Sofia

Sofia (София) is the capital of Bulgaria. It is also the biggest city in the country with about 1.4 mln citizens (including suburbs). Today, Sofia is a dynamic Eastern European capital, distinguished by its unique combination of European and Communist-st architecture as well as many beautiful orthodox churches. Furthermore, it claims to be one of the few European capitals with beautiful scenery and a developed ski-resort so close to it - the Vitosha mountain.

To get all information about Sofia, like history, restaurants, things to do (nearly everything) take [1] a free tourist guide in your pocket. Ask for it in your hotel. You could also check the Programata website [2] which contains detailed information on all cultural events in Sofia, cinema, theatres and also restaurants and bars. For some useful advices you can check-out The Sofiaguide [3] blog where you can ask any questions related to Sofia.

Sofia was founded around 7000 years ago. Over the centuries, it has been given several names and the remnants of the old cities can still be viewed today.

Near Sofia lies Boyana church, which is one of the most valuable memorials of Bulgarian and European culture. The church boasts frescoes, acclaimed by specialists as “the best examples of eastern medieval art during its twelve century history”.

Sofia Airport [4] (IATA: SOF) (ICAO: LBSF) is located 10 km east from the city center and it has two terminals - the older terminal 1 which is mainly used by budget airlines and the flashy new terminal 2 - home to the 'traditional' carriers. A shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes between the two terminals and its a few kilometers between the two so if you are running late for check-in you don't want to get out of your taxi at the wrong terminal.

• Bulgaria Air, [5], the national carrier flies to Alicante, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Berlin - Tegel, Brussels, Bucharest - Otopeni, Frankfurt, Istanbul - Atatürk, Kiev - Boryspil, Larnaca, London - Gatwick, London - Heathrow, Madrid, Málaga, Manchester, Moscow - Sheremetyevo, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Rome - Fiumicino, Skopje, Tel Aviv, Tirana, Tripoli, Valencia, Vienna, Zürich. Bulgaria Air`s operates domestic flights to Burgas and Varna.

• There are several flights a day to Vienna, and daily flights to some of the major European hubs. Some of the traditional airlines with flights to/from Sofia are Air France, Al Italia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Helios Air, LOT, Lufthansa, Malev, Olympic Airways, Tarom and Turkish Airlines. Also, low-cost carriers traveling to Bulgaria are Aer Lingus [6] (to/from Dublin), EasyJet [7] (to/from London-Gatwick, Madrid, Manchester, Milan-Malpensa), Germanwings [8] (to/from Cologne/Bonn), MyAir [9] (to/from Milan-Bergamo, Venice), SkyEurope [10] (to/from Vienna), Wizz Air [11] (to/from Barcelona [begins 16 January, 2009], Brussels-Charleroi, Dortmund, London-Luton, Milan-Bergamo, Rome-Fiumicino, Valencia and Varna.)

• Cheap charters to Varna and Burgas airports on the Black Sea coast are available (especially in spring & fall), and from there to Sofia (for about 60 euros one-way).

• For low cost flights from Sofia to Varna and Burgas, visit www.wizzair.com! Flights to Varna with the low cost carrier Wizzair takes only 35 minutes and the prices are from 10€ to 50€ one way.

Getting into the city from the airport

• By bus: From terminal 1 pickup bus #84 and from terminal 2 - bus #284 and they will transport you to the city center. Please make sure you punch your ticket after you board. You will need an additional ticket for any large piece of luggage.

• By shuttle: Various companies run shuttle services to the hotel and back. These can be found at the airport arrival halls.

• By taxi: Taxis in the airport are "regulated" and the only company that is allowed to service the airport "OK Taxi." The fare to the city center should be about 10 BGN (depending on traffic, could be 12 BGN). Unfortunately there are many "touts" that will try to ask you if you need a taxi as you exit the departures area. These guys will seriously overcharge you. When you exit the customs/declarations door, turn to your right and exit the terminal (do not go straight, out the exit in front of you!). There you'll see a big queue of "OK" taxi's lined up with "OK (973 2121)" written on them in blue writing. However, if you go straight out to the roadway rather than right, there are unregulated taxi's.

