Sofia

Worth seeing in and around Sofia

10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.

1. 01
   Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

   The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

   500 m · Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia
2. 02
   Bulgarian Orthodox Church

   The Bulgarian Orthodox Church, legally the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in full communion with the other Eastern Orthodox churches. It is the first medieval recognised patriarchate outside the Pentarchy and the oldest Slavic Orthodox church, with some 6 million members in Bulgaria and between 1.5 and 2 million members in a number of other European countries, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand.

   500 m · Orthodox autocephalous church · Wikipedia
3. 03
   Boyana Church

   The Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, in the Boyana quarter. In 1979, the building was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

   8.1 km · church in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia
4. 04
   Sofia University

   Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" (Bulgarian: Софийски университет „Св.

   800 m · university in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia
5. 05
   Banya Bashi Mosque

   Banya Bashi Mosque is a Sunni Islamic mosque in Sofia, Bulgaria.

   600 m · mosque in Bulgaria · Wikipedia
6. 06
   Vasil Levski National Stadium

   Vasil Levski National Stadium, named after Bulgarian national hero and revolutionary Vasil Levski, is the country's second largest stadium. The stadium has 43,230 seats and is located in the centre of Sofia, on the territory of the city's oldest and most famous park - the Borisova gradina.

   1.5 km · football stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia
7. 07
   University of National and World Economy

   The University of National and World Economy is a public research university in Sofia, Bulgaria. Notable alumni of the university are five Prime Ministers of Bulgaria – Reneta Indzhova, Stefan Sofiyanski, Ivan Kostov, Marin Raykov and Plamen Oresharski; the current managing director of the International Monetary Fund – Kristalina Georgieva; and the director of the Financial Markets Group at the London School of Economics and former Minister of Finance of Bulgaria Simeon Djankov.

   5.8 km · university in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia
8. 08
   SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library

   The SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library is the national library of Bulgaria, situated in the capital city of Sofia. Founded on 4 April 1878, the library received the status of Bulgarian National Library three years later and the Bulgarian National Revival Archive was merged into it in 1924.

   800 m · library in Bulgaria · Wikipedia
9. 09
   National Archaeological Museum, Bulgaria

   The National Archaeological Museum is an archaeological museum in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It occupies the building of the largest and oldest former Ottoman mosque in the city, originally known as Koca Mahmut Paşa Camii.

   600 m · archaeological museum in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia
10. 10
    Saint Sophia Church

    The Saint Sofia Church is a Bulgarian Orthodox church, located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built as a church in the fourth century CE, the building was converted to a mosque in the 16th century and was restored as a basilica during the 19th and 20th centuries.

    400 m · church building in Sofia, Bulgaria · Wikipedia

Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What Wikivoyage says to see

In the administrative center of Sofia, the streets are paved with specific yellow bricks. They were laid in the beginning of the 20th century, purportedly as a present to the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand for his wedding from the Austria-Hungarian royal family (though many historians consider it a vanity project of Sofia's mayor). They are not a great material for wet weather, but they continue to add colorful flair.

1. 01
   Sofia History Museum

   Museum of the history of Sofia itself, housed in the colourful old building of the Central Mineral [Water] Baths (built 1913).

2. 02
   National Museum of Military History

   92 Cherkovna Str, fax: +359 2 946 18 06, nvim.pr@gmail.com.

3. 03
   Earth and Man National Museum
4. 04
   National Museum of History
5. 05
   National Institute of Archaeology and Museum

   2 Saborna Str., fax: +359 2 988 24 05, aim-bas@aclubcable.com.

From Wikivoyage: Sofia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Things to do

Sofia Bike Tour, Dyacon Ignatiy, 5 (Start Point: National Theater "Ivan Vazov".),. April–November. Visit Sofia and the countryside around on a "free" bike tour, every day at 11:00 and 17:00. Note, for the ride you will need to rent a bicycle with the tour operators. And like always, the word "free" is a euphemism for "tips strongly appreciated".

1. 01
   Sofia Opera and Ballet

   During summer, open air shows in the evenings are offered.

2. 02
   Arena Cinema

   One of the biggest Bulgarian cinema multiplex.

3. 03
   Ivan Vazov National Theatre

   5 Dyakon Ignatiy Str, fax: +359 2 987 70 66, info@nationaltheatre.bg.

4. 04
   National Palace of Culture

   The biggest congress center in the Balkans (a massive monolithic communist-style building).

5. 05
   Central Military Club

   It`s a multi-purpose monument of culture building in the city center.

From Wikivoyage: Sofia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Where to eat

Sofia is full of trendy cafes with outdoor seating in the summer and good-quality restaurants. You can easily find take away food in Sofia. For less than €2 you can get a slice of pizza, a hot-dog or a sandwich. You can get more traditional Bulgarian food in bakeries, offering banitsa and other kinds of pastry. This food is often consumed with ayran or boza.

1. 01
   Veselata Gozba Restaurant

   Good variety of main courses, soups, salads and desserts.

2. 02
   Gastrobar 6

   Favorite place for delicious food in a great pleasant atmosphere.

3. 03
   Ali Baba

   Good place for a quick bit of kebabs and falafel.

4. 04
   Dream House

   Quick service, simple and good food, good value for money.

5. 05
   DARO

From Wikivoyage: Sofia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.

Getting to Sofia

Airports

Sofia (SOF), 7 km · Niš Constantine the Great (INI), 139 km · Plovdiv (PDV), 143 km

Stations

Sofia Airport, 6.4 km

• Plovdiv → Sofia

  132 km · quickest by road, 2h 10m · лв13–17
  GuideToday
• Burgas → Sofia

  340 km · quickest by air, 4h 2m · лв100–150
  GuideToday
• Varna → Sofia

  378 km · quickest by air, 4h 4m · лв100–150
  GuideToday
• From anywhere

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Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.

No local-transport research exists yet for Sofia

Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Sofia. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.

If you know how people move in Sofia – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.