The Sofia the six-sight list skips
The oldest building in the city, a working synagogue, a museum of toppled statues and a park with no ticket — four places that do not make the six main sights.
- Sofia Synagogue
- Built 1905–1909, still active
- Museum of Socialist Art
- Opened 2011
- Borisova Garden
- The city's oldest park
The six main sights are what gets seen first; these four are what is left once that is done. The St George Rotunda is the oldest surviving building in the city, the Sofia Synagogue is still active, the Museum of Socialist Art keeps the statues taken down after 1989, and Borisova Garden is the oldest city park, with no ticket.
St George Rotunda — the oldest building in the city
A cylindrical brick church, put up in the early 4th century under Emperor Constantine the Great, on the site of an older pagan temple — the oldest surviving building in Sofia. Inside are layers of frescoes from several eras, from the 10th to the 14th century. It stands in a courtyard behind the Presidency building, amid the remains of Roman Serdica. Free to enter, 8–19:30.
Sofia Synagogue — still active
Built in 1905–1909 to a design by the Austrian architect Friedrich Grünanger, it is one of the largest Sephardic synagogues in the Balkans, seating 1,300. The congregation is still active, so it is closed to visitors on the Sabbath (Saturday); attending for services: 3 days' notice. Entry €5.11 (10 lv).
Museum of Socialist Art — the statues after 1989
Opened in 2011, a 7,500-square-metre park with more than seventy sculptures taken down from squares and buildings after communism fell — among them the original five-pointed star that stood atop the Party House from 1954 to 1984, before being replaced by a bigger one. Inside are also an exhibition hall and a screening room with films from the period. Entry €8, Tue–Sun 10–18.
Borisova Garden — the city's oldest park
Sofia's oldest and largest park, laid out from 1882 to 1884 and named after Tsar Boris III. Its first shape came from the Swiss gardener Daniel Neff, and its present form — a lily pond and a rose garden — from the Alsatian Joseph Frei, from 1906. Free to enter, with no closing day.
An order that makes sense
The Rotunda and the synagogue fit into the centre, near Serdika and the Ladies' Market — an add-on to Day 1 of the day-by-day plan. The Museum of Socialist Art is further out, by Dimitrov metro station; from there Borisova Garden is about thirty minutes on foot, so the two naturally go together, as a separate day or afternoon.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is the Sofia Synagogue open to visitors?
Yes, except on Saturdays. For services, arrivals need three days' notice.
What is the star in the Museum of Socialist Art?
The original five-pointed star that stood atop the Party House from 1954 to 1984, before being replaced by a bigger one.
Is there an entry fee for the St George Rotunda?
No. It is free; it stands in a courtyard behind the Sheraton hotel, amid the remains of Roman Serdica.
Ready for Sofia?
Where to next
What to eat in Sofia
→Shopska salad opens the meal, a kebapche is one bite rather than the whole plate, and the Ladies' Market…
Plovdiv · 132 km
→A Roman theatre, the cobbles of the Old Town and the crooked lanes of Kapana, all on one hill and in the quarter below it.
How well does Sofia suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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