65Vila RosichA6
6Drinking & Nightlife
66Ale HouseB6
67CherviloE4
68Chucky's Coffee & CultureB6
69DaDa Cultural BarD4
70Fabrika DagaD3
71ID ClubB5
72JJ Murphy'sB5
MementoB8
73MottoE5
74One More BarE5
75PavageC5
PerotoB8
76Veda HouseA6
77YaltaF5
3Entertainment
78Bulgaria HallD4
79Club Terminal 1C5
80CSKAG8
81Cultural Centre G8A6
82Dom Na KinotoC3
83Euro CinemaB4
84Ivan Vazov National TheatreD5
85Kino OdeonD7
86National Opera HouseE4
87National Palace of CultureB8
88Red HouseE7
89RockITD3
Sofia Live ClubB8
90Swingin' HallF8
91Vasil Levski National StadiumF7
7Shopping
92Centre of Folk Arts & CraftsE4
93Greenwich Book CenterB5
94Ladies' MarketB2
95Mirella BratovaE5
96Rose of BulgariaB5
97Souvenir StallsE4
98StenataA4
99Tsum Retail CentreC3
Aleksander Nevski CryptGALLERY
(Museum of Icons; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Aleksander Nevski; adult/child 6/3 lv; h10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; mSofiyski Universitet)
Originally built as a final resting place for Bulgarian kings, this crypt now houses Bulgaria's biggest and best collection of icons, stretching back to the 5th century. Enter to the left of the eponymous church's main entrance.
oSveta Sofia ChurchCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-987 0971; ul Parizh 2; museum adult/child 6/2 lv; hchurch 7am-7pm Apr-Oct, to 6pm Nov-Mar, museum 9am-5pm Tue-Sun; mSofiyski Universitet)
Sveta Sofia is one of the capital's oldest churches, and gave the city its name. A subterranean museum houses an ancient necropolis, with 56 tombs and the remains of four other churches. Outside are the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and an eternal flame, and the grave of Ivan Vazov, Bulgaria's most revered writer.
National Gallery Quadrat 500GALLERY
(Kvadrat 500; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-980 0093; www.nationalartgallerybg.org; ul 19 Fevruari 1; adult/child 10/5 lv; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; mSofiyski Universitet)
This massive visual-arts gallery combines the holdings of the National Gallery and the former Museum of Foreign Art. The result is several hundred paintings spread out over 28 rooms. Works range from African tribal masks to countless 19th- and 20th-century paintings, mostly by lesser-known artists. Minor sketches by Renoir and Matisse and works by Gustave Courbet are on display.
Sofia University Botanical GardenGARDENS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-988 1797; ul Moskovska 49; 2 lv; h10am-6pm; mSofiyski Universitet)
Sofia's small botanical garden includes a glasshouse filled with palms and cacti, a rose garden, and various trees and flowers (labelled in Bulgarian and Latin). The entrance is through what looks like a flower shop on bul Vasil Levski.
Vasil Levski MemorialMONUMENT
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mSofiyski Universitet)
A sombre monument, in the middle of a busy road, dates from 1895 and marks the spot where Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski was hanged in 1873.
South of Ploshtad Aleksander Nevski
Sveti Sedmochislenitsi ChurchCHURCH
(Church of the Seven Saints; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Graf Ignatiev; h7am-7pm; j10)
Set in a leafy garden, this church dedicated to Sts Cyril and Methodius and their five disciples was originally built as a mosque in 1528; it later became an arms depot and a prison, before being consecrated as a church in 1903. Inside, there's a gilded iconostasis with icons painted by Anton Mitov.
Earth & Man MuseumMUSEUM
( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-865 6639; www.earthandman.org; bul Cherni Vrâh 4; adult/child 4/2 lv; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; j6)
This rather old-fashioned museum is dedicated to geology, with two floors of minerals, crystals, ores and the like. There are some big and impressive geodes on show.
Peyo Yavorov House-MuseumHISTORIC BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-988 0887; ul Rakovski 136, 2nd fl; adult/child 3/2 lv; h10am-5pm Mon-Wed & Fri, 1-5pm Thu; mNDK)
The Romantic poet and revolutionary Peyo Yavorov (1878–1914) briefly lived in a small apartment here; the three rooms have been restored to their original appearance, while ghoulish mementoes include Yavorov’s death mask and the dress Yavorov’s wife, Lora, was wearing when she killed herself in the study. Ring the doorbell for admittance.