Coming to Sofia by car

All highways in Bulgaria are under construction.

• A1 is planned to be from Sofia to Burgas, but ends at the outskirts of Stara Zagora.

• A2 is planned to be from Sofia to Varna, but ends around Pravets and continues from Shumen to Varna.

• A3 is planned to be from Varna to Burgas, but currently has only a few kilometers built.

Otherwise coming from Greece the road is in very good shape, so the 300 km from Thessaloniki are done fairly fast if you don't happen to fall into big waiting-lines at the border. Coming from the Republic of Macedonia, the roads are in rather bad shape. From Central Europe you can drive almost the whole length on highways (via Slovenia-Croatia-Serbia or Hungary-Serbia), with only the last 100 km between Nis in Southern Serbia and Sofia being heavily trafficked mountain roads in not the best shape.

Get around

Sofia has a well-developed and efficient public transport system that consists of buses, trolleys, trams, subway line and private mini-buses (marshrutki). The public transport operates from 5AM to about 11PM and there are plans to introduce one "night" line.

The price of a single ticket is 1,00 lev (~ 0,50€) only paid in the local currency. There are also 5 or 10 tickets for one passenger and daily cards, valid for all lines. Buy the ticket from a nearby kiosk and punch it immediately after you enter the vehicle. The inspectors rarely understand English and you might have problems with the security if you travel without a ticket or even with unpunched one.

There are 16 tram lines, 9 trolley lines, 93 bus lines and one metro line. Some of the buses cover the area outside the city center including neighboring villages. Useful routes are bus #284 or #84 from the airport to the center; from the train/bus station to Orlov most - bus #305, #213 or #214 or tram #1, #7 to Sveta Nedelya square, #6, #9 to the National Palace of Culture, #12 to Slaveykov square or #19 to Macedonia square.

Mini-buses stop if you just wave a hand and usually are fast way to go somewhere without need to change the car. You pay to the driver when you get on the car. Prices are 1,50 leva (about 0,75 euro).

Subway in Sofia is still under construction and a few more lines will be available in the next years. Now there is only one line from the city center to the western edge of town.

Taxis in Sofia are yellow. There are many companies offering taxi services, some of them are OK Supertrans taxi (973 3121), 1 Euro Taxi, "91280", Yellow Taxi (91119) and Radio CV Taxi (91263) with fares around 0,70 leva (0,35€) per kilometer. Please check the phone number and the prices before you board, because there are some taxis trying to imitate the most popular ones, but having outrageous prices (up to 5,90 leva (3,00€) per kilometer) on them and usually hang around hotels and tourist spots picking on unsuspecting customers, its the top line for the per km fares and bottom line for time you need to look at.

Rent-a-Car is possible, but not necessarily a good idea if you are not used to driving here. Be prepared for traffic jams and disorganized traffic. Parking is major problem. To park you can use tickets for parking in the so called Blue Zone (sinya zona/синя зона). These tickets can be purchased from the people wearing bright green jackets, hanging around the parking lots. The tickets should be clearly marked with pen and placed on the dashboard so they are clearly visible.

Sofia is one of the oldest cities in Europe with ruins spread across the city center. It was founded because of the quality of its mineral waters. In the city alone there are 7 independent mineral water springs. In the administrative center of Sofia the streets are covered with specific yellow pavement.

Popular attractions

• National Assembly of Bulgaria, 2 Narodno Sabranie Sq., ☎ +359 2 939 39 (infocenter@parliament.bg, fax: +359 2 981 31 31),

• Sofia University, 15 Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., ☎ +359 2 9308 (fax: +359 2 946 02 55),

• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1 15 November Str., ☎ +359 2 979 53 33 (fax: +359 2 981 72 62)

• Ivan Vazov National Theatre, 5 Dyakon Ignatii Str., ☎ +359 2 811 92 19 (info@nationaltheatre.bg, fax: +359 2 987 70 66),

• SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library, 88 Vasil Levski Str., ☎ + 359 2 988 28 11 (fax: + 359 2 843 54 95), [18]. 08:30 to 20:30.

