Lonely Planet Romania & Bulgaria
Page 52
Regions at a Glance
The Danube & Northern Plains
Untamed Landscapes
Northern Bulgaria encompasses a variety of landscapes, from the wild, mountainous northwest, ideal for hiking and rock climbing, to the diverse beauty of the Rusenski Lom Nature Park, famed for wildlife as diverse as wolves, eagle owls and dozens of bat species.
Forts & Ruins
The remains of ancient fortresses abound in this historic frontier zone. The Roman fort of Sexaginta Prista in Ruse, Byzantine city walls in Silistra, and Ottoman fortifications in Vidin show how much this region was prized. Most spectacular is Kaleto Fortress, astride the looming Belogradchik Rocks.
Urban Charm
The Danubian city of Ruse boasts elegant architecture, excellent restaurants and the region's best museums. Beyond its leafy squares and belle époque buildings, it's also a great base for exploring the surrounding countryside.
Sofia СОФИЯ
Sights
Activities
Courses
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Boyana
Vitosha Nature Park
Sofia СОФИЯ
Pop 1,200,000
Why Go?
Bulgaria's pleasingly laid-back capital is often overlooked by visitors heading straight to the coast or the ski resorts, but they're missing something special. Sofia is no grand metropolis, but it's a largely modern, youthful city, with a scattering of onion-domed churches, Ottoman mosques and stubborn Red Army monuments that lend an eclectic, exotic feel. Recent excavation work carried out during construction of the city’s metro unveiled a treasure trove of Roman ruins from nearly 2000 years ago, when the city was called 'Serdica'. Away from the buildings and boulevards, vast parks and manicured gardens offer a welcome respite, and the ski slopes and hiking trails of mighty Mt Vitosha are just a short bus ride from the centre.
When to Go
AMar–May Spring is warm and wet, and Easter is a colourful time to visit.
AJun–Aug Summer is very hot and dry, especially August, but there's plenty to see and do in the city.
ANov–Feb Winters in Sofia are often icy cold, with heavy snowfalls, but January is perfect for skiing.
Best Places to Eat
A Manastirska Magernitsa
A Ege Türk
A Sun & Moon
A MoMa Bulgarian Food & Wine
A Made In Home
Best Places to Sleep
A Hotel Niky
A Light Hotel
A Hotel Les Fleurs
A Art Hostel
A Canapé Connection
Sofia Highlights
1 Aleksander Nevski Cathedral Taking in the scope of this massive cathedral, with its gleaming gold domes.
2 Ancient Serdica Complex Bearing witness to proof that modern Sofia sits atop a once-great Roman city.
3 Archaeological Museum Admiring the breathtaking Thracian craftsmanship going back 6000 years.
4 Sofia History Museum Travelling back in time to the 19th century when Sofia was capital of Europe's newest country.
5 Boyana Church Admiring the 13th-century murals at this small church listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.
6 Museum of Socialist Art Revelling in the imagery of the country's not-so-distant communist past.
7 Sveta Sofia Church Venturing below the city's namesake church to see an ancient Roman necropolis.
8 Ladies' Market Walking through this exotic food market, the perfect spot to buy some Turkish treats, plus fruit and veg.
History
The Thracian Serdi tribe originally settled the Sofia region as far back as the 8th century BC, but the city as we know it today was founded by the Romans, who conquered the region in AD 29 and built the town of Ulpia Serdica. In the late 3rd century AD 'Serdica' became a major regional capital, reaching a zenith in the early 4th century under Roman emperor Constantine the Great.
The city passed back and forth between the Bulgarians and the Byzantine Empire during the early Middle Ages, until the Ottomans, sweeping through the Balkans, captured it in 1382, and held it for nearly 500 years. The Ottomans built baths and mosques, such as the Banya Bashi Mosque, but many churches were destroyed or abandoned.
