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Travelling by rental car from Athens to Sofia Bulgaria . Who has done this ?

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Travelling by rental car from Athens to Sofia Bulgaria . Who has done this ?

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Old Apr 30th, 2025 | 07:56 PM
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Travelling by rental car from Athens to Sofia Bulgaria . Who has done this ?

Has anyone done this with a drop charge? This summer. Best car rental companies. We are planning a 2 week trip through both countries and passing through Thessaloniki . Any must sees? Road conditions? Crazy drivers? Any advice much appreciated!
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Old May 1st, 2025 | 03:55 AM
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Renting a car in Athens Greece and driving to Sofia Bulgaria and dropping it there.

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Hello, we are planning a rental car driving trip this summer . Picking up the car in Athens and dropping it in Sofia Bulgaria. Is this possible? Has anyone ever done this with a drop charge? Any other information about roads , must sees and other information is very much appreciated. We were thinking Athens to Thessaloniki, with some stops along the way and after a few days there working our way around Bulgaria.It would be a huge imposition to have to return the car back to Greece
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Old May 1st, 2025 | 08:35 AM
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Ooh boy! I have no personal experience but dropping in a different country is usually very expensive and I'd assume this would be even more so with this country pair. AutoEurope lists several special requirements for renting cars in Bulgaria so my guess is dropping a car from a different country there would either be impossible or have stringent limitations.
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Old May 1st, 2025 | 08:40 AM
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Moved from Tech Support, merged with another thread, Trip Report flag removed, and country tags added

Last edited by Moderator1; May 1st, 2025 at 08:42 AM.
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Old May 1st, 2025 | 08:53 AM
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I haven't been to Bulgaria yet, but I did drive through a large swathe of Greece, picking up in Athens and ending in Thessaloniki. You might find some useful information in my trip report, starting with post # 125.
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

If the drop-off costs you face are exorbitant (like janisj, I think they would be), you could consider leaving the car in Thessaloniki and taking public transportation to a place in Bulgaria where you can pick up a different rental.
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Old May 1st, 2025 | 09:09 AM
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I looked into this, and I did not find a company to rent in Athens and drop off in Sofia. Which is not the same thing as it doesn't exist, just that I could not find one. This was last year.

There are Bulgarian car rental companies that have a location is Thessaloniki, so you could rent from Thessaloniki and drop off in Sofia.

I wound up driving back to Athens and taking a flight to Sofia.

Everything has a cost, so don't assume that drop off charges are higher than the cost of the alternatives. It depends.

Last edited by shelemm; May 1st, 2025 at 09:12 AM.
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Old May 1st, 2025 | 11:59 PM
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"We were thinking Athens to Thessaloniki, with some stops along the way"
Which stops? where?
Skyros?
Skiatos?
Aloonissos?
Skopelos?
Pelion?
Meteora?
Vergina?
All these places can be easily reached by public transport.
But if you prefer to travel by renal car, I would sugggest a drop off at Thessaloniki, followed by a bus ride to Sandansi (Flixbus or Union Ivkoni). Then take either a taxi to Melnik, a train to Sofia or a train to Blagoevgrad folllowed by a bus or taxi ride to Rilski Monastir or to another place you plan to visit.
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