Sofia in 3 days

Morning

• Ancient Serdika Archaeological Complex40 min

  Begin under the city: the excavated Roman streets of Serdika lie beneath the metro interchange and the open-air sections under the glass domes are free whenever the metro runs. Enter from the Largo underpass and follow the panels east.

  TipThe excavated streets, baths and houses of Roman Serdika sit directly beneath the Serdika metro interchange and the open-air sections under the glass domes are free to walk through whenever the metro runs. Enter from the underpass between the Largo government buildings and read the info panels eastward; the fenced indoor section with mosaics keeps office-style hours, so do the free open ruins first and add the ticketed part only if a mosaic floor matters to you.

• St George Rotunda40 min

  Find the 4th-century St George Rotunda in the courtyard behind the Presidency, free to enter, with frescoes stacked from the 10th to 14th centuries. Catch the changing of the guard outside on the hour.

  TipSofia's oldest building, a red-brick Roman rotunda from the 4th century, hides in the courtyard between the Presidency and the Sheraton, ringed by more Serdika ruins; entry is free and it works as a functioning church, so keep quiet and skip photos during morning liturgy. Look up for three layers of frescoes from the 10th to 14th centuries, then time your exit for the top of the hour to catch the changing of the guard at the Presidency entrance a few steps away.

• National Archaeological Museum1h

  Cross to the National Archaeological Museum in the former Ottoman mosque for the Thracian gold hoards; near opening time the main hall is often nearly empty. One focused hour is enough.

  TipHoused in a 15th-century former Ottoman mosque opposite the Presidency, the museum concentrates Bulgaria's Thracian treasures, including gold from the Valchitran and Lukovit hoards, into a single manageable hall an hour is enough to cover. It opens daily in summer and closes Mondays in winter, and the ticket runs about 5 to 6 EUR; go at opening time and you will often share the main hall with only the guards.

Afternoon

• Ivan Vazov National Theatre and City Garden1h

  After lunch, drift through the City Garden past the afternoon chess games to the gilded 1907 facade of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre. Tickets inside start at a few euros if you are curious, though performances run in Bulgarian.

  TipThe 1907 national theatre presents Sofia's grandest facade, Viennese columns and gilded pediment facing a fountain pool across the City Garden, where pensioners play speed chess at the fixed tables every afternoon, free theatre in itself. Performances are in Bulgarian, but tickets start at only a few euros if you want the interior; otherwise come around golden hour, when the facade lights up and the garden benches are the best people-watching in the centre.

• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral1h15

  Continue to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, free to enter daily until about 6pm, and add the crypt's icon museum on its separate ticket, closed Mondays. Note the gold domes for a floodlit return after dark.

  TipEntry to the vast neo-Byzantine cathedral is free and it opens daily from about 7am to 6pm, but buy the small photo permit at the candle desk if you want interior shots. The crypt houses Bulgaria's best medieval icon collection as a branch of the National Gallery, with its own ticket and separate entrance left of the main steps; it closes on Mondays. Come back after dark, when the floodlit gold domes are the city's best free photo.

Evening

• Vitosha Boulevard1h30

  Walk pedestrian Vitosha Boulevard at the end of the day, when the light catches the mountain closing the view down the street. Terrace drink here, dinner one street over where prices drop by a third.

  TipThe pedestrian main street runs dead straight at the mountain, so on a clear day the snow-capped ridge fills the end of the view; walk it in late afternoon when the light hits the peaks. Terrace cafes here charge the highest prices in Sofia for ordinary food, so treat the boulevard as a promenade and coffee stop, then eat one or two streets east or west, where the same dishes cost a third less.

• National Palace of Culture (NDK)1h

  Finish among the fountains and skaters of the NDK park, with the huge 1981 palace of culture lit up behind. The pedestrian bridge over the boulevard gives the best night shot of the whole axis.

  TipThe hulking 1981 concrete congress hall anchors the southern end of Vitosha Boulevard behind a long park of fountains, skaters and open-air cafes; the park is free and best at sunset when the mountain glows behind the building. Check the NDK box office or site for cheap same-week tickets to concerts and Sofia Film Fest screenings in March, and climb the pedestrian bridge over the boulevard for the best photo of the axis toward Vitosha.

Morning

• Boyana Church1h30

  Head out to Boyana Church for your pre-booked timed slot among the 1259 frescoes; conservation rules admit only 8 to 10 people for 10 to 15 minutes, no photos. The combined National History Museum ticket is worth taking while you are out here.

  TipThe tiny UNESCO-listed church holds a complete fresco cycle painted in 1259, realistic portraits eighty years before Giotto, and conservation rules admit only 8 to 10 people at a time for a strict 10-to-15-minute slot with no photos inside. Reserve ahead by phone or through the National History Museum, which sells a combined ticket, and take the guided commentary, which is included; without a booking in high season you can wait an hour or more in the garden.

