1 destination · 10 things to do
Bulgaria
Sofia is one of the oldest capitals in Europe and one of its least hurried, a city where Roman streets lie under glass beside the metro, a fourth-century brick rotunda hides in a courtyard behind the presidency, and the gold domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral rise over wide boulevards lined with chestnut trees. Its motto is “Grows but does not age”, and it suits a place where Ottoman mosques, Orthodox churches, a synagogue and Secession-style bathhouses share a few blocks, and where locals still fill bottles from warm mineral springs in the street. Above it all stands Vitosha, a mountain with ski runs and stone rivers twenty minutes from downtown. Out on the edge of the city, the frescoes of Boyana Church were painted in 1259, and two hours south, Rila Monastery sits in a forested valley as the spiritual heart of Bulgaria. This guide picks the sights that matter, explains when they are open and matches you to the right hotel, from a five-star by Parliament to a good-value suite hotel off Vitosha Boulevard.
