Sofia – Bulgaria

Sofia in Bulgaria is located inland by about 200 miles from the coastline in the centre of the Balkan Peninsula, which is surrounded by the Adriatic, Black and Aegean Seas. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and as you would expect for the region has a climate that is a welcome change from that in the UK.

One of the main tourist attractions is the Natural History Museum which was first opened in 1973. It is now located on the edge of Vitosha Mountain. It has a vast range of visits with most recent counts estimating more than 650,000 artifacts. It’s collection contains some of the oldest gold treasures in the world with some dating back more than 6,000 years.

There are a significant number of churches and monasteries in Bulgaria, this is mainly because during the years of foreign rule these areas were used as centres of learning and culture. The most famous of these are: Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is easily recognisable due to it’s gold dome. This relic was built between 1882 and 1912, and is definitely one of main landmarks of downtown Sofia.

St George Church is one of the oldest buildings in Sofia, it is closely located to the Sheraton Hotel. It is estimated that the Church was built in the 4^th century, with the Chuch currently operating as a museum.

Sofia has a wide range of parks which offer a respite from the noise and the crowds. The largest of these are the South Park which is located near to the Palace of Culture and the Boris Gardens, which are located near to the Sofia university buildings.

Due to the climate of Sofia, depending on the time of year that you visit will present you with different activities to take part in. If you are looking to ski, the best time to visit is between early December and the end of April.

During the Winter and Spring the weather in Sofia is warm and comfortable, although there is a reasonable amount of rain. Generally there are cool evenings and dewy mornings.

The summer brings heat and dry weather, most Summer days are pleasant with the mountains providing cool and refreshing evenings.

Sofia provides a wide range of restaurants and bars. The most popular of these include Etno, Pod Lipite (which provides organic food), and Tambuktu (a fish restaurant). When eating out in Sofia it is recommended that you tip in cash and a usual tip is considered to be around 15-20% of the meal price.

As you would expect there are wide number of night spots, with a number providing modern dance music with more traditional venues available as well.

Due to the nature of the location it is a tourist hotspot and is definitely worth a visit!