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Airport  
Sofia International Airport is approximately 10km from the city centre. There are three small terminals situated next to one another for domestic flights, international departures and international arrivals. All of them share the same outdoor car park. Both Arrivals and Departures are grim, dirty-looking and unwelcoming places. A negligible duty-free section and café grace the departures lounge and border guards can be a little imposing. However, respite is not far away; there is now an excellent restaurant/café, da Vinci, on the second floor of the departures terminal. Run by an international catering company, it offers Italian cuisine either as self-service or in the restaurant. The pizzas are reputedly the best in town. Walking from the dingy departures lounge into the bright, airy and sparkling clean da Vinci is like stepping from Sofia Airport into Heathrow. There is also a bar above da Vinci which has a panoramic view over the runway. The Lebanese owners of da Vinci are likely to win the tender for the departures lounge bars in 2000. It is also useful to note that many of the international airlines advise that you keep any valuables in your hand luggage, as thefts from checked-in luggage have been reported. 
Airport to City Centre
Once you pass customs, you’ll face hordes of taxi drivers offering their services. Your best bet is to have someone meet you at the airport, or to get an official Sofia Airport Taxi – they have an office inside the baggage reclaim section. The Sheraton, Kempinski, Hrankov and Ambassador hotels have their own shuttle services. Major car rental companies also have booths in the area after you pass through customs. The trip to the city centre takes 10-20 mins depending on the traffic.
Orientation
Sofia is a compact city, situated in the valley between the Vitosha and Lyulin mountain ranges. The majority of Sofia’s citizens live in characterless concrete tower blocks in districts with socialist-sounding names, one of which – Druzhba (friendship) – is passed on the way from the airport to the city and is enough to send you scrambling for the next plane back home. But the good news is that these tower blocks, so loved by the communists, are being superseded by far less oppressive new four or five-storey buildings, which can be seen all over the city. Sofia’s centre is Alexander Battenberg Sq, which houses the Sheraton Hotel and the former Party House, as well as the Council of Ministers and the TsUM department store. Most of the sights and shopping districts are within walking distance and many offices are also in the centre, although larger companies, such as Shell and McDonald’s, are now moving further out of town. Vitosha Blvd, with Alexander Battenberg Sq at the bottom and the National Palace of Culture at the top, is the major shopping street. The expensive residential areas favoured by expats and well-to-do Bulgarians, called Boyana, Dragalevtsi, Gorna Banya, and Simeonovo, are located outside the ring road at the foot of Vitosha Mountain.
Excursions
The closest excursion is to Vitosha Mountain, just outside Sofia. A gondola lift from Simeonovo takes you to the ski resort of Aleko. Alternatively, Kopitoto and Zlatni Mostovo can be reached by car. In summer, the mountain is a wonderful getaway for an afternoon’s walking and offers a splendid panorama of the whole city below. In winter, you can ski or hike at Aleko. 
Be aware that at all times of the year temperatures at the top are much lower than those in the city. Rila Monastery, a UNESCO listed monument, is a must if you have a day to spare. Situated high up in the Rila Mountains, this breathtakingly beautiful monastery dates back to the 10c. It was a centre of Christian faith throughout the Ottoman rule. A local company, Tourist Service, organises day trips to Rila and to the town of Koprivshtitsa, which is built entirely in the national revivalist style of the latter part of the 19c, when Bulgarian culture and crafts were beginning to reappear from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. 
The Boyana Church, one of Bulgaria’s most significant historical treasures, can be visited in Boyana, at the foot of Vitosha Mountain. Built in the 13c, it is a UNESCO listed monument. The murals inside exhibit a new humanistic tendency in medieval art. Visitors cannot enter the church because light damages the murals, but the church has a museum where reproductions can be viewed. There are several quaint restaurants nearby.
