Sofia City · Bulgaria
Sofia travel guide
Sofia is a city in Sofia City, Bulgaria, home to about 1,213,000 people.
- Best months
- July to September
- Nearest airport
- SOF8 km · Sofia Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Sofia
- Language
- Bulgarian
About
About Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country.
The city has had several names over the past 2,500 years: the Romans called it Serdika when they took it from a Thracian tribe with a similar name, the Slavs called it Sredets when they integrated it into the first Bulgarian Empire, and the Ottomans called it Sofia, the Greek word for "wisdom", when they made it their base for the Balkans. You can still find remnants from each of these societies in parts of the city. People first came here for the hot water springs that still flow abundantly in the centre of the city.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Sofia
See
In the administrative center of Sofia, the streets are paved with specific yellow bricks. They were laid in the beginning of the 20th century, purportedly as a present to the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand for his wedding from the Austria-Hungarian royal family (though many historians consider it a vanity project of Sofia's mayor). They are not a great material for wet weather, but they continue to add colorful flair.
- Sofia History Museum
- National Museum of Military History
- Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with Ethnographic Museum
- Earth and Man National Museum
- National Museum of History
- National Institute of Archaeology and Museum
- National Polytechnic Museum
- National Museum of Natural History
- The Red Flat
- House-Museum of Ivan Vazov
- Museum of Sport
- Museum of Paleontology and Historical Geology
Do
- Sofia Bike Tour
- Playgrounds
- Sofia Opera and Ballet
- Arena Cinema
- Ivan Vazov National Theatre
- National Palace of Culture
- Central Military Club
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Sofia
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sofia are July to September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 27 °C; May is the wettest, with about 85 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Sofia: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sofia Airport (SOF), about 7.8 km from the city centre in a straight line; Niš Constantine the Great Airport (INI, 139 km) and Plovdiv International Airport (PDV, 144 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Nearby destinations like Bucharest (6 h from €15) and Skopje (5 hr, €25) are also served — see there for details. Sofia is perhaps the largest railway hub in the country. A list of all the available daily trains would resemble a description of Bulgaria's railway network. A major line through North Bulgaria connects Sofia to Varna on the Black Sea coast (8-8½ hr, sleeper cars available on overnight trains). It passes through Shumen (about 7 hr), Targovishte (6½ hr) and Pleven (3-3¾ hr). Off the line, Ruse (about 7 hr) and Veliko Tarnovo (5-6½ hr) require changing at Gorna Oryahovitsa.
Getting around
Sofia has a well-developed, cheap, and efficient public transport system that consists of buses, trolleybuses, trams, and subway lines. The transport network can be confusing for visitors who do not know it well, but there is a journey planner. The price of a single metro ticket is €0.80, while a bus/tram/trolleybus ticket is €0.80 (transfers within 30 min) and €1.10 (transfers within 60 min). There are also daily travel cards (€2).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SOF · Sofia Airport
INI · Niš Constantine the Great Airport
PDV · Plovdiv International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Sofia
Eat
Sofia is full of trendy cafes with outdoor seating in the summer and good-quality restaurants. You can easily find take away food in Sofia. For less than €2 you can get a slice of pizza, a hot-dog or a sandwich. You can get more traditional Bulgarian food in bakeries, offering banitsa and other kinds of pastry. This food is often consumed with ayran or boza. Another possibility is to get a katma, which is a big pancake filled with cheese, ham, jam or chocolate. Pizzeria-type restaurants and snack bars can be found all over Sofia. Although many are very uninteresting for the traveler looking for a meal with a local flavor, some include excellent Bulgarian dishes.
Drink
Sofia was founded here because of the quality of its mineral waters. In the city, there are 7 independent mineral water springs. Top off your water bottles here!
Stay safe
Generally, Sofia is a safe and walkable city, even at night. Nevertheless, avoid poorly lit areas and use your common sense. One problem area is around the central bus and rail station, continuing south down Maria Luiza Blvd and the Lions' Bridge (Lavov Most). Dark areas of the city parks should also be avoided — Borisova Garden in particular can be unsafe after dark. These areas are known for drug use, opportunistic theft, and approaches from touts selling contraband. Single women should take particular care. Pedestrians should be careful since many Bulgarian drivers do not yield right of way to those on foot.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Sofia: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sofia?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sofia are July to September. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 27 °C; May is the wettest, with about 85 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Sofia?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sofia Airport (SOF), about 7.8 km from the city centre in a straight line; Niš Constantine the Great Airport (INI, 139 km) and Plovdiv International Airport (PDV, 144 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Sofia?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Sofia
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.