It was in Sofia that the celebrated anti-Turkish rebel Vasil Levski was hanged in 1873, after first being interrogated and tortured in the building that later became the Royal Palace. After the liberation of the city from the Turks in early 1878, Sofia officially became the capital of Bulgaria on 4 April 1879.
Much of Sofia was destroyed in bombing during WWII, and postwar socialist architects set to work rebuilding the heavily damaged city on the Soviet model, complete with high-rise housing blocks in the suburbs and the imposing socialist-realist buildings in the city centre, such as the old Party House, which dominates pl Nezavisimost.
1Sights
Most of Sofia’s sights are handily located in the compact centre, and are generally within walking distance of each other. Further afield, the suburb of Boyana is the location of the city’s biggest museum and its most revered church.
Around Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya
Sveta Nedelya CathedralCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-987 5748; pl Sveta Nedelya; h8am-6pm; mSerdika)
Completed in 1863, this magnificent domed church is one of the city’s major landmarks, and is noted for its rich, Byzantine-style murals. The church was targeted by communists on 16 April 1925 in a failed bomb attack aimed at assassinating Tsar Boris III.
North of Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya
Sofia History MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-985 4455; www.sofiahistorymuseum.bg; pl Banski 1; adult/child 6/2 lv; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; mSerdika, j20)
The history of Sofia is presented on two floors of the magnificent former Turkish Mineral Baths, just behind the mosque. Exhibitions are divided thematically over eight chambers, with the most interesting rooms dedicated to the Bulgarian royal families of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the findings of recent archeological digs around town. There are plenty of signs in English.
The Mineral Baths – also known as the Turkish Baths – was completed in 1913. Its elegant striped facade and ceramic decorations recall the designs of the medieval churches in Nesebâr on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
Ancient Serdica ComplexRUINS
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Nezavisimost; h6am-11pm; mSerdika)F
This remarkable, partly covered excavation site, situated just above the Serdika metro station, displays the remains of the Roman city, Serdica, that once occupied this area. The remains were unearthed from 2010 to 2012 during construction of the metro. There are fragments of eight streets, an early Christian basilica, baths and houses dating from the 4th to 6th centuries. Plenty of signage in English.
Sveta Petka Samardzhiiska ChurchCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; bul Maria Luisa 2; h9am-5pm; mSerdika)
This tiny church, located in the centre of the Serdika metro complex, was built during the early years of Ottoman rule (late 14th century), which explains its sunken profile and inconspicuous exterior. Inside are some 16th-century murals. It’s rumoured that the Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski is buried here.
Sofia SynagogueSYNAGOGUE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-983 1273; www.sofiasynagogue.com; ul Ekzarh Yosif 16; 2 lv; h8.30am-12.30pm, 1-4.30pm; mSerdika, j20)
Sofia’s Moorish-style synagogue was designed by Austrian architect Friedrich Gruenanger, and was consecrated in 1909. Built to accommodate up to 1170 worshippers, it is the second-largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe, and its 2250kg brass chandelier is the biggest in Bulgaria. There's a small museum on the 2nd floor with an exhibition dedicated to the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during WWII.
Banya Bashi MosqueMOSQUE
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; bul Maria Luisa 2; hdawn-dusk, p
rayer daily 1.30pm, 3.30pm & 8.45pm; mSerdika, j20)
Sofia’s only working mosque was built in 1576. It’s certainly an eye-catching edifice, and the red-brick minaret makes a convenient landmark. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times if modestly dressed.
Sofia MonumentMONUMENT
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; bul Maria Luisa; mSerdika)
Erected in 2001 on the site where a gigantic statue of Lenin once stood, this 24m-high monument was created as a new civic symbol for the city. The bronze female figure at the top of the column, holding the wreath of victory in her right hand and balancing an owl on her left arm, represents Sofia, personification of wisdom and fate.