Getting Around
Although buses, trams and trolley buses run frequently all around the centre, public transport is invariably crowded, as few locals own cars. There is a fairly new underground, with a stop in the city centre due to open by the end of 2000. The best options are walking or taxis. Larger hotels have decent taxi services, which wait in front of the building. Other taxi ranks can be found on Vitosha Blvd or around the NDK. Generally, you’ll have a more comfortable ride in a Mercedes or Daewoo taxi than a Lada. Although prices are displayed inside the vehicle, cheating foreigners is a favourite sport. Don’t argue – even if you think you’ve been ripped off, particularly at night or in uninhabited places. Seat belts are not compulsory even in the front and some cars don’t even have them.
What to see
Two years ago, Sofia underwent extensive redevelopment in an effort to make the city more tourist-friendly and restore its faded elegance. Around 30 buildings had their facades renovated under the ‘Beautiful Bulgaria’ programme funded by UNDP and the EU PHARE programme. Additionally, Slaveikov Sq, the National Theatre and many parks and gardens were restored, and fountains which have lain idle since the fall of communism have sprung back into life. Most sights are within walking distance of the compact and attractive city centre. Sofia became the capital as recently as 1879, when it was a run-down town of only about 12,000 inhabitants. The most impressive sites are the turn-of-the-century buildings, whose architecture recalls the styles of the Baroque and Renaissance periods. The city’s ancient remains can now be seen in the newly refurbished underpass in front of the Party House between the Presidency and the Council of Ministers. The underpass is well lit, guarded by municipal police and even has public toilets, still a rarity here. There are several boutiques selling antiques and folk objects. 
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Crypt: The focal point of all sightseeing tours; built between 1882 and 1912 in honour of the Russian Tsar Alexander II’s troops who helped liberate Bulgaria from 500 years of Turkish rule. The Cathedral stands on one of the highest points of an otherwise flat city. Built in neo-Byzantine style, its enormous golden domes can be seen as far away as the top of Vitosha Mountain. The interior is awe-inspiringly sombre, with a strong scent of incense and candle wax hanging in the air. Each gold-plated icon has its own worshippers who come to light candles and pray. You may try to take in a service, it’s certainly worth it, but be aware that talking is frowned upon and cameras are forbidden. The entrance to the crypt is to the left of the main entrance to the Cathedral. It houses a collection of 300 original icons by Bulgaria’s best icon painters. Copies can be bought as souvenirs. An excellent guide in Bulgarian and English is now available. It explains the icon genre in full.
Russian Church: This picturesque church is possibly the most enchanting building in Sofia. Named after St Nicholas ‘the Miracle-Maker’, it was recently restored to its original splendour by the Moscow authorities and its domes outshine those of the Nevsky Cathedral. Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd. 
St George Rotunda: Sofia’s oldest building, in the courtyard of the Sheraton hotel and the Presidency. Built at the beginning of the 4c BC on the site of a pagan temple, it was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and became a church again at the end of the 19c. The outstanding murals inside have been restored. Opening times are irregular, but you can always see the excavated remains of the Roman town of Serdika in which it stands. Have a drink in the outdoor café and soak up the history. 
Alexander Battenberg Sq: Known as Lenin Sq until 1990, this is a harmonious configuration of neo-classical architecture, built under socialist rule, but is frequently and unfairly described as ‘ugly’ and ‘Stalinist’. The former Party House in the centre sported a giant red star which was removed in 1990 and is now conspicuous by its absence, since the pole upon which it stood is still there. On one side, the Sheraton Hotel and the Presidency share a building, and the two nattily attired presidential guards (reminiscent of the Swiss guards at the Vatican) are a recent addition. On the other side are the Council of Ministers and TsUM. If you look closely below the roofs of the two buildings, you can see round plaques with wheat sheaves – replacing the hammer and sickle that one would naturally expect to see there. The square is also the beginning of the ‘yellow brick road’, a gift from Austria at the beginning of the century. 
The Archeological Museum: Reopened at the end of 1999 after a long period of restoration. Situated in the former Buyuk Djamiya (Big Mosque) next to the National Bank on Alexander Battenberg Sq, the museum features gold and silver pots and jewellery from the earliest Thracian periods, as well as sarcophaguses and columns from ancient settlements. The star exhibits are the Valchitran gold treasure from 14c BC and the mosaic retrieved from the floor of the St Sophia church, the oldest in Sofia. All exhibits are professionally lit with excellent captions in English.
