Which place is cheaper, Sofia or Heraklion?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Heraklion or Sofia?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Heraklion and Sofia can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Heraklion or Sofia?
Heraklion
The largest city on the island of Crete, Heraklion on first glance is almost completely modern - a frenzy of traffic, concrete, and dust. Do not expect pristine beaches and glittering waves (those can be found on other parts of Crete). Heraklion is first and foremost a city. Once you get past its grittiness, you will find that there are some attractive features beneath first impressions. The antiquity of the place lies embedded in the modern and is presented in one of the best museums in Greece, the food is excellent, and the people are friendly and welcoming. And though the sea is not great for swimming, its presence along the Venetian port will take you to another time if you need a break from Heraklion's bustling center.
Sofia
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and also its largest city. Some people have tried to compare it to Budapest, but the cities are actually quite different. In Sofia you will find wonderful European style architecture intertwined with Communist style buildings. It's fascinating to see the two dramatically different building styles immediately next to each other. There are also many Orthodox Churches around town, with their beautiful domes and intricate details.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 10-Day Tours in Greece, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Greece, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Bulgaria, and The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Bulgaria.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayHeraklion €158Sofia €60
The average daily cost (per person) in Heraklion is €158, while the average daily cost in Sofia is €60. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Heraklion and Sofia in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personHeraklion €81Sofia €38
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomHeraklion €162Sofia €76
Compare Hotels in Heraklion and Sofia
Looking for a hotel in Heraklion or Sofia? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Heraklion Hotel Prices and Sofia Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Heraklion €31Sofia €7.87
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Heraklion
Also for Heraklion, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- From Private Helicopter Transfer to Greek Islands: $4,006
- Transfer Heraklion Airport to SITIA area up to 7 customers: $280
- Private Transfer Port/Airport to/from Ierapetra: $273
- Knossos and Arch Museum of Heraklion (Guide+Transfer+Ticket) : $229
- Transfer Heraklion Airport to Makris Gialos area up to 7 : $228
- KNOSSOS PALACE private tour ( with Transfer from Heraklion Prefecture ): $196
- Transfer Heraklion Airport to IERAPETRA area up to 7 customers: $184
- Private Transfer from Heraklion Airport to Makrygialos: $175
- Semi Private Wine and Olive Oil tour (Transfer & Lunch Incl.): $163
- Transfer Heraklion Airport to RETHIMNO CITY area up to 7 : $157
- Private Wine | Food Pairing at Titakis Winery with Free Transfer: $153
- Transfer Heraklion Airport to MATALA area up to 7 customers: $149
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sofia
Also for Sofia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer from the Sofia Airport to your hotel in Sofia by VIP Mercedes V class: $65
- Transfer from Sofia to Burgas: $266
- Transfer from Sofia to Borovets: $82
- Transfer from Sofia to Bansko: $130
- Transfer from Sofia airport to hotel in Sofia OR vice versa: $19
- Transfer from Sofia Airport to Bansko: $194
- Transfer Services in Bulgaria: Sofia Airport and Hotel Transfers: $80
- Private Airport Transfer to Sofia City Center: $31
- Sofia to Bucharest - Private Transfer: $685
- Sofia City Private Transfer to Sofia Airport SOF in Business Car: $53
- Sofia Airport Transfers: $49
- Private transfer from Sofia to Plovdiv or vice versa: $149
Is it cheaper to fly into Heraklion or Sofia?
