SOFIA BULGARIA | Complete City Guide with Top 25 Highlights България

This Sofia 4k video introduces Sofia Bulgaria, one of the great European cities for travel. In this Bulgaria travel video, I will show you the 25 best places to see in Sofia Bulgaria. This trip was my first time in Sofia and I was blown away by the many great places in Sofia. Bulgaria's capital city is a truly historic city in Southeastern Europe and one can easily explore it by foot. There's so much to see in Sofia Bulgaria and I have put together a great walking tour that will cover the most important things to see in Sofia. So if you are wondering what to see in Sofia and how to best visit Sofia, this Bulgaria 4k video is for you. I will cover some of the best churches to see in Eastern Europe, amazing historic monuments, including a metro station that feels like a museum, mosques, markets, galleries and much more. Stick around to the end for some amazing places that are off the beaten path and a tip for a fantastic local traditional restaurant serving the best Bulgarian food.
Check out Sofia with the chapters of my Sofia virtual tour:
0:00 Introduction
1:35 National Palace of Culture
2:33 Basement shops / Kleg shops
2:53 Vitosha blvd
3:35 Saint Sofia Statue
4:33 Ancient Serdica complex and metro station
5:59 Square of religious tolerance: Sveta Nedelya
6:44 Banya Bashi Mosque
7:35 Sofya Synagogue
8:25 Central Market Hall
9:21 Central Mineral baths
10:17 St Gorge Rotunda Church
11:19 Presidential Palace & Changing of the Guard
12:35 City Garden
13:13 Sofia City Art Gallery
13:45 Ivan Vazov National Theater
14:20 National Art Gallery
14:51 Russian Church Sveti Nikolay Mirlikiiski
15:48 Chrystal Garden, Stefan Stambolov monument, and Monument of Bulgarian Volunteers
16:44 Monument of the Unknown Soldier
17:07 St Alexander Nevski Cathedral
18:48 National Assembly and Tsar Osvoboditel square
19:16 Tsar Ivan Shishman Street and Street Art
20:01 Snail House
21:00 Park Kambanite Bells monument
24:19 Traditional Bulgarian restaurant
This was my first time in Bulgaria and this Sofia Bulgaria travel video and provides information that is good to know about Bulgaria before you go to Bulgaria. Bulgaria is a good idea for your next vacation if you enjoy the beautiful nature in Southeastern Europe and you want to get history in Southeastern Europe. It's a bit off the major tourist maps and and if you're looking for Southeastern Europe vacation ideas, definitely check out beautiful Bulgaria. Should you visit Bulgaria for yourself, this Bulgaria 4k video will give you a good head start.
If you enjoyed this Bulgaria travel video and Southeastern Europe travel video in 4k quality please hit the 'Like' button and subscribe for my weekly new travel vlogs, best places for Europe travel + travel vlogs on many amazing travel destinations.
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Lukas Bischoff

[@januslog]

Hi everybody, here’s my comprehensive video on Sofia, a historical city that I highly recommend you check out if you get a chance. I hope you will enjoy and wish you a blessed week ahead 🌺

[@sasho888prm]

It's around the 9th-10th centuries AD when Bulgaria was the literary and spiritual centre of Slavic Europe and it's lands stretched all the way north to modern Ukraine, all the way west to the Adriatic sea and all the way south to the Aegean.

[@user-oy2nr5sr3n]

МОЯ ХУБАВА, КРАСИВА, ПРЕКРАСНА И ЛЮБИМА СОФИЯ! МНОГО МИ ЛИПСВА! ЩЕ СЕ ВЪРНА СЪВСЕМ СКОРО В МОЯТА ЛЮБИМА СОФИЯ! ЧАКАЙ МЕ!

[@todorvalchinov7412]

Great video! Btw Sveta Nedelya is Bulgarian orthodox church, our Church is separate from the Russian and way older.

[@januslog]

Thank you for clarifying 👍

[@raven126entertainment]

I am moving to Bulgaria in 2025. I just found your channel & subscribed. Will be giving you plenty of Hours Watched as I check out all your videos on Bulgaria.

[@januslog]

Thanks so much I’m glad you enjoyed and look forward to hearing what you think of my other videos 👍🌺

[@margaux_la_glace]

Amazing video! thank you a lot!!!

[@januslog]

Thank you 🙏 Glad you liked it!

