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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 artwork. A combined ticket includes entry to both the church and the National Museum of History, 2km away.
Highlights include the oldest known portrait of St John of Rila, along with representations of King Konstantin Asen and Queen Irina. There's little English signage and visitors are limited to 10 minutes inside.
4.3 MILES
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…
4.3 MILES
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…
4.1 MILES
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…
4.07 MILES
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…
4.15 MILES
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…
4.23 MILES
The history of Sofia is presented on two floors of the magnificent former Turkish Mineral Baths, just behind the mosque. Exhibitions are divided…
4.11 MILES
This remarkable, partly covered excavation site, situated just above the Serdika metro station, displays the remains of the Roman city, Serdica, that once…
4.16 MILES
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…
0.53 MILES
Housed in the former communist presidential palace, this museum occupies a stunning, if inconvenient, setting; unless a coach party turns up, you may have…
2.15 MILES
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…
2.19 MILES
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…
2.65 MILES
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…
3.05 MILES
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…
3.26 MILES
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…
3.4 MILES
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…
3.66 MILES
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…