Bulgaria
What to do in Sofia Bulgaria
What to do in
Sofia Bulgaria?
As you could read last week, we went on a fun city trip to Sofia, Bulgaria. This is a city with a lot to do and see. And especially in the nature around the city. We have put everything there is to do in a list. Have fun with and get inspired by the ‘what to do in Sofia Bulgaria’ list.
1 Strolling around the city
Walking around Sofia is just an activity in itself, with all its impressive buildings and nice squares you are sure to spend half a day here. Sofia has countless churches, cathedrals and mosques. And with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral as the absolute highlight, you’ll have Instagram-worthy photos as an extra. You can do this with a map, but we recommend just stepping around without a plan. You will automatically come across a surprising number of nice places and buildings.
2 Shopping
Sofia has a very nice shopping street, the Vitosha Boulevard, where you can also eat and drink. Although fashion in Bulgaria is a few years behind and it is not always the style you are used to in our country. But it is a must to do if you are in Sofia. Especially the prices, which are a lot lower than in Belgium, make it attractive to store here. If you see a price, be sure to ask whether it is Euro or Bulgarian LEV, as this can vary from store to store.
3 Rila Monastry
One trip you must take while in Sofia is to visit the Rila Monastry. This is an old monastery in Bulgarian Renaissance style. It is breathtaking because it is located in the middle of the mountains. The entrance is free, unless you want to visit the accompanying museum. Then you pay 2 euros. This trip is a 2-hour drive from Sofia, but cheap tours and shuttles are provided in the city. The price is then around 29 euros for a guided tour and 15 euros for the shuttle only. This trip is definitely worth it! The nature you will see is beautiful and also typically Bulgarian. You see a lot of the country for a small price.
4 7 Lakes Rilac
De 7 lakes is een stukje prachtige natuur die je zeker niet mag overslaan als je van wandelen houdt. Because in this mountainous area you have countless nice places and views that you will not find in many other places. Again, there are several tours that can be booked, basically the same as at the Rila Monastry. You can even link the two together so you only have to drive once. Although this is a long and tiring day of 12 hours. For us, that was just a little too much of a good thing, but that’s different for everyone, of course. We only recommend the 7 lakes to trained hikers or athletes.
5 Day trip to Plovdiv
Day trips to Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv, are also offered by local organizations. This city, with its 8000-year history, is one of the oldest cities in Europe but, in our opinion, not really recommended if you are on a city trip in Sofia. If you are there for more than four days, you might consider making this trip.
6 Vitosha Mountain
If you walk around Sofia you will see a large mountain in the background from almost every angle. This mountain is the Vitosha Mountain. You can visit them with arranged tours or you can have a cab take you to the foot of the mountain and walk a bit yourself there and then take the cable elevator, which takes you to the top of the mountain. If you don’t know what to do in Sofia, this is definitely a must!
7 Parks
If you like to experience a quiet day in the city, but you don’t feel like sitting in a car for a long time, you can opt to visit one of Sofia’s many parks and enjoy the peace and quiet. There are several in Sofia. You have the Park Vrana , Park South and the Borisova Gradina. These parks are also always spacious, so in many cases this can really be a day trip.
8 Museums
To be honest, we did not visit any museums in Sofia because we knew how to fill our time otherwise. But there are a few, including the National Museum of History and the Museum of Natural History . Or for people who love art, the National Art Gallery is definitely recommended. Art lovers can also visit the many churches all over Sofia where a wealth of (painting) art can be found inside!
Things to do in Sofia
This was our list of what to do in Sofia. Hopefully it will help you and you will have a nice time in Bulgaria. Will you let us know how your trip was?