Spectacular Sofia
As the last stop in our whirlwind three month COVID tour of Europe, Sofia blew us away!
Logistics:
Because Sofia is a fairly large capital, there are plenty of options within the city. Here is what we did! Before I began planning our trip to Bulgaria, I heavily utilized Sofia Adventures for a lot of ideas and advice!
By Plane
Although we did not arrive via airport, we had a lovely early morning flight back to London from Sofia International Airport. Located about 20 minutes outside the city, the airport is fairly small so it will not take long to get through baggage check, security, or onto the plane!
By Public Transportation
Once you’re inside the city, I believe it is rather easy to use the metro, tram, or bus system although we had no need to use them as most of our activities were near "Old Town".
Between Bulgarian cities, there are plenty of trains and buses. Although we arrived via train, it was an… interesting… experience! I used seat61.com for all my train questions!
To travel between cities, we preferred the bus service. Again, I utilized Sofia Adventures to help plan and figure out the bus system. Because we were going to Plovdiv, I knew that we wanted a certain bus company and purchased our tickets in cash only. Once we received our ticket, we had to sit in the assigned seat - otherwise you will get yelled at in Bulgarian which is very frightening.
By Private Hire
Within Sofia, we utilized a taxi app similar to Uber called TaxiMe App. Having the app is critical as I read that a lot of people do get scammed with taxis. Plus, unless one can read or speak Bulgarian, it will enable an English speaker to "speak" to the taxi driver!
Lodging
A tale of two cities also leads to a tale of two very different experiences. As we were traveling from Romania and arriving late, we decided to book a private room at a hostel... Not only was the hostel room small, cramped, and not equipped with what we normally expect from a hostel, but it was also located in a separate building. Unfortunately, we booked for 3 nights and already by night 1, I was ready to leave!
Upon our return to Bucharest, we stayed at a lovely boutique AirB&B for 2 nights in the southern part of "Old Town." Close to coffee shops, cafes, boutique groceries, and restaurants, we instantly fell in love! We were also able to wash all of our clothes, which is a huge plus when we haven't been able to. Otherwise, the bed was comfortable, the kitchen was great, and the location was superb!
Food & Drinks
As I collated this list, I realized that we really enjoyed the food and drinks in Sofia! The capital is severely underrated as a foodie capital!
Breakfast
Because we were either in a hurry or just wanted a quick bite, we visited a few different cafes or bakeries during our time. Personally, my favorite was Coffee and Wine Lab because I received excellent service in addition to a wide variety of coffee beans. MF even enjoyed the freshly brewed tea from there!
Lunch or Dinner
Bread and Cheese for Friends: We visited here to buy local cheese and meats so we could enjoy a fantastic chactuerie board at home! They have so many different selections and we really enjoyed our selection!
Shtastlivestsa: Located on the main walkway, Shtastlivstsa is very popular and tasty! We almost stumbled upon this Bulgarian restaurant because our first, second, and possibly third options were busy or closed. WHAT DID WE EAT
Vino Orenda: Recommended by our wine guide, Vino is THE perfect place to buy local Bulgarian wine. Most wines in stores are controlled by the top producers by quantity, but often do not have the top quality wines. At this shop, we received fantastic service and really enjoyed our purchase of FOUR bottles. Yes, we like Bulgarian wine that much!
Skapto Burger: After a nice long walk, nothing is better than a juicy burger! Although we mistimed our arrival again whilst they were closed, we eventually ordered some of the messiest burgers we have had! I had a BBQ bacon cheeseburger whilst MF had the simple cheeseburger. Although I made a mess of myself, the burger wasn't the best we have had but it certainly helped end our burger crave!
Taj Mahal Restaurant: After a long walking tour, we wanted "home cooking" and for us (former) London-ers, we wanted Indian food! Boy, it was a great decision! Seated with a view, we ordered a feast! For our appetizer, we had veggie samosas which were fresh and not as spicy! For our entrees, we ordered our classic orders - I had chicken tikka marsala while MF had her lamb biryani. It was so tasty and Indian food was the last thing I expected in Bulgaria!
Click here for our Bulgaria Google map pins for all of our hard research of the top food and drink spots!
