Old Sofia: Serdica to the Largo

About Old Sofia: Serdica to the Largo

By the ULTIMATE Sofia Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Sofia’s motto is “Grows but does not age”, and nowhere shows it better than the heart of the old city, where Roman Serdica lies under the modern streets and churches, a mosque and a synagogue stand side by side.

Roman Serdica

Under the Largo and the metro lie the streets of Roman Serdica, a city Constantine the Great is said to have called “my Rome”. The Ancient Serdica Complex at the Serdika station displays them, and the Rotunda of St George stands in the courtyard behind the Balkan hotel.

The square of tolerance

Within a few minutes’ walk stand the Banya Bashi Mosque, the Sofia Synagogue, one of the largest in South-East Europe, the Orthodox Cathedral of St Nedelya and the Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph, a symbol of the city’s many faiths.

Four faiths share a few hundred metres in the centre of Sofia.

Mineral water and markets

The Central Mineral Baths now house the Sofia History Museum, and locals fill bottles at the warm mineral fountains outside. The Central Market Hall and the Women’s Market are close by.

Our advice: start at the Serdika metro excavations, see the Rotunda, the mosque and the synagogue, taste the mineral water, then walk to the Women’s Market. Allow half a day.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Old Sofia: Serdica to the Largo before you go.