Sofia Travel Guide

  Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church
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  • Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church
      Alexander Nevsky Memorial Church
    by tim07
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      miraculous icons for sale
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      Sofia, Bulgaria, Southern Park
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Pro

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 Pretty good parties, pubs, restaurants. 


Con

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  Can be noisy, dirty and polluted, not to mention the taxi drivers 


In a nutshell

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 "Ever Growing, Never Aging!" 

 

Explore Sofia

Things to Do  

Aleksander Nevski Cathedral

Aleksander Nevski Cathedral, Sofia

 51 Reviews  The Bulgarian-Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (Hram-pametnik Sveti Aleksandar Nevski) is probably Sofia's main landmark. The cathedral was built in Neo-Byzantine style and completed in the early 20th century. Its size is impressive both from the outside and the inside, where it can host up to... 

NDK - National Palace of Culture

NDK - National Palace of Culture, Sofia

 20 Reviews  I cant remember why we decided from the city center down to NDK, the truth is that it was very cold that morning, there was still snow on the pavements but it was nice to see the city in action, locals going to work and we had the chance to check some small stores on the way etc When we arrived at... 

Hotels  

Grand Hotel Sofia

 6 Reviews and 153 Opinions  I also stayed here on business and was very happy with the accomodations. The fitness facilities... 

Hilton Sofia

 7 Reviews and 256 Opinions  When I travel I usually try and stay at a Hilton family hotel, the Hilton Sofia is a very nice... 

Restaurants  

Happy bar and grill

Happy bar and grill, Sofia

 12 Reviews  I have a love/hate relationship with the Bulgarian (established Varna 1994) restaurant chain Happy. I love the food, I love the ambience and I love the prices but I hate how easy it is to eat at nowhere else in Bulgaria but Happy - Happy is too accessible! Here in Sofia there are several outlets... 

Vodenitsata

Vodenitsata, Sofia

 5 Reviews  Located at the foothills of Vitosha mountain "Off the beaten path " ,among fresh green forest and mountain air, the Vodenitzata is a folklore complex in an old water mill with an open air garden just above Dragalevtzi river. Built out of stone and wood - the traditional materials used in Renaissance... 

Nightlife  

buddha bar

buddha bar, Sofia

 6 Reviews  If you expect to see a top class nightclub you can get a little disappointed. The place is more or less OK but nothing special. When I was there last Saturday with my friend Elitsa and another friend of mine we had good time. The place was full but not packed. I went there onWednesday evening as... 

See the names bellow

See the names bellow, Sofia

 7 Reviews  Nightlife in Sofia is something that is posed as a challenge to me as far as description goes. Feeling the atmosphere and the lifestyle of people is the only way that you can truly know what I am talking about. The absolute hangout during the summer, after dark is the cafes in front of the National... 

Transportation  

trains

trains, Sofia

 20 Reviews  We bought the ticket to Nis at the Rila office in the railway station. When you enter the main hall there is a passage to your left and at the end of the passage you will find the Rila office. Even though the ticket was cheap there was still something fishy about it. The lady asked us the... 

busses

busses, Sofia

 29 Reviews  There are some complete 'cowboys' operating coach tours out of Prague, but a reliable operator is GROUP (not to be confused with another operator -GRUP- who run daily coaches into Sofiya from Germany). GROUP run a daily service between Bulgaria & the Czech rep. The cost of a ticket 1-way was... 

Shopping  

TZUM

TZUM, Sofia

 5 Reviews  It's like any department store you will find in developed countries. You'll find clothes, shoes, bags, jewelries, perfumes and toiletries - almost everything except for customers. You'll see in my photos that there are hardly customers to be seen. Average Bulgarians can't afford the prices here. 

Antiques

Antiques, Sofia

 4 Reviews  It's kind of flea market for communist curios, antiques, coins and it's just opposite the Al.Nevsky Cathedral.The street stalls are there everyday and you can bargain - but remember the prices are cheap anyway so don't be a cheapskate and don't expect to pay nothing.... You can find beautiful... 

Local Customs  

shaking head vs nodding

shaking head vs nodding, Sofia

 7 Reviews  I bet there are already plenty of tips on this topic, but I find it so important that I have decided to start my Sofia page from it. In Bulgaria, like in Macedonia and Albania (I have read this), the head gestures to say "yes" and "no" are inverted in comparison with the rest of European... 

etiquette

etiquette, Sofia

 13 Reviews  One sure way to recognise Bulgarians is by watching how they season their meals. We take the salt shaker, then we tap the bottom of it few times on the table (to shake it well) and then we season. The reason is that often in restaurants the salt is dampen by use or general humidity and it sticks... 

Warnings and Dangers  

dangerous

dangerous, Sofia

 7 Reviews  PLEASE NEVER DEAL WITH ANY MONEY EXCHANGE SHOP WHO WILL STEAL YOUR MONEY OR GIVE U FAKE 2 OR3 PAPERS IN BETWEEN THE MONEY. OR INDIVIDUAL PEOPLE IN THE STREETS WHO WILL KNOW THAT U R A VISITOR & TRY TO CONVINCE U THAT THEY HAVE BETTER PRICES ............BANKS ONLY............................... (EVEN... 

Stay AWAKE!

Stay AWAKE!, Sofia

 11 Reviews  As an employee of the Italian embassy told me on one of my first days in Sofia, when you walk in Sofia, you should always look downwards to avoid falling in one of the several holes that "decorate" the local sidewalks, but also upwards to avoid crashing against a street sign. She was right: several... 

Tourist Traps  

taxi service

taxi service, Sofia

 11 Reviews  CK taxis cost thrice as much as OK taxi. They even copy the number so make sure you read the sign correctly. Taxi should read OK and not CK. Read the sign the next time you choose your taxi. And have enough change. 

What to Pack  

luggage

luggage, Sofia

 5 Reviews  I would suggest you to carry little luggage because here you can find almost everything and for very cheap prices. The climate is temperate so it depandes on the season. The winter usually is very cold and the summer often very hot. There are plenty of drug-stores here so I believe you can find... 

Off The Beaten Path  

mountains

mountains, Sofia

 11 Reviews  Sofia lies at the foot of Vitosha mountain. In Winter time you can even ski here. We went to Rila & Plovdiv instead , though this is a great place to spend a day in nature with cable lifts taking you up once a day. On clear days we had good views of Vitosha from the city and from the Slavia... 

suburbs

suburbs, Sofia

 9 Reviews  “Sofia Park” is a new subdivision created in the vicinity of the so-called “Business Park” (creation of the same German company) and in the foot hills of National Park Vitosha - lots of park atmosphere. This is wonderful – tonnes of green space, fresh air rushing down from the mountain to shove the... 

Sports & Outdoors  

pools

pools, Sofia

 4 Reviews  For those who love jumpings in the pool depths, there are some pools and bathing-beaches in Sofia, where you can find those "high towers"...Its safe to do it as there are life-guards who keep an eye on everybody around. You need just your swimming suit and your courage :) 

Favorites  

downtown

downtown, Sofia

 11 Reviews  We would recommend meeting local members of Virtual Tourist as they are most friendly and willing to assist a visitor in an instant and show you around. :) The Most Beautiful City of our Eastern Visit was Sofia and well worth the trip. A real nice guy named Peter (peter_dimov) helped us have an... 

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Map of Sofia