Just a couple of weeks ago I was in Sofia. You’d think that as a Bulgarian I would have been to Sofia tons of times but I actually haven’t. Not as a tourist anyway. This was the first time I just took my camera for a walk and explored the city. Sofia is ideal for a short weekend trip or a quick stopover before you head to the more exciting part of Bulgaria outside of the capital. The good thing about Sofia is that everything you’d want to see is within a walking distance.
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National Palace of Culture
I started my walk at the National Palace of Culture. This is the place where people from Sofia gather together for concerts, performances, and various cultural events and this is where I auditioned for the Bulgarian The Voice 😀 just the day before. Gotta challenge yourself right! From here the views of the square just in front of the Palace were magnificent. So many autumn colors that were bringing to life the entire place. The Palace is actually at the end of the famous main street called Vitoshka. From here you can go directly into the center or you can do like me and make a detour by heading to park Zaimov.
Park Zaimov
A lot of people would say that there isn’t much special about this park but I actually loved it. In the autumn this place is just phenomenal for a nice walk around whilst admiring all the colors of the season. The thing that literally put a massive happy smile on my face was The Fairytale House. If you think you’re starting to forget the fairytale characters you grew up with, go in this house for a quick reminder. The decor, the music, and the lights will bring you right back in the time you were dreaming you were the princess in the Beauty and the Beast (or if you’re a guy, how about the prince in Sleeping Beauty) 😀 Either way, you can think of it as a fairytale time machine 😀
Cathedral Saint Alexander Nevski
Park Zaimov beautifully leads to the St Alexander Nevski Cathedral which is the most phenomenal symbol of the capital. I walked around the massive building slowly and I just couldn’t quite fill up my eyes with enough of it. The Cathedral really is spectacular. It dates back to 1882 when its foundations were first laid and today it’s the second largest cathedral on the Balkans. The cathedral was created to honor the Russian soldiers who died for the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. Alexander Nevsky was, in fact, a Russian prince. Right at the heart of the capital, the cathedral is impossible to miss so do walk around and see it from all angles. Going into the cathedral is free but sadly the inside is nowhere near as spectacular as the outside.
Russian Church Sveti Nikolay Mirlikiiski
Another incredible church that symbolizes the Russian influence in Sofia is the stunning Sveti Nikolay Mirlikiiski church. The church was designed by the Russians and if you’ve been to Russia you’ll immediately recognize their architectural style when you see this church without even knowing it was a Russian creation. With its domes, all coated in gold this church screams for attention and it definitely gets it. As with Alexander Nevski, the outside of the church is better than the inside but it’s free to go in so if you’re curious, take a quick peek.
National Theatre Ivan Vazov
The national theatre is with no doubt one of the most beautiful buildings in the capital. It attracts hundreds of people every day queuing up to get a ticket to see a wonderful live performance. In fact getting a ticket last minute is close to impossible which only goes to say how important the theatre is for the culture in Sofia. If you get the chance to see a performance definitely do it. There are guest threats coming to Sofia all the time so you might be able to find a performance in English. Bulgarian theatre is pretty cool though so if you can look out for a Bulgarian performance with an English translation.
Church Sveta Nedelya and Church of St George Rotunda
Sofia has a lot of history which is why you’ll see a lot of churches, one of the best ones being Sveta Nedelya. Very little is actually known about this church which adds up to the mystery of the place. The church is right at the start of Vitosha boulevard and in the autumn especially it looks absolutely gorgeous hidden behind the hanging branches of the trees. But before you start exploring the main street, you might want to go check out the oldest building in Sofia. Not surprisingly this is another church dated back from the 4th century called the church of St George Rotunda. What’s astonishing about this place is that even today you can see some remains of the ancient town of Serdica, renamed Sofia in 1376. I thought it was pretty awesome!
Vitosha Boulevard
This is the main commercial street in Sofia. A lot of people associate the street with lush shops but what I love about it is the range of cute coffee shops and restaurants and of course the view of the Vitosha mountain. For a big city like Sofia, being able to walk along its busiest pedestrian street and see the mountain slopes on the background feels really special to me. The fact that you can see the mountains from virtually everywhere in Sofia is one of the things I love the most about the capital. In fact if have the time, you can take the public transport to Vitosha mountain for some breathtaking views over the city. If you go in the winter, however, you can also do some pretty affordable skiing, just a few miles away from Sofia’s city center, pretty awesome right?!