[@kimkennedy8636]

LOL! "Rabbit with expired shooting license" stew! Looks yummy. Excellent video, my friend. Now, I know exactly where to go my first trip to Sofia.

[@januslog]

Haha, that’s a great restaurant and the titles of the dishes were so funny! Wishing you a great trip!

[@maraluciaduclosduclos7496]

Sofia'heart belongs to S. Paulo/Brazil. Everything is wonderful in my sweet Bulgária. Rain of kisses to Sofia, brst place to be

[@januslog]

It’s beautiful city in a beautiful country 🌺

[@tomaszcz7928]

You make really nice video(s) ! Excellent. I visited Sofia 2 weeks ago.

[@januslog]

Thank you! I’m sure you’ve enjoyed 👍😊

[@dankadesign7462]

Lovely done👍.never been to Bulgaria.Should check in my next visit to Europe .

[@januslog]

Thank you Dana. Yes, it’s somewhat underrated but one of the most fascinating places I’ve seen in Europe 👍

[@misstwii34]

Hello Janus, I have never seen so much of this beautiful city of Sofia like you show on this wonderful tour. As usual, keep up with your great work.

[@januslog]

Thank you very much Twii 🙏🌺

[@user-se7zm6wj5i]

Thank you for this wonderful tour of Sofia!

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching again 🙏

[@22Varg]

This is one of the best made tourist videos i've seen on my city. Kudos! I will allow myself a slight, but very interesting correction. The after liberation architecture of Sofia is heavily influenced by Viennese architects as the building of the national theatre was designed by the same austrian architects that did the Volkstheater in Vienna. The national mineral baths, behind the mosque were designed by the first generation of Bulgarian architects, who studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology. It is not roman architecture, but an attempt to further develop the tradional bulgarian one, which on its own is influenced by the byzantine architectural style, into a more modern 19th, early 20th century style. The central market building, which you visited was designed in the same wave of architecture. All in all, absolutely great video.

[@januslog]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate 🙏. Thank you also for the additional info

[@RositsaPetrovarjp7]

Serdika is the name of Sofia since Thracian times. During Roman times the city was fortified and built following Roman architecture rules. It was well-known that where the Roman ruins were, some were unearthed long before the construction of the metro.

[@januslog]

Thank you for these clarifications, very useful 👍

[@megataiman9482]

Informative & straight forward guide 👍

[@januslog]

Thank you 🙏

[@junshen8040]

I was in Bulgaria over twenty years ago (time flies), Only changed the plane at the Sofia airport and landed in Varna. Hope you will have a video for Varna. Love the country and people. Thank you.

[@januslog]

That’s really cool! You much have fond memories. I unfortunately did not make it there as I spent more time in the central part. There’s so much to see 👍😊

[@walkingeverywhere4k831]

I recently made a video about varna, it's such a beautiful city! 🙂

[@mohammadabulhasan679]

Amazing city i am coming soon at winter ❤️❤️❤️bulgaria

[@januslog]

That’s awesome, wishing you happy travels 👍

[@mohammadabulhasan679]

@@januslog thanks bro❤️❤️❤️

[@Newbihno]

Nooo, not at Winter! The charm of the city is that it is very green. A lot of trees, grass, etc. Winter time is worst time to visit!

[@OmniaInNumerisSitaSunt]

Very nice video of Sofia. Thank you for sharing with us this interesting tour. 🥰👍💖

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching again Larissa 🌺

[@patrickcooper9658]

Thank you Sir for the great educational and at the same time fun time. Well done job.

[@januslog]

Thank you very much Patrick 👍🌺

[@petrosk.7838]

Fantastic video! Thank you very much for all the recommendations! ❤️❤️❤️

[@januslog]

You are so welcome! I’m glad you found the video useful

[@dhallow680]

The St. Nedelya Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox temple... Christian Russia did not exist back then.

[@januslog]

Thank you for the clarification 👍

[@ivogalabov1973]

Welcome to Bulgaria!

[@januslog]

Thank you 🙏

[@TheworldisblueDC]

Thank you very much for all the information

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 👍🌺

[@walkingeverywhere4k831]

Amazing video! I recorded there too in the summer! I'm glad this city gets more exposure because it's truly underrated! 🙂

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching. I agree 👍

[@objectiveg7448]

Such a beautiful place. I must note the excellent visual presentation - well done! Did you meet interesting people during your stay? Again, congratulations, I truly enjoyed it! If you allow me - a minor correction: 16:44 The Monument of Eternal Flame commemorates the unknown soldiers of Bulgaria who have fallen defending their country.

