My Perfect Weekend in Sofia
Friday drinks on Vitosha Boulevard, the cathedral and the Roman streets on Saturday, a mountain on Sunday.
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The Sofia travel blog
Gold domes, Roman streets under the metro and a mountain at the end of the high street. Everything I'd tell a friend flying out for the weekend, from the airport run to the last rakia of the night.
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Itinerary
My Perfect Weekend in Sofia: A 2-Day Plan with Costs
How I would spend 48 hours in Sofia: what to see, where to eat, the Saturday night out and what it all costs.
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Guide
Sofia Travel Tips: What I'd Tell You Before a First Trip to Bulgaria
What I tell friends before their first Sofia trip: visas, the euro, the airport metro, taxis and the head nod.
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Guide
Flights from the UK to Sofia: Airlines, Airports and Fares
Which airline flies to Sofia from which UK airport, how long it takes, the fares I saw and getting into town.
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Guide
Sofia Airport to the City Centre: Metro, Bus and Taxi
How I get from Sofia Airport into town: the metro, bus 84, the night bus and a fair taxi fare, with times and prices.
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Sofia Prices in 2026: What Things Cost
Sofia is cheap by UK standards, though hotel rooms close the gap. Pints, meals, metro rides and a weekend, in euros.
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Guide
Is Sofia Safe? My Honest Take as a Brit Who Lives Here
Sofia is a safe, easy capital with a few rip-offs. Where I walk at night, the scams I dodge and who to call.
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Guide
Money in Bulgaria: The Euro and Cards
Bulgaria swapped the lev for the euro in 2026. Cards, cash, ATMs and old leva, from a Brit who pays here daily.
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Itinerary
My Sofia Itinerary: How I'd Spend 3, 4 or 5 Days
How I'd spend 3, 4 or 5 days in Sofia: one area a day, two day trips by bus or train, and what each day costs.
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Guide
The Best Time to Visit Sofia, Month by Month
When I'd come to Sofia, season by season: the weather, the festivals, the cheap flights and the months I'd skip.
Read the guideSofia after dark
Browse all nightlifeSofia goes out late. Start with a drink on a terrace, meet people on the pub crawl, then pick your club, your chalga night or your jazz bar.
Guide
Sofia Nightlife: Where I Go Out and Where to Start
Sofia goes out late and cheaply. The areas, bars and clubs I pick, what a night costs and how to get home after.
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The Best Bars in Sofia: My 12 Favourite Places to Drink
Sofia drinks in old houses, courtyards and park bars. The 12 bars I pick, where they are and what to order.
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The Best Cocktail Bars in Sofia: My 10 Favourites
The best cocktails in Sofia hide in basements and side streets. My 10 favourite bars, two speakeasies and the prices.
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The Best Clubs in Sofia: 9 Places I Go Dancing
Where I go dancing in Sofia, sorted by music, plus what the door wants, when to arrive and how to get home.
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Chalga Clubs in Sofia: My Guide to a Pop-Folk Night Out
What chalga is, where to hear it in Sofia and how a pop-folk club night works, from the table to the taxi home.
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Guide
How to Make Friends in Sofia: 10 Ways to Meet People
Sofia's expat scene is small and friendly. My 10 ways to meet people here, for a weekend or a move, with costs.
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Guide
Live Music and Jazz in Sofia: Where I Go for a Gig
Jazz under NDK, rock gigs, folk bands with dinner and the Philharmonic: where I hear live music in Sofia.
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The Best Rooftop Bars in Sofia: 6 Bars With a View
Where I go for a drink with a view in Sofia, plus sunset times, which rooftops open in winter and what to wear.
Read the guideWine & drinks in Sofia
Browse all wine & drinksRakia with the salad, Mavrud and Melnik reds, boza with your banitsa and a craft beer scene that keeps growing. Start with what's in the glass, then find the bar that pours it.
ракияrakiya
Rakia
Fruit brandy, usually grape or plum, sipped slowly alongside a salad.
виноvinoBulgarian wine
Reds and whites from local grapes you won't find on the shelf at home.
маврудmavrudMavrud
Bulgaria's own dark red grape, best known from around Plovdiv.
