When looking to explore Eastern Europe, most people rarely pinpoint Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, as their must-see destination. However, those who do, feel really great about their decision and they almost always fall in love with the city.
Sofia is a charming city with more than 2,000 years of history and plenty of tourist attractions to keep you entertained. Here are the best of them.
St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The locals usually consider this Neo-Byzantine style Orthodox cathedral to be the symbol of Sofia. Covering an area of 34,100 sq ft, the building is among the biggest of its kind in the world. With its unique architecture, the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral inspired the construction of numerous churches of the same design, albeit on a smaller scale, across the whole of Bulgaria.
Vitosha Boulevard
Vitosha Boulevard is Sofia’s main street and the place where you’ll find some of the city’s best shops, restaurants, and other commercial establishments. Thanks to renovation efforts conducted in the 2010s, Vitosha Boulevard also has plenty of green spaces, fountains, Art Nouveau shops, and various other points of interest.
Vitosha Mountain
If you prefer outdoor attractions, Sofia has plenty of those as well. Most of them are located on Vitosha, the mountain overlooking the city. Vitosha offers perfect conditions for hiking, mountain cycling, climbing in the summer, and skiing in the winter.
National Archaeological Museum
To get a better insight into Sofia and Bulgaria’s lively history, head to National Archaeological Museum. The building houses four collections, each covering a particular era: Prehistory, Treasury (Late Bronze Age to Antiquity), Main Hall (Greece and Rome periods), and Medieval Section.