Balkan Experience - In Sofia, Bulgaria - 26 September 2026

I had booked a walking tour in Sofia with Guru Walk. I was intimated that the two-hour tour would begin in front of the Palace of Justice at 10 am. I reached there well in time and met up with Dmitrov, the tour guide from 365 Association. By the time the tour was to begin the group has swollen to about 25 members, with people from UK, USA, Poland, Portugal, Germany, Estonia and India. The tour took us to the following attractions once Dmitrov was done with explaining the history of the city under various periods in its development.

1. The Sofia Court House aka the Palace of Justice accommodates several courts in the city. The Court House has a syenite plinth, a facing of white limestone and a noticeable cornice below the top floor. The four-storey building, with two additional underground floors, spreads over a ground area of 8,500 square metres. It has 430 premises, of which there are 24 courtrooms, a library and a bank hall, totalling 48,000 square metres of used area. Two massive lion statues front the Sofia Court House.

2. Almost round the corner from the Palace of Justice is an Art Neouvo building that was officially unveiled in 1923. The ample stone ornaments of the capitals, the entrance portal, the ciboria and the interiors were crafted by Italian architects and executed by Bulgarian artists. Nowadays the building is home to the Faculty of Theology and the Ecclesiastical History Museum.

3. The Cathedral of Saint Nedalya is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral of the Sofia bishopric of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. The temple of Sveta (Bulgarian for Saint) Nedelya dates from the 10th century, being a cathedral of the city from the 18th century. The sacred building suffered destruction through the ages and was reconstructed many times.

The St. Nedelya Church was bombed on April 16, 1925 by the military wing of the Bulgarian Communist Party. They blew up the roof of the Church in Sofia during a funeral with the intention of killing the Czar and the Generals. The blast killed over 200 people—mostly military and political elites—though the primary target, the Czar, survived because he was late for the function! The bombed church was rebuilt in two years and he present building of the temple is among the landmarks of Sofia. Near the entrance of the church are the tombs of two of its early patriarchs.

4. Near the St Nedelya church is the Square of Tolerance, which is a central city area where houses of worship for four major religions sit within a few hundred meters of each other. They are the Sveta Nedelya Church, a prominent Eastern Orthodox cathedral, the Banya Bashi Mosque, an active 16th-century Ottoman Mosque, Sofia Synagogue, the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe and the St. Joseph Cathedral, a rebuilt Roman Catholic cathedral. It is also referred to as the "Quadrangle of Tolerance", because the close clustering of diverse functioning temples serves as a symbol of peace, mutual respect, and multicultural history in the heart of Bulgaria's capital.

5. At the foot of the Sofia monument Dmitrov explained that St Sofia had three children named Faith, Hope, and Charity aged between 12 and 9. St Sofia had raised her children in pious Christian traditions. During the reign of Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century, the family was brought to Rome and ordered to worship pagan idols. When the girls refused, they were tortured and beheaded. Their mother was forced to watch her daughters suffer, but she encouraged them to stay strong. She buried their bodies and died in grief at their tomb three days later.

The monument of St Sofia was placed on the dark granite pylon and opened to public in 28 December 2000 as a symbol of millennium. It is at the same spot from where the statue of Lenin proudly overlooked the Communist Party HQ, which is now the National Assembly. The statue itself is 26 feet high. However, from the ground to the crown the monument is 80 feet high. The statue is adorned with the symbols of power (crown), fame (wreath) and wisdom (owl).

6. The St Joseph's Cathedral is unlike most other buildings in the nearby area. It has a tall tower equipped with four electronically operated bells and a clock. It is the largest Catholic Church in Bulgaria, which can accommodate upto 1000 worshippers. The original church was destroyed during WWII. The cathedral, rebuilt at its original location was inaugurated on 21 May 2006 for which the foundation stone was laid by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Bulgaria in 2002. His statue adorns the entrance to the church compound. The main church was closed during my visit. A simple exploration made it looks extremely ordinary and bare compared to the orthodox churches in Sofia.

7. While excavation was on for the metro subway, the Serdica ruins of the ancient times emerged. During the early days one had to buy a ticket to get to the ruins. Now it is a part of the Serdica metro station. The Celtic tribe Serdi gave their name to the city. But the peak of the city's prominence occurred after its conquest by the Romans in the 1st century BC. The city expanded as public baths, administrative and cult buildings, a civic basilica and a large theatre, were built.

Roman emperors Aurelian and Galerius were born in Serdica. But it was emperor Constantine the Great who had a special love for the city and proclaimed, "Serdica is my Rome". He had considered making Serdica the capital of the Byzantine Empire instead of Constantinople. Such was the importance of the city which was at the crossroads of the trade route between Constantinople and Belgrade. While walking along the subway of the Serdica metro Dmitrov pointed out one of the gates of the ancient Roman city, built to fortify and regulate entrance to the city.

