Sofia City Walking Tour with Tasting – 2-Hour Guided Experience
Explore Sofia on a 2-hour walking tour with a passionate local guide. Taste authentic Bulgarian beer, local wine, and traditional meze while discovering hidden gems and the city’s vibrant nightlife.
You will explore Sofia on foot, tasting delicious Bulgarian beer and a glass of local quality wine paired with traditional meze: dried meat (100g) and cheese (100g).
Your passionate local guide, who grew up in Sofia, will show you not only the city’s main attractions but also hidden gems in small streets, galleries, bars, and events.
Discover where locals go, learn about Sofia’s vibrant social and nightlife scene, and get insider tips for your free time. This 2-hour walking tour offers an authentic experience of Sofia beyond the usual tourist paths.
Itinerary:
The Meeting Point: The Saint Sofia Basilica (6 th c.).
The Saint Sophia Church is one of the few preserved Christian basilicas in Bulgarian lands. It was built in the VI century on the site of several earlier churches from IV and V century. At the end of the XIV century it was rebuilt in a mosque with a minaret. It suffered the earthquakes in 1818 and 1858. Along with the church "St. George", it is one of the oldest and most valuable historical sites of Sofia from its Roman period.
The Alexander Nevski Cathedral
Built in Neo-Byzantine style it is the is one of the biggest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions.
The National Gallery
The design of that Building, in Neoclassical style, by the Viennese architect Friedrich Schwanberg was realised in the period between 1881 and 1883.
The National Library
With its 8.5 million documents the National Library “St. St. Cyril and Methodius” is the largest book treasury in Bulgaria. Visitors will see temporary exhibitions inside. The collection of old, rare and valuable books includes a total of about 17 000 volumes of books and periodicals printed in the period 15th-21st centuries. The materials are organized in separate collections.
The Sofia University "Saint Kliment"
Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and The "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" National Library are near the Eagles' Bridge. The university was founded on 1 October 1888. Monday-Friday visitors could also see the amazing central hall with the big stained glass windows.
The National Assembly
The building National Assembly sits is of historic significance and it is a monument of culture. It was built in 1884-1886 at the design of architect Constantin Yovanovic.
The ex Communist Party Hause
Bulgaria was occupied by USSR 1944-1989. The Party House (at present housing offices of the National Assembly) was designed by a team headed by architect Petso Zlatev. It was built from 1948 to 1954. The red Star, placed following the Soviet Model, is now removed and displayed at the Museum of Socialist Art. It is replaced by the national flag.
The remains of the ancient roman city Serdica
Ancient cultural and communication complex “Serdica” combines areas with various purposes, divided into two zones. The “Largo” zone, situated underneath Nezavisimost Square, integrates the unearthed archaeological remains into a site for cultural events. The remains of one of the two main streets of the Roman town, the decumanus maximus, which connects the eastern and the western gate of the city, can be seen here. A large residential building, covering an entire insula (urban block), can be seen south of it. The building also had small shops, from which travelers and the town’s inhabitants could purchase food and various goods.
The warm thermal springs of Sofia City
Visitors will go to see the Natural Hot Springs of the city-46 degrees Celsius The current Central Mineral Baths building was designed in the Vienna Secession style, but integrating typically Bulgarian, Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox ornamental elements, by the architects Petko Momchilov and Friedrich Grünanger in 1904–1905 and approved on 30 January 1906, as projects by an Austrian (in 1889).
Saint George church (4th c.)
The oldest and best-preserved functioning church since Roman times in Sofia is the rotunda church St. George. It was built in the beginning of the 4th century AD during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great (reigned 306 – 337) and the flourishing of the ancient town Serdika (the old name of Sofia). It is believed that the rotunda is the oldest building in Sofia.
The old Mosque (16th c.)
*It was built by the initiative and with the financial support of Mullah Effendi Kada Seyfullah and is also known as Mollah Effendi Mosque. It was designed by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, who also built the mosque of Sultan Selim on Edirne and the Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul. Because of the number 974 above the entrance arch, the mosque is considered to be built in 974, the Hijri (Islamic calendar) or in 1566 – 1567 AD.
The remains of the ancient wall of Serdica city
The first fortification wall of Serdica was erected in the second half of the 2nd century AD. It had a width of 2.20 m. At the end of the 3rd , the beginning of the 4th c.АD, a remodeling of the wall was undertaken and a ditch was dug in front of it - 14 m west of the Western gate at about 2 m deep and 5 m wide, functioning in the 4th century.
The old city market *zhenski pazar
Established more than 140 years ago, it has become one of the most important trading centres in the metropolitan city. Almost 60 000 visit Zhenski Pazar Market every day. The market is located in the so-called Area of Tolerance in Sofia. The name itself is coined after the close proximity of the temples of all the official religious communities in Bulgaria. Here you can find the church “Saints Cyril and Methodius“, the “Banya bashi” Mosque, and the Central Synagogue of Sofia.
Central Synagogue of Sofia
The building of the Central Sofia Synagogue is rightly described as the pride of the Bulgarian Jewish community. It is one of the three largest Sephardic (Spanish-Jewish) synagogues in Europe and the largest on the Balkan Peninsula.
Brailla Bar
Local bar with Bulgarian drinks and appetizers.