Sofia (София) is the capital of Bulgaria. It is also the biggest city in the country with about 1.4 mln citizens (including suburbs). Today, Sofia is a dynamic Eastern European capital, distinguished by its unique combination of European and Communist-style arcitecture as well as many beautiful orthodox churches. Furthermore, it claims to be one of few European capitals with beautiful nature and developed ski-resort so close to it - the Vitosha mountain.
Understand
To get all informations about Sofia, like history, restaurants, things to do,...(nearly everything) take "In your pocket" a free tourist guide. Ask for it in your hostel.
Get in
By bus
The cheapest way to get into Sofia, both from the countryside or from abroad, is by bus. With buses going several times a day in all directions Sofia is well connected to all regions. International connections are available to several locations in Greece, to Istanbul, twice a day to/ from Vienna, and several times a week to different cities of Western Europe. Example for bus fares (one way tickets: Thessaloniki: 68 levas (54 lv. for travellers younger than 26); Vienna 94 levas (82 lv. for travellers younger than 26). For bus lines see Airkona (http://www.airkona.com) and MTT (http://www.skgt-bg.com).
By train
International trains provide a large number of routes to Sofia, arriving from such places as Kiev, Istanbul, Vienna, Athens and other common cities.
Allow up to three hours delay if travelling from Belgrade while the Serbian and Bulgarian customs officers ransack the trains due to cigarette smuggling. However, the cigarette smuggling is worth experiencing once.
The primary trains from Bucharest to Sofia, and back, run twice daily through the border city of Ruse. For example, recent trains are scheduled from Bucharest to Sofia in the daytime departing 11:35/arriving 21:30 and a night train departing 19:35/arriving 06:10. Passport control and customs takes place in Ruse, approximately mid-trip. Check local trainstations for updated information.
To İstanbul the train costs 25 euro (a bus-tıcket just 20), the train departing at around 18:30 (the bus at 21:00) and arrives at 9:00 (bus 6:00)
By plane
There are several flights a day to Vienna, and daily flights to some of the major European hubs. Tickets of traditional airlines can be pretty expensive, since there aren't that many carriers flying daily to Sofia.
Bulgarian flag-carrier airline is "Bulgaria Air" (http://www.air.bg/en) with Sofia as a hub, and for example two-way ticket to/from Madrid & Barcelona will be about 230 Euros. Another Bulgarian company "Viaggio Air" (http://www.viaggioair.com) can also be a bargain with two-way ticket to Vienna for 200 Euros and to Istanbul for 100 Euros.
Other traditional airlines with flights to/from Sofia are Air France, Al Italia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Czech Airlines, Helios Air, LOT, Lufthansa, Malev, Olympic Airways, Tarom, and Turkish Airlines.
As of January 2006 there are two low-cost carriers traveling to Bulgaria. These are WizzAir (http://www.wizzair.com/) which recently started daily flights to/from Budapest and from there to about 12 European destinations and SkyEurope (http://www.skyeurope.com) with hub-airport Bratislava. They use same airport with flights landing and taking off at night.
Cheap charters to Varna and Burgas airports on the Black Sea coast are available (especially in spring & fall), and from there to Sofia (for about 60 euros one-way).
A warning: Sofia now has a new airport terminal (terminal 2). If you fly into terminal 1, the taxi's there used to be "regulated", and the only taxi company that was allowed to service terminal 1 was "OK Taxi." Generally they didn't rip you off. However, as of this writing terminal 2 (where most flights are arriving) is NOT regulated. (This may change in the future). The taxi's will *definitely* try to rip you off. A general taxi fare from Terminal 2 to the city centre should cost you about 8 BGN (depending on traffic, could be 9 BGN). They'll ask you for about 20 EUR (so over 4 times the price). Even if you demand them to use the meter (which many will just reject), There have been some incidences of meter inflation.
By car
The highway from Sofia towards Plovdiv is the best road to/from Sofia. It ends about 40 km after Plovdiv and from there to Istanbul, or a first-class road to Stara Zagora, Sliven, and the second-largest seaport Burgas.
