Standing proudly in the middle of the city center, this jewel of neo-Byzantine architecture (golden arches, vaults and domes) is even more than the statue of Saint Sophie the most emblematic monument of the Bulgarian capital.
Nothing very hidden or unusual then, except that unlike the hordes of smartphone tourists who crowd in on weekdays, the experience takes a whole new turn on Sunday morning.
Whether you are religious or not, it is the perfect opportunity to do in Rome as the Romans do by initiating you to the specificities of the Orthodox rite (no seats, we sign standing, iconography …), and especially to its particularly bewitching songs that accompany the two and a half hours that last the divine service (do not panic, everyone is free to leave before).
The famous bicycle park
Just like most of the urban fads imported from the West (veganism, waste sorting, scooters…), to say that cycling and Sofia are two is an understatement.
If it is up to each one to decide to play his life to be honked a little hard to discover the historical center (in reality it can be crossed on foot), on the other hand, as regards the adjacent parks, the question does not arise, so much they are immense and full of surprises.
Whether it is Borisova Gradina and its water lilies pond or Ujen Park (the South Park) and its thirty or so protected bird species, there are hectares of greenery available to you to relax.
Discover the beauty of the Sofia Opera House
Back to a little more classicism with the program of the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Sofia, which resists the dubious modernist reinterpretations and the equally dubious polemics of the enlightened.
Good for them, the quality of the interpretation is such that it ends each time in a standing ovation.
Better still, the prices to appreciate the pieces of Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Mozart & consorts in their original versions start at about ten euros – just avoid the seats in the first row upstairs, the railing cuts the view in two.
The sunset on top of Mount Vitocha
Sofia is the only capital city in Europe that is only 45 minutes by car from a mountain range, the Vitocha, a dome of volcanic origin that rises to an altitude of about 2000 meters, so the desire to go for a breath of fresh air is felt at the slightest light.
The temptation is all the greater since it takes no more than an hour’s walk without much effort to enjoy a unique view over the whole city and its surroundings.
And when there are no clouds to spoil the horizon, the opportunity is perfect to enjoy a sunset and the explosion of colors that goes with it.
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