One of the most beautiful things to see in Sofia is definitely the National Theater Ivan Vazov, named after an important Bulgarian writer. The building dates back to 1906, it has been damaged several times over the years and renovated numerous times. The Viennese architect's Helmer & Fellner, responsible for a catalogue of extravagant buildings across Central Europe, built this theatre in 1909.

True to form the Ivan Vazov National Theatre is a grand neoclassical structure that remains the last word in Bulgarian culture to this day. The building with its towering portico is an iconic sight for Bulgaria, appearing on banknotes, and is most famous for its drama productions. Chief Director here is Alexander Morfov, responsible for acclaimed Bulgarian and Russian language adaptations of Shakespeare plays in Russia. In the square in front of it, there is also a pretty fountain and numerous benches and a café invite you to linger.

During the summertime, youths mostly live in the elegant garden enduring in front of the National Theater Ivan Vazov, the period after the sun sets down becomes the busiest time for beers, laughs, and chatting. Here you will find two varieties of people at all times – senior citizens playing chess and street musicians. In wintertime, it’s the place where the primary market Christmas takes place. The fountains and decorative lighting at the National Theater Ivan Vazov front boost the cosy surrounding.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
Website: https://nationaltheatre.bg/en
Tel: 359 2 811 9227
Hour: 8:00 AM - 19:00 PM
Google Rating: 4.8/5

The National Museum of Military History is an insider’s tip in Sofia and definitely not a place that everyone already knows about. Especially history buffs, and those interested in military equipment, will enjoy this museum. The museum was founded on July 4, 1916. In its nearly one hundred years, the Military Museum has collected almost a million items related to Bulgarian and European military history.

The National Museum of Military History is the only museum in Bulgaria that offers visitors three separate exhibitions – the outdoor display of military equipment, the permanent collection, and a range of other collections. The outdoor display has more than 230 examples of military artillery, aviation equipment, and marine equipment. Also on display are SCUD, FROG, and SS-23 missiles and missile launchers.

In the hall of military uniforms, there are some 600 displays arranged by period and rank so that visitors can view the wide range of uniforms worn by Bulgaria’s military. You can walk through the different exhibits showcasing different wars in which the Bulgarians were involved, and see the stories and war strategies come alive through the imagery and education. The National Museum of Military History also offers educational programs for younger visitors.

Location: Oborishte, Sofia, Bulgaria
Website: https://militarymuseum.bg/en/
Tel: 359 2 946 1805
Hour: 10:00 AM - 18:00 PM
Google Rating: 4.7/5

Saint Sofia Church was built during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. It is the second oldest church in the capital. In the 14th century, it donated its name "Sofia" to the city, which heretofore went by the name "Sredets." In the 19th century, the Saint Sofia Church was hit by two earthquakes. Restoration had to wait until 1900 after the Ottomans had left. It is likely the site of the Council of Serdica held in Sofia in 343

When you come to Saint Sofia Church, you can see the basic cross design of the present basilica with its two east towers and one tower cupola. It is thus a contemporary of the better-known Hagia Sophia church in Constantinople. The basilica has three altars. The floors are busy with early Christian mosaics having complex ornate animal and floral designs. You can now visit some of the remains of the ancient buildings and tombs that lie under the Sofia Church as part of a brand new fascinating museum that opened to the public in May 2013.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088088524168

Tel: 359 2 987 0971

Hour: 7:00 AM - 18:00 PM

Google Rating: 4.7/5

As one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, located in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia serves as one of the best places to visit in Sofia. Completed in 1912, today it is the second-largest church in the Balkans. The Nevski Cathedral was originally dedicated to the Russian soldiers that lost their lives in the course of this liberation. After the war for liberation between Russian-Turkish ended, this memorial was built in remembrance of all those who died in the battle for freedom.

St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral is a covenant to iconographic and architectural mastery. Every single thing from the great portraitures of saints, the huge wooden door, the picture of Providence pulled up on the roof, and the tzar’s throne is a must-view for all tourists. The main features are the cathedral’s central dome, which is 150 ft high and the bell down, which reaches 175 ft. The Nevski Cathedral is supported by three columns, between which there are wide openings and through which you can see the 12 bells. The crypt here is open to visitors and has a big collection of icons.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria

Website: https://www.cathedral.bg/

Tel: 359 2 988 1704

Hour: 7:00 AM - 19:00 PM

Google Rating: 4.7/5

The St. George Rotunda Church is a real gem and a visit is one of the best things to do during any city trip to Sofia. A special feature of this early Christian church made of red brick is its unique location in a courtyard between the Sofia Hotel Balkan and the seat of the President of Bulgaria. Originally, The St. George Rotunda Church was used for public purposes.

After the recognition of Christianity as a religion in the Roman Empire, the rotunda became a baptistery, due to the many conversions, following the authorization of this religion. The St. George Rotunda Church is part of a bigger archaeological complex. It is preserved as a whole until this day, it is assumed that some of the most important sessions of the Serdica universal summit was held in here.

The Rotunda Church is a cylindrical domed structure, built on a square base. Its width is about 9.5 meters in diameter and its height is about 14 meters. The altar room has a square form and four symmetrically placed niches. The rotunda itself is a central dome room with an oval plan over the square ground with semi-oval niches in the corners. Nowadays the temple is operational and performs daily worship in the Eastern church singing, also known as Byzantine music.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
Website: http://svgeorgi-rotonda.com/index.php/bg/
Tel: 359 2 980 9216
Hour: 7:00 AM - 18:30 PM
Google Rating: 4.6/5

One of the best museums in Sofia is the National Archaeological Museum. This fascinating museum was founded back in 1892. The structure of the Museum of Archaeology was changed in 2003 in order to improve its efficacy: two departments – Exhibitions and Depositories – were set up. The Archaeological Museum is the largest in Bulgaria and with its expositions is one of the most important centres in the country for popularizing the past of present-day’s Bulgarian lands.

