A Weekend Escape to Sofia, Bulgaria

Last updated: 28 June 2023

Bulgaria had been on our To Travel List for some time but it was always pushed back due to some other European city seeming more urgent (or getting better last-minute deals). But if we’d known just how much we’d end up loving our to visit to Bulgaria, we would have visited much sooner.

Bulgaria’s capital city of Sofia is fast becoming a popular tourist destination as visitors venture further east to explore some lesser-known capital cities. And why not? Sofia offers delectable  local cuisine, thousands of years of complex and surprising history coupled with remarkable sights, all within a relatively small city centre perfect for exploring over a weekend break.

And yes, I know I just mentioned history so before you start thinking “here he goes again with the history lecture”, I promise this won’t be another 5000 word history post like my last Baltic post. I’ll have a separate post for the Sofia history hotspots coming soon.

Living in London? Time for a city break

If you currently live in London and you’re planning a weekend city break but not quite sure where to go then hopefully I can by sharing what to expect from a weekend escape to Sofia.

Leaving London

London has six international airports, five of which provide direct flights to Sofia and depending on your budget, will determine who you fly with. The airports you can fly direct from are Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, London City, and Luton.

I’d suggest starting with Skyscanner to check for flight options, always best to start with what flights are available. We decided to fly with Ryanair from Stansted airport after securing tickets for £125 return for the both of us, not the cheapest of tickets but definitely not the most expensive. One of the benefits of flying from Stansted airport is the ability to use the National Express Stansted bus, which run 24 hours and provides free WiFi and in seat power to charge your phone.   

The flight from London is about 3 hours, and depending on who you fly with, this can either feel like a quick trip or the longest trip in history. Fortunately, both Roma and I were able to secure a row each, the first time in a long long time so no complaints there! However, this certainly wasn’t the case on the way home.

Arriving in Sofia

Sofia airport has 2 terminals; Terminal 2 is new terminal, completed in 2006, fitted out with all the necessary amenities including with a newly constructed metro station which was completed in 2015. Terminal 1 is considerably older, completed in 1937, and whilst it’s undergone several restorations, it certainly looks and feels its age.

No prizes for guessing which terminal services low-cost airlines!

Getting to the City

There are a couple of options to head to the city, one is by taxi and there are plenty of drivers waiting for you as you exit the terminal. Taking a taxi to the city should cost approx 15-20 lev, but we don’t recommend you get into a cab without confirming the fare first or at least ensuring the use of a fare meter. There’s plenty of cabs be so don’t be afraid to walk away if the price is too high.  

However, if you don’t feel like negotiating a price or trying to find a metered taxi then taking bus 84 is your next best option.

Before you head to the bus stop, use the ticket machines in the terminal to get your bus tickets. A single ride tickets costs 1.60 lev and the machine only takes Bulgarian notes and coins so it’s worthwhile exchanging some currency before you arrive. (Roma, was the well-organised one who did this for us. Phew!)

Now that you have your bus tickets, walk out the front of the terminal and to your left is the bus stop, you can’t miss it because that’s where most people are waiting. The bus arrives every 30 minutes and takes about 40 min to get to Sofia University bus stop, which is the main transport hub and is on the edge of the city centre so pretty easy to navigate to and from.

It’s a quick 15 min walk from Sofia University metro stop to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral however the footpaths aren’t really made for wheelie suitcases so you will need to carry them at times so pack light.

On the way to the hotel

We had to walk past the grand Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on the way to our hotel, it was spectacular. Floodlights lit up the majestic Cathedral’s and since there was no one else around, it felt like it was a special welcome to the city just for us. I’d recommend visiting at night at least once during your stay in Sofia because it’s a different atmosphere from during the day.

Where Did We Stay?

We stayed at the Arena di Serdica Residence hotel, a 5 star hotel in the centre of town. If you’re going to splurge a little on a hotel then Eastern Europe is the place to do it. One of the main reasons why I wanted to stay there was that it has Roman remains in the lobby!

Yes, the remains of a genuine 1700 year old Roman amphitheatre was unearthed in 2004, how could I resist that!

Day 1

Set your alarm early, grab some breakfast, and head out to explore early before the crowds of other tourists start arriving at the main attractions. If you do this, you’ll be able to take some great photos of deserted streets and remarkable monuments.  

Head to the centre of Communist architecture

First stop, head to the Largo, an area of Sofia where some of the finest examples of Communist-era architecture survives today and is quite something to behold. There are three buildings which comprise the Largo;

The first is the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, translated literally as The Party House. The building once represented the might and strength of the Communist party ideals complete with its symbolic red star sitting atop the building but following democratic changes that symbolic star was removed by helicopter and now rests in the halls of the Museum of Socialist Art.