8. The Banya Bashi mosque is a Sunni Islamic Mosque, designed by the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan and completed in 1566. The mosque derives its name from the phrase Banya Bashi, which means many baths. The outstanding feature of the mosque is that it was actually built over natural thermal spas; one can even see the steam rising from vents in the ground near the mosque walls. The mosque is famous for its large 50 m-diameter dome, and the minaret. Currently, the Banya Bashi Mosque is the only functioning mosque in Sofia used by the city's Muslim community, a remnant of the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, which lasted nearly five centuries.

9. The strikingly beautiful Regional History Museum is an excellent example of the Art Nouveau architecture style in Sofia. It was originally a bathhouse for the wealthy of the city. The bathhouse was divided into two sections with a wall for women and men. The division was not done to discriminate, but for the privacy of women as one had to use the bathhouse while fully naked.

The permanent exhibition of the Regional History Museum, located in the erstwhile Central Mineral Bath building, covers the period of VIth century BC to the middle of the 20th century. Among its most attractive exhibits are the carriage of the Bulgarian King Ferdinand and the Vitosha gold-sealed Deed of Tsar Ivan Shishman from 1378, said Dmitrov.

10. There is a mineral water spring at one corner of the Regional History Museum. One of the plentiful natural resources in Bulgaria is mineral water. The Thracians, who inhabited the city before the Romans, discovered the beneficial powers of the mineral springs. The Romans institutionalised spas and bathhouses. The mineral spring of the Central Bath is reportedly from 750 meters below the surface. To this day, the central mineral spring is an important gathering point for locals, as they flock to collect the precious gift from nature for domestic usage.

11. The Council of Ministers is typical of the Stalinist era architecture. The building is the official headquarters and workplace of the Bulgarian Prime Minister and the executive government. The structure forms part of the Largo, a prominent architectural group built in the 1950s using Socialist Classicism style. The other structures in the complex are the Presidential Administration and the former Party House, which is now the National Assembly. Weekly cabinet meetings and official state ceremonies take place inside the Council of Ministers, including transfers of executive power.

12. The National Assembly is now housed in the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, which is part of the Largo complex. As the Party House, the building had the sickle and hammer, the logo of the Communist Party. The Coat of Arms that adorns the building now has artistically covered it up. Similarly, the Red Star on the top of the party house, has been replaced by the National Flag.

13. The Presidential Palace completes the triangle of powers, the Largo architectural complex. It serves as the official office and workplace as the President of Bulgaria. The public reception area and courtyard are open to visitors, while the main executive offices remain closed to the general public. The changing of the guard takes place hourly on weekdays. A grand ceremony with music and a full ritual happens on the first Wednesday of each month at 12:00 PM. We were happy to witness the ceremonial changing of the guard at 12 pm. The helmet of the guards is adorned by an eagle feather.

14. The interior courtyard of the Presidential Palace holds the ancient 4th-century antique red brick Rotunda of St. George and ruins from Constantine the Great's palace. It became a church inside the walls of Serdica, and is considered the oldest building in modern Sofia and belongs to the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The building, a cylindrical domed structure built on a square base, is famous for the frescoes inside the central dome. Three layers of frescoes have been discovered, the earliest dating from the 10th century. Since the 4th century, it has been used for christening ceremonies. Through the centuries the church had been used as a public, religious and even a representative building.

15. The Hagia Sofia or the St Sofia Basilica is what gave the city it's name. It is a historic 6th-century Byzantine Basilica located in the centre of Sofia, built by emperor Justinian. It is a contemporary of the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. In the 14th century, the church gave its name to the city previously known as Serdica.

The church building suffered damage from invasions and earthquakes, was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman period, and was restored in the 20th century to serve again as an active Bulgarian Orthodox temple. The exposed red brickwork and a distinct lack of a traditional bell tower make the church unique. Interestingly, the bells are hung from an old tree in the courtyard!

16. The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral built in the Neo-Byzantine style. It serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is one of the largest Christian church buildings by volume in the world. It is one of Sofia's symbols and the city's primary tourist attraction.

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 34,000 sq. ft and can hold up to 5,000 worshipers. It is among the ten largest Eastern Orthodox church buildings. To the left of the altar is a case displaying relics of Alexander Nevsky, given by the Russian Orthodox Church. The item on display appears to be a piece of a rib.

17. The Central Sofia Market Hall, known popularly as The Market Hall, is a covered market in the centre of Sofia. It was opened in 1911 and is today an important trade centre in the city. The style of the building is Neo-Renaissance, featuring also elements of Neo-Byzantine architecture and Neo-Baroque. The facade is known for its relief of the coat of arms of Sofia above the main entrance. The famous little clock tower with three dials tops the edifice.

As the last stop of the day, I explored the Market Hall and bought some provisions for the next two days and also picked up cans of popular Bulgarian beers. Having feasted on a huge jacket potato filled with corn, jalapenos, fried and crumbled potatoes, olives, cheese, and cream. The lunch had been late and hugely filling. Hence, I skipped dinner and opened up a 500 ml can of Shumensko Classic pale lager beer. It is a popular Bulgarian brand brewed by Carlsberg Bulgaria with an alcohol content of 4.8%. The classic pale lager has traditional malt flavour and is packaged in a distinctive red aluminium can. Together with a small helping of peanuts, it served as the ideal pre-bed interface.