First impressions can be deceiving…

On the surface of it, Sofia could be deemed a bit run down; long streets filled with nothing much to see, graffiti and smog hanging above the city. But take a little time and pay attention and you’ll start to see the independent art galleries in the occasional window, cafes and restaurants with fantastic food, craft beer bars and many, many public parks which actually make Sofia an incredibly fun and vibrant city, filled with art and creativity.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I didn’t know what to expect from Sofia – I booked the flight because it was cheap, and so was everything else (I spent £100 on this trip – not including hotel and flight). We arrived to a city which seemed grey and dull. A thick Beijing style smog obscured the surrounding mountains and there was a feel of old communism to some of the old buildings. But after an hour or so exploring we soon warmed to the city and it kept surprising us like this for the whole weekend.

Things to think about before you go

• Sofia is a country of weather extremes – summers are hot and winters are freezing. Pack sensibly.
• This place is cheap! I spend £100 in three nights; eating and really nice restaurants and sampling the craft beer included.
• Sofia has an air pollution problem.

Day one – exploring on foot

Our only plan was to take a stroll in the general direction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. From the hotel it was about a 30 minute walk, which wasn’t direct because occasionally there would be old orthodox churches worth visiting. One I particularity liked was the church of St Nikolas which is actually a Russian church and you can enter for free. But thew other churches are not on the scale of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral; the huge building completed in 1912 and can fit 10,000 people inside. It is sat in a wide open space so you can walk around it completely, which gives you a chance to take a look at the architecture. I found it quite fascinating because this was my first visit to an Eastern European country so I’d never seen anything like the design. You can enter the Cathedral for free but the museum has an entry fee. I loved the museum, it is full of religious pieces and art that depict the stories of the uniSt’s. Being English I liked the St George fighting a dragon. Afterwards we went for lunch at a place that, if you are vegetarian, you really should eat at – Sun Moon Bakery.Church of St NikolasArt at the Cathedral

The rest of the day was spent wandering between the few sites we wanted to see – I highly recommend Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church. Feel free to go in and take a look, there was a wedding going on when I went in so bare in mind it is very much a working church, this place is near the above restaurant; this area is where most of the bars and restaurants are located. After we crossed the eagle bridge and found ourselves at the football stadium which has an enormous park next to it. I can imagine when there is a game on this place is rocking; there are a few huge bars in the park surrounding an artificial lake. Walk further down the park if you visit because it is really nice and has statues and memorials which are interesting – I learned a bit about Bulgarias history here.Sveti Sedmochislenitsi ChurchMonument at the park

Medieval church, traditional food and craft beer

Day two, armed with a hangover from a rowdy Irish bar, we visited Boyana Church. It is on the outskirts of Sofia so a taxi was needed; about e10. The church itself is very small, but it is in a nice little park and it is all very serene. Outside there are a few restaurants but otherwise there isn’t much else in this area to do. But you must come and visit the church, it is a medieval and dates back to the 11th century and still has artwork on the walls inside. There is a fee for entry inside the church to see the art and only 8 people can visit at a time so you may have a bit of a wait. Remember, make sure you have a way of getting back into the city! We didn’t so we checked the map and saw it wasn’t too far to to walk to the National Historical Museum if we cut through the park next to us. Turns out the park isn’t open to visitors so we had to walk the entire way around. It wasn’t a plea sent walk. Fortunately the museum was fantastic and you should definitely go to get an understanding of Bulgaria’s history. That evening I ate at a great restaurant – Moma which was expensive by Bulgarian prices but well worth it. We drank in The Alehousenearby, again a little expensive compared to elsewhere but its location in a cellar and the self pouring beer taps on the walls were enough to make us stay all night – it is very busy and they don’t like it if you just come to drink.

Boyana Church

And with that, the weekend in Sofia was over. We took the set price taxi back to the airport – the smog had lifted on so we finally got to see the impressive mountains that surround the city, it is a shame the smog spoiled the views the rest of the time, but overall it Sofia was fun and vibrant and I fully recommend it!