Otherwise coming from Greece the road is in very good shape (thanks to a EU-led road-restoration programme) almost until Sofia (only the last 40 or so km after Dupnitza being hole-filled), so the 300 km from Thessaloniki are done fairly fast if you don't happen to fall into big waiting-lines at the border. Coming from Macedonia, the roads are in rather bad shape. From Central Europe you can drive almost the whole length on highways (via Slovenia-Croatia-Serbia or Hungary-Serbia), only the last 100 km between Nis in Southern Serbia and Sofia being heavily trafficked mountain roads in not the best shape.
Get around
To get around Sofia you can use several means of transport: public autobuses, some trolley lines, many tram lines, a subway line and private mini-buses (mini-vans).
The public transport in Sofia works from 5 am to about 11 pm. Price per ticket is 0,70 leva (about 0,35 euro) if you buy it from a kiosk. Tickets should be bought before you get in the bus. When you board the bus, find the punches in order to punch the ticket. Unpunched ticked is invalid. The bus control rarely understand English and you might have problems with the security if you travel without a ticket or even with unpunched one. If you come to Sofia by plane, take bus#284 from the airport to the center, if you come by train or bus, to the center, take public bus #305, #213 or #214 (to Orlov Most) or tram #1, #7, (to Sveta Nedelya square) #6, #9, (to the National Palace of Culture) #12 (to Slaveykov square) or #19 (to Macedonia square).
Mini-buses stop if you just wave a hand and usually are fast way to go somewhere without need to change the car. You pay to the driver when you get off the car. Prices are 1,50 leva (about 0,75 euro).
Metro in Sofia is now under construction and a few more lines will be available in the next years. Now there is only one line from the city center to the suburbia.
Taxis in Sofia are yellow. There are many companies offering taxi services, some of them are OK Taxi, 1 Euro Taxi, etc. The taxi drivers should give you receipts. Usually they also should have stickers or similar with Taxi ID number and a customer care telephone number and they are required to have prices on a sticker on the window of the left front door and on the windshield. Prices vary but are about 0,70 leva (0,35 euro) per kilometer. (In May 2007 the standard fare generally was 0,49 levs per km before 10.30pm and 0,55 levs per km after that time until 6AM. Also make sure they have a driver id on the dashboard, that's quite important and also read the price on the stickers before getting in some will have outrageous prices on them and usually hang around hotels and tourist spots picking on unsuspecting customers, its the top line for the per km fares and bottom line for time you need to look at.
A bit more on taxi's: Taxi OK (the word "OK" being written in blue lettering on the trunk and sides) are generally reasonable (read: won't rip you off). Also, Taxi "92180" and "Rado Taxi" are generally very reliable as well. Other taxi's can really overcharge you significantly. Some taxi's also have a hidden "pump" (called Pumpa) that boosts the kilometers on the meter when you're not looking. It's a foot-pedal near the drivers other pedals, so can be difficult to detect. Generally the three taxi companies listed here will *not* use this technique, but it does happen from time to time (and certainly more often with other taxi companies).
Rent-a-Car is a good idea, but be prepared for traffic jams and disorganized traffic. Parking is major problem. To park you can use tickets for parking in the so called Blue Zone (Sinia zona). These tickets can be purchased usually by the people with bright green jackets, hanging around parking lots. The tickets should be clearly marked with pen and placed on the dashboard so they are clearly visible.
See
Sofia is one of the oldest cities in Europe with ruins spread across the city center. It was founded because of the quality of its mineral waters. In the city alone there are 7 independent mineral water springs. An interesting constellation can be seen in the city centre, where a catholic church, an orthodox church, a mosque and a synagogue are located at great proximity.
In the administrative center of Sofia the streets are covered with specific yellow pavement.
Churches of interest are the largest St. Alexander Nevski (and one of the largest orthodox churches worldwide), the Russian St. Nikolay, and the old ones St. Sofia, St. Petka, St. Georgi rotunda, St. Sedmochislenitsi, St. Paraskeva.
