My First Time in Bulgaria: Exploring Sofia Without a Plan
Updated: 6 days ago
I'm on a mission to visit every country in Europe. And this time, it was Bulgaria's turn.
Together with my best friend Samuele, we landed in Sofia without much of a plan. Actually, we had no plan at all. But that's exactly how we like to travel.
I met Samuele when we both moved to Sweden. We'd arrived alone in a country we barely knew anything about, and somehow, we clicked almost immediately. We both love travelling, but what makes us such good travel companions is that we enjoy doing it the same way.
We love museums, walking for hours, and getting lost in random streets to see what's around the corner. And after travelling together around several countries, we've become pretty good at it.
So, naturally, we thought Sofia would be another interesting place to explore.
Our First Taste of Bulgaria
Our adventure began as soon as we landed. One of the first things that surprised me was how affordable Sofia was. Even the metro from the airport was ridiculously cheap compared to what I was used to in other European capitals.
Our first moments in Sofia.
But what I remember particularly well is the food. We loved wandering through random streets and finding places that aren't necessarily on every tourist's list.
One restaurant still makes me laugh when I think about it. Neither of us spoke Bulgarian, and the lady working there didn't speak English.
Perfect.
It wasn't even a restaurant with a normal menu. There was food on display, a little like a buffet, but not quite. To this day, I'm still not entirely sure how the place worked. And somehow, despite having absolutely no idea how to communicate, we managed to get a delicious lunch.
Food turned out to be one of the highlights of our visit. We also tried Bulgarian dishes such as moussaka, sujuk, and kachamak.
Discovering Bulgarian architecture and food.
Discovering Sofia
We both love history, so the Archaeological Museum was an obvious stop. It's housed in a former Ottoman mosque, which was already interesting enough before we even started exploring the collections.
The museum's first director, Václav Dobruský, was a Czech archaeologist. The museum became an independent institution in 1892, and its prehistoric exhibits cover almost 1.6 million years of history, from the earliest evidence of human life in the region to Bronze Age objects dating to around 1600 BC.
Inside Sofia's Archaeological Museum.
What surprised me most about Sofia was its architecture. Walking around the central district of Sredets, we kept discovering impressive buildings. And then we came across Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
But the biggest surprise for me came when we went inside. I'd grown up Roman Catholic, and I'd never really experienced Orthodox Christianity before.
The first thing I noticed was that there were no rows of benches like I was used to seeing in Catholic churches. It was fascinating to discover a different way of practising the same religion.
I love visiting churches when I travel, not only because of the architecture, but also because of their history and what they represent to the people. It was completely new to me.
Exploring Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.
Not Everything Goes According to Plan
The following day, we decided to visit the National Museum of History, located near Vitosha Mountain. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it was closed.
Well, that's travelling without much of a plan for you.
But we didn't mind too much. We enjoyed walking around the outskirts of Sofia and discovering places we probably wouldn't have visited otherwise. We also stopped by the National Palace of Culture, another impressive building that reminded us of Bulgaria's more recent history.
Sightseeing in Sofia.
And later that evening, we ended up outside the National Opera and Ballet. I remember sitting on a bench with Samuele while someone nearby was singing and playing guitar.
We were sitting there, listening to the music and enjoying the evening. Sometimes, that's all you need.
The National Opera and Ballet at night.
Bulgaria, You Surprised Me
Before arriving in Sofia, I knew very little about Bulgaria or the Balkans in general. I had no particular expectations.
And maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much.
The food, the architecture, the history, and simply wandering around the city with Samuele made it a really enjoyable trip. But what I liked most was discovering somewhere I'd barely thought about visiting before.
Sofia was only a small introduction to Bulgaria, and there's still so much of the country I'd like to explore. The mountains, the beaches, other towns and places beyond the capital.
Bulgaria, I'll definitely be coming back.
An evening in Sofia with Samuele.
Comments