Last Updated on 26/04/2024 by kami
Sofia, Bulgaria might not be the prettiest of European capital, as you can see on many Sofia pictures. You won’t find here the charming old town with colorful, old houses but that shouldn’t stop you from visiting Sofia.
Why visit Sofia
The capital of Bulgaria is one of the oldest cities in Europe (it was inhabited already in the 30th century BC!) however, it was badly destroyed during World War 2. But even without many historical monuments, there are lots of great things to do in Sofia making it one of the best places to visit in Bulgaria.
The city is vibrant, you can find there many beautiful corners and the numerous green spaces are perfect for walking around and observe city life. There are also some great day trips from Sofia.
With all of these, you should really travel to Sofia soon!
Sofia essentials
- Airport transfer: Pre-book the airport transfer from Sofia airport to your accommodation in Sofia here.
- Where to stay in Sofia: Design Hotel 36 (9.1/10) / Art ‘Otel (9.1/10)
- Best Sofia tour: Sofia Private City Tour
- Best day trip from Sofia: Rila Monastery & Boyana Church Small Group Tour
- Get insured for your trip to Bulgaria with SafetyWing
Best Sofia photo locations
The most picturesque place in Sofia is definitely Saint Alexandar Nevsky Cathedral from the beginning of the 20th century. It looks like a giant wedding cake and is just the prettiest! Other churches, like Sveta Nedela or Seven Saints, are beautiful too but they are in the shadow of Saint Alexandar Nevsky Cathedral.
The area around Serdica metro station is filled with interesting places. Not only there are ruins of the ancient town Serdica but nearby you can also see Banya Bashi Mosque, Sofia synagogue, Sofia Public Mineral Baths (now the museum of the history of Sofia) and the Central Sofia Market Hall.
Largo, the complex of three impressive buildings next to Serdica metro station, is a perfect example of Socialist Classicism architecture in Sofia. But behind one of them, the Ministry of Education and Science, you will find a small Church of Saint George.
Fans of the Soviet remnants will definitely appreciate Soviet Art Museum with many sculptures from that time, including a few Lenins or Bulgarian leaders. It is located a bit away from the center but it’s definitely worth a trip.
Sofia has many great green spaces and pedestrian streets that are perfect for observing city life. The most important is, of course, Vitosha Boulevard, lined with numerous cafes, restaurants, and stores. This is one of the favorite places for locals to hang out and the street is busy until late night hours.
It’s also not difficult to find colorful houses and picturesque lanes in some of the backstreets. The best way to find them is to wander around without the map – you might be surprised what wonders you might find!
Sofia pictures
And here are some of my favorite Sofia pictures to show you that it’s worth planning a trip to Sofia soon!

Vitosha Boulevard early in the morning

Socialist Art Museum

Socialist Art Museum

Hidden cafe in Sofia

One of the backstreets

National Palace of Culture

Sveta Nedelya church and the old-fashioned tram

Sveta Petka church and one of the Largo buildings

Banya Bashi Mosque and remnants of ancient Serdica

Sofia Public Mineral Baths

Near Serdica metro station

President’s Office

One of the Sofia parks

In the center of Sofia

Alexandar Nevsky Cathedral

Alexandar Nevsky Cathedral

National Library

One of the parks

Sofia streets

Seven Saints Church

Sofia streets

Sofia street art

Beautiful architecture of Sofia

Old wall decorations in Sofia

Crystal Garden

Sofia street art

Russian Church in Sofia

Details on the beautiful building in Sofia

National Ethnology Museum

Sofia street art

Entrance to Sofia Public Mineral Baths

Sofia Public Mineral Baths

Banya Bashi Mosque

Sofia Synagogue

Entrance to Central Sofia Market Hall

Inside Central Sofia Market Hall

Impressive Sofia Court House

Colorful Graf Ignatiev street

Garibaldi Square

Ivan Vazov National Theater

Ivan Vazov National Theater

One of the hidden corners of Sofia

Saint George Church

Largo

Largo

Largo
Further reading
I published many articles about Bulgaria that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:
- 23 Amazing Places to Visit in Bulgaria
- Bulgaria itinerary – what to see in Bulgaria in 2 weeks
- 19 Amazing Things to Do in Sofia, Bulgaria
- 11 Wonderful Day Trips from Sofia, Bulgaria
- Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria – is this the prettiest town in the country?
- 7 Perfect Things to Do in Sozopol, Bulgaria
- 9 Great Things to Do in Burgas, Bulgaria
- Why you should visit Shumen, Bulgaria
- and more!
If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in the Balkans and ask your questions there.
Travel Resources
You can find the best accommodation options at Booking. They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Sofia
Never travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Bulgaria here.
I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here.
Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me.
For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:
- Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
- Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
- I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Bulgaria too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!
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6 Comments
Al
02/06/2020 at 19:41Love your passion for places and your style of writing about them. I come to.your site to find that refuge from daily chaos your site offers. Its nice to see how you keep discovering new and old places that I one day plan to visit. Best wishes , Al
kami
13/06/2020 at 18:27Thank you so much for your kind comment, Al, you just made my day!
Stanislava
25/08/2020 at 20:41A small correction about the picture you have named Ministry of Education and Science – in fact it shows the main entrance to the Presidency. From the publications about Russia on your blog I learned that you speak Russian, so you can read the Cyrillic letters on the building – Република България – Президент. Besides, two guards of the President in their uniforms are in sight. The Ministry of Education occupies a different part of the building (which is really a big one), with a separate entrance.
kami
27/08/2020 at 09:35Yes, of course you are right. Thank you for pointing it out! I though it is the President’s Office but then Google told me otherwise when I was checking the location before publishing the article and I got confused. I will change it right away, thank you!
Helen
14/09/2020 at 16:54Love the pictures of a beautiful city in a gorgeous country
kami
30/09/2020 at 11:24Thank you!