Sofia

Introduction

Church of St. George

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Located in the Sofia Valley, Sofia (София) is the capital of Bulgaria and the biggest city in the country with around 1.4 million citizens. As the centre of the country's political, cultural and business scenes, Sofia is a bustling and dynamic city, but it has a surprisingly relaxed feeling. Whether it is the beautiful scenery in close proximity, the recreational opportunities presented by the proximity to Mount Vitosha and Lyolin, the beautiful orthodox churches or the fascinating blend of architecture influenced by both Communist and Western European styles, the city seems much less busy than it's title of capital would have you think.

With roots tracing back over 7,000 years, Sofia is one of the oldest settlements in Europe and numerous cultural, historical and archaeological monuments have been preserved. The centre of Sofia contains over 300 bars, restaurants and cafes and the blend of both old and new gives the city a unique feeling.

Sights and Activities

Church of St. George

Church of St. George might be the oldest building in the capital. Built in the 4th century AD by the Romans this church is primarily known for its famous 12th to 14th century frescoes covering the central dome. Although three layers of frescoes have been discovered, with the earliest dating back to the 10th century. These frescoes were only discovered in the 20th century because during the Ottoman period the frescoes were painted over when the building was being used as a mosque. Presently the church is a museum, is surround by the ruins of the ancient town of Serdica and situated behind the Sheraton Hotel.

• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - one of the largest Eastern Orthodox Cathedrals in the World. Construction was completed in 1912 and this Neo-Byzantine church is a must see.
• Banya Bashi Mosque - Originally built in 1576, by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan, is the only functioning mosque from the Ottoman period in Sofia today.

Weather

Sofia has a continental climate with warm to hot summers and mostly cold winters. Average daytime temperatures in summer (June to September) are between 24 °C and 28 °C, but over 35 °C is possible. Winters last from December to March with mostly temperatures above zero during the day and frost at night, but occasionally dropping as low as -20 °C. Snow is possible during this time. Precipitation is faily even throughout the year, although summers have a bit more rain.

Getting There

By Plane

Sofia Airport (SOF) is located about 5 kilometres from the centre of Sofia and has many flights. It is the hub of Hemus Air and Bulgaria Air (which is owned by Hemus Air). Sofia Airport services flights throughout Europe northern Africa and the Middle East, including Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Larnaca, London, Madrid, Malaga, Moscow, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris, Rome, Tel Aviv, Tripoli, Varna, Vienna and Zürich. To add, they have charter services to Antalya, Aqaba, Belfast, Bodrum, Cairo, Chisinau, Copenhagen, Dubai, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Ivalo, Hurghada, Katowice, Kaunas, Kiev, Malta, Monastir, Sharm el-Sheikh, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Tenerife and Warsaw.

Low-cost Airline Wizzair has an increasing number of flights, including to/from Barcelona, Brussels, Dortmund, Eindhoven, Forli, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, Varna, Valencia and Venice.

Bulgaria Air has a number of domestic flights between Sofia and the Black Sea cities of Varna and Burgas.

To/from the airport
Two bus routes (#84 and #284) connect the airport to the Sofia University area of Sofia city centre, and there are additional small shuttle buses (#30) connecting the two terminals with the city centre as well. Taxis and car rental agencies are widely available. And although for know there is no rail services, the metro line will connect to the airport hopefully before 2015.

By Train

Bulgarian State Railways operates a network of railways to and from Sofia, connecting to cities like Plovdiv and towards the coastline as well.

By Bus

ETAP and Biomet are one of the bigger bus companies offering tickets to numerous cities throughout the country, including Plovdiv and Burgas.

Getting Around

By Public Transport

Sofia's Public Transport consists of a good system of buses, trolleybuses, trams and since 1998 a metro system, which is currently still growing.

Sleep

Budget

Learn

• Sofia University

Keep Connected

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post

Bulgarian Posts is the national postal service of Bulgaria. Services are fairly reliable and have been getting better and faster of the years. Still, it takes anywhere from days (domestic) to weeks (intercontinental) to send postcards, letters and/or parcels. They also have a very handy price calculator for all items, both priority as well as non-priority. Bulgarian post offices generally are open from 8:00am to 6:00pm, though some are also open on Saturday (mornings) or keep longer evening hours (mostly the central post offices in big cities or in tourist areas along the coastline). You can buy stamps and postcards at the post offices or at newspaper kiosks. Single stamps for domestic services start at 0.45 leva, for international destinations prices vary by region. For sending packages, you can also use more expensive but faster courier services offered by for example UPS or DHL. TNT and local ones like City Express or Econt are also options.

External Links

• Official Governmental Webste