Borisova GradinaPARK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; g76, mNational Stadium Vasil Levski, Kliment Ohridski, j5)
Lying southeast of the city centre, Sofia’s most attractive park is filled with countless statues and flowerbeds and is a relaxing place for a stroll. It's a vast place, and is home to the Vasil Levski Stadium and CSKA Stadium, as well as several cafes and children's play areas.
The eastern end of the park is dominated by a gigantic communist monument built in 1956; it's known as the Mound of Brotherhood, and features a 42m-high obelisk and socialist-realist icons including a pair of partisan fighters, dramatically gesturing comrades clutching Kalashnikovs, and smiling, stoic workers. It has long been neglected by the authorities, and several of the socialist heroes are now missing limbs and have gained coats of graffiti, but small groups of pensioners come on occasion to lay flowers in remembrance of the red old days.
East of Ploshtad Aleksander Nevski
Museum of Socialist ArtMUSEUM
( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-980 0093; ul Lachezar Stanchev 7, Iztok; 6 lv; h10am-5.30pm Tue-Sun; mGM Dimitrov)
If you wondered where all those unwanted statues of Lenin ended up, you'll find some here, along with the red star from atop Sofia's Party House ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Nezavisimost; mSerdika). There's a gallery of paintings, where you'll rejoice in catchy titles such as Youth Meeting at Kilifarevo Village to Send Worker-Peasant Delegation to the USSR, and stirring old propaganda films are shown.
The museum isn't the easiest place to find. Catch the metro to the GM Dimitrov station, in the Iztok suburb; walk north up bul Tsankov and then turn right onto ul Lachezar Stanchev. The museum is housed in a gated Ministry of Culture building next to the Sopharma Business Towers. You can see the big red star in the garden.
National Museum of Military HistoryMUSEUM
( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-946 1805; www.militarymuseum.bg; ul Cherkovna 92; adult/child 8/2 lv; h10am-6pm Wed-Sun; g9, 72, j20, 23)
This out-of-the-way museum tells the story of warfare in Bulgaria, with most space given to the period from the 1876 April Uprising through to WWI. Weaponry, rebel flags, uniforms and decorations are on show, while outside is an impressive collection of Soviet-made military hardware including Scud missile launchers, tanks and MiG fighters.
THE POET PEYO YAVOROV
One of Bulgaria’s most admired lyric poets, Peyo Yavorov has a turbulent life story that sounds like it could have come from the pages of a lost Puccini opera. He was born in Chirpan in 1878, and by his early twenties his moody writing style had won many admirers. He was already a celebrated literary figure in Sofia when he joined the guerrillas fighting the Turks in Macedonia. His girlfriend Mina Todorova (whose parents had forbidden her relationship with the restless poet) died of consumption in Paris in 1910, and it was at her funeral that he met his next lover, Lora Karavelova, who lived with him at the house on ul Rakovski that now holds a museum dedicated to his memory. However, theirs was a stormy marriage and Lora, jealous of her husband’s supposed affairs with other women, shot herself in 1913. Yavorov, by then a broken and penniless man, shot himself a year later.
2Activities
There are several gyms, pools and sports centres around Sofia. The Vitosha Nature Park, outside of the city, has plenty of opportunities for hiking an
d skiing.
Sofia RunRUNNING
(%0885523630; www.sofiarun.com)
Sofia Run offers easy one-hour, 3km jogging tours through the centre with an English-speaking runner guide. It also offers longer 10km tours for more-experienced runners. Prices vary according to the size of the group, but start from 10 lv, assuming a group of three runners. Book online or by email. Hotel pick-up available.
CCourses
Study in BGLANGUAGE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0889624056; www.studyinbg.com; ul Rakovski 145; j9)
Modern language centre offering Bulgarian-language lessons to foreigners. Private, one-to-one lessons cost 20 lv per hour on-site, or 30 lv elsewhere. Longer group courses are available. Enter from ul Gen Gurko.
