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Sofia, Bulgaria 🇧🇬 Travel | Food | Local Tips

@experience.sofia

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✨ Experience Sofia like a local - food, culture & hidden gems
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Sofia in 3 days…

… is honestly the perfect city escape. So if you’re coming for 72 hours only, here’s how we’d spend it:

🩵 DAY 1 would be getting to know the city, start at Largoto, see the Roman ruins, walk down the yellow brick road and stop by the National Theatre, Russian church, then up to St Sophia and Alexander Nevsky
For food, don’t miss a banitsa, then walk around kvARTal for dinner and grab a wine (we listed some of our fav spots)

🌱 On DAY 2 we’d hike up to Vitosha and wrap the day at a mehana. Combine with National History museum + Boyana church for the history buffs.

✨ Then DAY 3 we’d do the Palace, check out some galleries and then peep some hidden gems like Otto’s mekitsa and the interior of the Palace of Justice

… and ofc we’d be sure to follow @experience.sofia for all the insider tips.

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatravel #bulgariatourism #europetravel by @experience.sofia

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3 days ago

It’s officially FALL in Sofia 🥹🍁

… well, it has been for a few days already but (dare we say) the PRETTIEST, vibiest part of autumn is currently happening.

Crisp but sunny weather, golden leaves, tons of events now that everyone is fully back from holidays. It’s one of our FAVORITE TIMES of year in Sofia - and if you’re coming soon (or have a loved one who is) this is the bucket list for you. 🩵

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #easterneuropetrip by @experience.sofia

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5 days ago

YOUR weekend plans 🍁✨

It’s the first weekend of OCTOBER (cue “when did we get to October” thoughts and spooky season planning) and Sofia once again has TONS of amazing events.

SHARE this video to the group chat for ideas!

🍸 @liquidmarketsofia cocktail festival at Stochna Brewery brings together Sofia’s coolest bars (+ many guests from abroad) in the same space. THU-SAT, 4PM-3AM
All-you-can-drink tickets are available (33€/day with the fees; 3 days are 65€ + fees, I guess the final price would be 68€) with free drinks in the main room until 10PM
You can also get a 35€ (+fees) ticket for all 3 days, no drinks included

🍻 Bulgarian Craft Beer Fest in front of NDK, FRI-SUN with 22 participating breweries, live music and fun activities throughout the weekend (peep the 12-15:00 beer brewing demonstration on Sat)

🍺 @oktoberfest_sofia at City Garden has already started and continues until this SUN. Street food, beer, and all-around good vibes

West End’s The Bodyguard musical is in town this weekend with shows FRI (8PM), SAT & SUN (3PM and 8PM), tickets around 50€

🥬 Farmer’s Market at @parkcentersofia level -2, SAT & SUN, since it’s in the centre an near the metro, it’s a great option to get some organic produce + local crafts

✨Mix & Match Bazaar & Brunch, SAT & SUN, 11AM-6PM at @bartercommhub with fall finds and tasty food

+ some events for specific days:

🤖 Brick Show Sofia SAT at 1PM at House of Culture “Sredets” - the 2nd edition of Sofia’s event for Lego collectors

💅 Also on SAT, @please.leave.by.10 party with Bulgarian hits at CLWD space, 15€ tickets

+ peep the weekend lineup at @pinkballoon.sofia for 00s glittery vibes, @playbar.sofia for hip-hop, @fomo.the.club for a hot pop party (which celebrates its second year)… or, you know, Studentski grad for the ✨other✨ type of music we enjoy on the Balkans.

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #събития by @experience.sofia

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9 days ago

EXACTLY how to find it ⬇️

This is @baba.restaurant.sofia and it’s our latest find in Sofia right inside the National Theatre. The views, the food, the wine… just 👌👌👌

BUT it can be a little tricky to get there if you’ve never been. So here is the exact step by step:
1️⃣ Make a reservation (this one is pretty much a must)
2️⃣ Go on the back side of the theatre (it’s the entrance on the Georgi Benkovski side, even though on Google Maps it comes up as Dyakon Ignatiy)
3️⃣ Walk in (yes, there are no signs outside but this is the correct spot, the doorman will welcome you)
4️⃣ Follow the signs up and ENJOY 🩵

SAVE this for a special occasion and share with your foodie (and epic view lover) friend ✨

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #sofiarestaurants by @experience.sofia

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14 days ago

This post is a THANK YOU 🥹

We recently hosted our ✨Aristocratic Sofia Walk and Wine✨ which was basically us walking around the city with our favorite local historian (and bestselling author and all-round awesome human) Viktor Topalov of @bohemskasofia

… and then ending the night at @wineminebar for some bubbly and a chat 🥂 (and an epic sabrage!)

