I’ve offered detailed photo essays of my visits to the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the Museum Of Socialist Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, but here I will offer a broader sense of what this capital city is like.
My Walk Through Sofia, Bulgaria – A Photo Essay
These days I do not use public transport nearly as much as I did in my youth, but I did take the train from the airport into town and then once across town when I visited one of the war memorials. The Metro system is efficient and cheap, with clean stations and frequent trains.
While hardly unique to Sofia, it strikes me as a sad sign of the times that everyone keeps their head buried in their mobile phones, though perhaps it is not all that different than in decades past when people would instead be buried in newspapers or books…
A “yellow brick road” runs through the city, which includes an eclectic mix of architecture ranging from baroque to neoclassical to Soviet realist to modern (a bit like Bucharest).
This is a walkable city and a city full of pedestrians. Traffic is bad, but one reason is becuase there are so many zones intended for foot traffic only. If you need a taxi, download the TaxiMe app and even pay by foreign credit card, like Uber.
Taxies are quite cheap.
There are war memorials paying tribute to the “Great Patriotic War” and statues of other leaders and ideals.
And of course, there are many churches all over the city.
I’ve recommended a nice coffee place and when I return to the city I hope to try out some restaurants too, like Juno.
There’s even DM Drug Stores (first time I have seen one outside of Germany…I wish they would open up in the USA as Aldi has…)
Sofia is a vibrant and beautiful city that is worth a visit. I look forward to my next visit.
Thanks for that, Matthew – looks like a good mix of history with urban grit. I am hoping to visit Bulgaria for the first time this July and I am even tempted to deviate from my ‘urban hotels are only for sleeping and showering’ approach and stay in the rather swish looking MGallerys in Sofia and Plovdiv.
I have been to a fair few dm shops in Prague, according to Wikipedia they are all over central Europe and the Balkans!
This is what you are best at. Your photo essays are something I look forward to.
Nice! I’ll be there in June (and staying at the HR Sofia, which you also helpfully reviewed).
Next time take some time to walk around Plovdiv. Listen to gaida players. Try the meatballs at RAKETA RAKIA BAR. Smell the roses fresh from the Zornitza estate. Admire the Ceiling frescoes at Rila Monastery.
I really enjoy these photo essays, well done.
I do want to point out that traffic isn’t bad because there are pedestrian areas—traffic is bad because so many people choose to drive despite available alternatives. You can have cities that are all roads, and traffic is still terrible.
Btw, DM drug stores are now pretty common all over central/eastern Europe, and still expanding.
I’m so glad to hear that – I truly wish they would come to the USA. We spend a lot of time in DMs when we are in Germany!
#TeamRossman
Do they call it the Great Patriotic War in Bulgaria?
I’d like to visit that memorial nonetheless. BG fought in both sides, and then became occupied by the Soviet Union. Doesn’t seem like a great period in Bulgarian history.
That’s a good question – not sure what Bulgarians call it. Maybe someone can chime in?
Ask Tzvetina.
Matt – apologies if I missed this, but when were you there? Thanks! Not sure how much delay was in your posting period.
(I’m calibrating to not plan a trip during shoulder seasons if heavy coats may be needed. Looks like folks still protecting against the temps. Not spring wrappers or windbreakers.)
Last week in February. Was still cold, but not bad. Very pleasant now I suspect.