Turistic Information
The EUROPAD Guide to Sofia

Greetings friends. As the majority of us are new to Sofia, and indeed this part of the world, we have twisted the arms of those in the know to share with you some delights of Sofia, cultural and otherwise! Everything stated is based on recommendations and what looked interesting in the guidebooks.

The Europad Organizing Committee takes no responsibility for anything that you
might not enjoy, any personal items lost (including yourself), any arrests, hangovers or nights you wish not to remember in the morning !!

Now let’s enjoy this fine city

A little bit of history…
Sofia was founded three thousand years ago, by an ancient Thracian tribe, the ‘Serdi’, and known as Serdica until the beginning of the ninth century. Dramatically ringed by the Balkan Mountains to the north and the Vitosha Mountains to the south, the capital stands on an open plain 550m (1804ft) above sea level in western Bulgaria.

The town centre is dominated by neo-classical Stalinist architecture and is surrounded by a sprawling bleak, Socialist-era block housing.
However, a peek through the side streets and century-old commercial quarter reveals the true magic of Sofia – a very European city of tree-lined boulevards and balconied buildings by 19thcentury Russian and Viennese architects.
Attila took the city by storm in the 5th century. After his death, the Byzantine Empire recovered it& it became part of the Eastern Roman Empire until the early 9th century AD.
When the Danubian kingdom of Bulgaria was founded in 681 AD, many Bulgarian khans coveted Serdica.
But it was only in the year of 809 that Khan Kroum succeeded in conquering and including it in the Bulgarian territory. The city existed in this way until the year 1018 AD when the Bulgarian lands fell under Byzantine rule and the city was renamed Triyaditza, meaning “between mountains". After the liberation of Bulgaria from Byzantine rule it was re-included in the confines of the country. Its name was now Sofia, its name given by the "St. Sofia" church which stands next to the St. Aleksander Nevski memorial. Sofia fell under Ottaman rule in 1382, the Turkish
authorities' neglect rapidly changed the appearance of the orderly city. Christian churches became derelict and crumbled away, Turkish administration buildings, mosques, baths and covered markets rose in their place. Five centuries of Ottoman rule changed Sofia beyond recognition. During the 17th century it grew into the largest marketplace of the Balkans, and in the 18th century a stone-paved highway linked it with Europe and Asia minor. During the 19th century the first railway crossing the Balkans reached Sofia as part of the famous Orient Express. Sofia was liberated from Ottoman rule on January 4, 1878 and at that time the city was modernized..
Sofia took the appearance of a European city, although signs of the East remained. Today, visitors to Sofia will find a typical Balkan mix of Orthodox and Muslim cultures amid a crumbling Eastern Bloc society As you’d expect for a town that’s over 2,000 years old, the centre of Sofia is like a walk-through history lesson, with Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Ottoman Turks and Soviet-inspired
communists all having left their architectural imprint.
...and a little bit of geography…
Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya, is the city’s main traffic hub. From here, a grid of streets radiate out towards the inner ring road, this forms an irregular octagon around town. The main attractions are enclosed within this space and are all within walking distance of one another. From Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya, Maria Louiza Boulevard runs north, to the city’s sole surviving functioning mosque, Banya Bashi Dzhamiya (Banya Bashi Mosque). Close by,Tsentralnata Banya (Central Baths), Tsentralni Hali (Central Food Halls) and the Synagogue form a hub of early 20th-century monuments. The boulevard proceeds through an area that becomes progressively run-down as it nears the Central Station. Just off to the left lies Zhenski Pazar (Women’s Market). Meanwhile, to
the south lies Vitosha Boulevard, with the peak of Mount Vitosha proudly rising in the distance.
The monumental Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, running east of Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya, goes past the exquisite Tsurkva Sveta Nikolai (St Nicholas Russian Church) to arrive at Alexander Nevski Ploshtad, overlooked by Sofia’s star attraction, Hram-pametnik Aleksander Nevski (St Alexander Nevski Memorial Church) and the early Byzantine Tsurkva Sveta Sofia (Church of St S Sightseeing)
Sofia looks fascinating from the guide books, and we hope that you will have time to explore this old European city. Here are some of the main sights you may like to include on your travels………….
Churches, Synagogues and other religious buildings
Alexander Nevski Memorial Church. Opening hours: Daily 0700-1800; services 0800 and 1700, Sat 1800, Sun 1700. Admission: Free. Completed in 1912 in honour of the Russian casualties of the 1877-78 War of Liberation from Ottoman Rule. Gold-domed, it is the finest piece of architecture in the Balkans. The interior decoration, made of Italian marble. Egyptian alabaster, Brazilian onyx, gold, mosaics embodies the spirit of the finest Eastern Orthodox traditions. A superb collection of icons - the best in Bulgaria - can also be seen in the Crypt. Rotunda of St George. Open Mon-Sat 0800-1700, admission free. A 4th Century brick building in the courtyard behind the Sheraton Hotel, adorned with finely preserved early medieval frescoes. There are also remains of a 2nd Century street and other Byzantine ruins.
St Sofia Church. Open daily 0900-1800.In front of the cathedral this is Sofia’s oldest church, initially built in the fifth century and rebuilt many times since, this was used as a mosque during the Ottoman period and then abandoned when an earthquake rendered it unsafe for services. With most of its medieval decorations and frescoes lost, it’s a comparatively plain church by Sofia standards, but the pattern brickwork provides the interior with enormous visual appeal. It has survived intact with 1600- year-old mosaic details and towards the end of the 14th Century gave the city its name. Beside the wall of the church is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.. A fragment of original Roman mosaic flooring, preserved under a pane of glass in the right-hand aisle, stands
in testimony to the church’s ancient origins.
Alexander Nevski Cathedral. This stands in a square of the same name. Built between 1882 and 1912 in an elaborate neo-byzantine style, the cathedral is named after the Russian tsar who led his counrty to victory over Sweden in 1240.The cathedrals’ gold domes still dominate the city’s skyline.
Tsurkva Sveta Nikolai (St Nicholas Russian Church). Opening hours: Daily 0730-1800; services Sat 0900 and 1700, Sun 0900.Built by Russian workmen in 1912 and dedicated to St Nicholas, ‘the miracle maker’, Sveta Nikolai is possibly the prettiest church in Sofia. The roof is covered with green majolica tiles and crowned with five gold-plated onion domes. More popular than the church itself is the crypt, accessed to the left of the main entrance. Here lies the tomb of the former Bishop Serafin, who died in 1950. Locals come here is droves to post hand-written messages into a box, standing to the right of the tomb. Although Serafin was never canonised, he is revered as a saint and believed to make prayers and wishes come true
Boyana Church [Boyanskata tsurkva]
ul. Boyansko ezero 1-3, tel. 959 09 39, fax 959 29 66. Open 09:30-17:30
If you enjoy medieval church art then the UNESCO-listed Boyana church is a must. Just about every square inch of the interior is covered with bible scenes and saintly portraits rendered by thirteenth-century artists. Nobody knows the identity of the painters, but their mastery of realistic depiction and sophisticated use of colour puts them on a par with Italian artists of the early Renaissance.
It is a tiny church consisting of two parts: the oldest dates from the 10th century, when it served as the chapel of Boyana fortress. A second floor was added in 1259 by the Sevastokrator (or local governor) Kaloyan, who used the church as his family chapel. It was Kaloyan who commissioned the frescoes for which Boyana church is famous. Restored in various stages over the past forty years, the main body of the church was never open to the public in its entirety until December 2006.
Highlights include portraits of Kaloyan and wife Desislava dressed in sumptuous robes, and the earliest known portrait of the white-bearded St John of Rila, Bulgaria’s national patron saint.

