Sofia, Bulgaria in 3 Days: What to Do, What to Skip

When we were learning world capitals in school, one of them stuck with me for obvious reasons: Sofia, Bulgaria. Not many people get a whole city with their name on it, so I decided at like nine years old that I was going to see it one day. It only took me seventeen years.

Quick context if you’re new here: my mom and I do one big trip a year, and this summer was the Balkans. Who said you’re ever too old to travel with your parents? Not me, I love it.

We started with a week in Albania (I wrote the whole thing up, including how we saw three countries without a car), and while I was staring at the map, I realized Sofia was so close. We could not be in the Balkans and skip Bulgaria. So I booked it. I plan, and my mom comes along. Her way of planning is basically watching a couple of YouTube videos the week before and then reminding me to include the most obvious things in the itinerary.

Anyways, we spent three days in Sofia: two in the city, one on a day trip to Rila Monastery.

This is everything we did, what it cost, what I’d skip, and everything you’ll want to know about when planning your trip.

Btw, the Balkans in general get a confused look when you tell people you’re going. Everyone wants the south of France or Portugal, which I’ve done and would do again, but if you want something different, not crowded and affordable, this is it.

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Sofia at a glance

• Days needed: 2 in the city, 1 for Rila Monastery. Three is the sweet spot.
• Best for: a calm stop on a bigger Europe itinerary, Orthodox architecture, affordability
• We went: July. Hot, no crowds.
• Do not miss: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the lamb at Shtastliveca, Rila Monastery.
• Skip: the restaurants with photos on the menu, a fourth day.

Getting to Sofia

Nobody flies to Sofia from the US as the final destination, and honestly I don’t think you should either. It’s a three-day stop on a bigger Europe trip. Fly into whatever hub is cheapest that week (London, Madrid, Amsterdam), then hop over. There are plenty of flights from all over Europe, and you will not struggle to find one.

One thing about the Balkans that surprised me: not all countries have trains.

Albania never finished building theirs, so you can’t travel by train between all Balkan countries. So, that’s something to keep in mind when putting together your itinerary. However, there are plenty of affordable flights. We flew from Tirana to Sofia first thing in the morning, about two hours, and the flight was around $200.

Where to stay in Sofia

Sofia is small, so when looking for hotels, look inside the city center. Everything in this post is within a 20-minute walk of Alexander Nevsky, and we never took a single bus or metro.

Around Vitosha Boulevard and Serdika (the center): where we stayed and where you should stay. The churches, the Presidency, the City Garden, the restaurants, and Central Market Hall are all right there. Best mix of price and location.

We stayed at Art Hotel 158. Central, walking distance to every church and every stop in this post, around $100 a night, spacious room. The location was perfect. The hotel itself is a little weird. It’s a restaurant with an art gallery next door that also happens to have rooms, so checking in is confusing. But it had everything we needed and I have zero real complaints.

The reason we ended up there is that I booked it maybe two weeks before, and by then most of the central hotels were either gone or crazy expensive. Lesson learned. Book Sofia three to four weeks out if you want something nicer at a good price, the city is small and the good central options go.

Bonus for the location: Central Market Hall is a few minutes away, so on the way back to the hotel we’d stop in, grab water and snacks, and call it a night. Very on brand for us.

They use the Cyrillic alphabet

I have never felt so lost in my life.

Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet, so a restaurant sign, a hotel sign, a street name, I understood none of it. I guess this is great preparation for my trip to Japan later this year.

And I learned something embarrassing: I always thought of Cyrillic as “the Russian alphabet,” but it was actually invented in Bulgaria over a thousand years ago. Russia just made it famous.

On top of that, a lot of people don’t speak English.

Not the taxi drivers, not the people at the restaurants, unless you’re at a well-known spot or your hotel. That plus the alphabet made it a genuinely different experience, and I loved it.

Day 1: The historic center

We landed on a Sunday, checked in early, and just walked around.

Our hotel was right by the center and everything was on foot.

Small thing you need to know about my mom: I was raised Catholic and she believes that every time you enter a new church you get to make a wish. So she stops at every single new church. Which means day one in Sofia turned into a church tour, and honestly it’s the right way to see the center anyway because the churches are the sights.

And if you’re wondering why there are so many, it’s because Sofia has been a city for about 2,000 years and Christian for most of them. The little ones, like the Rotunda, are Roman. The half-buried ones were built under the Ottomans. And the huge gold ones, like Alexander Nevsky, went up after Bulgaria became independent in 1878 and wanted a capital that looked like one.

Churches to visit in Sofia

Church of the Seven Saints (Sveti Sedmochislenitsi): we walked past this one. Pretty, worth a look, not a must-enter.