• National Palace of Culture, 1 Bulgaria Sq., ☎ +359 2 916 63 00 (fax: +359 2 865 70 53), [19]. The biggest congress center in the Balkans (a massive monolithic communist-st building).

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

Museums

• National Museum of Military History, 92 Cherkovna Str., ☎ +359 2 946 18 05 (m.museum@bol.bg, fax: + 359 2 946 18 06), [20]. 10.00 to 18.00.  

• Ethnographic Institute with Museum, 6A Moskovska Str., ☎ +359 2 988 41 91 (eim_bas@mail.bg, fax: +359 2 980 11 62), [21]. Has a permanent collection of traditional Bulgarian costumes as well as a changing exhibition.

• Earth and Man National Museum, 4 Cherni Vruh Blvd., ☎ +359 2 865 66 39 (earth.and.man@gmail.com, fax: +359 2 866 14 57), [22]. 10.00 to 18.00. 2 leva.  

• National Museum of History, 16 Vitoshko lale str. (Take trolley #2 southwest from the corner of Praga Blvd. and Patriarch Eftimi Blvd. Get off at the roundabout at the end of the bus line. Cross the busy Okolovrustino Shosse (ring road) and walk through the trees. The museum is not visible from the road, nor are there any signs.), ☎ +359 2 955 42 80; (nim1973@abv.bg, fax: +359 2 955 76 02), [23]. The National Museum of History in Sofia contains more than 650,000 exhibits and is one of the largest history museums on the Balkans. The aim of the museum is to provide a comprehensive view on Bulgarian history from the prehistory to present, in as broad an European context as possible. Be prepared to spend several hours as the museum is quite large. About half of the exhibits have English captions. 4 leva.  

• National Institute of Archaeology and Museum, 2 Saborna Str., ☎ +359 2 988 24 06 (aim-bas@aclubcable.com, fax: +359 2 988 24 05), [24]. 10:00 to 18:00.

• National Polytechnic Museum, 66 Opalchenska Str., ☎ +359 2 831 30 04 (polytechnic@abv.bg, fax: +359 2 931 40 46), [25]. 09.00 to 17.00.  

• National Museum of Natural History, 1, Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd., ☎ + 359 2 987 41 95 (fax: + 359 2 988 28 94), [26]. 10.00 to 18.00. Has four floors of everything from rocks and minerals to insects and stuffed bison. It is a nice way to spend a rainy afternoon.  

• Museum of Paleontology and historical geology, 15 Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd. (Inside Sofia University.), ☎ +359 2 930 82 00.

• National Literature Museum, 138 G. S. Rakovski Str., floor 2, ☎ +359 2 988 24 93.  

• National Agricultural Museum, 30 Suhodolska Str., ☎ +359 2 929 67 53.

• National Ecclesiastical History-Archeological Museum, 19 Sveta Nedelya Sq., ☎ +359 2 988 13 43. 09:00 to 17:00.

 Galleries

• National Gallery for Foreign Art, 1 St. Aleksander Nevsky Square, ☎ +359 2 988 49 22 (ngfa@abv.bg), [27]. 11:00 to 18:00. 4 leva.  

• National Art Gallery, 1 Batenberg Sq., ☎ +359 2 980 00 93. 10:30 to 18:00. Has old Bulgarian art, icons, etc. 4 leva.  

• Sofia Art Gallery, 1, Gen. Gurko Str. (The entrance is from Kniaz Al. Batenberg Str.), ☎ +359 2 987 21 81, [28]. 10:00 to 19:00. free.  

• Sofia City Art Gallery (Софийска градска художествена галерия), 1 General Gurko St. (ул. Ген. Гурко 1), tel: +359 2 987 2181, [29].

