Bulgaria: Over 191,000 Cars Leave Sofia as Easter Travel Rush Begins

The Easter holiday getaway has officially begun in Bulgaria, with traffic leaving Sofia surging as thousands of people set off for the long weekend. Authorities expect more than 191,000 vehicles to exit the capital, according to the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA), marking an increase compared to last year’s roughly 185,000 cars.

Officials warn that traffic will be especially heavy on the country’s main highways, with around 130,000 vehicles expected to head toward the “Trakia,” “Hemus,” and “Struma” routes. The busiest corridor is projected to be “Trakia,” where about 62,000 vehicles may travel, followed by “Hemus” with over 35,000 and “Struma” with approximately 32,000. Peak congestion is expected in the afternoon and evening hours, with flow potentially reaching up to 4,000 vehicles per hour.

To ease movement and improve road safety, restrictions on trucks over 12 tons are being introduced on key routes, including sections of the Trakia, Hemus and Struma highways, as well as road I-1 in Blagoevgrad region. Heavy goods traffic leaving Sofia is restricted during specific time windows on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, while return traffic restrictions will apply on Monday afternoon. Certain exemptions remain in place for passenger transport, emergency shipments, hazardous materials, live animals, and perishable goods.

On major travel routes such as the Struma highway and the Simitli area, authorities are also introducing reverse traffic schemes to improve flow toward tourist destinations like Bansko. From April 9 to April 11, two lanes will be allocated toward Kulata, while traffic toward Sofia will be limited to one lane; the arrangement will reverse over the weekend to accommodate returning travelers. In Kresna, left turns at a key junction will also be temporarily restricted, while pedestrian crossings will operate via signal-controlled demand systems.

Road authorities have urged drivers to avoid risky maneuvers and respect speed limits, warning against using emergency lanes to bypass congestion, as this could hinder emergency response vehicles in case of incidents. “We call on drivers to drive carefully and comply with traffic rules,” the RIA emphasized, highlighting the expected intensity of holiday traffic.

Separately, traffic flow at the Danube Bridge near Ruse is set to be fully restored for the holiday period after completion of repair works on a 320-meter section of the structure. However, further renovation work will resume after Easter, with construction on the remaining section scheduled to begin on April 14 and expected to continue until June 2026.