Sofia
One of the symbols not just of Sofia but of Bulgaria itself, this massive, awe-inspiring church was built between 1882 and 1912 in memory of the 200,000…
Must-see attractions in Sofia
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Sofia
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…
Sofia
Tiny 13th-century Boyana Church is included on Unesco’s World Heritage list and its 90 murals are among the very finest examples of Bulgarian medieval…
Sofia
Housed in a former mosque built in 1496, this museum displays a wealth of Thracian, Roman and medieval artefacts. Highlights include a mosaic floor from…
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Sofia
Built in the 4th century AD, this tiny red-brick church is Sofia's oldest preserved building. The murals inside were painted between the 10th and 14th…
Sofia
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. There's…
Sofia
The history of Sofia is presented on two floors of the magnificent former Turkish Mineral Baths, just behind the mosque. Exhibitions are divided…
Sofia
This remarkable, partly covered excavation site, situated just above the Serdika metro station, displays the remains of the Roman city, Serdica, that once…
Sofia
This beautiful church with glittering mosaic exterior and golden domes was completed in 1914 for Sofia’s Russian community, and named in honour of St…
Sveta Petka Samardzhiiska Church
Sofia
This tiny church, located in the centre of the Serdika metro complex, was built during the early years of Ottoman rule (late 14th century), which explains…
National Museum of Natural History
Sofia
You can almost sense the ghosts of generations of school parties dutifully trooping through the musty halls of Bulgaria's oldest museum, founded in 1889…
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Sofia
Housed in the former communist presidential palace, this museum occupies a stunning, if inconvenient, setting; unless a coach party turns up, you may have…
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Sofia
Zlatnite Mostove is a spray of large boulders – a 'stone river' – that runs down a slope from an altitude of about 1700m down to 1350m. The name, which…
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Sofia
Sofia’s Moorish-style synagogue was designed by Austrian architect Friedrich Gruenanger, and was consecrated in 1909. Built to accommodate up to 1170…
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Sofia
Kid-friendly science and technology museum with plenty of interactive exhibits and gadgetry to delight children from 6 to 16 years of age. There are…
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Sofia
Lions, tigers, elephants and bears are among the animals at Sofia's small zoo, situated in a park about 2km south of the city centre. There are also play…
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Sofia
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…
Sofia
Near the entrance to Borisova Gradina, this gigantic monument was built in 1954 and is a prime example of the forceful socialist realism of the period…
Sofia
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…
Sofia
This small, central park, bounded on its northern end by ul Tsar Osvoboditel, is favoured by Sofia's chess-playing pensioners. It's home to the National…
Sofia
Completed in 1863, this magnificent domed church is one of the city’s major landmarks, and is noted for its rich, Byzantine-style murals. The church was…
Sofia
The chunky building at the southern end of the City Garden park is an art gallery staging rotating exhibitions of mostly contemporary Bulgarian and…
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Sofia
This working monastery is probably the oldest of its kind in Bulgaria. It was built around 1345, but abandoned only 40 years later. The monastery contains…
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Sofia
This massive visual-arts gallery combines the holdings of the National Gallery and the former Museum of Foreign Art. The result is several hundred…
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Sofia
Displays on regional costumes, crafts and folklore are spread over two floors of the former royal palace, and many of the rooms are worth a pause…
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National Museum of Military History
Sofia
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…
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Sofia
A treasure trove for anyone interested in the history of technology, this low-key museum displays an intriguing (though not always well-labelled)…
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Sofia
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…
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Sofia University Botanical Garden
Sofia
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…
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Sofia
Sofia’s only working mosque was built in 1576. It’s certainly an eye-catching edifice, and the red-brick minaret makes a convenient landmark. Visitors are…
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Sofia
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…
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Mausoleum of Prince Alexander I Battenberg
Sofia
This unusual building with its lone copper dome is the final resting place of modern Bulgaria's first head of state.
Sofia
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…
Sofia
Originally built as the headquarters of the Ottoman police force, this is where Bulgaria’s national hero Vasil Levski was tried and tortured before his…
Sofia
The Bulgarian president’s office isn't open to the public, but the changing of the guard ceremony (on the hour) is a spectacle not to be missed; for the…
Sofia
South of the city centre, Yuzhen Park is a vast, wild green sprawl, filled with trees and shady pathways. A sparkling stream bubbles through it, and there…
Sofia
This neat, secluded park features a big, pyramidal monument dedicated to the medics who died in the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). Also here is an outdoor…
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Sofia
Sofia's vast concert hall dates from 1981 and houses countless chambers, as well as music clubs and cafes. It watches over an elongated park known as pl…
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Sofia
Bulgaria’s best-loved author, Ivan Vazov (1850–1921) lived at this house from 1895 until his death. Vazov wrote Under the Yoke, a classic of Bulgarian…
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Sofia
Watched over by the polygonal concrete bulk of the National Palace of Culture, this elongated park, with a fountain, ice-cream kiosks and bars, is popular…
