Affordable capital at the foot of Mount Vitosha. Here is when to go, what a day costs on site and what to see, then Okela composes your itinerary hour by hour.

Compose my trip to SofiaSee Sofia in Okela

When to visit Sofia

Best months: January, February, May, June, September and October.

What to see in Sofia

1. Cathédrale Alexandre-Nevski
   Its gilded domes rise above central Sofia and make it one of the city's great landmarks, as well as one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the Balkans.
2. Mont Vitosha
   The massif rises above Sofia as a broad dome of volcanic origin, and less than an hour by public transport takes you from the city to forest, then to open plateau.
3. Église Boyana
   This small church at the foot of Vitosha mountain holds frescoes from 1259 with a rare human quality: the faces are expressive, almost portrait-like, far from the stiffness usually associated with medieval art.
4. Vitosha Boulevard
   This is the pedestrian shopping street where Sofia strolls, meets and people-watches, lined with shops, café terraces and landmark buildings.
5. Musée national d'Histoire
   Bulgaria's largest history museum sits in the former state residence in Boyana, at the foot of the Vitosha massif.
6. Marché aux femmes (Zhenski Pazar)
   This open-air market is a long way from the polished city centre: here you see Sofia doing its everyday shopping, with vendors calling out, spice-scented air and customers chatting at length over their purchases.
7. Monastère de Rila (excursion)
   Set in a wooded valley of the Rila mountains, Bulgaria's largest Orthodox monastery is both a place of worship and a keeper of national memory.
8. Made in Home
   This is a small family-run table in central Sofia, on a quiet street near Vitosha Boulevard.

A sample itinerary for Sofia, three days

Composed by Okela from the places in its database, with times. Yours takes your dates, pace and group into account.

Budget

Expect about €65 per person per day on site (accommodation, meals, transport and visits), depending on the comfort you choose. Okela shows the price of every step of your itinerary.

My Sofia itinerary, hour by hour

Photo: Deensel, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons.