"Sofia - Capital at the foot of Mount Vitosha" Top 5 Page for this destination Sofia by HORSCHECK

Sofia Travel Guide: 1,432 reviews and 3,515 photos

Ivan Vazov National Theatre at dusk (09.2009)

Istanbul – One city, two continents, many mosques

In September 2009 we started our 2 weeks trip through Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, which is located at the foot of the mountain range Vitosha (2290 m). We reached Sofia by plane from Germany and left it by train to Nis in Serbia.

With about 1,4 million inhabitants it is the country's largest city. The main landmark is the massive Bulgarian-Orthodox Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Among other architecturally interesting buildings are the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the Church of St. George, the Russian Church St. Nicolas, the Banya Bashi Mosque and the Central Baths.

Also well worth seeing are several sights from Communist times, like the Former Communist Party building and the Soviet Army Monument.

A highlight of our time in Sofia was of course a VT meeting with a few local VT members and a VT member from Spain. So thanks a lot to ChristinaNest for organising everything.

“Man is only really man where he plays."
--- Friedrich Schiller ---

Pros and Cons

Pros:Fabulous mixture of architecture from Socialist Realism to Viennese Secession.
Cons:No proper Tourist Information Office.
In a nutshell:Sofia - Bulgaria's capital at the foot of the mountain range Vitosha.

Last visit to Sofia: Sep 2009
Intro Updated Apr 6, 2013
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Reviews (29)

Explore Sofia on foot Transportation (5)

Although Sofia with its more than 1,4 Million inhabitans is the biggest city in Bulgaria, the city centre is still very... more travel advice

Church of St George the Victorious - Sofia

Church of St George the Victorious Off The Beaten Path (3)

We found the Church of St George the Victorious (Sveti Georgi Pobedonosez) by chance when we were looking for the Indian... more travel advice

Sofia train station in Cyrillic letters - Sofia

Bulgarian Language Local Customs (1)

The Bulgarian language belongs to the Slavic linguistic group and is written in the Cyrillic alphabet. So if you can't... more travel advice

Sofia - In Your Pocket Guide What to Pack (1)

I must admit that I am a huge fan of the "In Your Pocket" travel guides. Most of them are even provided for free in... more travel advice

Things to Do (10)
See All Former Communist Party building
Hotels (1)
Hostel Temger-M
Restaurants (5)
See All Onda Coffee Break

Comments (34)

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Regina1965 Jun 27, 2012 at 2:42 PM

An excellent page, now I know why it is called Sofia, didn´t know that. Yes, indeed it is good to know the Cyrillic alphabet, I learnt that in Serbia.
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mindcrime Apr 4, 2012 at 12:49 AM

lovely main pic of the theatre here! it was very hard to read the signs, that's true but we didnt get lost anywhere :)
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traveloturc Mar 15, 2012 at 5:10 PM

Thanks a lot for the useful information about Sofia))))
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mallyak Mar 13, 2012 at 12:57 PM

Like your photos of trains and trams.And the hostel looks quite stylish for less than 20 dollars a day!
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ZiOOlek Jul 31, 2011 at 1:08 AM

I would finally visit Sofia this year but still not planned. However, aftern my visit to Russia few years ago I decided to learn how to read cyrilics.:)
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ettiewyn Mar 21, 2011 at 5:14 AM

Great page with very good tips! The cathedral looks so beautiful, and I would definitely try out your accomodation when going there. Thanks! :-)
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mirchica Jan 9, 2011 at 4:07 AM

Great page:) I don't like Sofia but seeing people's tips lately I started to like it a little bit. I could even create a page,hehe :)))
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Mikebb Jan 2, 2011 at 6:34 PM

Interesting page with good information. Would love to visit this city & country, however should have when we visited Istanbul , Sept'10.
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magor65 Oct 7, 2010 at 4:43 AM

Although I visited Sofia in the past I don't remember many nice buildings presented in your tips. Sofia must be a real treat for architecture lovers.
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Aitana Jul 27, 2010 at 8:09 AM

Hi Holger, a nice page of Sofia. Thanks for sharing.