Do
www.mallofsofia.com - Go and see the huge Mall of Sofia, housing many shops, and the biggest (now) IMAX 3D cinema in the world (and the only on the balkans) as well!
Buy
The currency in Bulgaria is the Lev, plural Leva. One Lev is approximately equal to half Euro. The currency exchange offices are all around the city but to be on the safe side a new tourists would probably prefer to exchange their money in a big bank.
Eat
Mid End
Mid to High End
High End
Drink
Sofia has quite a vibrant night life scene. You can find anything from big folk-pop (tchalga) or dance clubs to small rock clubs or alternative hangouts.
Stay Safe
Crime rate in Sofia is rather high; even considered higher than the other Bulgarian major cities. If you travel by car make sure that you park in a toll parking. This is the best solution against auto theft. Parking in the center of Sofia could be troubling. Despite it is hard to find a free parking place, Bulgarian police tends to behave harsh since the license plate is not Bulgarian. You might see a long row under the non-parking sign, despite that it is for your own good not to park such areas.
Pedestrians should be careful since there are a lot of so called angry drivers and mobsters around.
Sleep
Get out
Sofia (София) is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1,246,791 (making it the 15th largest city in the European Union), and some 1,401,406 in the metropolitan area, the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country.
One of the oldest capital cities in Europe, the history of Sofia dates back to the 8th century BC, when Thracians established a settlement there. Sofia has had several names in the different periods of its existence, and remnants of the city's millenary history can still be seen today alongside modern landmarks.
Geography
Sofia's development as a significant settlement owes much to its central position in the Balkans. It is situated in western Bulgaria, at the northern foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the Sofia Valley that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The valley is the largest one in the country with territory of and average altitude of . Three mountain passes lead to the city, which have been key roads since antiquity, connecting the Adriatic Sea and Central Europe with the Black and Aegean Seas.
A number of low rivers cross the city, including the Vladayska and the Perlovska. The Iskar River in its upper course flows near eastern Sofia. The city is known for its numerous mineral and thermal springs. Artificial and dam lakes were built in the last century.
It is located 150 km (90 miles) northwest of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city, 390 km west of Burgas, 472 km (294 miles) west of Varna, Bulgaria's major port-cities on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The city is situted at less than from the borders with three countries: from Kalotina on the Serbian border, from Gyueshevo on the frontier with the Republic of Macedonia and from the Greek border at Kulata.
Climate
Sofia has a moderate continental climate with high temperature amplitudes. The hottest month is August while January is the coldest. Up to 1936 the average annual temperature was and since then it has risen with +0.5 °C (+1 °F). The city receives around annual precipitation with summer maximum and winter minimum. There are many rainy days in autumn and spring.
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According to 1999 data, the whole Capital Municipality, with a population of 1,326,377 as of June 2006, had a population density of 917.8, by far the highest in the country. The city itself has a population of 1,203,680. The large share of unemployed people with higher education, 27% as compared to 7% for the whole country, is a characteristic feature of the capital.
When Sofia was declared capital in 1879 it was the fifth-largest city in the country after Plovdiv, Ruse, Varna and Shumen. Plovdiv remained the most populous town in Bulgaria till 1892 when Sofia took the lead.
Culture
Sofia is one of the oldest capital cities in Europe, blending its past and present in a remarkable architectural style. Historic landmarks include the 10th century Boyana Church (one of the UNESCO World Heritage protected sites), the Alexander Nevski Cathedral (one of the world's largest Orthodox churches), and the early Byzantine Church of St Sophia.
More modern architecture is represented by the Bulgarian National Opera and Ballet, the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the Rakovski Str theatre district, Slaveykov Square's outdoor book market, and the NDK, which is Southeastern Europe's largest cultural and congressional centre.
Sofia is the see of an Eastern Orthodox and of a Roman Catholic diocese.
Sofia has also a huge nightlife scene with many different night clubs, live venues, pubs, mehani (Bulgarian traditional taverns), and restaurants.
