Pronunciation: [so-fi-a]

Sofia is not regarded as a traditional destination for tourists, a good reason why you should go and explore it now before everybody else. Now that Bulgaria is a part of the European Union there are more tourists arriving each year, but Sofia is still relatively unexplored. It's a fascinating city which combines a lot of history (the oldest architectural monuments are more than 1500 years old) with a vibrant day and night-life. In Roman times, Sofia's location at a crossroads made it of high strategic importance. Nowadays, with the EU membership and peaceful Balkans, Sofia is once again becoming the hub of the region that it used to be.

Sofia is not uniform and has many different perspectives to offer. You can go shopping for contemporary Bulgarian design, visit Thracian exhibitions at the Bulgarian National Museum or enjoy a dinner in one of the many good restaurants.

Sofia has also another interesting characteristic being one of the very few European capital cities not located on a river. Just 30 minutes away from Sofia you can go skiing or hiking in the Vitosha Mountain. All of this makes Sofia an ideal starting point for whatever kind of holiday you are looking for.

With a Budget Bulgaria hotel and car rental package, you will be fully equipped to experience an unforgettable holiday.

• The main dish to try in Sofia is the Shopska salad. It is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers (preferably roasted), and white brine cheese. You can try also the Sofia style banica, a hot dish that looks like roast mashed potatoes. Compared to western restaurants, prices are still very cheap, but Sofia does have a number of more expensive restaurants that are at substantially more expensive.
• Our hotels are located in the picturesque and calm Dragalevtsi quarter and in the city centre - select when you book. Please note, our city centre option is more expensive.
• Parking in the city centre can rather difficult at times if not impossible in the central areas. Look out for signs indicating paid parking. The cost is 1 Lev per hour from 8am until 6pm.
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  Sofia
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General

Sofia is more easily accessible by foot or taxi for shorter distances as it is quite likely that you will get caught up in traffic. It is particularly challenging to drive in the city center so we advise you to explore the city on foot and with taxis which charge around 40 cents per kilometer (very cheap). Our prefered option is to stay just outside of the city and take a taxi straight to the centre of the city without the hassle of parking.

One of Sofia’s strengths is the wide variety of nightlife. A lot of young people make this a fun city with a great attitude of partying late into the evening. There are a number of bars open 24 hours and be aware, Bulgarians would not go to a disco before midnight - don’t think you have found the wrong place when you're the only one partying at 9pm! From the spring until late autumn, there are magnificent places to walk around late at night. Among them are the parks around the national palace of culture, the freedom park or the southern park. Like any city you need to be careful, but you will find people a lot more friendly than a typical night out in London.

Tours

One of the best things in Sofia is the people. Sofia is attracting a large number of newcomers from other Bulgarian cities and abroad making it the the liveliest city in Bulgaria. This is easy to see when you try to find a restaurant in the city center for dinner.

If you are in Sofia be sure to see:

Square St. Nedelia (at Sheraton hotel) – Ivan Vayov Theater - Presidency - Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard - Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – University of Sofia – Park of Freedom- National Palace of Culture – Vitosha Street.

Visiting all these sites in one trip would take about 3 to 4 hours.

In the evening, you could try the following:

Suggested one-day activities:

• A hike to Vitosha mountain, the home mountain of people from Sofia, where you can go skiing in the winter. It is better though to avoid the weekends which can be very busy.
• A visit to Boyana church, an old renaissance-style church in the outskirts of Sofia, which can be combined with a visit to the Bulgarian National Museum.

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