Churches

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. One of the largest orthodox churches worldwide.  

• Boyana Church, 1-3 Boyansko Ezero Str. (Getting here is quite difficult. Take tram #9 or #10 from the stop underneath NPC (НДК) to Hladilnika neighborhood. Then walk south and ask someone where to catch bus #64. The stop for the church is a small plaza with a few shops near the end of the #64 bus line. Ask the driver where to get off and then walk uphill and turn left.), ☎ +359 2 959 09 39 (nmbc@nmbc.orbitel.bg, fax: +359 2 959 29 66), [30]. 09:00 to 17:00. This small 14th-century church and garden is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The church contains some very well preserved Christian murals.

• Church of St. George, (It`s situated behind the Sheraton Hotel.).  

• Church of St. Petka of the Saddlers.

• Church of St. Nedelya.  

• Hagia Sophia Church, 2 Paris str. It was built over an even older church which can be seen through glass in the floor.

• Russian Church.  

• Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church.  

Temples

• Catholic cathedral St. Joseph.  

• Banya Bashi Mosque.  

• Sofia Synagogue. 09:00 to 16:30. One of the largest in Europe.  

Historical Buildings

• Amphitheatre of Serdica, (Located in the geographical center of the city under the flags of the EU.).  

• Battenberg Mausoleum. The mausoleum and final resting place of Prince Alexander I of Bulgaria (1857–1893), the first Head of State of modern Bulgaria.  

• Monument to Vasil Levski. It commemorates the hanging of Bulgarian national hero and major revolutionary figure Vasil Levski in the city on 18 February 1873.

• Monument to the Tsar Liberator. Representing the power of freedom and across from it are the National Assembly and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.  

• Monument to the Unknown Soldier.  

• Knyaz Battenberg's Palace, (Right in front of the city garden.).  

• Sofia Public Mineral Baths. It is an old building of interest, although it is in process of renovation at the moment.

Open Spaces

• Borisova gradina. It`s the "lungs" of the city, with the Ariana Lake  

• City Garden. It`s the oldest and most central public garden, in existence since 1872.  

• Largo.  

• Orlov Most. It`s a bridge over the Perlovska River in the centre of Sofia  

• Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square.  

• Slaveykov Square. It`s an open-air book market.  

• Patriarch Evtimiy Square.  

• Sofia Zoo, 1 Sreburna Str., [31]. 09:00 to 17:00.  

Do

• Cafes and restaurants. Sofia is full of trendy cafes with outdoor seating in the summer and good-quality restaurants.
• Piano bars – recently very popular with the citizens of Sofia and their guests, these bars are more like clubs with live music, where dancing takes major role.
• Ice skating 

• National Opera and Ballet,

• Arena Cinema, [33]. It`s one of the biggest Bulgarian cinema multiplex.  

Buy

The currency in Bulgaria is the Lev, plural Leva. You will also see the abbreviation BGN or lv. The currency exchange rate is fixed at 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN. Currency exchange offices and most offer a buy rate of 1.95 and a sell rate of 1.96. However at the airport and train station the rates are worse (cashing in on tourist ignorance). A new tourist might prefer to exchange their money in a big bank. ATMs (Cashpoints) on Visa, Mastercard and many other credit networks are widely available, although not all can withdraw money from bank accounts held outside the country, in spite of the Visa / Mastercard stickers suggesting otherwise. Credit cards are somewhat accepted, but certainly not in every store or restaurant; you will definitely need to carry some cash, preferably smaller denomination bills.

Souvenirs can be bought many small shops in the subways in front of the old Party House and in the metro station at the Largo. The Ethnographic Museum has a small shop tightly crammed with souvenirs of all kinds from all over Bulgaria (on the right, just as you enter the main entrance).Antiques and souvenirs can also be found in Alexander Nevski square, in stalls just opposite the church.

