Sofia. A city that impressed me and took me over. The city wibe is wonderful, there are people on the street, in the parks, there are people everywhere. I’d love to go back and spend a day or two in the city, just hanging around, absorbing everything that’s happening, listen to street musicians and enjoy in the bars and restaurants. But if we are talking only about sightseeing, two days are certainly enough to explore everything or three days if you take trip to Plodiv too, a trip all the locals recommend. Walking around Sofia isn’t problematic, I felt safe and it was easy to find your way around. Sofia is a really green city, there is a ton of smaller and bigger parks with a bunch of fountains where you can sit down and relax, buy something to eat or drink and just enjoy. But if walking isn’t for you, there is also a metro. It has two lines and everything is very well marked, not just in Cyrillic. One ride costs 1,60LEV. The airport has two terminals and there is a bus running between both for free. But be careful, it is operating only until 19.00. I haven’t had a feeling of crowdiness in Sofia, and I hadn’t had it for a very touristy city which turned out to be completelly wrong. And how did I spend my two days and two nights in Sofia?
First day – afternoon:
A short walk trough the city with a map. This way you get a feeling of direction, size and orientation. No goal, just walk around, trough parks and streets. And, of course, to find something to eat. There is so much you can eat there, but I recommend HAPPY, a chain restauarnt with good food and quick and nice service. And the prices are super cheap! If you will try really hard, you might pay more then 30LEV for a dinner for two. When you are fed, take a walk on the main city street – VITOSHA BOULEVARD. A street where city life lives. Restaurants, bars, shops, and my favourite, street musicians. A drink is almost a must in one of the shops, there is something for every taste.
Day two:
I recommend FREE WALKING TOUR. A local guide takes you troughout the city and shows you all the main interesting points and in a fun and interesting way presents you the city, its history and main sights. The entire route lasts around two hours and you can read more about it HERE. After Free walking tour it’s, once again, time for food. Find yourself a nice park to sit in and you are very likely to find someting to eat there. My favourite was the park near the stadium, a realy paradise also for children, the playground there was amazing!
In the afternoon people recommend a visit to the Vitosha mountain, which I haven’t had a chance to see, but it looks amazing in the pictures! When the night comes, it’s time to feel the city vibe. Many sights have lights , there is a bunch of fountains with lights, there are people everywhere, street artist and everything happenign around you it just sucks you in. A must is a walk in Vitosha Boulevard and onwards to the park and the big fountains.
Day three – morning:
Everything you found interesting on the Free walking tour, you can see today from the inside too. What do I recommend?Absolutelly all the churches you can see at square of tolerance:The christian church, that is the least interesting one, but its surroundings are very interesting, the sinagouge, with 4LEV entrance fee, russian orthodox church and a mosque.
A must see is the Sofia’s church, the oldest still working church in Europe, together with its underground part (6LEV), which is very interesting and actually wuite big, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedrale and don’t forget about the healing springs of mineral water which comes very hot out of the ground, but when it cools off, it’s delicious. Of course, there is a lot of other stuff to see and do in Sofia, which you all get to know at Free Walking Tour, so you can addapt this walk to your wishes and interests.Lunch and then it’s time so say good buy and going to the airport. I, once again, recommend Happy, I’m still drooling over how good the food was. And for the end, a bunch of pictures from Sofia 😉
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| Alexander Nevsky cathedrale |
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| Alexander Nevsky cathedrale |
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| Monumet to Soviet army |
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| Church of St. George |
