Burgas to Sunny Beach Transfer: Options, Prices and Travel Time

Sunny Beach (Slanchev Bryag) is Bulgaria's largest Black Sea resort. From Burgas Airport, your hotel is exactly 35 km up the coast along the E87. This guide covers every way to make that trip, with real prices and honest pros and cons.

Distance and travel time

Burgas Airport (BOJ) → Sunny Beach: 35 km on the E87.

• Taxi / transfer: 35–45 minutes without traffic
• Bus + marshrutka: 1.5–2 hours with one transfer
• Peak days (Fri evening, Sun morning in July–August): +15–20 min

It's a straight shot — through Pomorie, past Nesebar and into Sunny Beach. The road is in decent shape and there are no toll sections.

Option 1. Pre-booked transfer (recommended)

Pros: fixed price known in advance, driver meets you with a sign, child seat on request, choice of vehicle class, no «tourist» markup. Con: you need to book 12+ hours ahead in peak season.

Average prices 2026:

• Sedan (1–3 pax + luggage) — €25–35
• Minivan (4–8 pax) — €40–55
• Minibus (9–15 pax) — €70–95

Option 2. Taxi from the airport rank

To the right of the terminal exit there's an official taxi rank with fixed tariffs to the main resorts (usually posted on a board next to the rank). The going rate to Sunny Beach is 60–80 BGN (€30–40).

Important: agree the amount and currency before getting in. A meter run without prior agreement can show a very different number at the end.

Option 3. Bus № 15 + marshrutka

The budget option.

1. From the terminal, take city bus № 15 to Burgas central station (3 BGN, ~30 min).
2. From «Yug» bus station next to the train station — marshrutka to Nesebar / Sunny Beach (5 BGN, ~45 min).

Total ~8 BGN (€4) and 1.5–2 hours including the transfer. Fine if you've got one rucksack, you're young and time-flexible. With three suitcases and tired kids — skip it.

Option 4. Car rental

Every major rental company is at Burgas Airport: Sixt, Hertz, Enterprise, local outfits like Top Rent. Budget class (VW Polo / Ford Focus) starts at €35/day with advance booking, climbing to €60–70/day for walk-ins in peak season.

When rental makes sense: if you plan to drive around — Nesebar, Sozopol, Varna, the mountains. For «hotel and back» it's a bad deal: beach parking in Sunny Beach is 10–15 BGN/day, plus fuel, plus insurance.

Tips and tricks

Arrival time. Flights landing between 23:00 and 06:00 — no buses are running. Taxi or transfer is your only option.

Travelling as a group. A minivan for 8 at €50 works out to €6.25 per person — usually cheaper than each of you taking public transport separately.

Oversized luggage. Bike, surfboard, SUP board — say so up front so the driver brings a minibus with cargo space.

Currency exchange. Airport currency kiosks charge terrible rates. Withdraw leva from a bank ATM (DSK, UniCredit, Postbank don't charge Visa/Mastercard surcharges) or just pay in euros where possible.

Return trip. Book your return to the airport when you arrive, or 1–2 days ahead at the latest. In peak season, same-day prices jump 30–50%.

How to book through Helply BG

Open the Helply bot → pick «Taxi» → enter the route (e.g. «Burgas Airport → Melia Sunny Beach hotel») and time. The request goes out to drivers working specifically in your area. First quotes arrive in 5–15 minutes.

For each quote you see the car photo, driver's name, platform rating, number of completed jobs and the offered price. Pick the one you like — after that you deal with them directly.

Bottom line

The most convenient option for a tourist is a pre-booked transfer at €25–35. The cheapest is bus + marshrutka at €4 (but two hours with a transfer). The most flexible is car rental from €35/day (worth it from 4+ days in the region).

Get quotes from several drivers in a minute via the Helply BG Telegram bot.