Admission: 10Lv. Combined ticket including National History Museum: 12Lv.
Visitors are admitted to the church six at a time, at ten-minute intervals, so be prepared to wait.
Banya Bashi Dzhamiya (Banya Bashi Mosque)
The last surviving mosque in Sofia still in use, the building consists of a large dome and an elegant minaret and takes its name from the neighbouring Central Baths - Banya Bashi literally means ‘many baths'. Dating from 1576, the mosque is said to have been designed by Hadji Mimar Sinan, the leading Ottoman architect of the day. The mosque fell into disuse during Communist rule but is now open for worship once again - you can hear the loudspeakers on the minaret calling the Muslims of the city to prayer five times a day. The mosque is not officially open as a tourist attraction but visitors are welcome outside prayer times, including women, if modestly dressed.
Tsentralna Sofiiska Sinagoga (Central Sofia Synagogue) Opening times: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1300. Situated behind the Hali, the Central Sofia Synagogue is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe, although nowadays it serves a very small community. Designed by the Austrian architect, Grunanger, the synagogue was built to resemble a former synagogue in Vienna, which was destroyed by the Nazis. Building began in 1905 and the official opening took place in 1909. The building is a square block of Spanish-Moorish design, with a large central dome lit by a showpiece 2250kg (4960lb) chandelier

