How to Get to Nessebar in 2024! (From Sunny Beach, Burgas, and More)

I already wrote Your Guide to Nessebar, Bulgaria’s UNESCO City, but there was too much info in there to add travel methods! Here are all of the ways to get to Nessebar for your visit, and the information is fresh for this year.

Lucky for everyone, Nessebar is touristy enough that they make it very easy to get there!

Arriving in Nessebar From Sofia

After arriving in Sofia, the best way to reach the Black Sea Coast and Nessebar, is via air or car.

Sofia to Nessebar by Air

Check Bulgaria Air’s own website for affordable fares from the capital city to Burgas. It’s important to go directly to their website because all of their flights don’t come up on Google Flights or with other third party apps. (Not sponsored!)

You can usually get a one way flight from Sofia to Burgas for $100 or less.

Sofia to Nessebar by Car

We have driven ourselves many times from Sofia to Burgas. The drive takes approx 5.5 hours with stops, and is on a well maintained freeway.

The drive is not very exciting, as it is primarily in a wide valley of fields. The benefit to driving is that you may save time even over flying! Most arrival flights to Sofia miss the morning flights to the Black Sea, so you will be stuck in the not-so-great airport for 5+ hours waiting for the evening flights anyways. May as well be driving!

Our preferred rental car company in Bulgaria is Top Rent A Car (not sponsored). If you purchase the insurance you will have a very low deposit locked on your card during your vacation. Make sure to book direct to get their own insurance, or you will be purchasing third party insurance and they will still have to block about 2500 euros on your card.

We find Top Rent A Car to be no fuss, and they have never scammed us on the return.

Sofia to Burgas by Bus or Train

In a nutshell: Don’t recommend.

Flights are so cheap that it seems like a very small price difference. We travel with a child and need quick access to a toilet, something that the coaches in Bulgaria typically do not have. If they do technically have an on board toilet, it is probably locked.

The train makes a painfully slow and hot journey. We tried it this last visit and arrived drenched in sweat with swollen eyes from the allergies. We thought 8.5 hours with freedom to move around would be fine, but I seriously looked for ways to get off the train after half the journey.

From Burgas to Nessebar

Tip! : For public buses in Burgas, Sunny Beach, etc. it is normal to enter the bus from a rear door, and the attendant will come to your seat to take the fare in cash.

So you’ve arrived in beautiful Burgas! Now what?

To Nessebar by Bus

From Burgas it is a quick 30-ish minute bus ride to Nessebar. You can catch the bus at the main station, which is right beside the train station. In the summer buses run about every 30 minutes.

The fare is affordable, approximately 8 leva (~ 4 Euros).

To Nessebar by Taxi

The taxis to Nessebar and Sunny Beach are not the cheapest, but they are quick! It should cost approx 60 – 70 leva (30 to 35 Euros) for the journey from Burgas center. They may add a little more for luggage, but you can ask about the price beforehand. They should use the meter but can usually estimate the price.

From Sunny Beach

From Sunny Beach it is super easy to reach Nessebar by public transit!

Sunny Beach to Nessebar by Di Es Bus

Catch the orange Di Es bus at any stop along the main street. The fare is 2 leva for adults, and small kids are free. (Doesn’t seem to be an age, just based on size.)

There are several routes, so check the sign in the front or side window of the bus to see if it’s headed to Nessebar.

Sunny Beach to Nessebar by Open Top Bus

There are tour buses that run the same route as Die Es bus that have an open top. The fare on this bus is 4 or 5 leva each, so it is more expensive than the orange public bus, but not bad at all.

I actually quite like these buses because they are usually a little emptier and much cooler if you can get a top seat. None of the touristy buses have air conditioning and the engine in the back really heats up the seats.

Take the Tourist Train from Sunny Beach to Nessebar

You might already know: I’m a real sucker for a tourist train. I love those cheery little things, and they’re much cooler than a public bus! (I meant physically, but I suppose they’re pretty rad too.)

The Tourist train between Nessebar and Sunny Beach has a few different lines. Each line costs 6 leva per person (~ 3 Euros – regardless of distance), and you may need two different lines to reach the town, depending on where your hotel is.

In the end it isn’t the cheapest way to get around, but less than a taxi, super fun, and very breezy! It also might actually be faster than the bus because it sticks to the back streets. It certainly felt faster, and it takes a nice route along the sea at the end.

To Nessebar from Sunny Beach via Water Taxi

Just when you thought surely all the ways to get to Nessebar have been covered, I pop in to tell you that you can also catch the water taxi!

You can catch it at the main pier in Sunny Beach for 15 leva. It runs every 30 minutes from 9am to 9pm.

Unfortunately I don’t have experience with this one, but I imagine it is one of the fastest methods since the sea is the most direct. We sadly missed the boat we planned to take from Nessebar back to Sunny Beach.

Well I hope that helped you plan your visit to Nessebar! If you are going to be in the area, you might also like to read: Nomadic Matt Hates Sunny Beach, Should You? We also recommend staying at Hotel Riagor Sunny Beach.