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Sofia Vacations and Tour Packages

Western City
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Overview

Take a trip to Sofia on your Bulgaria Vacation

Sofia is Bulgaria’s capital and largest city and is located in the western part of the country on the lower slopes of Mount Vitosha. The city has been settled for hundreds of years. The city gained its present name at the end of the 14th Century in honour of the city’s major symbol, the Saint Sofia Basilica founded in the 6th century and one of the oldest churches in the capital to be experienced in Bulgaria vacation

Sofia is a cosmopolitan city with tree-lined boulevards and pleasant parks. The city combines a wide range of architectural styles, some of which are hardly compatible. These vary from Christian Roman architecture and medieval Bulgar fortresses to Neoclassicism and prefabricated Socialist-era apartment blocks 

At a Glance

Languages

Bulgarian

Currency

Bulgarian Lev (BGN)

What do the experts say?

Amanda De Oliveira

Amanda De Oliveira

Destination Specialist
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I love learning about Nicaragua's culture and experiencing its Spanish influence in some cities. I was only there for five days, but I'll never forget how delicious the food was and how welcoming and extremely polite the people were.
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Michele Assinck

Destination Specialist
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The Day of the Dead in Guatemala is a great local tradition where people gather to fly giant, intricately decorated kites to honour the dead.

Michele Assinck

Destination Specialist
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The colourful Spanish architecture, the beautiful scenery, particularly the stunning lakes, and the Mayan ruins are what I love most about Guatemala!
Osvaldo Gonzalez

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist
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Nicaragua is well known for its dramatic volcanic landscapes, lakes, rainforests, and colonial cities. I love how friendly the people are and how delicious the food is! There is always something fun to do in Nicaragua!
Osvaldo Gonzalez

Osvaldo Gonzalez

Destination Specialist
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Festival de Los Farolitos is an annual nighttime festival held every September in the town of Ataco, where the streets, houses, and plazas are illuminated with thousands of handmade lanterns (farolitos). Families craft them using colored paper, wood, calabash gourds, or jars, each with a candle inside. Although it's tied to the eve of the Virgin Mary’s birthday, it has evolved into a cultural celebration of community, light, creativity, and town pride.
AttractionsMuseums

Attractions

Very close to Saint Sofia is the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, one of the world’s largest Eastern Orthodox churches and built as a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died liberating Bulgaria from Turkey in the 1800s. It houses 53 bells, the heaviest weighing 10 tons. The church can hold roughly 5,000 people. Other interesting buildings include the St. Nikolas Russian Church with its beautiful ornate domes, the medieval Sveta Nedelya Cathedral and the Banya Bashi Mosque (a reminder of the Ottoman Empire occupation).

Other points of interest in the city on a Bulgaria vacation include the Lion Bridge, the Eagle Bridge, the Russian Monument, and the monument to Vasil Levski (a Bulgarian revolutionary hero who gave his life in the struggle to free Bulgaria from the Ottomans in the 19th century). 

Travel Stories

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