Quick travel guide: Sofia, Bulgaria

Dabbing in front of the Sofia sign, which sits outside the National Palace of Culture.

SOFIA

Country: Bulgaria

Population: 1,280,968

Time zone: UTC +2

Closest airport(s): Sofia International Airport

A little bit about Sofia

Sofia is full of beautiful buildings and surrounded by stunning mountains.

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and sits at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country. Modern-day Sofia sits on top of Roman ruins from 2000 years ago, when it was a part of the Roman Empire named Serdica. It has also had the names Triadica and Sredets before getting its current name in the 14th century when it was named after one of its oldest churches, the basilica St Sofia.

Why should I go?

Sofia’s former Central Mineral Baths is now a museum about the history of the city.

A city that’s often overlooked by those heading for the beaches or ski resorts, Sofia’s rich heritage offers visitors the chance to immerse themselves in thousands of years’ worth of history. From the Roman ruins to centuries-old places of worship, Sofia almost feels like a time capsule, and has some fantastic museums to support it.

One of Sofia’s, and the same is true for Bulgaria in general, selling points is its cost of living. Anyone arriving from western Europe will find everything extremely cheap, whether it’s the cost of a hotel, eating out or enjoying a nightcap. Sports fans should also be drawn to the city thanks to its two football teams, both of whom are Bulgaria’s most successful.

Main Attractions

Alexander Nevski Cathedral

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of Sofia’s highlights.

Bulgaria’s most notable landmark, the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in the early 20th century in memory of the 200,000 Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish War from 1877 to 1878. The Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral was built in Neo-Byzantine style and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world.

National Palace of Culture

The gardens outside the National Palace of Culture are a great spot to snap your next Instagram.

Sofia’s National Palace of Culture is one of its most beautiful buildings. Constructed in the late 1970s, it opened in 1981 to commemorate Bulgaria’s 1,300th anniversary and is a multi-functional congress, conference, convention and exhibition centre. It is worth going inside to snap a photo of its beautiful and alternative interior, while the gardens surrounding it are also impressive.

Russian Church

Tulips blossom outside of the Russian Church in Sofia.

With gleaning gold domes and a striking green roof, the Church of Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, also known as the Russian Church, is one of the most beautiful buildings in Sofia. Built in 1914 in Russian revival style, it contains bells donated by King Nicholas II of Russia and has a crypt containing the tomb of Bishop Serafin.

Church of St George

The Church of St George isn’t the easiest place to find.

Hidden away in the courtyard of the President of Bulgaria’s office and the Sofia Hotel Balkan stands the Church of St George, a red-brick rotunda named after the legendary Roman soldier. Sitting amongst the remains of the ancient town of Serdica, the church was originally built in the 4th century on what is believed to be the site of an ancient pagan temple.

The rotunda has significantly changed since it was first constructed. Originally, it was destroyed by the Huns, rebuilt as a church and then turned into a mosque by the Ottomans. It has since been restored and reverted back to being a church.

Vitosha Boulevard

Vitosha Boulevard on a busy Saturday afternoon.

The pedestrianised Vitosha Boulevard is the epicentre of Sofia’s commercial district and nightlife. Here you’ll find popular shops should as H&M and Zara intertwined with restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Saint Sofia Church & Museum

Make sure to explore Saint Sofia Church and its underground archaeological relics.

Located just across the way from Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the Saint Sofia Church is one of the city’s oldest and is considered to be one of the symbols of Sofia as it is the church which gave the Bulgarian capital its name.

Standing on top of several churches that came before it of an ancient necropolis, many tombs have been unearthed both underneath and near the church and can be seen at the church’s incredible museum, which opened to the public in 2013.

Getting there

The approach to Sofia International Airport from the train station.

The two-terminal Sofia International Airport is the main point of entry for visitors to Bulgaria. Ryanair operate flights to and Sofia from several destinations across Europe, while Wizz Air and easyJet also have budget services to the Bulgarian capital. Sofia is well served by several airlines, and cheap flights throughout the year are readily available. Click to find out how to get from Sofia Airport to Sofia.

Sofia’s Central Railway Station is the largest one in the country and is the terminus for people travelling to Sofia by train. It is located one kilometre north of the city centre and its close proximity to the Central Bus Station makes it easy to get anywhere in Sofia or its surrounding areas. As well as serving routes to all major destinations directly, direct services operate to Belgrade, Bucharest, Istanbul, Lviv, Niš, Szeged and Thessaloniki.

