site.btaSofia Imposes Traffic Changes for Giro d’Italia Finish

Temporary traffic restrictions and public transport changes will be introduced in Sofia for the May 10 finish of the Giro d’Italia’s third stage, Sofia Municipality said on Thursday.

The restrictions will run from May 7 to May 11 and will affect central boulevards, squares and streets, as well as parts of routes in the eastern section of the city.

Access, stopping and parking will be banned in phases around Nicolai Ghiaurov Square, Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, National Assembly Square, the area around St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Oborishte Street, Moskovska Street, Vasil Levski Boulevard, Evlogi and Hristo Georgievi Boulevard, Tsarigradsko Shose Boulevard and Samokovsko Shose Street. Further temporary restrictions will apply on the evening of May 10 on 6th September Street, Aksakov Street and General Gurko Street, with public transport allowed through General Gurko Street after 9 p.m.

Surface public transport will also be reorganized on May 9 and 10. The routes of a number of bus lines, including X43, 9, 72, 73, 76, 84, 94, 180, 181, 183, 184, 185, A186, 188, 204, 213, 280, 304, 305 and 604, as well as night lines N1, N2, N3 and N4, will be changed. Some stops near St Alexander Nevsky Square, Knyaz Alexander I Square and Levski Monument will close temporarily, while transfer stops will be opened.

Trolleybus lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 11 will also run on changed routes, with some services split into two sections or shortened to key points such as Stochna Gara Square, Odeon Cinema and Aviation Square.

On May 10, trains on all metro lines will run to a weekday timetable to provide better service during the cycling race. Sofia Municipality urged residents to check the changes in advance, use public transport and plan their journeys around the temporary traffic arrangements.

In 2026 Bulgaria is hosting the Grande Partenza event of the 109th Giro d'Italia. Running through key centres of culture and wonders of nature, the route is divided into three stages, each taking one day from May 8 to 10. The race will start on May 8 in Nessebar and finish in Burgas, before continuing to Veliko Tarnovo on May 9 and to Sofia via Plovdiv on May 10.