[@januslog]

Thank you very much! Yes, I met quite a few locals on my trip and all were super nice and hospitable 👍😊

[@bertmadou3187]

Great video, I did not know Sofia was such a beautifull city. I hope to visit it at some time. 😀

[@januslog]

Thank you! It's indeed a fantastic city to visit, and still relatively affordable 👍

[@stephenhampson1577]

Thanks for this. Hoping to visit next September. Given me more ideas a d like the chapters and map

[@januslog]

Thank you I’m glad you found the video useful. Safe travels 👍

[@nadiaslife7196]

Amazing video! Thank you so much for sharing my city Sofia in such a beautiful way 🙂

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching Nadia, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@sdsGujral]

Very informative, now i have much detailed understanding of the city of Sophia and Bulgaria in general , keep posting sir

[@januslog]

Thank you, I will 👍😊

[@UserName-mj5dp]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 👍😊

[@moneyprofessional]

This was very useful for planning by visit to Sofia. Thanks Janus.

[@januslog]

Awesome, I’m glad you found the video useful. Safe travels 👍

[@Giahomemadeproductions]

Congrats!! Awesome video. I am going to visit Sofia in November. Thanks for the video. I have also subscribed to your channel!!

[@januslog]

Thank you and wishing you great travels. It’s an awesome city! If you have some additional time, make sure to also visit some of the other cities in Bulgaria. There’s so much to see. Check out my videos for more 👍😊

[@meinvornamemeinnachname715]

I´ve been there and fell in love with the city. Thanks for this video.

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@justinagritzan]

Did you discover all these beautiful places in one day? The Banja Baschi Mosque attract my attention 😍! Thank you Janus for producing this enjoyable video and for showcasing so many diverse and unique places, like Bells monument and Snail House:) Can't wait for the next episode! Greetings from Indonesia 🇮🇩

[@januslog]

Hi Dina, I spent several days in Sofia. I think you can probably see all of these in three days if you’re not rushing it 👍😊

[@pervaizakbar947]

Hi Janus you have shown the best attractions of Bulgarian culture including the historical buildings as well.

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 🙏

[@GPosner8]

A superb video. Your walking guide is great. I truly enjoy your videos. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@januslog]

Many thanks for watching 🙏😊

[@irinarogozhova5303]

Thanks a lot for a great quality video!

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 👍🌺

[@stevieg123456]

Great travelogue. I’m visiting Sofia next week and will definitely try to follow most of your recommendations. Thankyou.

[@januslog]

Thank you and safe travels! If you get some time, you may want to check out my other videos on Bulgaria for some additional tips 👍

[@kmunding6736]

Excellent detailed city tour ! Thank you !

[@januslog]

Thank you! I’m glad you liked the video 👍

[@irinamarinkova32]

Beautiful video. Thank you! ❤️

[@januslog]

Thank you 🙏

[@FrankieGoesTo86]

Thanks for the excellent video Janus. I'm paying a solo visit soon before I start my new job and this has been really informative. Looking forward to the trip immensely.

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching I’m glad you found the video useful Feel free to also check out my other videos on Bulgaria Wishing you a great trip

[@patrickmurphy5842]

I ha da great time in Sofia - friendly people, beautiful girls and nice food.

[@januslog]

It’s a beautiful city 👍

[@debsmostexcellentadventure5353]

Enjoyed this video debs xx

[@januslog]

Thank you Debs 👍😊🌺

[@nikolaimihailov2365]

Bravo!!! :)

[@januslog]

Thank you Nikolai 🙏

[@valentinchiriac9117]

Excellent video: it remembers me about Aerial America serial.

[@januslog]

Thank you Valentin 👍

[@ciwanechris1428]

Thank you for information I watch your videos from Canada 😀👍

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 👍🌺

[@user-we8tl9yh4r]

❤❤❤❤

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 👍

[@natureallmighty]

The monument of the unknown soldier is attached to a beautiful church that goes unnoticed a lot of the time - the Saint Sofia church, go check it out 😊

[@januslog]

Yes, I should have added it to the video list 👍👍

[@lizkb5473]

Janus really enjoyed this one. So many choices to see, I would have to see the snail house and basement shops. Did you get a chance to do a service at the Mosque? I would have to ring all the bells at the UNICEF Monument …the US one sure was tiny. The sound of the large ones is amazing….have a great week..another hot one.