The second is the TZUM department store, first opened in 1957 and was the home of the first escalator in Bulgaria. The department store sold a variety of different goods and during the Communist years consumers would buy in bulk as they never knew when something would suddenly become unavailable.

The third is the Presidential Office, the building where the President of Bulgaria conducts his business, not where he lives. The building is guarded by two ceremonially dressed soldiers, similar to what you may have seen outside Buckingham Palace. The guards are the stoic protectors of the Presidential office so you are allowed to have your photos taken with them but don’t take the mickey  otherwise you’ll have to deal with the guards who are protecting the guards (sitting in an inconspicuous hut to the side).

We decided to keep a safe distance.

A Church Built By The Romans

Once you’ve taken in the grandeur of the Largo, head to the Church of St George Rotunda, located just around the corner from the Presidential Office. The oldest building in Sofia is hidden between the buildings erected during the Communist years in an effort to conceal its presence.  

If you arrive early enough, you will have the church, the courtyard, and the streets to yourself providing excellent photo opportunities. The church itself was built in the 4th century making it over 1700 years old.

Surrounding the church are the Roman remains of the ancient city of Serdica – original Roman roads, columns, and building remains. You can take the stairs and literally walk on the same roads that the Romans did centuries ago. Incredible.

If you’re looking for a coffee fix then there’s a small coffee shop called Rotunda situated right next to the church so pop in, order a smooth double espresso, and head to the next stop; the Palace of Justice and join the Free Sofia Tour.

Ready to Explore With a Free Walking Tour?

If you’re a regular reader of Roaming Required then you know that one of our favourite things to do when exploring a new city is to do a free walking tour and Sofia was no exception. The Free Sofia Tour, part of the 365 Association, runs daily at 11am and 6pm on the steps of the Palace of Justice. They have been running for six years and from the sheer number of people wanting to join the tour, it’s obvious that they’re one of the most popular!

The massive number of eager visitors were split into 3 smaller groups and we joined the group hosted by our guide, Svetla. We began our walking tour at the Palace of Justice and learned just how much Bulgarians love lions (so much so the name of the currency is an old name for lion!).  We also visited some of the most popular city attractions including;

• Sveta Nedelya Cathedral
• Sofia Statue
• Sveta Petka Church
• Roman archeological remains
• Banya Bashi Mosque
• Mineral Spas, the Party House
• Presidential Office
• Sofia’s own yellow brick road

The Grand Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

The Free Walking Tour will finish right next to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral so there’s no better time to go explore the inside of this magnificent Cathedral. It was certainly one of my personal highlights of the entire trip.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built to honour the memory of the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died liberating Bulgaria from Ottoman rule over 1877-1878. Construction of the cathedral began in 1882 and was completed in 1912. The cathedral is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world with a capacity of up to 10,000 people.

It’s important to note that photography isn’t allowed inside, well free photography isn’t permitted. You can purchase a photography permit for 10 lev (£5) which is then marked with date and time ensuring it’s only a single use ticket.

After we walked in and stood in the centre of the cathedral I was awestruck and knew that I would regret not being able to take photos so I paid the photography fee, obtained my ticket, and spent the next 45 min taking photos of everything.

You should definitely take time to visit the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, it’s definitely worthwhile.

Hungry? Time for Lunch

By this point in the day, you’re probably going to start thinking about lunch. We heeded the advice of our tour guide and headed to Izbata Tavern which was about a 12 min walk from the cathedral. The restaurant was located on a back street with a small sign that you could easily miss if you weren’t paying attention. We walked through a large single wooden door and immediately greeted by warmth and a busy small restaurant. We said hello in our very broken Bulgarian and asked for a table for 2 and our waitress showed to our table.

There was plenty of choice on the English menu so I’d say that there’s something for everyone. We ordered the veal in wine sauce and the pork kebabs. The meal was amazing and great value as well, we can see why it was a recommended restaurant on the tour.

Discovering Sofia’s Communist Past

Now that you’ve seen some of the main sights in Sofia, it’s time to step back in time to learn about the Communist years with a Communist Walking Tour, run by the same company who ran the earlier walking tour, so head back to the Palace of Justice meeting place.

When we arrived, it didn’t take long for us to realise that this was also a very popular walking tour, there was another big crowd waiting. We weren’t the only ones who were surprised by the turn out, our guide Niki quickly tried to call for a second guide. However, all other guides were busy so Niki did the best he could, didn’t let the stress show, raised his voice, and took all 40 of us for a 3 hour tour through Bulgaria’s Communist history.

