The magazine
Stories from Sofia, Bulgaria
Every story, long read and guide in the ULTIMATE Sofia City Guide, in one place.
A city of hot springs
Sofia was born beside its hot springs, and dozens of mineral springs still rise in and around the city. Fill a bottle with warm water in the centre, bathe in a restored bath of the 1900s, and swim by the lake at Pancharevo.
City GardenChristmas in SofiaThe City Garden market, Badni vecher and snow on Vitosha
The back storySofia’s hot springsA city born by the springsCity centreThe Central Mineral BathsA bath palace of 1913History
History & heritage
How Thracian Serdica became a Roman city, a medieval Bulgarian stronghold, an Ottoman town and, from 1879, the capital of modern Bulgaria, all within sight of Vitosha.
History & heritageFrom Serdica to a capital below Vitosha: Sofia’s heritageSerdica, Cyrillic and a capital of 1879
The back storySofiaIn Sofia, a Roman street, a medieval church and a modern metro…The back storySofia Art, Architecture & CultureIn Sofia, the metro station is also an archaeological site: step off…Our advice
Book Boyana ahead
Start at the Serdica complex, walk to the Rotunda, the Church of St Sofia and Alexander Nevsky, then visit the Boyana Church on the way up Vitosha. Book Boyana ahead: visits are limited to protect the frescoes. History & heritage
Seven thousand years under one city
Roman streets beneath the metro, a 4th-century church in a hotel courtyard, a 6th-century basilica that named the city and a medieval masterpiece: Sofia wears its history openly.
The LargoAncient SerdicaWalk the Roman streets4th centuryThe Rotunda of St GeorgeThe oldest building in Sofia
UNESCOThe Boyana ChurchFrescoes of 1259Know Sofia
The stories behind the city: our guides to Old Sofia and the Nevsky quarter, Thracian gold, the Cyrillic alphabet, rakia and Bulgarian food.
Neighbourhood guideOld SofiaSerdica and the square of tolerance
Neighbourhood guideNevsky & OborishteA golden cathedral, leafy streets
Luxury guideLuxury SofiaGrand hotels and fine dining
The back storyThracian goldThe oldest worked gold in the world
The back storyThe Cyrillic alphabetBulgaria’s gift to the worldOur advice
Rakia, side by side
Try a grape and a plum rakia side by side with a shopska salad in a mehana, or book a guided tasting at the Rakia Museum. Drink water too. Rakia
Beyond Sofia: the mountains on the doorstep
Vitosha rises at the end of the main boulevard, the highest mountains in the Balkans are two hours away, and Plovdiv, one of Europe’s oldest cities, is an easy day trip.
30 minutesVitosha MountainPeaks, waterfalls and a monastery
Day trip · 2 hoursRila Monastery & the Seven LakesThe heart of Bulgaria
Day trip · 2 hoursPlovdivA Roman theatre and an old town
Trip · 2 hoursKoprivshtitsaPainted Revival houses
Trip · 3 hoursVeliko TarnovoThe city of the tsarsFurther afield
The Black Sea at Nessebar, Sozopol and Varna, the stone houses of Bansko under the Pirin peaks, and the monasteries and gorges of the Rhodopes.
Sofia: the crossroads of the region
Sofia sits between Belgrade, Athens and Bucharest, and many travellers pass through on a Balkan journey. Our sister guides cover all three.
Getting aroundOnward travelTo Belgrade, Athens and Bucharest
Our sister guideULTIMATE Belgrade City GuideWhere to eat, stay and explore in BelgradeKnow your neighbourhoods
NeighbourhoodThe centre & the Largo
Roman Serdica, the Rotunda, the Largo, the cathedral and the hot springs, all within a few minutes’ walk.
Explore The centre & the Largo
NeighbourhoodVitosha Boulevard & NDK
Sofia’s pedestrian main street of cafés and shops, with the mountain at the end and the NDK and South Park beyond.
Explore Vitosha Boulevard & NDK
NeighbourhoodShishman Street
The creative side of the centre: indie boutiques, small restaurants, wine bars and cafés.
Explore Shishman Street
NeighbourhoodOborishte & Doctors’ Garden
Elegant streets east of the cathedral, with Doctors’ Garden, embassies, cafés and the Hadjidraganov houses.
Explore Oborishte & Doctors’ Garden
NeighbourhoodLozenets
A leafy residential district south of the centre, between Borisova Gradina and the mountain.
Explore Lozenets
NeighbourhoodBoyana & the foothills
The Boyana Church, the National History Museum and the paths up Vitosha, at the edge of the city.
Explore Boyana & the foothills