• Museum of Socialist Art1h15

  Return via metro to G. M. Dimitrov station for the Museum of Socialist Art, a five-minute signposted walk, where the toppled Lenins and the Party House red star stand in a garden. A few euros, closed Mondays.

  TipThe open-air sculpture park gathers the Lenin statues, red star and heroic monuments removed from Sofia's streets after 1989, with a hall of socialist-realist painting and propaganda newsreels inside; entry costs only a few euros and it closes on Mondays. Take the metro to G. M. Dimitrov station, from which it is a signposted five-minute walk; the giant red star that once topped the Party House headquarters sits by the entrance and is the piece to see.

Afternoon

• Central Mineral Baths and hot fountains1h15

  Back in the centre, tour the Regional History Museum inside the striped 1913 Central Mineral Baths, open Tuesday to Sunday, then fill a bottle at the free 37C mineral fountains beside the building like the locals do.

  TipThe striped Vienna-Secession bathhouse of 1913 now holds the Regional History Museum of Sofia, open Tuesday to Sunday, worth an hour for the royal carriages and the story of the city under its floors. The real free attraction is beside the building: public fountains running drinkable mineral water at around 37C from the springs Sofia was founded on, where locals queue with bottles all day; bring an empty bottle and fill up like everyone else.

• Banya Bashi Mosque1h

  Walk the square of tolerance: the 1576 Banya Bashi Mosque, free outside prayer times with shoes off at the door, then the 1909 Sofia Synagogue a hundred metres away, a few euros with a bell to ring at the side door, closed Saturdays.

  TipBuilt in 1576 and attributed to the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, this is Sofia's only working mosque, and visitors are welcome outside the five daily prayer times; entry is free, shoes come off at the door, and women should carry a headscarf. It stands within a hundred metres of the synagogue, the cathedral-facing churches and the former mosque now housing the Archaeological Museum, so string all of them into one short walk locals call the square of tolerance.

Evening

• Zhenski Pazar Women's Market1h

  Catch the last hours of the Zhenski Pazar market for cheese, fruit and a banitsa under 2 EUR, then explore the surrounding Kvartal blocks as the galleries and bars open up.

  TipSofia's century-old open-air market runs daily from early morning, and mornings are the time to come, when the produce stalls are full and the mix of Bulgarian grandmothers, Middle Eastern grocers and spice sellers is at its liveliest. Prices are the lowest in the city, so stock up on sirene cheese, lukanka sausage and seasonal fruit for a picnic, and grab a fresh banitsa pastry from one of the bakeries on the surrounding streets for under 2 EUR.

• 2h

  Give the Kvartal quarter your evening: craft beer, cheap diverse kitchens and a young local crowd in streets that are gentrifying in real time. Eat early if you want a mountain start tomorrow.

Morning

• Vitosha Mountain and Aleko1h30

  Take bus 66 from Hladilnika, one stop from Lozenets, up to Aleko at about 1,800 metres, or ride the Simeonovo gondola if it is running, usually Friday to Sunday outside ski season. Check the lift status the night before and start early; summer storms build after lunch.

  TipTake bus 66 from the Hladilnika terminus to the Aleko hut area at about 1,800 metres, or ride the Simeonovo gondola when it runs, typically Friday to Sunday outside the December-to-March ski season, daily during it. From Aleko the summit of Cherni Vrah at 2,290 metres is a two-hour marked walk with a kiosk on top serving hot bean soup; check the lift status online the night before, carry a warm layer even in August, and start morning hikes early because summer thunderstorms build after lunch.

• 2h30

  From Aleko, follow the marked trail to the summit of Cherni Vrah at 2,290 metres, about two hours up at an easy pace, with the whole of Sofia spread below. The summit kiosk serves hot bean soup; carry water and a warm layer even in August.

Afternoon

• 2h30

  Descend the same way or loop via the stone rivers, the giant moraine fields Vitosha is known for, and ride the bus back down to Hladilnika by mid-afternoon. In winter, swap the hike for a half-day ski pass at Aleko, with rental gear available at the base.

• 1h

  Recover in Lozenets over coffee and cake in one of the specialty cafes, the neighbourhood's real strength. It is a short tram ride from here into the centre if you want one last pass through it.

Evening

• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral2h

  For a final evening, return to Alexander Nevsky after dark, when the floodlit gold domes are the city's best free sight, and walk the quiet embassy streets of Oborishte around it for dinner in one of the house-restaurants.

  TipEntry to the vast neo-Byzantine cathedral is free and it opens daily from about 7am to 6pm, but buy the small photo permit at the candle desk if you want interior shots. The crypt houses Bulgaria's best medieval icon collection as a branch of the National Gallery, with its own ticket and separate entrance left of the main steps; it closes on Mondays. Come back after dark, when the floodlit gold domes are the city's best free photo.

• 30 min

  If your flight is early, remember the metro: Line 4 runs from Serdika direct to Terminal 2 in about 18 minutes for 1.60 BGN, roughly 0.80 EUR, from early morning. From Terminal 2 a free shuttle connects to Terminal 1 if you need it.