Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is both under-visited and underrated. I just spent a busy but blissfully uncrowded day here and had a lovely time. Here’s my recommendation for spending one great day in the city, especially if you love churches, history, architecture, museums, and food.

Morning: Pastries, Churches, and the City Center

Start your day with a banitsa — a traditional phyllo dough pastry — at your local bakery. The classic version will have a cheese filling, but you may be able to find options with apples, spinach, leeks, or even meat.

It’s worth mentioning that Sofia has dozens of great coffee shops — word on the street is that coffee was tough to come by during the communist era, so it’s been in high demand ever since. If you’re a coffee drinker, make sure to grab a cup.

Now that you’re fortified, it’s time to start visiting a few of Sofia’s churches. Start at the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the most famous and prominent of them all, before the crowds arrive.

Built in the Neo-Byzantine style, this is one of the largest Christian churches in the world — though while it looks like a time-worn and ancient edifice, it’s just over 100 years old (it was built to honor the soldiers who fought in the Russo-Turkish War, which liberated Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire). There’s no question that the gold-domed exterior is impressive. The inside forms a cavernous and gloomy contrast, though it’s still worth a look.

If you arrive on the hour, you can hear the twelve enormous church bells ring.

Once you’ve taken the time to enjoy the cathedral, head next door to the much older and unassuming Saint Sofia Church. This church, brick and nearly unadorned, feels like the old grandmother of its flashy teenage stepdaughter. Indeed, Saint Sofia is the oldest church in the city (it was founded in the fourth century, but the building itself has been destroyed and rebuilt a dizzying number of times). If the cathedral is a place to marvel, Saint Sophia is a place for contemplation. 

As you leave the church, keep your eye out for the Monument to the Unknown Soldier (that’s the lion, the national symbol of Bulgaria) and the statue of Tsar Samuli (in a somewhat spooky touch, he was designed with eyes that were meant to glow at night).

The third church of the morning is just a few blocks away, and it’s my favorite. The Church of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker looks like something straight out of a fairy tale.

Built in the early twentieth century, this is also known as the Russian Church, because it was the official church of the Russian Embassy and the Russian community that lived next door (to continue that theme, it was built in the Russian Revival architectural style, inspired by the 17th-century churches of Moscow.) The basement crypt houses the remains of Saint Archbishop Seraphim and has some beautiful frescoes on the wall.

The city center saw a building heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s following Bulgarian independence. You’ll find elegant examples of Neoclassical, Neo-Renaissance, and National Romantic architecture as you walk from church to church.

You’ll need to get in your car for the next part of the day’s adventures, because you’ll be leaving the city center and heading up into the hills that ring the southwestern part of the city. Your first stop will be the final church of the day, Boyana Church.

It may not look like much, but this ranks near the top in my unofficial favorite-churches-of-Sofia contest. Why? The interior of this UNESCO World Heritage-listed church boasts some of the most magnificent frescoes around. Painted in 1259, the figures are filled with movement and personality. Unfortunately, I don’t have photographs — there’s a super-strict no-photos rule here — but you can see some examples both here and here.

Visiting Boyana had its frustrations: because they admit only a few people at a time, and we got stuck behind a group of schoolchildren, we had to wait nearly 50 minutes for the low, locked door to open. But it was worth the wait, especially because the helpful English-speaking guide inside happily provided explanations for the painted scenes.

Afternoon: Lunch Over the City and The National Museum

Next up: lunch with a view at School 2 restaurant. There’s something for everyone here — the menu is long enough to rival that of any US diner — but I would recommend two traditional Bulgarian salads: shopska (tomatoes, cucumbers, and shredded cheese) and the School Salad (ripe tomatoes, roasted peppers, and a wedge of cheese).

From here, it’s just a few minutes’ drive to the National Museum of History.

What a space! Built as the residence of Todor Zhivkov, the final leader of Bulgaria under communism, this building is designed to impress.

But while the building is pure communist glam, the exhibits focus almost entirely on pre-Communist Bulgaria. Indeed, if you’ve been wondering about Bulgarian history and culture, this museum will answer many of your questions. Most of the signage is in both Bulgarian and English, which is very helpful, and the museum is generally laid out in chronological order. You’ll start long, long ago, in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages …

… and then you’ll make your way through the Romans (I’m all about the angry rabbit and the stylish bird) …

… to the growth of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church …

…  to the Ottomans …

… through the dozens of wars and anti-Ottoman uprisings that took place during the Ottoman Era — think the Long War, the Wars of the Holy League, the First Tarnovo Uprising, the Chiprovtsi Uprising, and Karposh’s Rebellion (phew!) …

… and eventually to the nineteenth-century movement for Bulgarian independence. 

The top floor features an entire room focused on twentieth-century cultural artifacts — including everything from movie posters to violins to cash registers — but there’s frustratingly little information about the Communist era. Instead, you’ll find two wonderful rooms featuring traditional Bulgarian costumes adorned with fantastic embroidery …

… and another room filled with magnificent gold and silver treasures discovered in archaeological digs across the country.

If you have good weather, it’s worth poking around the stone remnants of the Roman and Christian worlds that line the paths outside of the museum. 

Evening — And Before You Go: Your Itinerary Map and a Final Note

At dinner, make sure to sample lots of dishes at Shtasliveca, a restaurant with several branches around the city. We especially loved the raspberry lemonade and the grilled goat cheese with kaymak and cherry jam.

Want a handy guide to finding all of these places? Here’s a Google Map to help you on your way.

A quick heads-up about Sofia: while it’s lovely in many ways, you’ll see graffiti everywhere. It’s not classy — this is one of the nicest tags I saw — and it can be distracting. Try your best to look past it, and enjoy the city!

If you’re heading out of the capital, don’t miss my posts on the charming city of Plovdiv and the magical hidden highlands of the Rhodope Mountains.