There is a lot more you can see in Sofia so it might be a good shout to do a free walking tour. It takes about 2 hours and is a great way to see a lot of Sofia if you’ve only got a day or two to spend there.
Favorite places to recharge
One of the main reasons I loved my time in Sofia is because I was taking it super slow and actually enjoying myself. I stopped for lunch at a very hipster vegetarian place called Sun Moon, just off Vitosha Boulevard. The place was really comfy, super cute and people were exceptionally friendly. It was an awesome place for a quick healthy lunch before I went to a cafe called Green Deli to just chill and read my book. And let me tell you, this was the moment I actually appreciated Sofia the most. I was just relaxing there, reading my book, appreciating how quiet and peaceful the place was and happily waiting for the light autumn rain to stop. Ah, take me back!!!
How to get from Sofia airport to town
By metro
Some call it the tube, others call it the underground or the metro. Regardless of what you call it, this is the best option to get into the city. The slightly annoying thing is that there is a metro station only at Terminal 2. This wouldn’t be an issue if you land on T2 but if you find yourself in T1, you’ll have to get to T2 first. Reading this you might be thinking ”what’s the big deal?” And I’ll tell you what it is! There is a free bus which connects the terminal but sadly it runs every 30min so if you just missed the bus, you might find yourself waiting for half an hour. The actual journey though is only 5-7min. So unless you’re rushing for your flight on the way back, this probably won’t be a big deal! But do keep it in mind if you’re landing/ departing from T1.
From the airport metro station, there is only 1 metro line that you can get on, the blue line, and you want to get to Serdika station. 25min later you’ll be at the station where the central Vitoshka boulevard starts. That’s pretty much as central as you can get.
If you’re going to the main coach station, get off at the Central Railway station of the metro. Luckily both the railway and the coach station are near each other so it’s the same stop whichever station you’re after.
Prices: Single ticket – 1.60 leva (0.80 EUR); Daily card – 4 leva (2 EUR)
Metro opening hours: 5:30 AM – 12 Midnight
Get yourself the metro map here
Getting from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1
Last time I was flying out from Sofia, the free airport bus was taking so long that I and another fellow traveler had to pay for a taxi to get from T2 to T1 as we were both tight on time. As the drive is really quite short, around 5min, we had to pay way over the normal fare to convince one taxi driver to take us across the road. It sounds pretty bad and it kinda is but thankfully it only cost 10 BGN (5 EUR) each. So on the way back to the airport, check closely which terminal you’re flying out from. You wanna make sure you have enough time to transfer from T2 to T1 if needed.
By Taxi
The easiest option for getting into the city is by taxi. There are always plenty of taxis just outside of both terminals so getting one should be pretty easy. The drive into the city should cost about 15-20 leva (7-10 EUR). I’m saying ”’should” because this can differ massively if you don’t get into one of the trusted taxi companies. There are a lot of companies out there that will overcharge you so don’t get scammed. I strongly suggest that you only use OK СУПЕРТРАНС [OK Supertrans] (not ОК СУПЕРШАНС оr ОК СОФТРАНС) or Yellow! With these two companies, you can sit back and enjoy your drive not panicking that you’ll get a big bill at the end. If none of these companies are outside of the airport (highly unlikely), agree the price to your destination before accepting the ride.
Oh, and for the Uber fans, I have to say that sadly there is no Uber in Bulgaria.
Essential tips before you travel
- The tube in Sofia is excellent. Fairly new, reliable, cheap (1.60 BGN for a trip or just 0.80EUR) and quick. But if you have to use other public transport, say buses, downloading an app called Moovit will save you a lot of where to? and how?
- You might want to get a taxi at one point which is why you need to know which taxis to use. There are a lot of taxi companies out there that will overcharge you so don’t get scammed. If needed, only use OK СУПЕРТРАНС (not ОК СУПЕРШАНС оr ОК СОФТРАНС) or Yellow! You can either call a taxi, stop one on the street or look for a taxi rank. But to be safe, only use these 2 companies.
- Have some tarator, shopska salad, banitsa for breakfast (not very healthy but suuuper yummy!), and if you go to an authentic restaurant like Hadjidraganov’s Houses, try Bulgarian moussaka or a dish prepared in a ‘gjuvech‘ which is a traditional pot.
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