• Vitosha Boulevard. It`s the main commercial street in the centre of Sofia. It’s modern and beautiful street, perfect to walk along and do some shopping. The small elegant coffees and restaurants makes it even more appealing.

• Central Sofia Market Hall, Marie Louise Boulevard (Opposite the Banya Bashi mosque.). Has many stalls selling all kinds of food, drink and cosmetics. The second floor has various fast-food cafés.

• TZUM, 2, Knyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd., ☎ +359 2 926 07 00 (tzum@tzum.bg), [34]. 10:00 to 21:00. Beautiful architecture and an imperssive buildings, just beside the Sheraton hotel. The Central Department Store is one of the symbols of Sofia, being the most luxirious and “western” like store in Bulgaria during the Communist times. In it – jewelry and waches shops (most of the major trade marks are presented), boutiques, perfumery, restaurant (Spaghetti Co – one of the best Italian cuisine in Sofia ), Espresso coffee – elegant and relaxing way to spend some time after shopping.

• Mall of Sofia, 101, Alexander Stamboliiski blvd., ☎ +359 2 929 33 77 (fax: +359 2 929 33 00), [35].  

• City Center Sofia, 2 Arsenalski Blvd., floor 3, ☎ + 359 2 865 72 85 (communication@ccs-mall.com, fax: +359 2 865 71 37), [36].  

• SkyCity Mall, 52 Kosta Loulchev Str. (You can get there by tram No 20, bus No 9, and Route Taxi No 1, 19 and 21.), ☎ +359 2 971 02 13 (office@skycitycenter.com, fax: +359 2 971 01 89), [37]. 10:00 to 22:00. Also has an entertainment center.

Eat

Budget

Pizzeria-type restaurants and snack bars can be found all over Sofia. Although many are very uninteresting for the traveler looking for a meal with a local flavor, some include excellent Bulgarian dishes.

• Mr.Pizza, 44 Neofit Rilsky Str., ☎ +359 2 988 82 58, [38]. Popular in Sofia, get there early or reserve if you want a table in their courtyard. 10 to 15 BGN per person..  

• Baаlbek, (Near Slaveykov Square.). This is great Arab food. Downstairs is take-away kebabs and falafels, and upstairs a small eat-in. Excellent hummus and salads, etc., and cold beer.

• Trops House, [39]. It`s a fast-food type of place, offering traditional Bulgarian meals and drinks. It can be found in several locations throughout the city center.

Mid to High End

• Happy's Bar and Grill, (Just across the street from the Sveta Nedelya church.), [40]. Happy's is the Bulgarian equivalent of an American diner, and the Sofia representative of a nationwide chain. There are English-language menus, and the staff all seem to have at least some English as well. Portions are generally huge and represent a version of traditional Bulgarian equivalents, although more Western fare is also available.

• Pizza Victoria, [41]. One of the best Bulgarian pizzas.  

• Pod Lipite, [42]. Very good traditional food. Reservation is required.

• Motto, 18 Aksakov str. (Motto is on the street right behind the Radisson hotel, and then two blocks East (turn to the right on the first small street behind the Radisson if you are walking from the big horse statue) - it's kind of hard to find as the sign is a small black sign with white lettering.), ☎ +359 2 987 27 23, [43]. This place is always fairly busy with a trendy crowd. The decor is modern and cool, and the people typically good looking. The service here is usually pretty nice, and many of the wait-staff speak English. The food is consistent and enjoyable. 5 to 15 BGN per dish..  edit

• Carrera, 4 Golo Bardo Str., ☎ +359 2 960 28 66 (nikostoyanov@abv.bg). A fairly modern restaurant over in the Lozenetz area. The decor is well done, the service good, and the food very good. Prices are in line with the quality and st of the place. The wine selection is excellent. They also have a nice summer/winter garden area.  

Cafés

• Onda Coffee Break, ☎ +359 2 980 49 40 (onda@onda.bg, fax: +359 2 980 19 39), [44].

• Pchela Sweet Shop, [45].  