Prices for flights to both Sofia and Heraklion change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayHeraklion €52Sofia €17
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Heraklion
For Heraklion, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Troy Dinner-Show: $33
- Spectacular Dinner-Show: $44
- From Village Cretan Night, Live Dancers & dinner: $48
- Cretan Night with Dinner & Live Show: $49
- Crete: Olive Oil Festival, Farm Dinner, Live Show & Pickup: $59
- Cretan Farm with scenic view: Olive Mill Festival & dinner: $64
- Amazing Sunset Safari Route with Dinner: $83
- Cook with Locals | Cretan cooking Class at Archanes (transfer - lunch included): $86
- Crete: Land Rover Safari with Sunset Viewing, Dinner, & Wine: $90
- Full-Day Jeep Safari Tour with Cooking Lesson: $97
- Food tour tasting walking tour: $123
- E-bike Food Tour Tasting in Heraklion : $125
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sofia
For Sofia, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Guided Night Tour & Folklore Performance with Dinner: $48
- Half-Day Sofia Evening Walking Tour with Vegetarian Dinner: $49
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Tour with Dinner and Folklore Show: $96
- Sofia by Night: Panoramic City Tour and Folklore Dinner: $105
- Private Sofia Night Tour with Bulgarian Folklore & Dinner: $107
- Sofia by Night: Private Tour with Dinner: $117
- Evening City Tour with Folklore Dinner: $117
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Private Tour with Dinner, Folklore Show: $130
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Heraklion €38Sofia €5.56
Tours and Activities in Heraklion
For Heraklion, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- 4x4 Safari tour Southern Crete Tripitis Gorge: $108
- Adventure Safari Tour Secrets of the southern Crete : $100
- Ηeraklion Walking Tour with Archaeological Museum: $82
- 3-Hour Trekking Mount Karfi Adventure with pickup from Heraklion: $118
- 4-Hour Giouchtas Trekking Hiking Experience from Heraklion: $90
- 4x4 self drive adventure_Cretan mainland: $87
- Adventure Jeep Safari Amazing sunset : $85
- Agios Nikolaos-Spinalonga-Elounda Tour TR: $47
- All Year Tour to Knossos Palace & Heraklion: $616
- All-Day Knossos Palace Tour & Olive Mill Visit: $693
- Archaeological Museum of Heraklion Tour: $86
- Archaeological Museum of Guided Walking Tour: $85
Tours and Activities in Sofia
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Sofia.
- Belogradchik Rocks & Venetsa cave/Small group bigger experience: $98
- Private Tour from Sofia to the Rila monatsery: $108
- 3 Caves tour - Saeva dupka , Eyes of God cave & Devetashka Cave: $86
- 7 Rila Lakes and Rila Monastery Small Group Day tour from Sofia: $92
- 7 Rila lakes and Rila monastery day tour from Sofia: $98
- Admission Ticket to the Museum of Illusions in Sofia: $15
- Adventure Tour to Plovdiv and Rhodope Mountain: $107
- Adventure bike tours in Sofia: $59
- Afternoon Delights in Sofia Tour: $75
- Archaeological tour-From the Neolithic to Modern times in Augusta Trayana: $107
- Art Gallery Sightseeing Tour in Sofia: $59
- Art Gallery Sightseeing Tour in Sofia: $60
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayHeraklion €26Sofia €7.88
Sample the Local Flavors in Heraklion
Also in Heraklion, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Ecobike Tour with Wine Tasting: $94
- Wine Tasting E-Bike Tour: $95
- Ecobike Wine Tasting Tour in Heraklion: $115
- Luxury Private Wine Tasting Experience in Haralabakis Winery: $119
- Half Day Small Group Wine Tour with wine Tastings: $125
- Half Day Semi Private Wine Tour with Tastings: $133
- Full Day-Ecobike Old Villages Tour & Wine Tasting: $142
- Semi Private Heraklion Valley Wine Tour with Lunch: $159
- The Gourmet Wine Tour of Heraklion area: $180
- Private SUV Wine Tour with Lunch: $182
- Full Day Private Crete Wine Tour Experience from Heraklion : $190
- Full day Knossos Palace, Local Distillery, Lunch @ Archanes: $192
Sample the Local Flavors in Sofia
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Sofia:
- Sofia Pub Crawl - Party Tour of Sofia's Best Bars & Clubs: $16
- Sofia's Hidden Bars: 4-Hour Pub Crawl: $19
- Sofia Pub Crawl Tour of The Hidden Unique Bars: $19
- Wine Tasting in Heart of Sofia: $33
- Sofia Bar Crawl: $53
- Special Selection Bulgarian Wine Tasting: $59
- Sofia Exquisite Wine Tasting: $75
- 1-Hour Private Cheese and Wine Tasting in Sofia : $86
- Private Sofia Tour with Wine Tasting: $107
- Private Sofia City Tour with Wine Tasting: $108
- Hisarya, Starosel, and Wine Tasting Tour from Sofia: $114
- Plovdiv and Thracia Valley with Wine Tasting: $119
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Heraklion and Sofia, we can see that Heraklion is more expensive. And not only is Sofia much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Sofia would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Sofia and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Heraklion would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Heraklion than you might in Sofia.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Heraklion Expensive? and Is Sofia Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Heraklion or Sofia?
Sofia has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Heraklion. When comparing the sizes of Heraklion and Sofia, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.