Sofia is the capital city of the Republic of Bulgaria. It is the largest city in the country, with about 1.4 million inhabitants including those in the suburbs. This city is situated in western Bulgaria and it lies at the foot of the famous Mount Vitosha.Keep reading
Sofia is located 130 kilometers northwest of Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria; about 300 kilometers west of Burgas; and more than 300 kilometers west of Varna, Bulgaria’s main port-city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast (BBSC).
It is situated 200 kilometers from the boundaries of three countries, particularly 55 kilometers from the Kalotina on the Serbian boundaries, 133 kilometers from Gyushevo on the frontier with Macedonia, and more than 100 kilometers from the Greek boundaries of Kulata.
Sofia is the cultural, administrative, educational, and economic center of Bulgaria. It is considered an active Eastern European capital because of its unique combination of Communist and European-style architecture and several attractive orthodox churches. Sofia was founded about 7,000 years ago.
The Boyana church that lies close to Sofia is one of the most valuable memorials of the European and Bulgarian culture. It boasts of frescoes that are highly acclaimed by experts as great examples of medieval art the twelfth century.
Climate
Sofia has a humid continental weather with a high temperature amplitude. The coldest month in Sofia is January while August is the hottest. Up to 1936, the usual yearly temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Since then, however, the temperature has risen by +1 degree Fahrenheit.
Sofia receives about 650 millimeters of rainfall every year, with winter having the minimum average and summer having the maximum. Temperatures in the city usually remain cooler compared to some parts of Bulgaria in the summer because of the high altitudes of the valley where the city is located.
Culture
Nightlife and Music
Sofia has a wide variety of nightlife offerings, with several pubs, live venues, nightclubs, restaurants, and mehani, the Bulgarian traditional taverns. Sofia also has played host to several world star concerts.
Museums
The city is home to numerous museums, including the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the National Polytechnical Museum, the National Museum of Military History, the Ethnographic Museum, and the Museum of Earth and Men. In addition, there are also the Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts, the Sofia City Art Gallery, and the Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art as well as several private art galleries.
Points of Special Interest
Sofia is also home to many points of special interest, including the Sofia State Library, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Russian Cultural Institute, the British Council, the Hungarian Institute, the Slovak and Czech Cultural Institute, as well as the French Cultural Institute, Italian Cultural Institute, Instituto Cervantes, the Open Society Institute, and the Goethe Institute. It also includes the St. Cyril and St. Methodius National Library, the oldest cultural institute in the country home to the largest national book collection. Sofia is also famous for its Boyana Church, which is considered as a UNESCO world heritage site. The city is also home to the Sofia Zoological Garden was founded in 1888.
Tourist Attractions
- Church of St. George – It is located in the courtyard of Sheraton Sofia hotel and the late Roman rotunda, which dates back to the fourth century. This church was assembled with several red bricks and is considered as the oldest building situated in Sofia. It is also famous for its medieval frescoes in the central dome, which date back from the twelfth to the fourteenth century.
- Church of St. Sophia –It is the second oldest church in Bulgaria and is where the city took its name. In the second century CE, the church was built on the location of the Roman theater, the spot of numerous earlier churches and places of worship which date back to the days when the church was the necropolis of the Roman town of Serdica.
- Alexander Nevsky Cathedral – It is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia and is built in Neo-Byzantine style. The church serves as a cathedral church of Patriarch in Bulgaria. It is one of the prime Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the globe and one of the city symbols and prime tourist attractions. It occupies an area of more that 3,000 square meters and can accommodate 5,000 people.
- St. Nedelya Church – It is also an Eastern Orthodox Church in Sofia and serves as the cathedral of the Sofia bishopric of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. St. Nedelya is a medieval church that has gone through a lot of destruction and reconstruction several times. In 1925, the church was razed in the assault that claimed more than 150 victims. It was reconstructed to its modern appearance after that.
- Church of St. Patka – It is also a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church situated in Sofia. This church features a crypt, a hemispherical apse, and a semi-cylindrical vault discovered during excavations after Second World subway. It is a one-nave edifice dedicated to the eleventh century Bulgarian saint, St. Petka.
- Russian Church – It is a Russian Orthodox church located on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard in middle Sofia. This church is officially known as the Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle Maker. The church was built in 1914 and is dedicated to the patron saint of the Russian Tsar at the period of Nicholas II.
How to Get Around
- By Mini-Bus – By marshrutki, or mini-bus, is usually the fastest way to go anywhere without using a car. The prices are 1.50 leva or about 0.75 euro.
- By Public Transport – The city has an efficient and well-developed transport system, including a subway line, trams, trolleys, and buses. The public transportation operates from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm. Taxis are the only alternative public transportation at night.
The price of a single ticket is about 1.00 leva or 0.50 euro, which can only be paid in local currency. There are 4.25 leva or 7.50 leva tickets for only one passenger and a daily card, which is valid in all lines. You can purchase the ticket from nearby kiosk and punch it right away after you enter the vehicle.
There are 93 bus lines, 16 trams, 9 trolleys, and 1 metro line. Several buses cover areas outside the city center, such as neighboring villages. Some useful routes are bus numbers 84 and 284, which operate from the airport to the center and to and from the bus and train stations to Orlov.