бираbiraBulgarian beer
Local lagers like Zagorka and Kamenitza, and the craft brewers worth a stop.
бозаbozaBoza
A thick, sweet and sour fermented grain drink, traditionally had with banitsa.
Guide
Bulgarian Drinks: What to Drink in Bulgaria and Where to Try It in Sofia
Rakia, wine, beer, boza and ayran: what Bulgaria drinks, how locals drink it and where I order each one in Sofia.
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The Best Rooftop Bars in Sofia: 6 Bars With a View
Where I go for a drink with a view in Sofia, plus sunset times, which rooftops open in winter and what to wear.
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Guide
Craft Beer in Sofia: My Favourite Bars and a Brewery Taproom
Sofia drinks lager, but two bars, a brewery taproom and a good shop do craft beer. What I order and what it costs.
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The Best Bulgarian Wines to Try: 12 Bottles I Buy in Sofia
Mavrud, Melnik, Rubin and Red Misket: the 12 Bulgarian bottles I buy in Sofia, and where I buy them.
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Guide
Bulgarian Wine: A Visitor's Guide to What to Order and Buy
Mavrud, Melnik and Misket: the Bulgarian wines I order in Sofia, what a bottle costs and how many to carry home.
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Guide
Rakia: Bulgaria's Fruit Brandy, and How I Drink It in Sofia
Bulgaria's fruit brandy, from grape to quince: the types, how to sip it, and where I drink and buy it in Sofia.
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The Best Bars in Sofia: My 12 Favourite Places to Drink
Sofia drinks in old houses, courtyards and park bars. The 12 bars I pick, where they are and what to order.
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The Best Cocktail Bars in Sofia: My 10 Favourites
The best cocktails in Sofia hide in basements and side streets. My 10 favourite bars, two speakeasies and the prices.
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Guide
Bulgarian Beer: The Brands to Try and How to Order Them in Sofia
Bulgaria drinks pale lager by the half-litre. Here are the brands, what to ask for at the bar and what it costs.
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Things to do in Sofia
Browse all things to doGold domes and Roman streets in the centre, hot springs you can drink from and a mountain at the end of the high street.
Guide
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia: My Guide to Visiting
Sofia's gold-domed cathedral is free and open every day. How I visit it, from the crypt icons to the market outside.
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Guide
Boyana Church in Sofia: The Frescoes and How I'd Visit
A tiny UNESCO church at the foot of Vitosha, painted in 1259. What it costs, the rules and how I fit it in.
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Guide
Vitosha Boulevard, Sofia: My Walk from St Nedelya to NDK
Sofia's main street, walked the way I walk it: what's on it, what's a minute off it and where I eat.
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Guide
Ancient Serdica in Sofia: Where to See the Roman Ruins
Roman Sofia sits around the metro station. My route round the Serdica ruins, what is free and what costs €3.
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Guide
Central Mineral Baths in Sofia: the Hot Springs and the Museum
Sofia's old bath house is a museum now, but the hot springs still run free outside. What to see and where to soak.
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Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia: Lenins, the Red Star and How to Find It
Sofia's lawn of retired Lenins and the Party House red star, with 2026 prices, hours and how to find the gate.
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The Russian Church in Sofia: My Guide to St Nicholas
Sofia's gold-domed Russian Church is free to visit. How I leave a wish note in its crypt, and what sits nearby.
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National Palace of Culture (NDK): My Guide to Sofia's 1981 Giant
Sofia's 1981 palace of culture: what it is, what's on by month and how I fit its fountains into a weekend.
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11 Best Things to Do in Sofia: My Personal Favourites
The best sights in Sofia sit close together and most are free. My 11 favourites, with prices, hours and a weekend plan.
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Day trips from Sofia
Browse all day tripsRila Monastery is about two hours away, Plovdiv a little further, and Vitosha starts at the edge of town.
Day trip
Rila Monastery Day Trip from Sofia: Bus, Car and Timings
Bulgaria's biggest monastery is free to walk into and 2 hours from Sofia. How I get there myself, and what to see.
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Day trip
Plovdiv Day Trip from Sofia: Bus, Train and My One-Day Route
Plovdiv by bus or train from Sofia, and the route I walk to fit the Old Town, the Roman theatre and Kapana into one day.
