For many years Sofia’s taxi drivers had a reputation for ripping off travellers. While most are now honest, it still pays to be vigilant. Official taxis operate using a meter and are yellow, though there is also a fleet of green, eco-friendly Toyotas driving around the city too. Always check the meter is running when you get in a taxi. Taxi ranks are located at strategic points throughout Sofia, and you’ll be able to hail one anywhere near the city centre. A tip of 10-15% is common practice. If you want to book a taxi, the most reputable firm is OK Taxi (tel: +359 2973 2121). Alternatively, use Yellow 333 Taxi (tel: +359 2931 1952).
Negotiating Sofia's interweaving paths of pedestrians, cars, trams and buses during rush hour can be tricky. However, once away from the city centre, traffic runs quite freely along wide, open Bulvards. Street names outside the centre are almost exclusively in Cyrillic so, even with a map, orientation can be difficult for drivers who only read Latin script. Parking in the city centre is limited to two hours in designated Blue Zones, which are found on Ploshtad Narodno Sabranie, Ploshtad Alexander Batenburg and Ploshtad Alexander Nevski. Parking vouchers are usually sold on the spot by parking attendants, though you can also pay in shops or by SMS (tel: 1302) if you are with a local phone operator. There is now also a Green Zone for parking, which costs 1 leva for four hours. Unsurprisingly, Green Zone spots are not so centrally placed. SMS number for Green Zone is 1303