Drinking FountainsFOUNTAIN
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Iskar; mSerdika, j20)
Bulgarians queue here throughout the day to fill plastic bottles from the taps of around a dozen fountains, situated in the open air just next to the former Mineral Baths and mosque.
SOFIA IN...
ONE DAY
Start with the recent excavation works at the Ancient Serdica Complex and then pay a visit to nearby Sofia History Museum. Afterwards, walk over to Sofia’s most impressive sight, the Aleksander Nevski Cathedral. Don’t miss the Sveta Sofia Church next door with its subterranean necropolis. Enjoy a traditional Bulgarian dinner at kitschy (but in a good way) Manastirska Magernitsa.
THREE DAYS
Follow the above itinerary, but on the second day admire the treasures on show at the Archaeological Museum, and take the opportunity to watch the changing of the guard at the neighbouring President's Building and to visit tiny Sveti Georgi Rotunda. Art-lovers will want to see the National Gallery Quadrat 500. On the final day, head out to Boyana to see the National Museum of History and lovely Boyana Church.
Around Ploshtad Battenberg
Originally built as the headquarters of the Ottoman governor and his police force, it was at the Royal Palace ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-988 1974; pl Knyaz Al Batenberg 1; mSerdika) that Bulgaria’s national hero, Vasil Levski, was tried and tortured before his public execution in 1873. After the liberation the building was remodelled in Viennese style and in 1887, apparently undeterred by its grisly recent past, Prince Alexander Battenberg moved in; it became the official residence of Bulgaria’s royal family until the communist takeover. These days it provides a grand setting for the humble Ethnographical Museum.
Archaeological MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-988 2406; www.naim.bg; ul Saborna 2; adult/child 10/2 lv; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun; mSerdika)
Housed in a former mosque built in 1496, this museum displays a wealth of Thracian, Roman and medieval artefacts. Highlights include a mosaic floor from the Church of Sveta Sofia, a 4th-century BC Thracian gold burial mask, and a magnificent bronze head, thought to represent a Thracian king.
Sveti Georgi RotundaCHURCH
(Church of St George; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-980 9216; www.svgeorgi-rotonda.com; bul Dondukov 2; hservices daily 8am, 9am & 5pm; mSerdika)
Built in the 4th century AD, this tiny red-brick church is Sofia's oldest preserved building. The murals inside were painted between the 10th and 14th centuries. It's a busy, working church, but visitors are welcome.
Sveti Nikolai Russian ChurchCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-986 2715; ul Tsar Osvoboditel 3; h7.45am-6.30pm; mSerdika)
This beautiful church with glittering mosaic exterior and golden domes was completed in 1914 for Sofia’s Russian community, and named in honour of St Nikolai, the ‘miracle worker’. The cramped interior features icons painted between the 11th and 14th centuries.
National Museum of Natural HistoryMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-988 2894; www.nmnhs.com; bul Tsar Osvoboditel 1; adult/child 4/1 lv; h10am-6pm; mSerdika, j9)
You can almost sense the ghosts of generations of school parties dutifully trooping through the musty halls of Bulgaria's oldest museum, founded in 1889. Rocks, minerals, stuffed birds and animals, and mounted insects are on display.
Ethnographical MuseumMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-988 1974; pl Knyaz Al Batenberg 1; adult/child 3/1 lv; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun; mSerdika)
Displays on regional costumes, crafts and folklore are spread over two floors of the former royal palace, and many of the rooms are worth pausing over themselves for their marble fireplaces, mirrors and ornate plasterwork. There are some interesting 19th-century Bulgarian paintings housed in an adjacent wing of the museum, and there's a crafts shop on the ground floor.
Sofia City Art GalleryGALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %02-987 2181; www.sghg.bg; ul Gen Gurko 1; 2 lv; h10am-7pm Tue-Sat, 11am-6pm Sun; mSerdika)
The chunky building at the southern end of the City Garden park is an art gallery staging rotating exhibitions of mostly contemporary Bulgarian and international art over two floors. Enter from ul Knyaz Al Batenberg.
