SofiaTraveller.info

Sofia City Guide

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:53:20 +0000

Sofia lies in the west of Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha, and is a city that is fast developing a reputation as a great place to go for a weekend break.

Sofia offers superb value for money, a wide variety of attractions to keep you occupied during the day, and a thrilling nightlife that revolves around the many bars and clubs that open late and give revellers the chance to dance until dawn.

The long history of the city stretches back some 2000 years, and many different influences have come to bear on the architecture and culture of the city, from th Byzantine skyline created by the many ornate churches to the stalinist outlines of the buildings erected during the communist era following the second world war.

The City’s long history is best exemplified by the thermal spas that have drawn visitors to Sofia since Roman times, and still operate to this day, albeit in more modern buildings than before, and in the mix of cultures that create the modern city, which lies uneasily at the very fringes of Europe and shares as much with Turkey and the middle east as it does with the nearby balkan states.

As the era of post communist modernisation sweeps through Sofia like a wind, changes happen daily, with new buildings being built, and old ones being torn down.

Sofia is a city of contrasts, where east meets west, and where old meets new, it’s a fascinating place to visit, and one that rewards travellers with the sights and sounds of rebirth. The city’s motto is “ever growing, never old” and this is more true today than ever before.

The Flea Market in Sofia

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:00:15 +0000

The flea market in Sofia, this one which is next to Alexander Nevski Cathedral, is very interesting place.

The sellers always pretend that their goods are antiques, original and unique – who knows maybe they are right :).

If you are a fan of such markets, by all means visit this one next to Alexander Nevski Cathedral.

You can’t just go strait trough flea market, because there are very kind people who want to show you something, of course it is on the best possible price, they almost sell it for no money :). Do you like to haggle about the price? This is your place!

What I like here are embroidery and necklaces made from semi precious stones.
At the middle of the flea market, there is a small street aside, where you can find great variety of icons by Bulgarian artists. I bought icon of Virgin Maria for my mom and she loves it. It is great place to choose from hundreds of icons. There are big, middle and small sizes. Sometimes the artists are also the sellers and you can speak with them about their art work.
If the day is sunny, this place looks amazing – icons illuminate under the sun shine and there is something in this place. Maybe the proximity of Alexander Nevski cathedral also gives magic to this place.

Sofia Souvenir Shop

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:55:41 +0000

There are many souvenirs shops in Sofia, don’t be afraid you can buy souvenirs even when you leave Sofia, after check in at Sofia airport there are some souvenirs shop.

But if you want to enjoy Bulgarian folk art and crafts I recommend to visit souvenir shop in the Royal Palace (at the same building is National Ethnographic museum).

The shop is at Sofia city center, the address is 2 Alexander Batenberg square. When you climb the stairs, enter Royal Palace and on the right is the door of souvenir shop.

Here you can buy very nice Bulgarian souvenirs.

Bulgarian embroidery - silk and cotton shirts and blouses, children’s blouses and dresses, table clothes, serviettes, handkerchiefs, scarves, albums. I like very much this old style embroudery, I have red table cloth and really enjoy to use it.

Fabrics - carpets from Chiprovci village, rugs, fleecy rugs, tufted rugs, pillows.

Knitting work - cardigans, shawls, socks, sweaters. Sweaters are so warm and useful during the cold winters.

Dolls, wearing national costumes from various Bulgarian regions (in the past every region has its own typical costume). Mummer’s masks and mummer dolls, mural dolls. If you visit the Ethnographic museum, please buy also a ticket for a guide who will tell you interesting stories about the Old Bulgarian clothes.

National Music instruments - shepherd’s pipes (kaval), dvoianka, ocarinas, bagpipes, gadulka, tamboura. I am not sure you can use this souvenirs like real musical instruments, but there are CDs and DVDs at the shop with recorded music, buy one that have examples with all possible Bulgarian instruments, their sound is very specific and differ from anything you have been heard.

Pretty Things Shop

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:53:56 +0000

Even you are devoted to Sofia shopping it is less probably to get into Pretty Things shop. This small store is at the heart of Sofia, very close to the Patriarh Evtimii Str. (one of the important streets in Sofia), but its entrance is from 6th September Str.

If you go there with taxi cab, tell to the drive to bring you to the corner of the above streets. The exact address is 21B Patriarh Evtimii Str, entrance is on 6th September str.

This small store is amazing, full of colors and brightness. Even if you don’t buy anything it is nice view for your eyes.

At Pretty Things shop you can find hand made quilt, beddings, dolls, pillows, and cushions – all made from good quality cotton combined with patchwork imagination.

There are gift ideas for kids, for your home, for friends and every mom will fall in love with these beddings. What I really like here is that all things have souls, yes, I can listen to their breathing :).

I remember when I was a kid I was a keen fan of Muppet Show – Kermit the Frog was my favorite hero together with Miss Piggy (I found her absolutely charming and gorgeous).

These dolls remember me these days. I want to hug them, to play theatre and make laughing many kids.

Can you imagine the price of a doll is only 39 BGN or under 20 euros!

On the same price is this cloth height measure, you can hang it on the wall and track child’s growth. It is so sad that the highest number is 150 and I can’t fit to it.