• Nedelya Sweet Shop, ☎ +359 88 560 08 30, [46].
• Espresso Café in the Central Department Store - TZUM

 Bars

• TODO
• Black Label 
• Camino Piano bar 

Nightlife

• Apartment. Popular among locals as well as foreigners is the "apartamenta", some sort of private club in the first floor of a turn of the 19th century mansion: There you find a series of rooms like in a real apartment, all in different sts and wall-drawings, colourful tapestries, etc. Go to the right, get a drink in the kitchen (everything non-alcoholic is 3 lv), and just pick and choose a room which looks cozy enough (shouldn't be too hard to find one with all the couches lying around). If you don't like the music, there are Mac computers in most of the rooms where you can pick something else out of the playlist. Have a game of chess, or ask for tobacco for the water pipe. There is also a room which serves as cinema, if there is nothing running just go in, pick a movie out of the list and start the projection. There is also home- made chocolate and cream and all different kind of drinks like Himalayan tea, Kiwi nectar and much more...

• Lodkite. In the huge "Borisova gradina" park near the stadion (just ask you way around) you'll find this open-air place, located in an old leisure-park parcour (you know, that type of small water-channels where kid can drive around in little gondolas). The boats have gone and the channels serve as improvised sitting places (basic tables made out of wood planks put between the two sides of the channel). There are also some tables on the court and lights decorating the trees luminate the scene. The public sound system has experimental electronic music, ambiance, progressive rock, or whatever the DJs feel like. The later it gets, the more you'll find people sitting everywhere on the floor on the trees. On warm summer nights, this place is a must-be.  

• Escape, ☎ +359 88 999 00 00 (contact@clubescape.bg), [47].

• Chervilo, [48].  

• Yalta, 20, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd., (office@yaltaclub.com), [49].

WiFi

Sofia has a large number of mostly free wireless hotspots in bars, restaurants, and cafés. You may find also in hotels and public areas, like "Park Zaimov".

• Check out [63] for a detailed map of the free WiFi spots.

Stay Safe

If you travel by car make sure that you park in a toll parking. This is the best solution against auto theft. Parking in the center of Sofia could be troubling. Despite it is hard to find a free parking place. You might see a long row under the non-parking sign, despite that it is for your own good not to park such areas.

Also, if traveling by car, be ware to purchase a vignette (винетка) straight on entry in Bulgaria. You need this on every high-way out in the country. The price (2008) is 10 BGN (5 EUR) for one week - this is the shortest period available, also one-month and year vignettes are available. You need to place it on the front window, in the bottom right corner. If you rent a car and plan to go out of the city area, you will need a vignette as well. You can purchase from any petrol station. The fine, if you forget the vignette, is about 100 EUR.

Car lights are also compulsory in the light part of the day from November 1st until March 1st.

As long as you avoid the poorly lit areas, the centre is generally safe, stick to the well-lit areas such as Vitoshka, the Largo, Sheraton hotel, the Ivan Vazov theater and the military club (Voennia klub). Be careful with the cabs, make sure you check the prices first before you get in (the fare is per kilometer and it should be something like 0.59 during the day and 0.70 during the night, avoid cabs that display their fare as above 1.00), also make sure the cab has the driver's card on the front with his name.

Also, be wary of money exchange shops. Banks are always the wisest choice.

Get out

• Vitosha is a magnificent landmark mountain just rises south of the capital.

• Rila Monastery is the most famous monastery in Bulgaria, situated in the huge Rila Massive. It`s just one hour and a half drive away from Sofia.

• Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria. It`s just one hour drive on a good highway away from Sofia. Plovdiv lies around three hills in the otherwise totally flat Thracian plane. It's historical center, Roman remnants & relaxed feeling make it a great day-trip.

• Veliko Turnovo a beautiful city along a winding river, the former capital of Bulgaria in the middle ages. The original city castle and walls are reconstructed. Be sure also to visit nearby Arbanassi.

• There are also many monasteries around Sofia.