Sofia City GardenPARK
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; mSerdika)
This small, central park, bounded on its northern end by ul Tsar Osvoboditel, is favoured by Sofia's chess-playing pensioners. It's home to the National Theatre, and until 1999 held the mausoleum of Bulgaria’s first communist ruler, Georgi Dimitrov.
President's BuildingNOTABLE BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Nezavisimost; mSerdika)
The Bulgarian president’s office isn't open to the public, but the changing of the guard ceremony (on the hour) is a spectacle not to be missed; for the full ceremony, replete with music, weapons and all manner of pomp, be there on the first Wednesday of the month at noon.
Around Ploshtad Aleksander Nevski
oAleksander Nevski CathedralCHURCH
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; pl Aleksander Nevski; h7am-7pm; mSofiyski Universitet)
One of the symbols not just of Sofia but of Bulgaria itself, this massive, awe-inspiring church was built between 1882 and 1912 in memory of the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died fighting for Bulgaria’s independence during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78). It is named in honour of a 13th-century Russian warrior-prince.
Designed by Russian architect Alexander Pomerantsev, the church was built in the neo-Byzantine style favoured in Russia at the time and is adorned with mosaics and gold-laden domes. The cavernous, incense-scented interior is decorated with naturalistic (though now rather faded) murals, pendulous chandeliers and elaborate onyx and alabaster thrones.
Visitors are welcome and there are daily services where you can hear evocative Orthodox chants and prayers.
Central Sofia
1Top Sights
1Aleksander Nevski CathedralE4
2Sveta Sofia ChurchE4
1Sights
Aleksander Nevski CryptE4
3Ancient Serdica ComplexC4
4Archaeological MuseumC4
5Banya Bashi MosqueC3
6Borisova GradinaG8
7Drinking FountainsC3
8Ethnographical MuseumD4
9Mausoleum of Prince Alexander I BattenbergE6
10National Gallery Quadrat 500F4
11National Museum of Natural HistoryD4
12Oborishte ParkG3
13Party HouseC4
14Peyo Yavorov House-MuseumC6
15President's BuildingC4
Royal PalaceD4
16Sofia City Art GalleryC5
17Sofia City GardenC4
18Sofia History MuseumC3
19Sofia MonumentB3
20Sofia SynagogueB3
21Sofia University Botanical GardenF4
22Sveta Nedelya CathedralB4
23Sveta Petka Samardzhiiska ChurchC3
24Sveti Georgi RotundaC4
25Sveti Nikolai Russian ChurchD4
26Sveti Sedmochislenitsi ChurchD6
27Vasil Levski MemorialF4
2Activities, Courses & Tours
28Balkan BitesE5
29City Sighteeing Bus TourE4
30Free Sofia TourB5
31New Sofia Pub CrawlE5
32Sofia Green TourD5
33Study in BGD5
; 4Sleeping
34Arena di SerdicaD4
35Art HostelC6
36Art Plaza HotelB7
37Arte HotelC3
38Canapé ConnectionA6
39Hostel GulliverE3
40Hostel MostelA5
41Hotel DiterC7
42Hotel Les FleursB5
43Hotel NikyA6
44HouseB7
45Internet Hostel SofiaB5
46Light HotelC2
Red B&BE7
47Scotty's Boutique HotelB2
48Sofia Hotel BalkanC4
5Eating
49AnnetteC6
50Bistro PestoC6
51Central Hali Shopping CentreB3
52ConfettiC5
Dream HouseB5
53Ege TürkB2
54K.E.V.AC6
55Krâchme DivakaC7
56Little ThingsD6
57Made In HomeB6
58Manastirska MagernitsaC7
59MoMa Bulgarian Food & WineB5
60PastorantB5
61SkaptobaraD3
62SkaraBar 2D4
63Sun & MoonC6
64Taj MahalE3