SOFIA - BULGARIA

Location:

Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria and the heart of the country as well. The city is a cultural, administrative and industrial centre and its motto definitely

deserves to be “It grows, but does not age”. Sofia is the biggest city in Bulgaria. It is surrounded by the Balkan Mountains Range to the north,

the Lozen Mountain to the south-east, the Mountain Vitosha to the south and the Lyulin Mountain to the southwest.

It is at 550 meters above sea level. Pancherevo Lake and Iskar Dam are situated in close proximity to the capital city. Sofia is linked by international routes with the capitals of

Europe, and through Istanbul and Ankara, with the Middle East. Today Sofia is a modern European capital city with many business and trade centres,

dynamic night life and cultural sightseeing attractions.

EXPLORE SOFIA – TOURS, LAISURE AND MORE...

Sightseeing:At the crossroad of “Maria Luisa”, “Alexander Dondukov” and

“Todor Aleksandrov” Boulevards the spectacular statue of Saint Sofia, symbol and patron of the city, is situated. Her golden face faces “Battenberg” Square, where

the Central Department Store (TsUM), Sheraton Hotel Balkan, The Presidency of National Republic of Bulgaria and the Council of Ministers are situated.

Close to the statue the Central Sofia Covered market “Hali”, the Mosque and the “St. Nedelia” Church are located as well. In the subway under the Saint Sofia statue is the entrance of “Serdika” metro station, which is actually the first stop,

and also the ruins of “Saint Petka” Church. This area actually represents the cross point of the historical and the cultural appearance of the city, the business and

the art face of the big and modern capital.

To see all landmarks of Sofia, one will surely need to have enough spare time. The city is the cultural centre of Bulgaria and has many museums, galleries and theatres worth to be visited. Some of them are the National Museum of History,

the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the Museum of Earth and Men, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Military History and the

National Archaeological Museum. In addition, there are the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts, the Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign

Art, as well as numerous private art galleries. A real piece of art is the notable building of “Ivan Vazov” National Theatre, built in a German neoclassicism

architecture style.The theatre was founded in 1904, and its building was completed in 1907. The hall is flanked by two balconies and there are 850 seats.

The theatre employs some of the country's best actors and stage directors, enjoying popularity, not only in Bulgaria, but all over Europe. One of the central

streets of Sofia, “Rakovski” St. is linked along with theatre buildings, including the Drama Theatre, the Theatre of the Army and “Salza i Smiah” Theatre.

St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Memorial Church is also one of the symbols of Sofia. The altar and the patriarch's throne are cut of multi-colored

marble. The belfry of the church rises to a height of 50.52 meters. The central dome is gold-plated with a massive gold cross on top. The Crypt of the cathedral houses a

collection of masterpieces of Bulgarian icon painting. Visitors can enjoy the exhibited more than 200 icons and frescos. A souvenir shop sells copies of some of

the famous icons, post cards, albums and folders. Close to St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Memorial Church is the Russian Church of Saint Nikolai.

The pointed golden cross of the church is noticed from far away. The interior of the church contains wonderful orna¬ments and unique Russian-style icons. In this

area the Bulgarian Academy of Science and the National Assembly are located as well. The edifice of the National Assembly (built in 1884) is the third rightful

candidate for the city's emblem. A motto inscribed on its main facade reads"Union makes Strength" -a key element of the coat of arms of the Republic of

Bulgaria. Opposite its building is the monument to the King Liberator of Bulgaria (inaugurated in 1905) - the Russian Tsar Alexander II.

The cultural landmarks of Sofia are numerous. To the east of the Parliament building, across a small garden, the impressive building of St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University rises. It is the first high school in Bulgaria, built in 1920 with personal donations by the

brothers Georgievi, whose statues stand proudly at the parade entrance of the university. Across the street the National Library St. St. Kiril and Metodii is situated. In front of it is

the monument of the two brothers, who created the Bulgarian alphabet and helped the literacy on the Bulgarian lands.

Another historical landmark is the Roman red brick rotunda,now being called St. George Church. It is situated in the inner yard of the Presidency,

amid the remains of the ancient town of Serdica and that is why it is considered to be the oldest building in Sofia.

Definitely a favourite place for the residents of Sofia and also a meeting point is the National Palace of Culture. The building has a unique architecture design. It features

16 big halls, the largest one having 5000 seating capacity. A lot of fairs, presentations, concerts and public events are held there. During summer the fountains in front of the

palace dance and create a lively joyful atmosphere. The place in front is also a favourite place of skaters, boarders and bikers, because of the many low stairs around the fountains.

Green Areas:Being encircled by Vitosha Mountain and having plenty of parks in its centre, the capital

city offers great places for relaxation and recreation amongst nature. Borissovata Gradina (the Garden of Boris) is in the centre of the city. At the very beginning of the park the

Ariana Lake is located. Further in the park, the Vassil Levski National Stadium and Bulgarian Army Stadium, as well as courts and a cycle - racing track are found. In different residential quarters of the city Yuzhen Park, Zapaden Park, Severen Park, Geo Milev Park,

and many other green parks are situated.

Vitosha Natural Park is a preferred place for tourism and relaxation, because its close

proximity to the capital. There are ten peaks, which are over 2000 metres high. The highest one is Cherni Vruh (the Black Peak), which is

at 2290 metres above sea level. The biggest tourist attraction of such typeis Zlatnite Mostove (The Golden Bridges).