Over the course of the 3 hour tour, we visited some of the country’s most historically important monuments including; the former Communist Headquarters Party House, the location of the Secret Police interrogation building, the oldest church in Sofia, and the Monument to the Soviet Army.

Our tour ended at the National Palace of Culture where you can find a segment of the Berlin Wall on display in the small nearby park. An interesting fact about that piece of the Berlin Wall was that in 2015, contractors were hired to clean the park and saw the graffiti on the wall and cleaned it! The city council had to issue a reversal restore the wall to be previous state…

If you’re keen for a night cap before heading back to your hotel then there is a little cafe near the fountains in front of the National Palace of Culture which is a perfect place for a beer to relax and people-watch after your first day in Sofia.

Day 2

Are you ready for your second day in Sofia? It’s going to be just as busy as day 1 so make sure you have a good breakfast to keep you going.

A Ride in a Trabi? Sold!

If you enjoyed the Communist Walking Tour then you may be interested in a tour with Sofia’s Communist Trabant Tour. Running every weekend at 10 am, they offer a ride in an original Soviet-era Trabant, also known as a Trabi! This was too good an opportunity for us to pass up so we headed to the meeting place just outside the National Palace of Culture.

Our guide, Chris, arrived at the tour meeting spot in a light blue Trabant so there was definitely no missing him. We spent the first 15 minutes of the tour taking photos of the Trabi, learning that parts of the car were made from compressed cotton wool (that is NOT a typo, cotton wool!).  In Soviet times, the car cost the average of 2 years wages and after payment had been made there was another 3-5 year waiting list for the car to arrive.

After learning about the history of the Trabant and taking plenty of photos, we commenced our tour on foot by taking the metro one stop to the centre of Sofia. From there we explored on foot visiting various sites including; Palace of Culture, the Communist Party House, and the Sofia statue (site of the former Lenin statue).

Hold On Tight! It’s Trabi Time!

Our tour ended near the National Assembly building, near the carpark of the Radisson Blu hotel. Why am I mentioning the hotel carpark? That’s where our chariot, I mean Trabant, was waiting. Chris took us for quick spin around the block so we could experience the same as all those Trabant owners did…it was definitely an experience.

Feeling Hungry? Let’s Have a Walking Lunch

Now, if you’re starting to get a little hungry then it’s the perfect time to join the Free Walking Food Tour with Balkan Bites at the Krystal Garden meeting place, just around the corner from where your Trabant tour finished.

Keen to sample a variety of local Bulgarian cuisine, the best way to do that is with a food tour. As with most of the tours we’d experienced during our short weekend in Sofia, there were more visitors than the guides expected so again the group was split into smaller groups. This is just reaffirms that Sofia is fast becoming one of the more popular tourist destinations in Europe.

Our guide, Rally, explained that some of the key important ingredients in Bulgarian cooking are wine, garlic, and yogurt and that we would expect to taste all of them during the next couple of hours on the tour.

The Assorted Foods of Bulgaria

Over the course of the tour we visited 5 different restaurants sampling a variety of foods; including healthy Bulgarian yogurt, delicious warm Banitsa, a farmer’s burger, and Ljutenica, a wonderful tomato-based relish.

Did You Just Say “Squat Shop”?

Now, before you imagination runs away with you, a Squat Shop are shopfronts that run from basement windows in a residential home and appear on street level at knee-height so you need to squat to collect your purchase of liquor, snacks, cigarettes. They’re like the home basement business version of 7-11, some open 24 hours a day.

Our Last Dinner in Sofia…

You’re going to finish the Balkan Bites tour in love with Bulgarian cuisine so the next stop is going to be a restaurant for dinner and there is no better place than Bagri, one of our absolute highlights during our weekend.

It’s entirely possible to walk past the street where Bagri is located because it looks completely residential so keep your eyes open. We were greeted with warm smiles and a friendly welcome and shown our table. There were multiple menus to choose from but we decided on the veal sandwich with pork and lamb pate, Asian buns with pulled pork and starter of breads and ljutenica. Meal was delicious. We’d definitely visit again

And just as quickly as the whirlwind adventure began, it’s now drawing to a close because your next step now is collecting your bags from the hotel and making a beeline back to Sofia international airport.

We asked our hotel to organise a taxi for us (to ensure it was a metered taxi) and it was a quick trip to the airport without any issues. We were soon checked in and waiting to board but here’s the final thing to remember, if you take a weekend break then you have to be prepared for a fully booked flight back to London on a Sunday night.

Ready for your weekend break in Sofia?

There’s no time like right now to book your flights and hotels to Sofia, so what are you waiting for?

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