Sofia
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Modern Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and its largest city with appr. 1,2 million residents.
Its history began as a Thracian settlement about 7000 years ago. It became to part of the Roman Empire as the capital of the Dacia Mediterranea province. Being a Byzanthine metropol it got name Sofia in 1376.
Recreation
Funsport Complex Konza
Situated in village of Konska, 50 kilometres away from Sofia, lies this complex for multiple sorts of fun. Families as well as those willing for teambuilding will sure enjoy here. Here is tracks for UTV and ATV driving, a lake for sport fishing
Funsport complex has its own lake for sport fishing, karting track with a wide variety of karts, bumper cars and archery, indoor games room with pool tables, darts, air hockey, hunting simulator and table tennis.
Shopping
Art Shop Hand Made (Gurgulyat str. 17) offers beautiful handmade decoratives made in traditional Bulgarian style.
Paradise Center mall (Cherni Vrah 100) has many nice shops for seeking souvenirs.
Something to explore
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
This beautiful Orthodox cathedral in address Aleksander Nevski Square is one of the largest in the world, and has been built in Neo-Byzantine style between 1888-1912. The cathedral’s dome is 45 m high (148 ft), with the bell tower reaching 53 metres (174 ft). The interior is decorated with Italian marble, onyx, and alabaster. There is a museum of Bulgarian icons inside the cathedral crypt, which is part of the National Art Gallery.
National Museum of Military History
This museum in address ul. Cherkovna 92 is dedicated to military history and weapons, and is administered by the Ministry of Defence of Bulgaria. Here a visitor can see e.g. the famous Katyusha rocket launcher, German Panzer IV, and Soviet-made missiles among the artillery, military cars and aircraft.
Borisova gradina
This oldest park of Sofia, lying southeast of the city centre, is a remarkable landmark and a recreation area.
Here is many cafés and play areas for children. Vast park area is also housing the Vasil Levski Stadium and CSKA Stadium. Statues and flowerbeds makes this park a popular place for strolling and sipping tea.
How to get around in Sofia
Public transportation in Sofia goes by bus, tram, metro or trolleybus. Timetables, pricing and the network of the local transport are visible here.
If you are traveling by public transport with a large suitcase or backpack, be sure to buy a separate ticket for your bag/case if sum of its dimensions are larger than 140cm (eg.60x40x40cm) or you might be fined! You need no an extra ticket for luggage on the metro. The fine for not having a ticket is 20 BGN. If you have no ticket for yourself and a big bag, that would be 40 BGN.
How to get in Sofia
Sofia has an international airport. List of its airlines and destinations is here. There are also domestic flights to/from Varna and Burgas.
There is a free shuttle bus operating between the terminals every 30 minutes between 7:00AM and 7:00PM. Outside of those hours, a free shuttle bus can be requested at the information desk or you can use Bus 84.
Eurolines Bulgaria is the main bus operator of international connections and it offers lines to/from e.g. Vienna, Belgrade, Paris and Prague. BalkanViator.com shows timetables between the destinations of Balkan cities.
Top 5 in Sofia
- Shopping traditional handicraft
- Renting a bike for sightseeing
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
- National Museum of Military History
- Borisova gradina park
Text: Timo Hellman
Photos: Wikimedia Commons with the CC licence / Bin im Garten, Делфина, Tourbillon[/fusion_text]
