Bulgaria's capital and largest city, Sofia, is found in the west of the nation at the base of the Vitosha mountain. The city is a well-liked tourist attraction in the Balkans due to its fascinating history, varied culture, and charming architecture. In addition to its historical treasures, Sofia is also a modern and dynamic city, with a thriving arts and culture scene, a lively nightlife, and plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities.
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What not to miss?
Boyana church
The church of boyana dates from the medieval period, and it’s the only place in Sofia that has been classified as an unesco world heritage site. The building is well conserved it can be considerate like one of the best preserved monuments since the medieval period. The most famous frescoes date from the 13th century and are absolutely beautiful and realistic.
Alexandre Nevsky cathedrals
It’s one of the biggest orthodox cathedrals in the world, the co cathedrals was built after 30 years of works.It is richly decorated in a neo-Byzantine style and impresses with its imposing proportions. The crypt of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral houses a very important collection of Orthodox icons which is well worth a visit. It’s the must to see when you go to Sophia
Ivan Vazov national theater
The theater is one of the most recent building in Sophia, build in 1906. It’s the national theater in Bulgaria, it’s located in the centre of the city, with the face facing the city garden. It represents one of the symbol of Bulgaria, the interior of the museum is very fascinating with in total of 940 seats. It had been reconstructed many time due to the wars, the architecture of the building will leave you speechless
The monument of the sovietic army
Near the metro station « university of Sofia », the monument was a sculpture of the liberator soldier and then between it’s creation and now, many changement has occur to it, many artist painted on it in 2011 the soldier was paint as fictional comics characters. So you don’t know how it’s going to be when you’re planning of visiting this « must see » monument
What else to visit?
Vitocha mountains
Mount Vitocha can be visited all year and is particularly popular with winter sports fans. The ski area has 7 slopes with a total of 29 kilometres of runs. You can follow the various hiking trails and hope to see the city from the top, the summit of the Black Peak offers a superb view of the city of Sofia. This is a view not to be missed.
Vrana Park and palace
The palace and the bark was built in 1907, it’s one of the most recent monument in Sophia. The park was open to the visitors but unfortunately the palace is still under construction, you an see the building and the beautiful decoration like flowers and fountains. It’s a beautiful place it cost 2,5€ to enter and at each hour guided tours are organised. On weekends, the 505 bus takes you from the Eagles' Bridge (Orlov most) to the park every hour.
How to travel there?
By air
Aéroport international de sophia, it’s more easier to go in Sofia with plane because it’s faster and it depends on the season but the ticket are not too expensive.
By train
Two railway station, one for the international country (gare centrale) and the other gare it’s to go in Sophia (gare routière).
By road
You have a lot of roads, Sophia and the country in general is very easy to access in car. But to come in the country you will need the Bulgarian sticker (7 days is 6,65€ the sticker).
By ferry
You can get in Bulgaria with a ferry but after to go in Sofia you will need a car or a bus.
When to travel there?
Summer
It’s the best time to visit Sofia because the day are more longer and you can enjoy your day at the maximum with a temperature of 28 C°, it’s perfect for the activities you plan to visit. But be cautious you’re not going to be the only tourist because summer is the peak of tourism in Sofia and the prices will be higher than the rest of the year.
Winter
Sophia is a cold place in winter so it is not recommended to go visit in January and February because of the weather and the sunshine but it’s a good spot if your an amateur of skiing. Moreover you will have the chance to see the traditional Christmas which is one of the most important festivals there.
Average costs
Accommodation
In average: a 3 stars hotel cost 73€, a 4 stars 100€ and a 5 stars 150€ for one night. But you can find some hotel at the price of 20-30€ per night.
Food
So for the food in average it cost 10€ but it can be less like 6€ and it can be more like 20€.
Transportation
For the bus: a ticket cost 0,80€ one and 10 ticket cost 7€.
For the taxi in Sophia it has two prices one for the night (between 0,62-1,12€/km) and during the day it cost (0,54€-0,91€/km).
Attraction and activities
If you want to visit the different museum in Sophia you need to pay 5€ the ticket per person. You can do some guided tours if you pay 35€
Events
Sofia rocks
Sofia Rocks is a music festival held every year in July at the Vassil Levski National Stadium. The festival hosts the biggest names in rock music, both from Bulgaria and abroad. The event attracts thousands of visitors every year from all over the world to attend the rock concerts. Those who plan to attend must buy their tickets in advance. They go on sale months in advance, usually starting in February.
International folklore festival
In mid-July, Sofia will be the meeting point for all cultures far and wide. A celebration designed to pay tribute to national and international folklore through several events. Representatives from 4 continents will be present to pay tribute to folk dance.
Movie festival
The Bulgarian capital hosts the annual Film Festival in March. This film event pays tribute to both Bulgarian and foreign films. All films are presented: short and feature films, fiction, documentaries, action, etc. Filmmakers from all over the world come to Sofia during this film festival. They come to present their films, with the aim of winning one of the two festival prizes: the best short film prize or the documentary film prize. Also on the programme of the festival are "Sofia Meetings", meetings with filmmakers, journalists and professionals from the film industry.
Science festivals
From mid-May, the Doctors' Garden in Sofia will be the venue for the celebration of the UNESCO International Year of Chemistry and Forestry. Everything will take place under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.
Water castle art festival
At the end of June, there will be a festival at the water tower dedicated to art. Art lovers will be able to discover the works of their favourite artists and meet them. Several other buildings will also be involved in this festival, such as the baths, the archaeological sites,...
We've reached the end of the article about Sofia. This city has a fantastic atmosphere, and we believe you will love it as much as we did! In the meantime, you can read other articles on our website. Remember to follow us @thewalkingparrot to be continuously updated on the new releases. We will be back soon with a new article!
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