It was the PERFECT way to welcome a new season to Sofia and we’re just so thankful for everyone that joined, and everyone that worked backstage to make it happen 🩵

(And if you missed out on this one, keep an eye out, we’d love to do more soon 😉)

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #събития by @experience.sofia

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15 days ago

Some highlights (even for non-TATTOO people) ↓

@bulgariatattooexpo_official is happening this weekend (SAT&SUN, 10AM-10PM) and this year they’re doing A LOT more than just tattoos (although obviously the art and the artists are the focus point).

Honestly, if you’re into ART (any kind) this event might be for you. Some highlights from your admin (who only has two teeny-tiny tattoos and probably won’t be getting flash designs): 🎸LIVE music on both days - Tsar Pluh on Saturday (alt rock) and NDOE on Sunday (pop/hip-hop) are my highlights HOT PEPPER eating contest (Sunday at 3M)
🌶️The FOOD court (this one needs no explaining)
🎨 All the cool merch - T-shirts, stickers, pins, and other cool bits of art (because each tattoo studio has prepared something different and honestly in a world of AI slop it’s really nice to buy something that was hand-designed and drawn)
+ the TERRACE and the view over Sofia!

… and of course the artists and the live tattoing. I’ll be there to check out the Japanese hand-poke + there’s a COMPETITION (with judges like Victor Portugal it’s and other tattoo world A-listers)

SHARE this to the group chat and use EXP10 to save on your ticket!

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #събития #bulgariatourism #tattooexpo by @experience.sofia

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16 days ago

Bulgaria’s last king had a pretty UNEXPECTED career change… 👑

Simeon II became king at just SIX years old in 1943. The monarchy was abolished in 1946, and decades later he became Bulgaria’s PRIME MINISTER, serving from 2001 to 2005.
Yup, the monarch was then democratically elected (and he’s one of the very FEW in history that can say that)

But that’s not even the most CURIOUS story about Bulgaria’s ROYALS. Because, yes, Sofia did have its fair share of royals and aristocrats.

We’re teaming up with @bohemskasofia get into their stories (and then wrap it up with some wine🍷)

Today is YOUR LAST CHANCE to join - we’re doing it Thursday Sep 24th!

🏛️ FIRST, THE WALK
Join local historian, guide and bestselling author Viktor Topalov through Sofia’s aristocratic quarter. The glamour, the scandals, and the people behind the grand façades.

🍷 THEN, THE WINE
We finish at @wineminebar with a glass of wine (yup, it’s included in your ticket) + icebreaker games to get everyone talking. We want to help you meet fellow travellers and expats - there will be nobody standing in the corner awkwardly on our watch!

Just visiting? Come get to know Sofia beyond the usual stops.
Living here? Come get to know the city and some new people. 🩵

📅 24 September | 6 PM
📍 Meet at 5 Moskovska St., in front of the State Archives Agency
🎟️ In the link in BIO

Come solo or send this to the group chat. Either way, your evening plans are sorted.
Spots are LIMITED, so save yours now!

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatourism #royalhistory by @experience.sofia

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17 days ago

Today NOTHING tells you that…

… the building right here played host to some of the most horrific moments of Sofia’s history 😳

This is the State Archive building on Moskovska Str 5. It’s on one of the most ARISTOCRATIC, beautiful and important streets in the city.

👀 Psst! This is where our event with @bohemskasofia will start on Sep 24th, peep the bio for tickets.

… but, while at our walk we’ll talk about the bohemian and aristocratic stories of the city, there is also something VERY DARK here. And we can’t really ignore it, even if most visitors (and locals) often do.

😶 Between 1947 and the 1970s this is where the SECRET POLICE had its offices - and where it held prisoners (and you can imagine how they were treated) in the basement cellars.
HUNDREDS (if not thousands) of political prisoners were held and t0rtured here and many would end up in concentration camps with barely any due process.

In the 70s this eventually became an administrative building and in 1993 it started housing the State Archive. But while many other former Eastern Block countries have created museums commemorating the victims of totalitarianism, this space never became one. The horrid basement today is just where the central heating pipes are…

Did YOU know about the building’s dark past? Tell us in the comments and join our event for some brighter (but not less interesting) stories that pre-date the terror 🩵

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #darkhistory #easterneurope #bulgariatourism by @experience.sofia

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19 days ago

🤩 Join us on September 24 at 6 PM for a special event in English. Tickets: link in bio 🤩

✨️ Bohemska Sofia and Experience Sofia are teaming up again for a journey through Sofia’s aristocratic quarter + a social to meet fellow travellers and expats!

🗣 We set off with Viktor Topalov, a local historian, tour guide, and bestselling author. You’ll hear the real stories behind the city’s royals and aristocrats (the glamour, the scandals, the parts of history that don’t make it into the guidebooks).

