What to Do on a Tag-Along Business Trip to Sofia, Bulgaria

In a previous job, Steve was part of a software development team working in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia. He travelled to work with the team for a couple of weeks at a time every six weeks or so. A variety of circumstances prevented me from ever tagging along back then. When Steve had an opportunity to return recently, the stars aligned and I was able to tag along. I had heard so much about Sofia and was excited to experience the city myself.

We visited Sofia for five days, but I had to spend a few days working so I didn’t have as much time to explore as I would have liked. Still, I managed to squeeze in quite a bit. Here are my suggestions for how to spend time exploring Sofia’s sights, tastes, and culture.

Stay Close to a Subway Station. Take a Taxi.

For about $1.20 CAD you can take Sofia’s quick and easy subway from the outskirts into the city centre. We stayed close to Steve’s work site near the airport, which usually means a long drive into downtown. However, our hotel was just a 10-minute walk to the subway station and then another 15 to the city centre. Not bad.

Alternatively, when it’s raining, you’re wearing heels, or frankly, you’re feeling lazy, taxis are affordable. Taxis post their rates in the window, and the general rule is to pay no more than about .79 – .80 leva/kilometre. There are taxi scams, so be aware. Taxis are plentiful, and you can flag one down on the road if need be. Be warned, Sofia rush hour traffic is gnarly if you’re coming from an outlying location. At those times, I bet the subway is faster and less frustrating.

 Eat a Shopska Salad. Try Banista.

Back when Steve travelled to Sofia frequently, he would go on and on about the wonderful Shopska salad. He’d order it almost every meal out. It consists of cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, an olive, hot pepper, and a mound of cheese. I tried to replicate it at home, but Steve said the cheese wasn’t right. Feta’s too salty and dry, and every other cheese I tried Steve said fell short. Now that I’ve tried the salad in Bulgaria myself, I appreciated the distinct creamy, slightly salty flavour of the cheese. I asked a local what this particular white cheese is called, and in response, she looked at my blankly and said, “We just call it cheese.”

The other treat I wish that I had eaten more than once is banista. Commonly a breakfast food, it’s flaky filo dough filled with white cheese and sometimes spinach and meat fillings. It is delicious! Of course, can you ever go wrong with warm pastry stuffed with cheese? No, you cannot.

Overall, I found the food in Sofia to be excellent. Other than a pizza one night, we stuck with traditional dishes, which feature grilled meats and fish, salads, and more veggies than you would typically get as part of a restaurant meal. North Americans get a particularly good deal given the exchange rate. A typical meal out with wine for the two of us was between $25 – $30 CAD. The other thing I love is that portion sizes are reasonable, unlike the ever increasing, gut-busting North American servings.

 Take the Sofia Free Tour and Culture Tour

Do yourself a favour and get the highlights of Sofia’s city centre by taking the Free Sofia Tour. It runs every day at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. and splits up into multiple groups to keep things relatively intimate.

On guard at the presidency. Selfies are allowed, but don’t get too close.

The day I went, our enthusiastic guide Vasil gave our group of about 12 people the rundown on the major historical events in the region and led us on a trail through the city’s significant architecture. Members of the group had several questions along the way, and Vasil was never at a loss for an answer. As a tourism studies grad with a deep interest in history, he knew his stuff.

Vasil explaining the hot mineral springs at the recently restored public bath house.

The guides accept donations at the end of the tour. Those taking the free tour, get 2 leva discounts on one of the other paid tours – the Culture Tour and the Communism Tour.

I took the Culture Tour the following day. It was pouring rain, but our guide Svetla was undeterred, finding dense trees and building overhangs to keep us dry during the outdoor portions of the tour.

Svetla promised that we would experience Bulgaria with all of our senses and indeed, we saw, smelled, tasted, heard, and felt our way through the 2 ½ hours. Svetla had a “magical” tote bag containing all kinds of props—from a tiny speaker she connected to her smartphone to play the sounds of traditional Bulgarian instruments to a bottle of her grandfather’s homemade rakia for us to sample.

At 22 leva (2 leva off if you attended the free tour), the samples and stops inside a bakery and tea shop make this tour a bargain. I feel I have a better sense of Bulgarian culture and am proud to say that I can now write my name in Cyrillic letters!

Take in the European Ambience

It’s a familiar urban story, with the rise of shopping centres on the outskirts, shops that once thrived in the core of the city start to flag. A few years ago, Sofia closed to traffic a once thriving high-end shopping street and turned it into a pedestrian mall. Over time, the boutiques and designer shops vacated as shoppers migrated to the shopping centres. The pedestrian mall spawned restaurants, cafés and ice cream shops, making it a very pleasant evening stroll or night out.

Striking old world architecture dots the centre of the city, and vibrant squares and parks teem with activity. It’s a great place to walk and take in the sights.

 Rise Above It All

During the Free Sophia Tour, I met a diplomat’s wife who had been living and teaching in Sofia for the past few months. She suggested Steve and I take in the sunset atop the Sense Hotel Rooftop Lounge. She claimed it offered the best view of the city and the magnificent Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

What a great suggestion that turned out to be! On our last night in Sofia, we took a cab to the hotel and made a beeline to the 9^th– floor bar. The rooftop is closed off from the elements this time of year (fall) by floor-to-ceiling glass doors, but the view is gorgeous as the light changes from dusk to nightfall. Drinks are more expensive here than otherwise, but for the price of a $12 cocktail you have the best view of the city.

The Upshot

As tag-along trips go, Sofia rates pretty high. I felt very comfortable exploring the city on my own and felt very welcome as a tourist. I regret not having the time to get outside of the capital to enjoy the mountains and the Black Sea. This was my first trip to a Balkan country, and I’m eager to see more.

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