Best Areas to Stay in Sofia, Bulgaria

The Centrum district of Sofia is located, as its name suggests, in the center of the city.

It is the oldest part of Sofia and comprises the Roman city of Serdika.

The Centrum area is the best area to stay in Sofia if you are looking to be close to the historical and cultural monuments of the Bulgarian capital and mobilize on foot.

This area is renowned for its museums, such as the Bulgarian National Art Gallery, the National Archaeological Museum or the History Museum of Sofia.

Other attractions in the area include the beautiful Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the old synagogue of the city, the Banya Bashi Mosque or the Ivan Vazov National Theater.

The historic center of Sofia is undoubtedly the best connected area of the city. Lines M1 and M2 connect at the Serdika station, and innumerable tram and bus lines run through the district from north to south and from east to west.

Sofia Central Train Station is the main passenger train station in the country.

It is 1 km north of the city center, on the boulevard Marie Louise, next to Sofia’s central bus station. It was completely renovated in 2016.

The central station of Sofia offers domestic connections to the whole country and direct international services to cities such as Belgrade, Bucharest, Istanbul, Nis or Thessaloniki.

The area around the station is not the most beautiful in the Bulgarian capital.

However, it is one of the best areas to stay in Sofia thanks to the convenience of having its largest transport hub at hand, especially if you plan to travel around Bulgaria.

Another good news about staying close to the central station is that the accommodations in this area tend to have very cheap prices and their value for money tends to be higher than those in the center.

The National Palace of Culture, abbreviated as НДК or NDK is the largest multifunctional conference and exhibition center in Southeast Europe.

It was inaugurated in 1981 in celebration of Bulgaria’s 1300th anniversary.

Although the palace is located within what could be considered the city center, its size and the typical functional and Soviet style of its structure makes this a differentiated area to stay in Sofia.

In the vicinity of the NDK there are some landmarks of the city such as the Central Park, the Museum of Earth and Man or the Central Park Shopping Center.

This area concentrates a good part of the luxury hotels of the city.

It is an excellent area to stay in Sofia since it is located in the center of the city and has several metro stops nearby.

Lozenets is located south of the center of the city of Sofia.

Since the communist era, Lozenets has been considered one of the coolest areas in Sofia.

Lozenets is also one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Sofia.

Some of the highest areas of the neighborhood offer views of the Historic Center of the city.

It is an area with ample green spaces, to the west it borders the Central Park, and to the east the Borisova Gradina garden.

Lozenets is one of the best areas to stay in Sofia due to its quiet environment and its central location.

In addition, the area is crossed by the metro line M2, with European Union and James Baucher stations that connect directly with the city center and the central railway station.

Vitosha is a mountain massif on the outskirts of Sofia.

Vitosha is one of the symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, mountaineering and skiing.

Convenient bus lines and able cars make the mountain easily accessible. Vitosha has the contours of a huge dome. The territory of the mountain includes the Vitosha natural park that covers the most known and most frequently visited parts.

The part of the mountain closest to the city contains several residential areas where the highest strata of Sofia’s society live.

The Vitosha neighborhood is home to most of the luxury resort-style hotels in the city.

The good news is that the prices of these hotels are usually quite affordable. Accommodations with spa and spectacular views of Sofia are the norm in Vitosha.