Museums
Sofia houses numerous museums, notably the National Historical Museum, the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the Museum of Earth and Men, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Military History, the National Polytechnical Museum and the National Archaeological Museum. In addition, there are the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts, the Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art as well as numerous private art galleries.
Places of special interest
The city also offers many places of special interest such as the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library (which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute), the Sofia State Library, the British Council, the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cultural Institute, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, and the Open Society Institute.
Families with children can enjoy Sofia Land, the nearly nine-acre amusement park adjacent to the Sofia Zoological Garden (founded in 1888) as well as the Museum of Natural History.
Sofia currently enjoys a booming film industry as the filming ground of several international film productions. Vitosha Boulevard, also called Vitoshka — ranked as the world's 22nd most expensive commercial street — represents numerous fashion boutiques and luxury goods stores and features exhibitions by world fashion designers. Sofia's geographic location, situated in the foothills of the weekend retreat Vitosha mountain, further adds to the city's specific atmosphere.
Image:BAS-sofia-imagesfrombulgaria.JPG|The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences building
Image:Sofia-NHG-imagesfrombulgaria1.JPG|The former royal palace at Battenberg Square, now the National Art Gallery
Image:NDK-front-view.jpg|National Palace of Culture
Image:Sofia-gallery-for-foreign-art-imagesfrombulgaria.JPG|The Neoclassical old Royal Printing Office built in 1882–1884 is today the National Gallery for Foreign Art
Image:Sofia-old-architecture-gruev.JPG|The architecture of Sofia's centre is mostly typically Central European.
Image:AlexanderNevskiCathedral.jpg|The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world.
Image:Sofia-centre-yellowcobbles.JPG|The centre of the city is well-known for being paved with yellow Viennese cobblestones.
Image:Narsob3.jpg|The Largo
Tourist attractions
Some of Sofia's popular tourist attractions include:
Economy
Sofia is the major centre of Bulgaria's economic life. The manufacturing sector of the economy, represented by over 800 large manufacturing plants, includes metal products (75% of the total output in the country), textiles, rubber and leather goods, printing (50% of output) and electronics (15% of output). Sofia is also the country's financial hub, home to the Bulgarian National Bank, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, as well as some of the country's largest commercial banks (such as HVB Bank Biochim, Bulbank, DSK Bank and United Bulgarian Bank). Construction, trade and transport are other important sectors of the local economy. Increasingly Sofia is attracting attention as an outsourcing location for Western European and American multinationals. Sofia is also the headquarters for major Bulgarian and international companies operating in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe.
With the fall of communism in Bulgaria in 1989 major international companies previously not present on the Bulgarian market moved in, the majority of them to Sofia. The real estate market in Sofia has skyrocketed in recent years, for the past year or so with about 100% in just 1 year (2005–2006). The construction industry has exploded with new construction sites popping up everywhere. Unemployment is rather low at about 2.5% compared to the Bulgarian average of 8.2% but also to European levels where it is at about 7.3%.
Transport and infrastructure
With its well-developed infrastructure and strategic location, Sofia is an important centre for international railway and automobile routes. All major types of transport (except water transport) are represented in the city, which is home to 8 railway stations, the Centre for Flight Control and the Sofia Airport (hub for flag-carrier Bulgaria Air). Three Trans-European Transport Corridors cross the city: 4, 8 and 10.
Public transit is well-developed, reliable and important to the city's economy; it is provided by means of underground trains (the Sofia Metro), buses, trams and trolleybuses. There are over 15,000 licensed taxi cabs operating in the city. The subway system became operational in the late 1990s but had limited extent.
With the extensive growth of private automobile ownership in the 1990s the number of cars registered in Sofia has exceeded 500,000 in the past five years. Consequently the traffic (and air pollution) problems of the city have become more severe. Subway expansion plans are set to alleviate the situation when major routes are completed by 2008.