Museums
Natzionalen Archeologicheski Musei (National Archaeological Museum)
Housed in a beautifully restored fifteenth-century mosque, this attractive display of Thracian, Greek, Roman and medieval Bulgarian artefacts is by far the most eye-pleasing museum that Sofia has to offer. Imposing chunks of Greek and Roman masonry are strewn around the main hall, while upstairs lie many of the headline-grabbing Thracian treasures unearthed by Bulgarian archeologists in recent years. Most mesmerizing of all is the solid gold burial mask of a fourthcentury-
BC Thracian ruler, excavated near the central Bulgarian village of Shipka in summer
2004. A series of Orthodox church paintings depicting the life and martyrdom of St George run around the first-floor gallery, while a room full of exquisite medieval Bulgarian jewelry looks contemporary enough to provide today’s designers with a rich seam of inspiration. The bilingual Bulgarian-English labeling is unusually thorough, and the collection is just the right size to be easily digestible in one trip.
Alexander Nevski Crypt. Open 1030-1830, tues-sun, admission free. Entered down the stairs on the right hand side of the church doors, this is thought to be one of the best museums in Sofia. It houses an outstanding collection of Old Bulgarian art, plus an iconography selection that rivals none. All exhibits are explained in Bulgarian and English. Open 09:30-17:30
National History Museum
ul. Vitoshko Lale 16, Boyana, tel. 955 76 04, fax 955 76 02. Admission: 10Lv. Combined ticket including Boyana Church: 12Lv. English-language tours cost 20Lv and can be booked in advance on tel. 955 42 80.
Located in a park-shrouded former government palace on the northern side of the Okolovrusten put (Sofia’s main ring road), Bulgaria’s National History Museum offers a highly enjoyable chronological journey through at least eight millennia of human civilization on the Balkan peninsula. The building itself is a fascinating oddity, having served Bulgaria’s communist leaders as an official residence until 1989. It’s more of an educational theme-park than a serious museum display, but it certainly whets the appetite for further travel within the country.
Upstairs on the second floor lies a knock-out display of brightly-coloured folk costumes and kilims, and a fascinating collection of posters, photographs and domestic nick-nacks documenting the social history of twentieth-century Bulgaria.
Ethnographic museum. pl. Aleksandur Batenberg 1, Open daily 1000-1800,Closed Monday Anyone keen to get to grips with Bulgaria's rich folk culture should make tracks for the creakyfloored east wing of the former royal palace, where the Ethnographic Museum offers a small permanent collection of crafts and costumes and a headlining themed display which changes every year. Throughout 2007 the spotlight will be on the Torlaks - inhabitants of northwestern Bulgaria famous for their richly decorated costumes, traditional pottery, and vibrantly coloured textiles. Highlight of the exhibition is the incandescently colourful display of kilims from the Torlak town of Chiprovtsi, a long-time centre of wool-production and weaving.

Galleries
Sofia has lots of small art galleries scattered all around the city centre. Although people’s English may not be great you will be welcomed, everyone being helpful & friendly (Rik tells us that the locals respond well to a smile and a friendly tone!).
Icon Gallery (in the crypt of the Alexander Nevski Memorial Church). Open daily 1000- 1730, closed Mondays.Stunning collection of Bulgarian icons from the medieval period to the nineteenth century. Portrayals of horse-riding warrior saints such as George and Demetrius are particularly prominent: they served as potent symbols of struggle and survival during the long centuries of Ottoman rule.
National Art Gallery pl. Aleksandur Batenberg 1, Open 1000-1800, Monday: Closed
The country’s flagship collection occupies one half of the former royal palace, where creaky parquet floors and ornate stuccoed ceilings provide the perfect environment in which to peruse an all-embracing overview of Bulgarian painting. Strikingly, canvases are hung in the middle of the room rather than on the walls round the sides. Look out in particular for the works of Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistora (1882-1960), whose pictures of Bulgarian peasant girls surrounded by apples, apricots and other fruit have a timeless, spiritual quality reminiscent of Orthodox icons.
If you have a hankering for more modern stuff then head for the ground-floor galleries, where temporary exhibitions of contemporary art are staged



Bars & Clubs
Sofia is simply swarming with quirky watering holes, cool designer bars and dance-till-youdisintegrate clubs.
The biggest concentration of bars and cafés lies to either side of Vitosha Boulevard.
Bars are busy until midnight, after which people move often on to nightclubs, which are fairly dispersed through out town. The absence of licensing laws means that drinking is possible at all hours!! Most bars and cafés stay open until midnight, after which time people often move onto the various nightclubs Sofia have to offer. It is worth mentioning for the die hards amongst us that some bars and clubs open all night!!