[@januslog]

Thank you Liz, it’s a fascinating city to visit. I was able to pray there but unfortunately not during the official prayer times

[@lizkb5473]

@@januslog sorry to hear that..I know that means a lot to you. Going to be cooler this weekend…..

[@TheRealRaygor]

I'm married to a Bulgarian, and have visited Sofia many times, and you managed to find a few things I haven't seen yet!

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching. Im glad you found the video useful 👍

[@Gunzberg]

Als Du beim Snail House warst, war das nur ein Steinwurf von meiner Wohnung entfernt🙂 Falls Du wieder mal in BG bist, empfehle ich Dir Belogradchik zu besuchen. Lohnt sich auf jeden Fall

[@kurd_daily]

keep goin man❤

[@januslog]

Thanks for watching again Kurd 👍

[@Anna-jr8gu]

😍😍😍

[@januslog]

Thank you 🙏

[@pavelstoykov8946]

Best video I have seen about sofia so far, you did a wonderful job. How long do you think doing this tour up until the cathedral would take?

[@januslog]

Thanks so much. You could do the tour in a day if you start early in the morning. The distance is definitely walkable so it depends da on how much time you want to spend in each location 😊

[@pavelstoykov8946]

@@januslog thank you for the reply, i plan on going to sofia with my girlfriend in the summer and we plan to this walk, we probably are going to skip some locations so we hope to be able to do it within a day!

[@januslog]

@@pavelstoykov8946 that’s awesome! Wishing you happy travels 👍

[@AksiniqIsrenova]

🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@januslog]

Thank you 🌸🌸

[@quartzmatter-pi9mq]

Nice

[@januslog]

Thank you 👍

[@desssval]

Nice video. Some clarifications: only one of the churches shown is Russian, all others are Bulgarian. Orthodox churches in general is national not supranational a bit like the Anglican church. Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, Russian churches are equal in status. The monument with the lion and eternal flame is dedicated to the Bulgarian soldiers fallen in the wars of national unification. The inscription is from a touching poem by Ivan Vazov on a Bulgarian-Serbian war in 1885. Nice touch about the parliament - our politicians are heartily despised almost to a man (woman)

[@januslog]

Thank you for the clarification 👍

[@radarwatcher1]

When was this video taken? I have been there several times in early May and mid September. This time of year looks beautiful. I truly hope I can get back to this beautiful city.

[@januslog]

Hi Steve, this was taken in August last year. Great weather but it was also super hot! 😊

[@lesleysmith8300]

Looks like a beautiful place. I wonder what the weather is like all year round?

[@januslog]

I’m not sure. I was always lucky with the weather. In the summer, it’s definitely nice

[@toreadoress]

Forn Sofia: late November thru February is between -5 and +5 C on average, sometimes can get to -10 -15. March depends, some years can be cold other pretty warm. From April to mid June anything between 15 and 25, summers between 25 and 32, autumn between 10-20 and from ealey November drops down. It can fluctuate of course but on average is between these temperatures. Eastern Bulgaria and especially South Eastern parts (Upper Thrace valley) is generally warmer since it's surrounded by mountains which can block cold winds and air making it warmer and very hot during summers like 35 C and sometimes more. The hottest I ever experienced was 42 C

[@user-ot8lb2qf5j]

😊

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching

[@ynktbg]

Честити покупки

[@QuantumBraced]

It's nice that drones haven't been banned in Sofia, so we can get the beautiful views.

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching 👍

[@IzikLeibovich-xy3vp]

Hi. First of all great video. Can you please share the map?

[@januslog]

Many thanks for watching! Unfortunately, I don’t have a separate site to share any maps for now. I mainly produce these for my videos. It’s not ideal but maybe you could screenshot it?

[@user-tm2yw8dq2r]

I am sure that drone was detected by the presidential guards :D :D

[@januslog]

Haha, it probably was Tbh, when I flew it, I didn’t know yet that I was flying over the presidential palace 😅

[@RositsaPetrovarjp7]

Kambanite, The Bells monument is definitely in Sofia, not outside. Bulgaria is in Southeastern Europe

[@januslog]

True, I meant outside the city center. It’s a bit of a drive to get there. Many thanks for watching 👍😊

[@ivanpetrov5185]

It's outside Okolovrystnoto, so technically it is outside Sofia.