Sofia UniversityLANGUAGE
( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-871 0069; www.deo.uni-sofia.bg; ul Kosta Lulchev 27; g9)
Bulgarian-language courses for foreigners are offered by the university. Individual classes start at 23.50 lv per hour; group classes are considerably less. Accommodation is available.
SOFIA FOR CHILDREN
Lions, tigers, elephants and bears are among the animals at Sofia Zoo ( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-868 2043; www.zoosofia.eu; ul Srebarna 1; adult/child 4/2 lv; h8.30am-6pm; g120), which also has play areas for children, and a couple of simple cafes. It’s free for children under seven years old.
Muzeiko ( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-902-0000; www.muzeiko.bg; ul Prof Boyan Kamenov 3; adult/child Sat & Sun 15/8 lv, Tue-Fri 10/6 lv; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; c; mGM Dimitrov) is a kid-friendly science and technology museum, with plenty of interactive exhibits and gadgetry to delight children from six to 16 years of age. There are playgrounds and climbing walls as well as more thoughtful exhibitions meant to teach younger minds about paleontology, astronomy, geology and more.
Young speed fans (over eight years old) can take the wheel of a motorised go-kart and zoom around the twisting, 1km-long track at Karting Sport ( GOOGLE MAP ; %02-920 1447; www.karting-bg.com; bul Vardar 3a; per lap 2 lv; h9am-9pm May-Sep, 10am-6pm Oct-Apr; g11, 77, j4, 11, 22), a modern speedway circuit in the Krasna Polyana district. Kids and adults can enjoy active, outdoorsy fun at Kokolandia ( GOOGLE MAP ; %0899966970; www.kokolandia.com; ul Nezabravka, Borisova Gradina; 3-5 lv; h9am-9pm May-Oct; g84, 413), an adventure park inside Borisova Gradina. Divided into three increasingly challenging areas, it offers rope-climbing, tree-top obstacle courses (harnesses provided) and rock-climbing walls.
Play areas can be found in Borisova Gradina, which has wide open green spaces that young children might enjoy. Sofia City Garden and Oborishte Park (Vladimir Zaimov Park; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; bul Yanko Sakazov; j20) also have playgrounds and attractions like electric cars.
Sofia has several English-speaking nurseries and day-care centres, aimed more at expat families, but there are no reliable babysitting agencies working with foreign tourists. However, some top-end hotels may be able to provide such services.
TTours
There are a number of tours (both free and paid) you can join to explore Sofia and surrounds that are run by enthusiastic local volunteers; donations, to keep these enterprises going, are much appreciated. Some hostels organise day trips for guests.
Organised tours are a convenient way to visit Rila Monastery, which is awkward to visit in one day by public transport from Sofia.
Balkan BitesFOOD & DRINK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0877613992; www.balkanbites.bg; by donation; htours 2pm; mSofiyski Universitet, j9)
This two-hour guided walking tour focuses on food and includes tastings and drinks at restaurants around town. The basic tour is free but a donation is expected. Walks depart at 2pm from the statue of Stefan Stambolov in Crystal Park.
New Sofia Pub CrawlTOURS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0877613992; www.thenewsofiapubcrawl.com; tours 20 lv; h9pm-1am; mSofiyski Universitet, j9)
Explore Sofia's secret haunts on this nightly knees-up. Expect lots of good chat and surprising insights into the social side of the city (plus the odd free drink). Meet by the statue of Stefan Stambolov in Crystal Park.
Sofia Green TourADVENTURE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0885523630; www.sofiagreentour.com; ul Dyakon Ignatiy 5, Ivan Vazov National Theatre; tours by donation, winter hikes 10 lv, bicycle rental 10 lv; htours 11am; mSerdika)
This environmentally oriented tour company offers walking and biking tours of Sofia, as well as a winter hike (from December to April) in the Vitosha Nature Park, including a visit to Boyana Church. Tours normally meet at 11am in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in the Sofia City Park. Book online or by email, or simply show up.
