A Visit to Sofia and Bulgaria

In recent years, Sofia has transformed into a welcoming European city, one of the most comprehensive tourist destinations in the Balkans. It caters to the needs of even the most demanding visitor with cultural events of international artistic interest, ski resorts, and vibrant nightlife, all at impressively low prices.

Starting from Sveta Nedelya Square, you'll find the church of the same name, built upon the ruins of older churches connected to the region's history since medieval times.

At the far end of Largo Square is the Banya Bashi Mosque, designed by the Turkish architect Hadji Sonar, who also designed the Grand Mosque of Edirne.

Very close to Banya Bashi is the impressive Jewish synagogue, designed in Art Nouveau style in 1909. To visit the synagogue's interior, you'll need to ring the doorbell and wait for the caretaker to let you in.

Between the mosque and the synagogue lies the two-storey Halite market, a building from World War I that has recently been restored, acquiring an impressive glass roof.

Passing through the huge Tzum shopping centre, on the south side of Largo Square, is the city's oldest structure, the Rotunda of St George.

Sofia's most significant monument is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The temple can accommodate up to five thousand worshippers, and its morning services often offer a spectacular sight with its stained-glass windows, frescoes, and ivory thrones as a backdrop.

This architectural jewel of the Bulgarian capital began construction in 1882, in honour of the 200,000 Russian soldiers killed in the 'War of Liberation', and was completed in 1924.

A stroll through the centre of Sofia continues to showcase its grandeur, with the neighbouring National Gallery of Foreign Art, featuring a few select works by artists such as Picasso and Delacroix, and collections that many European galleries would envy.

Outside the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, there's an outdoor market where you can find babushkas and icons stretching for tens of metres.

In the park between the Archaeological Museum and the National Theatre, dozens of chess players gather daily to give and receive lessons in the art of chess, and they are always open to a match.

You can travel to Sofia either by air with cheap Ryanair flights from Athens or by road from the Promachonas border crossing.

Search for cheap flights on Travelo.gr and book your next trip!

Bansko

Located 3 hours from Thessaloniki, Bansko has become the premier ski destination for Greek skiers. 80% of tourists are Greek, from both Northern Greece and Athens, with high occupancy rates, especially from December to May in the 50,000 beds available in the area. This period marks the duration of snow in our neighbouring Bansko, the skiing paradise in the Balkan region.

The development Bansko has seen over the last 5 years has made the area unrecognisable, not only due to visitors but also to investments made by entrepreneurs, including Greeks.

Currently, hotels, rental rooms, and a shopping centre are under construction. They are being built in accordance with local architecture, primarily using wood, reminiscent of Central Europe.

One of the things that makes Bansko so attractive is the Bulgarian currency, where 1 euro is equivalent to approximately 2 leva, and of course, the ski centre, in whose construction experienced Austrians participated.

The ski resort extends along the slopes of Mount Pirin and consists of 70 km of pistes for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, even for young children.

The slopes operate floodlit even at night, provided the weather allows. They are 10 km from the town, and initially, access is via the Gondola, which is the first and main lift ascending to the ski resort, followed by transfers to the other lifts and arrival at the slopes that reach up to 2,600 metres in altitude.

Most shops are concentrated on the village's main street, Pirin Street, from where you enter the historic town centre with its cobbled alleys and 18th-century stone houses.

In Bansko, there are also sights you can visit, such as the house-museum of the poet Nikola Vaptsarov, the cultural centre 'St. Paisius', the 'Velianova House', the ancestral house-museum of Neofit Rilski, and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

 

General information about Bulgaria

Bulgaria may be in the European Union, but it has not joined the Eurozone – therefore, you will need to exchange each euro for approximately 1.95 Bulgarian lev. You can use your credit cards in large shops, hotels, and restaurants.

Shops and petrol stations near the border, such as in the towns of Petrich and Sandanski, also accept euros.

You must always drive with your lights on and always adhere to speed limits, even if they seem excessively low.

On weekends and public holidays, which are peak times, it would be advisable for ski enthusiasts to be at the Gondola before 9 AM so that travel up the mountain is quick and easy.

Even if you meet a Bulgarian in Bansko who doesn't speak English, speak to them in Greek; they will understand and assist you!