Church of St. George (the Rotunda): the oldest building in Sofia, a round red-brick Roman church from the 300s, hiding in a courtyard behind the Presidency. We went in, and it feels like stepping into the past. Dark, old, faded frescoes on the walls, really beautiful. Don’t skip it.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral: the one you cannot skip, even if you’re not religious. The gold domes look like nothing else I’d seen in Europe, due to the Russian architectural influence, and inside it’s the opposite of a Catholic church: no pews, very dark, very ornate, and enormous.

Bulgaria got its independence from the Ottomans in 1878 because Russia went to war for it, so the country built this cathedral to say thank you, named it after a Russian saint, and hired a Russian architect to design it. Which is why it looks like it belongs in St. Petersburg. Same reason you see so many domes and gold around the city: it’s Orthodox, and the architects were Russian.

Church of St. Sofia: the church that gave the city its name. It’s the plain red-brick basilica right next to Alexander Nevsky, and it’s easy to walk past because it looks like a warehouse. Don’t. It’s from the 500s, older than the city being called Sofia, which happened in the 1300s when people started naming the town after the church. Underneath there’s a crypt with the Roman tombs the church was built on top of.

The Presidency building: we got lucky and walked past right as the guards were changing. It happens every hour on the hour, so plan a pass-by. The St. George Rotunda is in the courtyard behind it.

Ancient Serdica (the ruins by the metro): Sofia was the Roman city of Serdica, and when they built the Serdika metro station they dug straight into it. Now the streets, and house foundations sit under glass domes in the middle of the city, and you can walk through them for free on your way between the churches. Ten minutes, worth it, and a reminder that this city is way older than it looks. Older than Rome!!

City Garden

We took a break at the City Garden, which is gorgeous, and got coffee at Ritz Specialty Coffee. This coffee shop is the reason I’d go back to Sofia. It feels like you’re in France, the coffee was huge (a shock after Albania), they have wine and pastries and it’s aesthetic in the way that makes you take forty photos. Best coffee of the trip.

Vitosha Boulevard

For dinner, go to Vitosha Boulevard.

It’s the pedestrian street with the mountain at the end of it and it’s wall-to-wall restaurants and shops. Here is also where you’ll find souvenirs.

We googled our way to Shtastliveca, which I still cannot pronounce, and it was packed but we got a table. I 100% recommend this restaurant!

I had no idea Bulgarian food was going to be this good.

We got the lamb and it was falling apart, so juicy, possibly the best lamb I’ve had in my life. Also the eggplant in tomato sauce. The plates are gigantic, so order less than you think. The whole dinner was around $50 to $60 for two.

A note on walking back at night: Sofia felt safe, we never felt in danger, but a lot of streets near the center are very dark and very empty. We weren’t scared, but definitely felt like we needed to pay more attention than we would in other cities. Better safe than sorry.

Day 2: Vitosha Boulevard and the neighborhoods

Monday. Everyone’s at work, not much is going on, and that was exactly what we wanted after a week of day trips in Albania.

We started at St. Nedelya Cathedral, and the inside is stunning. It’s the opposite of the Catholic churches I grew up in: one huge open space, a giant chandelier hanging from the dome, paintings covering every inch of the walls, and gold everywhere.

The history is wild, too. There’s been a church on this spot since the 900s, but the one you’re standing in is from the 1930s, because in 1925 communists blew up the original during a funeral, trying to kill the king. He survived, over a hundred people didn’t, and it’s still one of the worst attacks in Bulgaria’s history. They rebuilt it bigger.

Then we wandered Vitosha Boulevard and the little shops.

Bulgaria is famous for roses and rose oil, so the rose beauty products are everywhere. Everyone recommends BioFresh Cosmetics on the boulevard, and I went in ready to buy. Then I read the labels. Almost everything, I’d say 90%, listed artificial fragrance, in a country that literally produces the rose oil. I don’t put synthetic fragrance on my skin (I wrote about why here), so I walked out with nothing. If you’re not picky about that, the shop is cute and has plenty of stuff from soaps to lotions and everything in between.

I also took advantage of being in Sofia to get a shirt that said ‘I <3 Sofia’ for a guy who was not yet my boyfriend. There is no other city on earth where I can give a man that without him thinking I’m crazy. Would he be wrong though? Not sure.

Museums to visit in Sofia

I have a confession to make: I am museumed out. This might make you think I’m uncultured or dumb, BUT I have been traveling for a while, and contrary to popular belief, at some point it all starts looking the same.

