Mistakes everyone makes in Sofia
There are no leva to change any more, the cathedral crypt is shut on Mondays, and Rila Monastery is not an after-lunch trip — mistakes that cost time or money here.
- Money
- Euro since 1 Jan 2026
- Alexander Nevsky crypt
- crypt: Tue–Sun 10–18
- Boyana Church
- Visits capped at up to 10 min
Most mistakes in Sofia are not about money but about time — the wrong day for the crypt, too little time budgeted for the monastery, misjudging just how small a kebapche is. Here are eight that are easiest to avoid once you know about them.
Changing leva that no longer exist
Bulgaria has been in the eurozone since 1 January 2026, and since 1 February 2026 the lev has not been legal tender. Anyone arriving with old leva, hoping to spend them or change them at a local counter, loses time — every price on this site, and every price in the city, is already in euro.
The cathedral crypt on the wrong day
The main nave of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is free and open every day, but the crypt with the Museum of Christian Art has a closing day — Monday (crypt) — and arrive on that day and you see only the church, not the icon collection underneath it.
Boyana Church in a hurry
A visit inside Boyana Church is capped at up to 10 min per group, to protect the frescoes — anyone planning to linger inside will be disappointed. The opposite mistake is just as common: skipping it as 'too far for such a short visit'. Short is exactly the point.
Rila Monastery as an after-lunch trip
Rila Monastery is 2 h 30 (one way) away. Leaving after midday expecting to get there, look around and be back for dinner means either missing the monastery or not making it back the same day. This is a full-day trip, not an afternoon one.
A kebapche as a whole meal
A single kebapche is about 80 grams, one bite of grilled meat. Ordering one per person and expecting it to be dinner is the commonest mistake at the grill — order a few at once, or alongside kavarma and a side.
A place to stay further from the metro to save money
Bed prices do not drop much with distance from the centre, but distance from the nearest metro stop does matter. A booking that looks cheap on the map but sits by the ring road with no metro nearby turns the saving into lost time every single day of the stay.
Vitosha out of season with no backup plan
The mountain is open all year, but what there is to do on it depends on the month — hiking in summer, skiing in winter, neither guaranteed in between. Arriving with snow gear in autumn, or a hiking plan in the middle of winter, leaves no backup plan.
Just the six on the list
The six main sights fit into two days, so it is easy to leave thinking that is all there is. Off that list are the Sofia Synagogue, one of the largest Sephardic synagogues in the Balkans, and the Museum of Socialist Art, with the star that stood on top of the Party House for thirty years.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Can you still pay in leva in Sofia?
No. Bulgaria has been in the eurozone since 1 January 2026, and the lev stopped being legal tender on 1 February 2026.
Is the cathedral crypt open every day?
No. Closing day: Monday (crypt). The main nave of the church is open every day and free.
Can Rila Monastery be done in half a day from Sofia?
Not practically — the journey is 2 h 30 (one way), which makes it a full-day trip.
Ready for Sofia?
Where to next
Sofia in 2 days
→The centre on foot on day one, then Boyana and Vitosha on day two — the museum and the church sit in the same…
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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