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Home/Destinations/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia

Sofia Vacations and Tour Packages

Western City
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Overview

Take a trip to Sofia on your Bulgaria Vacation

Sofia is Bulgaria’s capital and largest city and is located in the western part of the country on the lower slopes of Mount Vitosha. The city has been settled for hundreds of years. The city gained its present name at the end of the 14th Century in honour of the city’s major symbol, the Saint Sofia Basilica founded in the 6th century and one of the oldest churches in the capital to be experienced in Bulgaria vacation

Sofia is a cosmopolitan city with tree-lined boulevards and pleasant parks. The city combines a wide range of architectural styles, some of which are hardly compatible. These vary from Christian Roman architecture and medieval Bulgar fortresses to Neoclassicism and prefabricated Socialist-era apartment blocks 

At a Glance

Languages

Bulgarian

Currency

Bulgarian Lev (BGN)

What do the experts say?

Channa Jayasinghe

Channa Jayasinghe

Destination Specialist
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Farooq Qaisar

Farooq Qaisar

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Few places layer ancient civilizations quite like Turkey. From the ruins of Ephesus, the legendary city of Troy, and the underground cities of Cappadocia, to the Byzantine and Ottoman grandeur of Istanbul - it's a living museum. Walking through the Hagia Sophia or along the ancient walls of Constantinople is like stepping into a history book.
Farooq Qaisar

Farooq Qaisar

Team Lead
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Turkish cuisine is seriously underrated globally. From a simple simit on the street to a full meze spread and a sizzling kebab, every meal is an experience. And of course, Turkish tea and baklava are daily rituals you don’t want to miss.
Aylin Esin

Aylin Esin

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Jessica Scott

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AttractionsMuseums

Attractions

Very close to Saint Sofia is the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, one of the world’s largest Eastern Orthodox churches and built as a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died liberating Bulgaria from Turkey in the 1800s. It houses 53 bells, the heaviest weighing 10 tons. The church can hold roughly 5,000 people. Other interesting buildings include the St. Nikolas Russian Church with its beautiful ornate domes, the medieval Sveta Nedelya Cathedral and the Banya Bashi Mosque (a reminder of the Ottoman Empire occupation).

Other points of interest in the city on a Bulgaria vacation include the Lion Bridge, the Eagle Bridge, the Russian Monument, and the monument to Vasil Levski (a Bulgarian revolutionary hero who gave his life in the struggle to free Bulgaria from the Ottomans in the 19th century). 

Travel Stories

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