Bars
Apartment
bul. Neofit Rilski 68, tel. 0886 655 093. Open 12:00-02:00
There’s nowhere else quite like this spacious, high-ceilinged nineteenth-century flat, each room of which is decked out with the kind of artworks and furnishings that you’d expect to find in the home of a slightly wacky friend. There’s an internet terminal in one lounge, play-your-own-vinyl DJ decks in another, and a space devoted to film projections too. If you want a drink, head for the kitchen to see who’s in charge of the fridge. There's usually some form of exotic daytime snack food on offer too.
Basic
ul. Neofit Rilski 55, tel. 986 36 72. Open 09:00-02:00, Sunday: 10:00-02:00, Saturday: 10:00 - 02:00
The welcoming array of deep white sofas will lure you into this stylish little spot just off ul. Rakovski There's an appetizingly wide range of cocktails and spirit shots, and the designer toilet is cool enough for even the sassiest of supermodels to feel proud to use!
By The Way
bul. Rakovski 166, tel. 980 38 36. Open 09:00-01:00, Sunday: 10:00-01:00, Saturday: 10:00- 01:00
If you really care about the quality of your cocktails then this split-level bar is the place to come. The setting is stylish and cosy, and the high proportion of beautiful young things among the clientele makes it the perfect place for people-watching.
Chillout
bul. Triaditsa 5, tel. 980 02 03. Open 08:00-04:00
A large lofty space with matt black walls, slender silver pillars and soft-cushion sofas, Chillout’s new city-centre venture looks like an inviting cross between medieval khan’s reception chamber and twenty-first century living room. With the same menu as its sister bar on ul. Baba Nedelya, Chillout is a good spot for downtown lunch, although it’s the prospect of evenings spent gurgling one’s way through the cocktail list that holds out most promise!.
Chocolate
bul. Rakovski 193, tel. 0897 820 090. Open 08:00-02:00
Chocolate is an accurate description of the dominant colour scheme, although the grassy fabrics and ethnic wall decorations made us think we were in a beach bar somewhere in the South Pacific. Pounding music, a drinks menu several pages long, and a stylish clientele help to make this a worthwhile inclusion on any downtown bar crawl.
Hambara
bul. 6-ti septemvri 22. Open 19:00-02:00Knock on the wooden doorway in an alleyway behind the Zion restaurant and you’ll be ushered into this strange candle-lit barn full of nocturnal humanoids sitting on high wooden stools. It may seem as if you’ve stumbled onto the set of a vampire movie, but the hedonistic arty set who hang out here seem friendly. For those who like a bit of culture with their alcohol, Hambara’s sporadic programme of live jazz, studio theatre and other arty happenings provides an added inducement to drop by.
Tea House [Chai vuv fabrikata]
bul. Georgi Benkovski 11, tel. 0888 431 007. Open 10:00-23:00
Located behind an unlikely-looking metal door (look for the sign hanging above), this combined café and art gallery is the perfect place to wind down over a brew. Yogi tea, of which innumerable varieties are available, seems to be the house favourite, although there are several beverages of a more alcoholic nature to get acquainted with too, Antique furniture and oil paintings combine with post-industrial design touches to produce a slightly distressed, bohemian vibe. There’s usually some form of non-mainstream music on the CD system (world music, jazz or similar), and an irregular programme of off-beat musical events. Indian-influenced vegetarian meals served in the evenings.
Upstairs
bul. Vitosha 18, tel. 989 96 96. Open 09:00-02:00, Sunday: 10:00-02:00
First-floor bar overlooking Sofia's busiest downtown shopping street, with comfy lounge-bar furniture inside, and a line of stools along the verandah providing the perfect vantage point from which to observe the goings-on below. There's a menu of fancy food, and a list of cocktails that runs to several pages. Glamorous without making too big a deal out of it, this is just what boulevard Vitosha needs.