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The central streets, Vitosha Blvd and Graf Ignatiev St, play host to most modern Western boutiques such as Stefanel, Gianfranco Ferre, Yves Saint Laurent and Max Mara, as well as the perfumery giants, but prices are higher than at home. If you have time, visit some of the intriguing Bulgarian shops on Aksakov and Shishman Sts, behind the Grand Hotel Sofia. TsUM, the central department store next to the Sheraton, is closed for total refurbishment and is due to open as a glossy Western-style shopping centre in 2000. Works of art present excellent value for money. Works by many talented young artists are on sale at numerous small galleries, and hand-crafted jewellery made by talented Bulgarian silversmiths is reasonably priced. Try 10 Shishman St for unusual clothes and silver jewellery, or Priz gallery, a little further down Shishman St, which has paintings, jewellery and hand-painted silver scarves. Folk costumes, wooden instruments, bowls and ethnic ceramic goods can be found in the underpass between the Sheraton and TsUM. A more expensive souvenir might be one of the exquisite kilim rugs, either Chiprovski or Kotelski, with jacquard motifs. The souvenir market around Alexander Nevsky Cathedral has socialist paraphernalia, Soviet badges and samovars, but prices are highly inflated. You should haggle, even with the seemingly sweet old ladies selling lace. 
Where to walk
Start at Alexander Nevsky Sq, where you can pop into the Cathedral and the International Art Gallery, wander round the lace and souvenir stalls and circle the Parliament (known, in the French style, as the National Assembly). Cross Rakovsky St into the gardens of the dilapidated Royal Palace which houses the National Art Gallery and Ethnographic Museums. Cross Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd to the City Park where you can see the neo-classical National Theatre and its fountains and onto the City Gallery at the far end of the Park. The Gallery features late 19c and early 20c Bulgarian art, with a charming permanent exhibition of images of Sofia throughout the 20c. Passing through Slaveikov Sq. you can walk along Vitosha Blvd, the main shopping street, up to the National Palace of Culture, a monstrosity not to be missed, if only as a reminder of the ‘Grandomania’ of socialism.
Weather and Climate
Sofia’s temperate climate falls into four distinct seasons: spring sees temperatures in the 20s; summer is hot and dry; autumn is mostly mild; and winter is cold, with plenty of snow. Bring an overcoat, hat, gloves and sturdy boots, as the snow turns to mud and slush in a matter of days and walking becomes unpleasant. 
At a glance
Under Communism the Bulgarian way of life was relatively good, thanks to advanced farming methods on the collective farms. After 1990 farming continued to provide a good standard of living for most Bulgarians, but the industrial sector ran into difficulties as the government sought new markets following the loss of some of those in the former Soviet bloc. One the proudest moments in recent Bulgarian history was the performance of the national football side at the Soccer World Cup in the US in 1994. Bulgaria came fourth, thanks in part to the exploits of their inspirational striker, Hristo Stoichkov, the only Bulgarian to lift the European Cup, which he won with Barcelona. 
In its ‘Golden Age’ during the 13c, the Bulgarian Kingdom stretched from the Black Sea in the East to the Adriatic in the 
West and the Aegean in the South. Bulgaria’s Tsar Simeon lives in Madrid with his four sons and his daughter (they all have Bulgarian names). The monarchy was overthrown in 1945 and a republic declared. He has visited Bulgaria three times since 1994, but is unlikely to go back to live there. 
Despite being Germany’s ally during early WWII, Bulgaria was one of the few countries in the region to refuse to deport Jews to Nazi death camps, instead sending them to labour camps in the country. A Bulgarian, John Atanassov, is credited by some with having invented the computer; many of the worst computer viruses also originated in Bulgaria. 
Bulgarians value their ‘name day’ more than their birthday. Particularly important name days are Ivan, Nikolai and Yordan. What is PHARE? It is the acronym for the EU’s programme of giving assistance to reforming countries of Central and Eastern Europe – Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia.
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