Things To Do in Sofia
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Sofia Attractions
Sofia has enough museums, churches, and street life to set aside at least 1 day to explore it. If you're based in the central city, all of Sofia's attractions can be viewed in a walking tour, outlined below, with only the Boyana Church and National History Museum requiring a 20-minute taxi journey. Both are located in the suburb of Boyana. It's best to hire a taxi to travel to Boyana Church and ask your driver to wait. The viewing of the tiny church won't take more than the 10 minutes each visitor is allowed, and the taxi driver then can drop you off at the National History Museum (just over 2km/1 1/4 miles away), a visit that could take up 3 hours, depending on your interest.
Feeling Devout -- The best time to experience any of Sofia's Orthodox Churches is when the domes are filled with the sonorous sounds of chanting, and the candelabras are ablaze with the flickering flames lit by the devout for the living and the dead. Religion is alive and thriving in Bulgaria, and the ritual and huge and varied community it serves -- from young vamps in figure-hugging jeans and snakeskin boots, to aged widowers in black bent over walking sticks -- can affect even the most jaded traveler. Note that candles for the dead are placed on the floor, while candles for the living are around eye height. Daily liturgy usually takes place at 8am and 5pm; at Alexander Nevski the Saturday vigil occurs at 6:30pm, while the Sunday evening Mass is at 9:30pm.
Sofia Shopping
Most visitors head for TZUM, a relatively small shopping mall opposite the Sheraton, or the boutiques lining Vitosha Boulevard, Sofia's main shopping street. Hristo Botev Street runs parallel to Vitosha, and has better bargains, like Decade (no. 16), stocking locally produced cotton leisure wear, and Rumi Factory Outlet (no. 23), where you can pick up relatively cheap Bulgarian leather products. Inveterate shoppers should also include a wander down Graf Ignatief and Tsar Ivan Shishman streets. Fashionistas looking for local designs make a beeline for the bohemian creations at Atelie Mirela Bratova (no. 4), peruse the collections at Magazine No 10 (no. 4) or, if you prefer a more quirky take, keep going to 525 (no. 525).
Pirotska (near TZUM, opposite the mosque) is another popular shopping street, and it's a more pleasant experience than Vitosha Boulevard. Stroll down here or head north after a few blocks to get to the Zhenski Pazar. Stepping into this open-air market after Vitosha and Pirotska feels like time travel, with the clientele picking through heaps of fresh produce a century away from their high-heeled counterparts perusing the racks in glitzy boutiques.
Bulgarian Folk Crafts
Alexander Nevski Square Flea Market -- If the weather is fine, this open-air arts and crafts flea market in front of the cathedral and St. Sofia Church is the best place to browse for bargain-priced icons (though not equally so; don't buy at the first stall). Also on offer are embroidered tablecloths, Russian dolls, knitted socks, handmade toys, ceramics, various carved items, and so-called antiques (coins, uniforms, medals), many dating from the Communist era.
Sofia Nightlife
Sofia's music, opera, and dance seasons are at their peak during the spring and early summer, but by mid-July most of the city's actors and artists have, like the rest of the population, deserted the sweltering capital and migrated to the coast, taking the city's cultural life with them. This also affects the general nightlife scene, which quiets down in Sofia when it takes off on the coast. To find out what's on during your stay, take a look at www.programata.bg, pick up one of the free seasonal or monthly guides, or purchase a copy of the weekly English newspaper, Sofia Echo.
Theater performances are almost always in Bulgarian, so stick to music concerts or opera. Tickets are extremely affordable relative to what you'd pay in a western European city, and while performances don't usually star top-end performers, there always are foreign imports with impeccable credentials. The monolithic National Palace of Culture (NDK), 1 Bulgaria Sq. (tel. 02/916 6208; www.ndk.bg), built in 1981 (ostensibly to mark the year Bulgaria turned 1,300), is the place to be during the Salon Des Arts Sofia, which usually runs mid-May to mid-June; as does the International Sofia Music Weeks Festival, hosted in the Bulgaria Hall and Bulgaria Chamber Hall, home to the Bulgarian philharmonic orchestra, 1 Aksakov St. (tel. 02/987 7656). Described as "the jewel in Sofia's cultural crown," the Sofia National Opera, 1 Vrabcha St., off Rakovski Street (tel. 02/981 1549), is where the city's most talented artists and guest performers from all over Europe play out the great opera and ballet classics. Check out what's on while you're there by logging onto www.operasofia.bg/index.php. If you're looking for a more avant-garde experience, check out the hip and happening Red House Centre for Culture and Debate (www.redhouse-sofia.org).
The Sofia nightlife scene is low-key but vibrant, with plenty of nightclubs and trendy bars in the city. The following three are staples, but it's worth mentioning that Brilliantine, 3 Moskovska St., is hugely popular, attracting a diverse and interesting crowd, as does gay-friendly Chillout Café, 6 Baba Nedelya St., just behind the NDK.