Getting around

Sofia Metro isn’t as extensive as other major capitals, but it is cheap and easy to use.

Sofia isn’t an incredibly huge city, so walking should suffice for most of the main attractions. To get around the city faster you can try using their Metro underground train network, or even more convenient is getting a taxi which, like everything else in Bulgaria, are incredibly cheap.

Where to stay

The living room of our duplex. Please excuse the clutter.

If I could recommend anywhere to stay on this planet, I’d say BLVD Apartments in Sofia. There were six of us and we booked the Penthouse Suite. It lived up to its stature and was basically my dream apartment, but it was also incredibly inexpensive. For just £30 per person for three nights (that’s £10pppn), we stayed in an absolute palace, with two balconies, sweeping, city views and all the amenities you could possibly need for a weekend extravaganza.

But if living it up penthouse-style isn’t your thing, there are plenty of accommodation offerings all over the city, from five-star hotels to fantastic hostels, all of which are reasonably priced. Check out Booking.com for great Sofia deals.

Eat and drink

Food and drink is readily available throughout Sofia, and it is extremely cheap, so indulging in higher-end restaurants won’t set you back a great deal.

One of the best places to eat is Corso, which is a relaxing setting with great views across the surrounding region and Russian church. Happy Bar & Grill is a good shout for those looking for reasonably-priced comfort food, with big screens showing sports. Eating at a restaurant along Vitosha Boulevard is a great experience as you can sit in glass-fronted buildings on the street and enjoy your meal as you watch the world go by. And always make sure to check your bill as foreigner are sometimes intentionally overcharged.

Terminal 1 is a Sofia club I’d recommend.

Nightlife is one of Sofia’s biggest pluses. Again, the price of drinks helps out massively with this, but all of the bars and clubs on a Saturday night are lively and bouncing, meaning you get a great party atmosphere as well as a cheap tipple. Vitosha Boulevard is a hotspot for bars and watering holes.

Club Terminal 1 is a cracking nighclub with a big dancefloor, balconies, a stage for DJs or live performances and table football for those who left their dancing shoes at home. Club Studio 5 and Yalta Club are other sound options for post-midnight partying.

Five observations

The greatest atmosphere

CSKA Sofia had the best atmosphere I have ever experienced at a football game.

We went to the CSKA Sofia game thinking we’d be watching a game of football in a place where health and safety rules were a little loose, and the quality of football wasn’t going to be up to much. We weren’t far wrong, but what we weren’t expecting was to experience the greatest atmosphere we’d ever been a part of. I’ve written more about this here. You should go and check it out.

Living it up

This was our downstairs balcony.

Our penthouse suite at BLVD Apartments sounded swanky, but I didn’t really expect it to live up to its name. However, me and the lads ended up being blown away by how amazing this apartment was, and the ridiculously small price tag made it all the better. I’ve stayed in a lot of places on my travels, but that was easily the best. That apartment in a city like New York or Krakow is my dream house.

NO PHOTO!

Risking life and limb to take a selfie in Sofia.

I didn’t realise that photos inside Alexander Nevski Cathedral are forbidden, but I soon found out after being caught in the act by an angry church chaplain, screaming “NO PHOTO” at me. I managed to sneak a few more photos when he wasn’t looking, although ended up taking the above selfie in full view before bolting to the exit.

Cheap as chips

We got a penthouse suite for £10 per person per night, a fantastic football game for £2.40 and a night out which barely cost more than 20 quid. Suffice to say, Sofia is cheap. If you’re looking for a weekend break away with good nightlife, and you want to splash out without the heft price tag, make the Bulgarian capital your next adventure.

Great for a weekend

I went to Sofia with my mates for a weekend to celebrate my birthday in April 2017.

There are some cities that I could spend my whole life in, but Sofia isn’t one of them. As much as I enjoyed my time there, there just isn’t a wealth of attractions on offer. But there is plenty to fill a long weekend with, and despite being on the opposite side of the continent to the UK, it isn’t too far away. Friday to Monday gave us the perfect amount of time to get a feel for the city, see all the main attractions, take in a football game, have a night out and have some good meals.

Did you know?

Sofia became the capital of Bulgaria in 1879 – the result of the first post-independence vote by the Bulgarian Parliament. The other contenders were Veliko Tarnovo, Plovdiv and Rousse, but Sofia pipped them to the post and won by just two votes!