Asia: every trolleybus and bus has a conductor on board. There are no ticket machines at stops and no ticket kiosks.
- Get on. At each stop the conductor comes round to the new passengers.
- Show your card if you have one, or buy a ticket from them.
- You can pay cash or by card. They give you a receipt — that receipt is your ticket. Keep it until you get off.
That’s the whole system. No app to install, no machine to fight with, no validating at the door.
| Ticket | Price | Journeys |
|---|---|---|
| Paper ticket, bought from the conductor | €0.80 | 1 |
| Electronic ticket on a transport card | €0.70 | 1 |
| 24-hour card, all trolleybus lines | €2.00 | unlimited |
The student card — this is the one to get
If you’re a full-time student, the electronic student subscription card is far cheaper than anything else:
| Student card | Price | Journeys |
|---|---|---|
| One month, all trolleybus lines | €7.00 | up to 120 |
| Three months, all trolleybus lines | €21.00 | up to 360 |
| Half-month card (June or September only) | €3.50 | up to 60 |
€7 a month works out at under €0.06 a journey if you use it daily — against €0.80 paid to the conductor. Even two trips a day pays for it several times over.
Are international students eligible?
Yes — the discount is based on being a full-time student, not on nationality. The published conditions don’t distinguish between Bulgarian and international students. You’ll generally need:
- Your student record book (studentska knizhka), validated for the current semester
- Passport or Bulgarian residence card
- Proof of your address in Pleven, if they ask for it
Where to get the card
Ticket Centre — ul. “Doyran” 43 · 064 837 194
⚠️ The Ticket Centre does not sell tickets. It only issues new cards and reissues old ones. Single tickets are only sold by the conductor on board. Go there for your student card, not for a ride.
- Mon–Fri 08:00–17:00
- From the 25th to the 2nd of each month: 08:00–18:00 — the busy renewal period
- Last Saturday of the month: 09:00–16:00
Prices and route maps: eltransportpleven.com · e-ticket portal: transport.pleven.bg.
A note on honesty: Pleven is small enough that most students walk almost everywhere. Pay the conductor a few times first, see how often you actually ride, and get the monthly card only if you’re using it. Don’t buy a card in week one out of habit from a bigger city.
Taxis are cheap by European standards and the night-time option. There’s no taxi app in Pleven — you call. And they are cash-only, so never get in without cash:
- Orion Taxi — 064 825 454
- Svetlina Taxi — 064 828 989
- Express Taxi — 0885 99 88 88 (or 064 8811)
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 — intercity buses leave from Pleven’s central bus station (next to the train station), take ~3 hours and cost around €10.
Important: there are no night buses. The daily window is roughly:
| Direction | First bus | Last bus |
|---|---|---|
| Pleven → Sofia | 05:45 (arrives ~09:00) | 19:00 (arrives ~21:45) |
| Sofia → Pleven | 07:00 (arrives ~09:30) | 22:00 (arrives ~00:00–00:30) |
That last Sofia→Pleven bus is actually the Sofia–Bucharest coach passing through, so it’s your lifeline after a late landing — but book/ask in advance, and if you miss it, plan to sleep in Sofia rather than hoping for a night ride.
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. With the first bus at 05:45 (and similar early trains), a morning flight from Sofia means travelling the evening before and sleeping near the airport. There is no overnight public transport.
- Private taxi/transfer to the airport is possible but expensive — expect around €100 (to be confirmed), and it must be arranged with the driver a day in advance: not every Pleven taxi has the vignette and permission for intercity trips, so you can’t just flag one down at 4am and ask for Sofia. Worth it only for 3+ people sharing with luggage, or truly awkward flight times.
Going home & weekend trips
- Flights home: Sofia (SOF) has the most connections. For some routes, Bucharest (OTP) in Romania is cheaper — and Pleven has a direct connection.
Pleven → Bucharest by bus
The Sofia–Bucharest coach stops in Pleven and is the simplest way north:
- Departs ~00:30 at night, from in front of the main entrance of the bus station (not from a platform inside — stand outside and watch for the coach)
- Arrives in Bucharest around 05:15
- Costs roughly €11
- It crosses the Danube at Ruse–Giurgiu, so have your passport and residence card ready for the border check
⚠️ Non-EU students: entering Romania from Bulgaria is a border crossing with its own entry rules — a Bulgarian residence permit does not automatically guarantee entry. Check your own status with the Romanian embassy or the university international office before booking a flight from Bucharest.
Compare total cost and time (plus a night without sleep) before choosing Bucharest over Sofia.
- 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.