The highest fall in Vitosha is Boyana Fall –the water falls from 40 meters. It is situated at

1300 m above sea level, in the Valley of Boyana River.The mountain offers wonderful opportunities for trekking, ski,snowboarding,

mountain biking, alpinism, paraplanerism, cave and speleological tourism.

Wine and Dine:Regarding life and entertainment Sofia is definitely number one in Bulgaria.

Here the visitors can really enjoy the night life and be non stop surprised. Some of the night clubs have gained the honour of being the most attractive ones in Europe. The restaurants

and the bar & grill diners are numerous. Visitors can try traditional Bulgarian cuisine, and also taste dishes from the Japanese, Indian, European, and Latin American cuisine.

There are very good luxurious 5 star hotels for the business travelers, also average nice and cosy hotels, offering appropriate accommodation facilities and services.

Shopping:As a modern capital city Sofia follows all the world up-to-date trends in trade business.

A couple of new shopping malls – City Centre Sofia, Sofia Mall, Sky City Sofia - have recently opened doors to meet the eager consumers of luxury brands. Mall of Sofia disposes

of the first 3D IMAX cinema on the Balkan Peninsula.The modern cinema halls leave precious moments and offer great cinema experiences. Sofia definitely has to show you a

lot. It is one of the capitals, which should be visited for sure.

City Sightseeing SofiaHighlight: City Sightseeing Sofia

Activity: City bus tourDuration: 90 minutes

Price: Adult: 11 Euro Child 5 - 15 years old: 5 EuroSeason: APRIL - OCTOBER 12 April - 10 May: 10 am - 6 pm

11 May - 14 September: 9 am - 7 pm 15 September - 19 October: 10 am - 6 pm

Visit Mini BulgariaHighlight* Transfer to "Krasno Selo" Home of Culture, Sofia;

* Exhibition of famous cultural and historical miniatures from all over Bulgaria;* Guide in English;

* Souvenir shopping;* Transfer to the starting pick-up point;

Activity: historical and cultural tourism, museum tourism,sightseeing, souvenir shopping

Duration: 1 hourPrice: Entrance fee + guide in English - 7 EUR per person;

Paper scale model - 3, 4 or 5 EUR - depending on model;Group photo - 3 EUR; personal photo - 1 EUR;

Transfer (from your hotel/lodge & back): 40 EUR for car up to 4 pax; 52 EUR for bus up to 8 pax;

Season: all seasonsDestination: "Krasno Selo" Home of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria

DRAGALEVSKI MONASTERY:

The “Virgin Mary Vitoshka” monastery is situated at the foot of the beautiful Vitosha Mountain about 3 km away from Sofia. During the middle ages there was whole monastery system known as “Sofia Sveta Gora”. It was founded in 1345. During the Ottoman invasion it was destroyed but it was restored soon after that – in 1476. The monastery church and the preserved wall paintings

are of great cultural significance. The monastery inmates took part in the liberation movement actively.

Nowadays the monastery is an excellent site for tourism and relaxation. Huddled at the woody foot of the mountain it gives the feeling of calmness

cosines and it is hard to believe that this silent Holy Cloister is so close to the big noisy city.

VITOSHA MOUNTAIN

General Info:1800 m above sea level, Vitosha is only 10 km far from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

This is the highest ski resort of Bulgaria. The mountain is good for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. It is easily accessible both in the winter and in the summer

but its weather is very changeable. In Vitosha there are two biosphere preserves -Bistrishko Branishte and Torfeno Branishte.

The highest peak of Vitosha is Cherni Vruh (2290 m). The main skiing area is just below it.

Sports and Landmarks:Vitosha also offers walls for rock climbing in its eastern part. The mountain is also

popular with the longest cave in Bulgaria - Duhlata, which is 17.5 km long, sprawls on seven levels and through it run six underground rivers.

Vitosha is also famous for its rock formations, some of which have volcanic origin and others formed as a result of climate changes. The most popular formation is the stone

rivers, or "moreni" at Zlatnite Mostove (The Golden Bridges).

Ski Runs:Vitosha offers excellent conditions for snow sports, with huge skiing areas and

many slopes with powder. We would recommend it very much for skiing and boarding, but tourists will not find here the night life and apres ski of

the bigger resorts in Bulgaria. Vitosha offers six ski runs with various difficulty and length - the green ski run being the easiest and the Vitoshko Lale the most difficult. There is also a trail for cross country skiing - Univerisada, 9600 m long. All ski runs have the necessary facilities. There are a number of chair and drag lifts, as well as a Gondola lift starting from the outskirts of Sofia and reaching almost the top of the mountain near Aleko. The Aleko chalet offers skis for rent and highly qualified ski

instructors. Over the weekends during the winter the area and the ski run nearthe Aleko chalet become overcrowded.

Ski Conditions:It starts to snow heavy in December and it is stable till late spring. The snow cover

reaches 1.5 m. The duration of the skiing season is 120 days and the average temperature of the air is minus 6 ° C. There are good conditions for slalom and cross-

country skiing, as well as for tours on foot throughout the mountain.The mountain is picturesque and the its location is a good opportunity to get involved in

the dynamic atmosphere of Sofia, to plunge into its history of thousands of years, to feel the pulse of its night life of the big city.

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Bulgaria, Sofia 1000, 63 William Gladstone Str. Tel: +359 2 9888 178 ; 9888 179

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