But if I measure myself in inches not in centimeters, hey, I can buy this for me :).

I like this style of child room decoration, it is made from real materials (not some high tech material, that have no soul), it says to children “be natural, express yourself, be kid, enjoy every moment”.

Uauu, I become philosopher, I have to stop drinking beer while I am writing this page lol. By the way, Erdinger is a perfect beer, I love it!

Back to Sofia shopping – candles! What to say, you see variety, colors and aromas.

Behind the candles is one of the many cases for a blanket or for a quilt. I don’t know it is me that like blue and blue combinations or you also like this patchwork?

Don’t worry, there are color combination for every taste. Prices start from 200 to 400 BGN (100 to 200 euros).

You can choose from different sizes – for big bed, small bed, king size, or I am sure they can make it according to your specification. Just assure you stay long enough in Sofia.

See below what else you can find at Pretty Things Shop. I hope I’ve helped you enjoy Sofia shopping.

Icons Street Market

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:47:36 +0000

If you are facing the main entrance of the Cathedral you will see on the right hand side the Street antiques market than you will see the small street along the Synodal Palace an you can’t miss it. There is a good choice of icons. The quality is more or less the same as the qualty of the icons sold in the Crypt. Do not forget to ask if the icon has a certificate it is not “national treasury” in other words you are not exporting a unique piece of art that should stay within Bulgarian borders. Otherwise, you might have some problems when going trough the Customs. If there is no cerificate, the vendor might offer to fitch up one but bear in mind that the serificates are issued by the National Art Gallery only on Wednesdays and Fridays. So, if you really want to by an icon take this into consideration.Icons, Iconostasis

Antiques, Sofia

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:43:06 +0000

Here you can find piles of rubbish but if you an expert in antiques you can find something valuable on a decent price. They sell everything there, nazi staff, Russian staff from the communist times, Bulgarian medals, daggers, etc. from the WWI and WWII period. Of course, they will swear that whatever they sell is authentic but you never know And, of course, whenever they see a foreigner they try to rip him off. No need to worry for communication problems if you are alone, they speak foreign languages to some extend, only you will have to pay a higher price. So, it is a good idea to have a Bulgarian with you to help you negotiating the price. Anyway, the place has its own athmosphere and I find it amusing to walk around from time to time.

antiques

whatever you find reasonable to pay

Theme: Antiques

Directions: When you walk to the main entrance of Alexander Nevski Cathedral you will see it on your right hand side

National Art Gallery

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:37:29 +0000

The former Royal Palace now houses the National Art Gallery and the Ethnographic Museum. They are both closed on Mondays, admission 3lv for each. The National Gallery has a rich collection of Bulgarian art, not a long time ago it opened another section with masterpieces of famous Bulgarian artists. Behind the building there is a nice small park with statues and moder art that I recommend seeing, check my ‘Art in the Park’ tip.

National Museum of History

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:35:43 +0000

More than 650 000 exhibits and culture monuments the National museum of history is one of the biggest museums on the Balkan peninsula. For the current schedule of the exhibitions and for working hours and how to get there, please visit the site of the museum. Find pictures of the some exhibits in the travelogues on my Bulgarian page. In 2000 the museum was moved in the first building of the former Boyana residency. Behind the museum there is a very pleasant park. A hint: there is a combined ticket for the National Museum of History and Boyana church - 12lv.

Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:32:34 +0000

Georgi Dimitrov was prime minister of Bulgaria from 1946 till he died in 1949. You could see his embalmed body in the mausoleum until the middle of the 1990’s, then it was cremated. As you can see from my picture it became a popular place for graffiti artists. The Mausoleum was regarded as one of the most obvious symbols of Communism and the Totalarism of the time. In August 1999, it took almost a week of constant toil to demolish the place!

Address: already ruined

Directions: To the East of Ploschtad Batenberg. Now there are just gardens there.

The Archelogical Museum (Arheologicheski musei)

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 07:31:11 +0000

The museum shelters a huge collection of archaeological finds from all Bulgaria in four sections: - Prehistory, - Antiquity, - Middle Ages, and - Coins. Housed in the 15th-century Buyuk Mosque (Big Mosque), the National Archaeological Museum is worth visiting just for the building itself. The interior is airy and well lit and all exhibits are labelled in Bulgarian and English. Most of the pieces are of Thracian, Greek and Roman origin and there is a mosaic rescued from the floor of the St Sofia church. The Vulchitrun Treasure – a 12.5kg (27lb) collection of 13 decorated and strangely shaped vessels of solid gold, probably used by a King-Priest during Thracian religious rituals – is upstairs in a guarded room of its own. It is best for English tourists to visit with a Bulgarian speaker, as the guard knows a great deal about what is to be found here. This is helpful, as the captions in the museum are vague. There are a few antiques and reproductions for sale in the museum foyer. Some of the larger carved Roman marbles are displayed in the courtyard. Open hours: 10.00 h - 18.00 h. everyday except Mondays. Duration: Depends on you, might take 30 min or up to 4 hours. Price: 5 leva for foreigners (about EUR 2.5)

Address: 2, Saborna str.

Phone: +359 (2) 988 24 06

Directions: - right across the Presidency - next to Bulgarian National Bank