Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world, dominating the Sofia skyline with its gold dome. Free to enter.
Monument in Sofia
National Palace of Culture
The National Palace of Culture (NDK) is a massive brutalist congress and cultural center south of the city center, surrounded by a park. Free to enter the lobbies and walk the park. The building hosts concerts, exhibitions, and events at various prices. The park around it is the largest green space in central Sofia and where locals jog, skate, and drink coffee at the outdoor cafes. Budget travelers walk through the park and enjoy the contrast between the Soviet-era architecture and the relaxed modern use.
Practical
Before you go
- Address
- пл. България 1, 1414 Bulgaria Sq.
- Good to know
Nearby
More in Sofia
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Banya Bashi Mosque
The only functioning mosque in Sofia, built in 1576 during the Ottoman period. Free to enter outside prayer times, it sits next to the mineral baths and the public hot spring taps where locals fill bottles with free thermal water.
Boyana Church
The Boyana Church is a small medieval church on the outskirts of Sofia, UNESCO-listed for its 13th-century frescoes that are considered among the finest examples of medieval art in Eastern Europe. Entry is paid at a modest price.
Central Mineral Baths
The Central Mineral Baths building is an ornate former public bathhouse in the center of Sofia, now housing the Regional History Museum (small fee). The building itself, with its ceramic decorations and domed roof, is beautiful from the outside.
Hagia Sophia Sofia
A 6th-century Byzantine church that gave the city its name. Free to enter, the austere brick interior and underground Roman ruins beneath the floor offer a stark contrast to the ornate Alexander Nevsky Cathedral across the street.
Ivan Vazov National Theatre
Bulgaria's grandest theater building, with a neoclassical columned facade set in a small park with fountains. Free to admire from outside, and performances inside are remarkably affordable by Western European standards.
Working out what Sofia costs?
The whole of Sofia