Sofia has a unique, very large combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Virtually the entire city (900,000 households and 5,900 companies) is centrally heated, using residual heat from electricity generation (3,000 MW) and gas- and oil-fired heating furnaces; total heat capacity is 4,640 MW. The heat distribution piping network is 900 km long and comprises 14,000 substations and 10,000 heated buildings.
Architecture
After the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878 and the establishment of an autonomous Bulgarian monarchy with its capital in Sofia, Knyaz Alexander Battenberg invited architects from Austria-Hungary to shape the new capital's architectural appearance.
Among the architects invited to work in Bulgaria were Friedrich Grünanger, Adolf Václav Kolář, Viktor Rumpelmayer and others, who designed the most important public buildings needed by the newly-reestablished Bulgarian government, as well as numerous houses for the country's elite. Later, many foreign-educated Bulgarian architects also contributed.
The architecture of Sofia's centre is thus a combination of Neo-Baroque, Neo-Rococo, Neo-Renaissance and Neoclassicism, with the Vienna Secession also later playing an important part.
Among the most important buildings constructed in Sofia in the period are the former royal palace, today housing the National Art Gallery and the National Ethnographic Museum (1882); the Ivan Vazov National Theatre (1907); the former royal printing office, today the National Gallery for Foreign Art; the National Assembly of Bulgaria (1886), the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1893), etc.
After the Second World War and the establishment of a Communist government in Bulgaria in 1944, the architectural line was substantially altered. Socialist Classicism public buildings emerged in the centre, but as the city grew outwards, the new neighbourhoods were dominated by many Communist-era tower blocks (panelki) and examples of Brutalist architecture.
After the abolishment of Communism in 1989, Sofia has witnessed the construction of whole business districts and neighbourhoods, as well as modern skryscraper-like glass-fronted office buildings, but also top-class residential neighbourhoods.
Education
There are 16 universities in Sofia. The Saint Clement of Ohrid University of Sofia is often regarded as the most prestigious university of Bulgaria, being founded in 1888 and having an incoming class of 14,000 students each year. Other important universities include the National Academy of Arts, the Technical University of Sofia, the University for National and World Economics, Sofia Medical University, the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts and New Bulgarian University.
Furthermore, institutions of national significance, such as the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library are located in Sofia. The American College of Sofia, founded in 1860 and regarded as the oldest American academic institution outside the United States provides secondary education to some of Bulgaria's brightest students. The school was closed during the communist era and reopened in 1992. The first class of the reopened school graduated in 1997 and will celebrate their 10th year reunion in June 2007.
Sport
Being the country's capital, Sofia is also the centre of Bulgaria's sport activities, with a large number of sports clubs being based in the city, including most of Bulgaria's primary, such as Levski Sofia, CSKA Sofia, Akademik Sofia, Spartak Sofia, Lokomotiv Sofia and Slavia Sofia. Football is arguably the most popular sport in the city, as well as the whole country, but sports such as basketball and volleyball also have strong traditions in Sofia.
The capital is also home to a large number of sports venues, including the 43,000-seat Vasil Levski National Stadium which hosts most major outdoor events in Bulgaria, Levski Sofia's Georgi Asparuhov Stadium, CSKA Sofia's Balgarska Armiya Stadium and Slavia Sofia's Ovcha Kupel Stadium. Another important sports facility is Universiade Hall, where in turn many indoor events are held.
Sofia applied to host the Winter Olympic Games in 1992 and in 1994, coming 2nd and 3rd respectively. The city was also an applicant for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but was not selected as candidate. In addition, Sofia hosted Eurobasket 1957 and the 1961 and 1977 Summer Universiades, as well as the 1983 and 1989 winter editions.
Mass media
Some of the biggest and most popular telecommunications companies, TV and radio stations, cable television companies, newspapers, magazines, and web portals are based in Sofia. Some television companies and channels include Bulgarian National Television (featuring BNT Channel 1 and TV Bulgaria), bTV and Nova Television among others. Top-circulation newspapers include 24 chasa, Trud, Sega and others.
Notable people
: See also: :Category:People from Sofia
People that were born in Sofia:
Sister cities
External links
Institutions of higher education