I’m in a phase where I’d rather learn the history and culture through a different kind of experience than walking around looking at very old art. Ironically, this is coming from someone who took five art history classes in college and went to every art museum in Italy. Maybe next year I’ll be back into museums, who knows. But on this trip I went to exactly zero and I loved it. If you’re not in your museum phase either, these are the two worth it.

National History Museum

It’s in Boyana, about 20 minutes by taxi from the center, in a former communist government residence, and it’s where the Thracian gold treasures are. If you only have museum energy for one, and you like ancient gold, this is it. Pair it with Boyana Church since they’re neighbors.

The Red Flat

The one museum I actually wanted to visit. It is an apartment set up exactly as a family would have lived in communist Bulgaria in the 70s. It’s small, it’s specific, and it tells you more about the country than a big history museum would.

The rest of the day was coffee, food, walking. Perfect. We went to bed early because the next morning we did a very exciting day trip.

Day 3: Rila Monastery

I know. A monastery. I also thought “how exciting can this be.” BUT OMG, it was absolutely gorgeous. I could live there. It is the most beautiful monastery I have ever seen and the photos do not come close.

It’s about two hours from Sofia, tucked into the Rila mountains (people ski nearby in winter), and the whole complex is striped black and white and red with painted arcades everywhere.

It’s a UNESCO site, it was founded in the 10th century, and my mom and I just stood there surprised. Cover your shoulders and wear pants or a long skirt, they enforce it.

The history was genuinely interesting (the frescoes are all heaven and hell and the meaning behind each scene). We had about three hours of free time, which was plenty, and we spent it eating. Shopska salad, obviously. It’s the Balkan tomato-cucumber-feta salad, it was our favorite thing in Albania too, and you have to order it at least once.

Even if you’re only in Sofia for two days, cut a city day and do this instead. It’s the best thing in Bulgaria that I saw.

We booked this exact tour: Rila Monastery Day Tour

It was around $30 per person! We had a great experience overall; transportation was great, and the tour guide was knowledgeable.

Every place in this post, including the restaurants and the day trip stops, is pinned on my Google Maps list with notes. Drop your email and it’s yours.

How many days do you actually need in Sofia?

Two days in the city plus one day trip. That’s it.

I was so excited to go, and I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed that it isn’t more of a tourist city, which I don’t know why I expected. It’s not big, even for a capital. It’s a beautiful city to live in. But as a tourist, if you stay three or more days without leaving the city, you will get bored.

Other day trips you can do

Plovdiv: the one I actually wanted. Old town, Roman theater, supposedly gorgeous. It was just too far for us after a week of nothing but day trips in Albania.

Seven Rila Lakes: if you like nature, this is your day. It looks stunning. I wanted to do it, my mom looked at me like “I am not hiking on my vacation,” and that was the end of that.

What things cost

More than Albania, way less than Germany or the Netherlands, about Spain or slightly under.

• Hotel: under $100 a night, central
• Dinner for two at a good restaurant: $50 to $60
• Coffee: around €5
• Taxi to the airport: $15 to $20 for a 40-minute drive
• Rila Monastery day trip: a little under $30 per person and we booked only 2 days in advance

Sofia travel tips

Money: Bulgaria is on the euro now (they switched at the start of 2026), so no exchanging. Card worked everywhere for us, including the restaurant at the monastery. We didn’t need cash at all.

Airport: I used TaxiMe, the local Uber-type app, to get to the hotel. For the 5am flight out we asked the hotel to call a taxi the night before. It’s about 30 minutes from the center.

Getting around: we walked everywhere in the city. The center is compact.

Language: limited English outside hotels and the well-known restaurants. Translate app with the camera.

Safety: safe, but the streets get dark and empty at night. Be aware, not paranoid.

Restaurants: stay away from anywhere with photos on the menu. We had one meal where the plate looked like it came from a different restaurant than the picture. Not close. Not even trying.

When to go: we went in July. Hot, but not too hot, and no crowds at all, which is the whole appeal of the Balkans right now. The tourists we did see were European, a lot of them Spanish for some reason. We did not meet one American or one other Hispanic person.

Wellness in Sofia

I’ll be honest, I didn’t do anything wellness-specific here, but Sofia is one of the few capitals literally sitting on hot springs. There are public fountains by the old Central Mineral Baths building where locals fill bottles with warm mineral water for free, and there are thermal bath complexes just outside the city. If I go back it’s on the list.

What I did do: walked all day, ate the shopska salad every chance I got, and left the artificial-fragrance rose products on the shelf. My travel supplement kit came with me as always, that whole routine on how I stay healthy while traveling is here.

Next stop was Prague. If you want the rest of the summer, and my next big trip, leave your email here. Think of it as the coffee continuing.