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Day trip
Seven Rila Lakes from Sofia: Chairlift, Hike and Getting There
Seven glacial lakes, a chairlift and a 5-hour loop, 95 km from Sofia. How I get there myself, and when to go.
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Day trip
Koprivshtitsa Day Trip from Sofia: Train, House Museums and My Route
Koprivshtitsa by train from Sofia: the minibus from the station, the house museums, the €10 ticket and my route.
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Guide
Vitosha Mountain: How I Get Up There and Where I Go
Sofia's own mountain, 2,290 metres high and one city bus away, and how I spend a day up there.
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Day trip
Belogradchik Rocks and Fortress from Sofia: Tickets, Caves and My Two Days
Belogradchik from Sofia: the red rock towers, the €4 fortress, the caves nearby and why I always stay a night.
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Day trip
Melnik, Bulgaria: Wine Cellars, Sand Pyramids and Rozhen Monastery
Bulgaria's smallest town: wine cellars in the sandstone, the walk to Rozhen Monastery and how I get there from Sofia.
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Day trip
12 Best Day Trips from Sofia (and How I Get There)
My 12 favourite trips out of Sofia by bus, train and hire car, and the ones that deserve a night away.
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Day trip
Buzludzha Monument: My Guide to Bulgaria's Communist UFO
The abandoned 1981 saucer on Buzludzha Peak: what you can still see, the road up and my day with Shipka and Kazanlak.
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Food in Sofia
Browse all food guidesBanitsa for breakfast, shopska salad with everything and grilled kebapche at a mehana.
Guide
Bulgarian Food: The Dishes I Tell Every Visitor to Try
Salads, white cheese, yoghurt, grills and clay pots: the Bulgarian dishes I order, with the menu word for each.
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Where to Eat Banitsa in Sofia
Sofia's breakfast pastry: the bakeries I queue at, the fillings to try and how to order at the counter.
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The Best Restaurants in Sofia: 11 Places I Send Friends
The 11 Sofia restaurants I send friends to, from folk-music cellars to award-winning fine dining, and what to order.
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Breakfast and Brunch in Sofia: My Favourite Places
Where I eat breakfast and brunch in Sofia, and the Bulgarian breakfast dishes worth ordering first.
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Guide
Central Market Hall in Sofia: What's Inside Halite Now
Sofia's 1911 covered market is now a Bulgarian food hall, a Roman basement and a stage. What to see and what to buy.
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Guide
Bulgarian Yoghurt: What Makes It Special and Where to Eat It in Sofia
Thick, sharp and named after the country: what kiselo mlyako is, the dishes it goes into and where I eat it in Sofia.
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Guide
Sofia Food Guide: What to Eat and Where
Banitsa, shopska and rakia: what to eat in Sofia, the places I eat it, and what a meal costs in euros.
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Guide
Sofia Street Food: What I Eat on the Go and Where
Banitsa, mekitsa, pancakes and duner: the Sofia street food I eat, where to find it and what cheap eats cost.
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Vegan and Vegetarian Sofia: Where I Eat and What to Order
Where I eat vegan and vegetarian in Sofia, the meat-free Bulgarian dishes to order and the one menu word vegans need.
Read the guideWhere to stay in Sofia
Browse all places to stayThe centre for walking everywhere, Oborishte for leafy streets and cafes, Lozenets for quieter nights. Pick the area first, then the bed.
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The Best Hotels in Sofia: My 16 Picks at Every Budget
My 16 favourite hotels in Sofia at every budget, with the area, who each one suits and what a night cost.
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Where to Stay in Sofia: The Best Areas and the Hotels I'd Book
Which part of Sofia to sleep in, which parts to skip, and the hotels I'd book in each one.
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The Best Hostels in Sofia: My 7 Picks, From €5 a Night
The 7 hostels I would book in Sofia, social or quiet, with dorm and private prices and where each one sits.
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Luxury and 5-Star Hotels in Sofia: The 11 I'd Book
My favourite luxury and five-star hotels in Sofia, what each one sits next to and what a night costs.
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Boutique Hotels in Sofia: 11 Small Hotels I'd Book
My 11 favourite small hotels in Sofia, what makes each one boutique, and what a night cost when I checked.
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