Clubs
Caramba, 4 Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, follows the glitterati taste for Latin music
Dali, 6 Shipka Ulica, is a particularly fashionable disco, while Spartakus, in the underpass in front of Sofia University, between Vassil Levski Boulevard and Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, was the city’s first gay club and now attracts a mixed, young and trendy clientele.
Cabaret
bul. Hristo Belchev 12, tel. 981 60 88. Open 19:00-04:00
The club is snugly sheltered in the basement of an old Art-Nouveau building which lends a particular old-time atmosphere reinforced by the stylish furniture and lighting. Musical styles include latino and retro-pop, drawing in a slightly older crowd than some of the techno-temples elsewhere.
Babbles
ul. Ivan Shishman 22, tel. 980 65 79. Open 17:00-00:00
Ultra-fab designer bar which looks like a space-ship, a children’s cartoon or a kooky Sixties’ film set, depending on how many drinks you’ve had already. It’s the brainchild of owner Kremena Halvadzhian, who also happens to be one of Bulgaria’s top stylists. The lively atmosphere is backed up with house music supplied by popular Bulgarian DJs. If the cheerful colours aren’t enough to cheer you up, you can resort to a classical cocktail or straight drink.
B29 Piano Bar
ul. Vladayska 29, tel. 952 06 65. Open 10:00-03:00
A piano bar which really is a bar with a piano in it, featuring regular live performances by distinguished Bulgarian ivory tinklers. Music ranges from relaxing cocktail-bar jazz to stomping R’n’B covers, when it’s time to cast your inhibitions aside and hit the dance-floor.
Swingin’ Hall
bul. Dragan Tsankov 8, tel. 963 06 96. Open 21:00-04:00, Monday: Closed
Currently the best place in town to catch local rock, blues, jazz and world-music acts, with a sixday- a-week programme of live music. With three bars, two stages, and a brick-lined, cellar-like interior, it’s a great place for a night out whoever is on the bill. Friendly party-inclined atmosphere draws musically-inclined Sofians of all ages, and a generous sprinkling of ex-pats.
Sheherezada bul. Vitosha 1A, tel. 988 82 40. Open 21:00-06:00
Probably the friendliest and least pretentious of the folk clubs, located in a welcoming warren of underground rooms. Wait-staff dressed in Arabian Nights costumes and a nightly menu of live music keep the party mood buzzing till the early hours.
My Mojito
bul. Ivan Vazov 12, tel. 0889 529 001. Open 21:00-05:00
Warm, welcoming, womb-like club with DJs in two separate rooms, a long list of cocktails, and a broad-based clientele that ranges from dressed-down bohemians to fashion victims. Gets crowded at weekends when ladies get in for free.

Live music
For a true Balkan experience, spend the evening at a restaurant featuring live Bulgarian folk music.
The best are Chevermeto, 106 Maria Louiza Boulevard,
Boyansko Hanche, 1962 Boyana Residenti Sorishte, and Vodenitzata, set in an old mill in the Dragalevtzi These all offer music presented in typical rustic folksy style.
Bulgarian pop-folk music, chalga, can be danced to at Erma, 25 Alabin Ulica, and

Pri Kmeta
(The Mayor’s)
Opera. The Sofia National Opera is the country’s most famous Check local information for performances

National Opera and Ballet
ul. Vrabcha 1, tel. 987 13 66, fax 980 91 22. Open 09:30-18:30, Sunday: 10:30-18:00, Saturday: 10:30-18:00
Tickets: tel. 987 13 66 The jewel in Sofia’s cultural crown, featuring the best local artistes and guest prima donnas from abroad.

Music Centre Boris Hristov.
ul. Tsar Samuil 43, tel. 987 35 92. Open 11:00-18:00,: Closed, Saturday & Sunday
The house of the famous Bulgarian opera singer is an art centre housing a rich museum
collection as well as a stage for young talents - musicians, opera singers, artists, actors. A spacious concert hall is arranged with a gorgeous grand piano.

Bulgaria Hall (Zala Bulgaria)
ul. Aksakov 1, tel. 987 76 56. Open 10:30-13:00, 15:00-18:00 Closed Sat, Sun.
Home of the Bulgarian philharmonic, this is the top place in the country for symphonic concerts.
Theatres & cinemas
Sofia has a number of both theatres and cinemas around the city. Check local “what’s on” guides when you are in Sofia which are widely available, and bookings for theatre, music, performances can be made locally, via the hotel’s reception desk. For a visit to the cinema just go there and buy a ticket.

Internet Cafes
Garibaldi
ul. Graf Ignatiev 6, tel. 989 42 85.
Eighteen computers plus scanning, printing and low-rate international phone calls.
Open 00:00-24:00, Price: 2Lv/hr.
Site
bul. Vitosha 45, tel. 986 08 96. Quiet, comfortable spot in a courtyard just off the street. Coffee and other drinks available, Open 00:00-24:00, Price: 2Lv/hr.