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Hotel Class: 
3 Stars - 17 Opinions
66 Simeonovsko Shose Blvd, Sofia, 1700, Bulgaria
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of people enjoy staying here
17 Opinions
Faculty of Theology
Museum fun!
Vasil Levski National Stadium
Church of St. George
I'll go to Sofia and I'll rent a car there. Is it possible to park in Sofia's center? And is it free? Are there any "park & ride" stations alternatively?
I'll stay at Central Hotel, 52 Hristo Botev Blvd. Unfortunately the hotel does not offer free parking space according to it's homepage (http://www.central-hotel.com/central/en/index.html).
I also want to combine a daytour to Rila monastery to a visit in Boyana. Is it possible to park there?
Hi Schmechi,
It is not easy to park in Sofia on business days; there are however the so-called blue zones in the city center, where you can park via SMS or directly in cash till 19:00, I guess. You can find them in front of the Presidency on the "yellow pavements". It is up to you to look for free parking space in the smaller central streets but sometimes, it can be a challenge.
Have a great time in Sofia,
Penny_G
We parked free at the center without a problem but only after asking the locals (near the Nevsky Cathedral. However, we were stopped several times within Sofia by the police who checked for documents. We were also pulled over outside the city for speeding (we were going slower than most but we had a bigger car) and were told by the police "I will either take your license away or you can choose something else" not a very subtle hint. We managed to talk ourselves out of that predicament
We parked free at the center without a problem but only after asking the locals (near the Nevsky Cathedral. However, we were stopped several times within Sofia by the police who checked for documents. We were also pulled over outside the city for speeding (we were going slower than most but we had a bigger car) and were told by the police "I will either take your license away or you can choose something else" not a very subtle hint. We managed to talk ourselves out of that predicament
Hi,
The short answer to your query is "YES". But....... expensive for a long-term parking.You can park downtown up to 2 hrs, paying 1 BGN per hour. I'd recommend to rent a car for trips outside Sofia, or over the weekend. Parking is free from Friday 6:30 PM to Monday 08:30 AM. Hotel Central is located in one of the busiest streets downtown, so please ask for a room overlooking the back yard. If you take the car at 9 AM, you'll drive to Boyana -Boyana Church opens -09:30, then proceed to Rila monastery. Yes, you can park free of charge in Boyana, there is a small parking in front of the main entrance to the site. Be ready to pay 4 BGN for parking at the Rila monastery. Enjoy your trip!
The main focus of attraction in the city...actually sofia doesnt offer so much to do or to see...perhaps around vitosha boulevard there is something to see cos is just the downtown...
This church is 10 min eastern from this center...crossin sofia city garden you can take a huge boulevard (Tsar Osvoditel) where there is huge comunist buildings and some churches... after 5 minutes turning left you will see the huge chatedral in white and green ...
The Bulgarian language belongs to the Slavic linguistic group and is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. So if you can't read Cyrillic letters it will probably be a bit difficult to navigate through the city.
Almost all street signs as well as information about transport at bus stops or at the train station are in Bulgarian only.
As good news, the restaurants we visited had an English menu available. Nevertheless, I think it is definitely helpful if you can read Cyrillic letters when travelling through Bulgaria.
On Vasilovden the ritual of 'survakane' takes place. This is one of the few traditional rituals which have made their place in the modern lifestyles. It is performed by children and is very popular (this is when they receive their new year's presents).
The "survakane' is a ritual tapping on the back with a stick. The sticks must be made of cornel-tree (a bush, actually) and decorated with popcorn, dried fruits and coloured treads.
While the child taps with the stick, he or she says (some variation of):
"Let the year be blessed and joyous,
with green grain on the fields,
big grape on the vine,
yellow cob on the corn,
red apple in the orchard,
full house of silk;
be healthy and merry
til next year and forever!"
Everyone repeats 'til next year and forever" ("dogodina do amina").
Often even little children who cannot hold the survachka themselves or cannot talk, are helped by their parents or older siblings. Kids and parents, or more often grandparents, make the "survachka" themselves, even though you can buy one too.
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of one myself, so I looked up the web, and found this one.
On this day celebrate Vasil, Vasila, Vasilka, Veselina, Veselka.
Plodiv is exactly 1 1/2 hours north of Sofia. Go for the day. My lonely Planet was right- you haven't seen Bulgaria unless you have been to Plovdiv. Be sure to go to the Ethnographical Museum and have a cappaccino at one of the cafe overlooking Plodiv proper.
Spread on Slaveikov Square is the biggest book market in Sofia. You can find here books in english , french and other languages ,maps of all kinds from Bulgaria, magazines, dictionnaries, Pirate and licensed software programms and games,music cd's ...
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Address: 66 Simeonovsko Shose Blvd, Sofia, 1700, Bulgaria
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