Why Sofia
In the past 10 years, Sofia has changed from a boring, sad-looking place to a modern and lively capital.
Places of special interest
The city also offers many places of special interest such as the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library (which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute), the Sofia State Library, the British Council, the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cultural Institute, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Open Society Institute, along with Sofia Land, the nearly nine-acre amusement park adjacent to the Sofia Zoological Garden founded in 1888.
Sofia currently enjoys a booming film industry as it is the filming ground of several international film productions. Vitosha Boulevard, also called Vitoshka — ranked as the world's 22nd most expensive commercial street — represents numerous fashion boutiques and luxury goods stores and features exhibitions by world fashion designers. Sofia's geographic location, situated in the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain, further adds to the city's specific atmosphere.
Tourist attractions
Some of Sofia's popular tourist attractions include:
- The late Roman Church of St George (4th century), situated in the courtyard of the Sheraton Sofia Hotel.
- The outdoor book-market on Slaveykov Square.
- The early Byzantine Church of St Sophia, built in the 6th century.
- The gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built in the early 20th century in memory of the 200,000 Russian soldiers, who died in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878, which led to the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.
- St Nedelya Church
- The tiny Church of St Petka of the Saddlers from the 14th century featuring some fine frescoes.
- The Monument to the Tsar Liberator commemorating Alexander II of Russia.
- The Banya Bashi Mosque, built in the 16th century.
- The Sofia Synagogue, the largest in the Balkans.
- The Bulgarian National Historical Museum, noteworthy for its Thracian treasures.
- The National Palace of Culture cultural and congressional centre — the largest multifunctional complex in Southeastern Europe, inaugurated in 1981 and situated in a lush green park surroundings.
- The Ivan Vazov National Theatre.
- The National Gallery of Foreign Art.
- The National Archaeological Museum.
- Sofia Public Mineral Baths, decorated with the finest majolica tiles and completed in 1911.
- TZUM, Sofia's oldest and largest department store.
- Sofia's central boulevards paved with Viennese yellow cobblestones.
- Vitosha mountain, one of the symbols of Sofia, just a short drive or lift trip away, open year round. Ski and snowboard are popular in the winter, and hiking in the summer.
- Borisova gradina, Sofia's main and oldest garden, the construction of which began in 1884.
- The Largo, an architectural complex in downtown Sofia which includes the headquarters of many national institutions.
Nightlife
It provides the grounds for an amazing holiday, spent in a luxurious hotel overlooking the mountain, and with over 300 bars, restaurants, discos and cafes in a radius of less than 2km, the capital is also an easily accessible city.
Sofia is home to a fantastic and lively nightlife, with many flocking to bars in the early night-time hours only to hit the nightclubs after midnight. These night-time venues are findable in all pockets of Sofia, but the city centre has such a vast concentration of them that it is possible to have a walk from spot to spot and visit several places in one night. Music varies from techno and hip-hop to live rock music and jazz. Sofia also has several casinos, many of them again in the central part of the city. The casinos require patrons to show identification, although dress codes are not enforced.
Theatre and music
Sofians have a deep appreciation for ballet, opera and theatre, and performing arts standards are high here, making outings to the theatre enjoyable, even for those who don’t speak Bulgarian. The main venue for the arts is the National Palace of Culture, a huge and modern building that encompasses concert halls, exhibition spaces and the Lumière Cinema. For symphonies, check listings for the Bulgaria Chamber Hall, which is worth a visit just to see its showpiece pipe organ. Major opera and ballet performances are scheduled at Sofia National Opera, which is itself a fantastic building, with scenes from various operas painted all along its interior. For religious musical art, attend services at the Eastern Orthodox Church and enjoy the soothing chants of the choir amid the solemn candlelit interior
The theatre season runs from early October to late June, and offers a wonderful reason to visit the magnificent neoclassical home of the national theatre company, the Naroden Teatar Ivan Vazov. The theatre stages classics as well as works by Bulgaria’s top playwrights. Visiting theatre-goers will also find sophisticated puppet shows, a Sofia tradition that is not strictly children-oriented. Most notable in this regard is the Central Puppet Theatre.
Festivals
There are a number of annual summer festivals that are unique to the city, with highlights including:
- The Folklore Festival brings traditional music to the streets on open-air stages. The opening ceremony entails a vast procession along the main thoroughfare, Vitosha boulevard, from the National Palace of Culture to Ivan Vazov National Theatre, which is followed by days of wild costumes and dancing (July).
- Sofia Music Week is a festival of classical music and ballet (May to June).
- St Dimitri’s Day is a major holiday on the Bulgarian folk calendar, marking the beginning of winter and the end of the traditional farming period for shepherds and farm workers. This holiday is marked by its culinary celebrations, and belly-busting food is abundant (October).