Free Sofia TourWALKING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0988920461; www.freesofiatour.com; cnr ul Alabin & bul Vitosha; h11am & 6pm; mSerdika)F
Explore Sofia's sights in the company of friendly and enthusiastic English-speaking young locals on this two-hour guided walk. No reservation is needed; just show up outside the Palace of Justice on the corner of ul Alabin and bul Vitosha at 11am or 6pm.
City Sighteeing Bus TourBUS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0878575200; www.citysightseeing.bg; adult/child 20/10 lv; htours 10.30am & noon; mSofiyski Universitet)
Get your bearings on this hop-on, hop-off bus tour that takes in more than 30 sights across Sofia. Tours are conducted in English and leave from the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral twice daily. Reservations are required from October to March; just show up the rest of the year.
BULGARIA'S FIRST HEAD OF STATE
Emerging from five centuries of Ottoman rule, the leaders of the nascent state of Bulgaria decided they would rather like their country to be a monarchy. With no obvious native claimant to the throne, the Russian tsar suggested his 22-year-old nephew, a minor German prince named Alexander of Battenberg, to take up the position, and he was duly installed as Prince of Bulgaria in 1879, modern Bulgaria’s first head of state.
The young ex-army officer was feted on his arrival in the country, but Alexander soon found that governing the fractious new state was anything but easy. In 1881, he suspended the constitution to rule as an absolute monarch, though in effect it was the prince’s Russian backers who were really running the show.
Democracy was restored in 1883, and Alexander dismissed the Russian generals who had been controlling the country. In 1885, without the approval of the Russian tsar, the province of Eastern Rumelia was reunited with the rest of Bulgaria.
Alexander had made many enemies in his pro-Russian military, and in 1886, a group of army officers forced him to abdicate and handed him over to the Russian authorities. There was a swift counter-revolution, and the prince was soon recalled to Sofia. However, without Russian support, Alexander’s position was untenable, and he formally abdicated in September 1886. A new prince, Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, was elected in his place.
Alexander left Bulgaria for the last time and headed for Austria, where he took the title Count von Hartenau and married an actress, Johanna Loisinger. He died in 1893, aged just 36. Alexander retained a deep affection for the country he had briefly ruled and, according to his wishes, his remains were brought back to Sofia and interred in an elegant mausoleum ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; bul Vasil Levski 81; h8am-6pm; mSofiyski Universitet) that is open to the public.
zFestivals & Events
Sofia International Film FestivalFILM
(www.siff.bg; hMar)
Movie buffs descend on the capital each March for a celebration of international independent films.
Sofia UndergroundART
(SU; GOOGLE MAP ; www.sofiaunderground.com; hApr)
Contemporary-art festival featuring local and international artists; held in the basement of the National Palace of Culture (NDK).
Sofia Dance WeekDANCE
( GOOGLE MAP ; hlate Sep-early Oct)
A varied program of modern dance, held over two weeks at the National Palace of Culture (NDK).
International Children's Folklore FestivalDANCE
(hJun)
Five-day festival dedicated to chil
drens music, dance and costumes; it's usually in early June but the dates vary.
4Sleeping
Accommodation in Sofia tends to be more expensive than elsewhere in Bulgaria, with hotel prices comparable to those in other large European cities.
There are several modern hostels scattered around town that offer dorm-bed accommodation (and often a couple of private singles and doubles), as well as free wi-fi, shared kitchens, and often a lounge or garden for relaxing.
oCanapé ConnectionGUESTHOUSE$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-441 6373; www.canapeconnection.com; ul William Gladstone 12a; s/d from 50/64 lv; W; j1, 6, 7)
Formerly a hostel, Canapé reinvented itself as a guesthouse in 2016, retaining its same attention to cleanliness and a refreshingly simple, rustic design. The six rooms are divided into singles and doubles, with a larger room upstairs to accommodate families. There's a quiet garden outside to relax in. Note there's no breakfast, but you'll find several coffee places nearby.
Art HostelHOSTEL$
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-987 0545; www.art-hostel.com; ul Angel Kânchev 21a; dm/s/d from 20/47/66 lv; iW; j12)
This bohemian hostel stands out from the crowd with its summertime art exhibitions, live music, dance performances and more. Dorms are appropriately arty and bright; private rooms are airy and very welcoming. There's a great basement bar and peaceful little garden at the back.
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