[@roberthemsley2]

Where is a link to the map? couldn't find it in the descriptions.

[@januslog]

I don’t have the map as a downloadable file. I may do that going forward but for now, I only create the maps for my videos

[@tinanikolova2320]

13:02 and also do a shit ton of drugs lol, beautiful video man

[@januslog]

Thank you 😊

[@milenkirilov9681]

Awesome footage! It's kinda hard to get decent angles in post-communist cities as there's usually a lot of rust, chipped paint, dilapidated buildings and run-down sidewalks, but you did a great job.

[@januslog]

Thank you 👍😊

[@ki3zabLe]

what the story behind the snail

[@januslog]

Im actually not sure. Maybe someone on here may know

[@user-tp1gw1fq8k]

Най красивия град в България

[@aleksandarbarbonelov5622]

Bro have better videos and cuts for Sofia,Bulgaria than the national Televisions does or anyone else ....

[@januslog]

Thank you so much!

[@damom7]

Hi, I found three factual errors in your depiction of Sofia monuments. Here they are: 1) The Church St Nedelya, as all other Bulgarian churches are Bulgarian orthodoxe, and not Russian orthodoxe; 2) The eternal flame monument with the lion next to Alexander Nevski cathedral is dedicated to the Unknown soldier, symbolizing all Bulgarian soldiers fallen in fight for Bulgaria during all wars Bulgaria participated in; 3) the king Liberator, whose statue is in front of the Patliament has this nickname bacause he abolished the slavery in Russia, not because he liberated Bulgaria in the war between Russia and the Otoman empire. Your sources have mislead you. Otherwise, thank you for the nice video

[@januslog]

Thank you for the corrections and additional info 👍

[@Hello__Hi]

When we was kids we spend all day on Bells monument ringing every single bell, it was full of people. Many of the bells were dismantled sold or stolen over the years. Saint Sofia Statue is a complete mockery funeral rites we hate it....many of us voted to remove it and put something worthy of this holy place surrounded by all religions.

[@januslog]

I loved the bells monument What a cool idea and location

[@RositsaPetrovarjp7]

It is extremely disrespectful and ignorant to call Bulgarian Orthodox Churches Russian churches. The Bulgarian Church is one of the oldest Orthodox Churches. In fact Bulgarian metropolitans were the first heads of Kievan Rus Church. We also gave the world Church Slavonic. You can read this on ANY website. We Bulgarians are tired of churches bring called Russian, our alphabet, created in Bulgarian, Russian, etc. I am extremely disappointed as this video seems nice overall. Banya Bashi Mosque is built on top of a Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The only Russian Orthodox Church is the Russian Church St. Nicholas. There is also a Romanian church. You show Saint Sophia Cathedral, that gave the name of Sofia and yes it is just old as the one in Istanbul, but didn't bother with it. Shame!

[@januslog]

Thank you for watching for these clarifications. I did not mean any disrespect. Honest mistake on my part. Have a great day 👍

[@kosmicheskiprah]

@@januslog Slavic women are harsh, but fair and objective! 😆

[@miavalentinova5019]

@@kosmicheskiprah ахахаха 😎🦁🇧🇬

[@wildbill6366]

Same falsehood different name ..

[@simontodorov7350]

Bulgarian is not in eastern Europe!!!

[@harifoctavio]

ouch, my ears! haha not! what a fabulous way to awaken curiosity. a dedicated complex for children from around the world. i wanna go now and not just play but engage in every bell's design. loved it! thank you so much for sharing.

[@januslog]

Thank you! It’s amazing place indeed and definitely worth visiting

[@nekonekic1]

it looks so empty and communist-ic. I hope i will like it when i visit it soon.

[@januslog]

I definitely liked it. Curious what you will say once you’ve been there

[@huskytail]

Empty and communist-ic? I guess you didn't watch this video 😁. You could barely squeeze in the walking areas in the beginning of the video.

[@kosmicheskiprah]

@@huskytail Сигурно е сърбин. Погледни му имената. Типичен арогантен коментар.

[@mihailchehlarov2720]

Yeah, we like it that way, especially if it keeps serbs away..or croats..or whatever, who is counting how many peals former yugoslavian onion has.

[@megataiman9482]

Informative & straight forward guide 👍

[@januslog]

Thank you 😊