With its scientific and museum potential, National Bulgarian Archeological Museum is the largest scientific institution for archaeology in Southeastern Europe. The various activities of the museum are carried out in close cooperation and interaction with the Archeological Museum in the country, state institutions, regional and local executive bodies and various non-governmental organizations. Today, visitors are amazed by the extensive collection of objects from the Stone and Bronze Ages, there are stunning ancient mosaics, pottery and sculptures, as well as valuable gold and silver treasures.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
Website: http://naim.bg/en/home/
Tel: 359 2 988 2406
Hour: 10:00 AM - 17:00 PM
Google Rating: 4.6/5

The National Palace of Culture (NDK) is the largest convention centre not only in Sofia but in the whole of the southeastern region of Europe. It was built in 1981 in celebration of the 1300th anniversary of the Bulgarian state. The idea for the construction of the NDK comes from the former Bulgarian first-lady Lyudmila Zhivkova. She was the daughter of the communist politician and leader of the former People’s Republic of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov. The project was worked out by a team of Bulgarian and foreign architects, led by Alexander Barov.

The National Palace of Culture is a hexagon shape and a mass of concrete & glass. More than 10,000 tons of steel were used for the construction of the palace. It contains 15 multifunctional halls, with a total capacity of more than 8,000 seats and more than 15,000 square meters of exhibition area. The wonderful spaces are spiritualized by more than one hundred works of monumental painting, sculpture, metal plastics and other genres. In the publicly accessible park, right next to the Palace of Culture, meet mainly locals, but also tourists for enjoying the unique atmosphere.

Location: Sofia, Bulgaria

Website: www.ndk.bg/за-нас

Tel: 359 2 916 6300

Hour: 9:00 AM - 20:30 PM

Google Rating: 4.5/5

The beautiful Boyana Church is one of the most important attractions in the area around Sofia. It is located about 10 kilometers outside the city center in the Boyana district of the same name, beneath the Witosha Mountain, and can be reached either by taxi or by bus. This medieval church has been on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1979. Boyana Church was built in three stages from the 1000s to the 1800s, but the most important additions were made during the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 1200s.

Boyana Church consists of three buildings. This site is one of the most complete and perfectly preserved monuments of east European medieval art. The paintings, by an unknown artist, include contemporary portraits of two Bulgarian rulers, Tsar Konstantin Assen and Tsar Koloyan, next to their wives. This is when the fabulous interior frescoes were painted, depicting some 240 historical and biblical figures in a realistic style 200 years before renaissance artists were doing the same in Boyana Church.

Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Website: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/42/
Tel: 359 2 959 0939
Hour: 9:30 AM - 19:00 PM
Google Rating: 4.5/5

Utilized as the city’s first public bath called the Central Mineral Bathhouse in the early 20th century, the Sofia History Museum is a space that shares with visitors Sofia’s history. It was founded on 5 May 1973 and it is Bulgaria's largest museum. The Regional Historical Museum is housed in the former dictator Todor Zhivkov’s residence. It’s a hulking slab of Stalinist architecture fronted by a massive open yard. The museum includes a cloakroom, cafe, library and souvenir shop. It undertakes professional conservation and restoration of historical monuments and authenticity investigations.

The collection at the Regional History Museum is gigantic; the 65,000 items on display are just one-tenth of what is held behind the scenes in its archives. The variety of items here is also mind-boggling, going from 20th-century space research equipment to treasures belonging to the Odrysians who held sway in Bulgaria until they were conquered by the Romans in the 1st century. You can peek at the mineral springs beside the Regional History Museum, although not in use anymore, and share a visual of the abundance and common practice of mineral spring water fountains throughout the city.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
Website: https://www.sofiahistorymuseum.bg/en/
Tel: 359 2 985 4455
Hour: 10:00 AM - 18:00 PM
Google Rating: 4.4/5

Banya Bashi Mosque was constructed in Sofia in 1576 on the site of the ancient baths. Bulgarian word for baths is "banya" thus it gave this mosque its name. It was designed by the famous architect Mimar Haji Sinani. Once there were 70 mosques in Sofia, but today the mosque is the only one still functioning.

Banya Bashi Mosque is shaped like a cube and crowned by a large dome with a tall minaret standing next to it. The interior of the mosque is decorated with colourful ornaments and sayings from the Koran or Quran. Muslims are not allowed to portray animals or humans so you will not see their depictions here. There are also the ruins of a hammam next door. The muezzin calls the worshippers to prayer 5 times a day every day with a loudspeaker on the minaret.

Banya Bashi Mosque is no entrance fee. The present state of the mosque gives it the possibility of praying with about 700 Muslims on Friday days. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, including women, if modestly dressed. You should remember to take your shoes off when you enter. You can take photos inside the Banya Bashi Mosque, although it is always best to ask as there may be someone praying at the time of your visit.

Location: Sofia Center, Sofia, Bulgaria

Website: http://www.sofia-guide.com/attraction/banya-bashi-mosque-sofia/

Tel: 359 2 981 6001

Hour: 6:00 AM - 20:00 PM

Google Rating: 4.4/5