🍷 We'll end up in Wine Mine with a glass of wine (included in your ticket) with some social games designed to get everyone talking, not just standing around with a drink.

🤩 We can't wait to see you! taken in Sofia, Bulgaria by @experience.sofia

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20 days ago

SOFIA WASN’T ALWAYS THIS PRETTY 👇

Today Sofia’s centre is BEAUTIFUL… when it first became a capital, though? Things were wayy different.

When Sofia was selected to be a capital (April 3rd, 1879) it was basically an Ottoman town (and not a specifically large or well-organised one). Muddy, winding streets, no street lights, no sewage. In some spots people had just placed large flat stones in the mud so you could cross (very… non-19th-century-European-capital-worthy). But that’s not even all:

Around today’s Macedonia Square, farm ANIMALS were walking around freely. 🐄 Yes, that’s the same busy intersection you probably crossed this week.

🚧 Even the very CENTRE of the city wasn’t all that fabulous.
Moskovska for example was also dark and muddy and generally not-so-pleasant. But then it grew into one of the most important streets in Sofia, with the Royal Palace (built on the spot of the old Ottoman konak), the first printing house, and the first big apartment building.

So where did the royals and high society actually live? How did Sofia transform from a seedy town into a European capital? That’s what you’ll hear about if you join us on Sep 24th 👇

🍷 Sofia aristocratic WALK + WINE social with @bohemskasofia Thu, Sep 24 | 6PM at Moskovska Str 5 (yup, the street we mentioned above) We’ll walk through the aristocratic part of Sofia, hear who lived where, and finish with a glass of wine. There are social games throughout (so you actually meet people instead of awkwardly following a stranger’s umbrella).

SMALL GROUP, LIMITED SPOTS, so follow the link in bio before they run out.

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #easterneurope by @experience.sofia

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21 days ago

SOFIA WEEKEND GUIDE | 18–20 SEP 👇

This weekend ACTUALLY may be one of the best weekend programs in Sofia of the year. We have four huge events (with multiple sub-events and activities) and no idea ourselves how we can just pick one (so probably your admin will do all four). Here’s why you shouldn’t miss the weekend in town:

✨ LUNAR: LIGHTS OF SOFIA (@lunarlights.eu)
Largoto has the coolest installation | Fri–Sun, after dark ]
Light art as a part of the biggest immersive video mapping competition in the world. The installation at Largoto is the most epic - get off at Serdika metro and you’re there.

🎨 kvARTal FESTIVAL @kv.art.al (Old Sofia, around Serdika) has tons of activities but here are some of our highlights
🔸 Taste of Old Sofia street food: shkembe (it’s tripe soup… and yes, it is good, but it’s a bit of an acquired taste), mekitsi and more along the Exarch Yosif pedestrian street
🔸 “120 Years – 120 Minutes” at the Ethnographic Museum (inside the Palace) | Sat & Sun, 10:00–12:00
🔸 DJs on the Main Stage, Serdika 5 | Sat & Sun, see the full program for artist details

🍽️ THE BIG TABLE @thebigtablesofia
Veliko Tarnovo st. | Sat, 12-10PM
A literal big table where you can just bring food and chat with neighbours… Or enjoy the food and drink stalls, live music all day, banitsa contest at 1PM, a giant cake at 3PM + the kids’ workshops.

🚲 CAR-FREE WEEKEND as a part of the European Mobility Week
Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd is pedestrian on Sat & Sun. There are also a bunch of activities related to the European campaign:
🔸 Green Mobility Expo | Fri–Sun, Alexander Nevsky Sq
🔸 Tramcar depot open (retro trams and Chavdar buses run special routes) | Sat, 10AM-4PM
🔸 City bike ride, Giro d’Italia route | Sun, 10AM from the National Assembly

Important reminder for the weekend though: the central area will be PACKED. Leave the car, take the metro.

Which one are you starting with? Tell us below + SHARE this to the group chat 🩵

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #easterneuropetrip by @experience.sofia

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22 days ago

It’s SOFIA DAY 🥹

On Sep 17th we celebrate the day of our city. So happy holiday, Sofia friends (and soon-to-be Sofia friends using this page to plan their trip 🩵)!

Over the past two years, it has been such a PRIVILEGE to be able to share our city with you.

We’ve shown you architectural sites with 2000+ years of history, hidden bars, local markets, fun events, museums and galleries you don’t want to miss… and we’re so grateful about the community here 🥹

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU everyone that’s here and THANK YOU, Sofia, for all the beautiful wonderful times!
… and if you’re new here, HEY, welcome, we share local Sofia tips & spots to help you plan your time here. FOLLOW along for all that good stuff!

#sofiabulgaria #sofiabulgaria🇧🇬 #bulgariatourism #bulgariatravel #софиябългария by @experience.sofia

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24 days ago