The Long Train
Because there are no flights between Romania and Bulgaria, there are really few (limited) options to get between the countries. One of them is a very long day train... Leaving at 11am from Gara du Nord Bucharest, we would eventually arrive in Sofia at 9pm. Yay... We had debated going from Bucharest to the Bulgarian coastal cities of Varna, but the cold weather meant these tourist towns were likely shuttered.
Travel Tip: You can still take a train from Bucharest to Varna via Ruse! Google lied to me and said there were only buses!arrived via train from bucharest
Ahead of our long day, we bought train tickets online and arrived at the station to pick up the tickets. I purchased them because I wanted to ensure we had seats, but it turns out we did not need them! Because we were going on an international train, we had to pick them up from a special ticket booth. And no one knew where it was! Eventually, we found it!
Travel Tip: When one arrives at the train station, from the street, the international ticket office is on the LEFT side of the station. Otherwise, utilize seat61.com to find the office!
It's the Ride
On our first train to Ruse, Bulgaria, the train was very, very old. The windows had bullet holes, the seats were old, the passengers were rough. Lasting over 3 hours, we strategized on our future and ate our grocery packed lunch. Once we exited the Romanian border, we crossed the Danube and officially in another new country!
Getting let into Bulgaria was a ride itself! For starters, the Bulgarians clearly had not seen an American passport for some time! The guard grunted his English and demanded to know why we were here. He did this all whilst stamping our entry stamps! Once we handed him our UK residence cards, we were in the "clear" and waited for our connecting train to Sofia.
On our second train, our journey would be about 7-8 hours and it was slightly better than our first train. Whilst we had our own compartment, the Soviet era train decided the heat should finally work. To confuse the Americans, they blasted heat and the windows wouldn't work. I was hot...
Onto Sofia
Finally, around 9pm, we arrived in Sofia! Unlike our arrival in Romania and similar to our Ukraine arrival, the train station felt like another planet. Surrounded by the Cyrillic alphabet, we were VERY lost and confused.
Thankfully, we literally stumbled upon the exit by observing what other passengers were doing and got in our TaxiMe App to the hostel!
Travel Tip: Head to the second level of the station to exit! Otherwise known as the "get fresh air and see your surroundings" strategy.
Once at the hostel, it was an annoying nightmare. Because I didn't realize they put us in the Annex until we got into the taxi, we arrived at the main hostel. Locked out, we pounded on the doors and thankfully someone let us in! Then, they wanted us to pay in cash AND in exact change. You try finding 107LV at 10pm... And then we walked into our room... You can read the review above!
Strolling through Sofia
Unlike our strolls in Bucharest, Sofia has beautiful little alleys, parks, and main streets to admire!
Free Sofia Walking Tour
Click here to read about our awesome walking tour about Bulgaria's history, culture, and fun facts!
Lazy Afternoon
After a hearty Indian lunch, as predicted, we were in a food coma. Thus, we had a very, very lazy afternoon! I began by simply wandering through the Old Town. Conveniently between a massive green park in the "south" and the churches in the "north," then surrounded by a major road, it is hard to get lost!
For my wanders, I started in the beautiful green park where it felt like I wasn't in the city! It was full of life and very peaceful to be in nature! I then strolled on the main street, observing locals in cute restaurants and cafes. I love Sofia!
Rila Monastery and Wine Tour
Click here for our action packed day exploring Rila Monestary and tasting great Bulgarian wine!
Our Return
After we visited the second largest Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, we returned to Sofia to eat, walk, and wander! The beautiful city is perfect for walking! Rather than Bucharest being "Little Paris", we think Sofia claims the title for the picturesque streets to delicious food! Because our time in Sofia represented the last days of our grand career break trip, we spent most of our time eating wonderful food, exploring the sights, and enjoying each other's company.
The UnChartered Summary
Go. To. Sofia. Now. Out of all the Eastern European cities, Sofia (and Bulgaria in general) blew us away with the amazing history, kind culture, and fantastic food. We usually expect good food in a capital city, but the combination with great wine really took us by surprise.
- While I expected a cheap visit, Bulgaria was relatively expensive compared to the other countries. A cup of coffee was slightly cheaper than one in London.
- For great Bulgarian wine selection, head to Vino Orenda! Or just do a wine tour with Via Vino!
- Wander through the alleys to find hidden cafes and restaurants. We discovered most of our list by looking at our surroundings.