5 Best Sights in Bulgaria

Named after the Russian Tsar who saved his country from invading Swedish troops in 1240, and who is also revered as a saint in Bulgaria, this imposing Neo Byzantine building is one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world and dominates central Sofia. Built as a memorial to 200,000 Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish Liberation War (1877-78), the foundation stone was laid in 1882, but it was not completed until 1912. Covering an area of more than 30,000 square feet and said to be able to hold up to 10,000 people, some of Russia and Bulgaria's best artists worked on it. The external architecture is simply beautiful, and its multi-domed roof reaches 175 feet at its highest point. The interior, which has five aisles and three altars as well as plenty of imported Carrara marble, is gloomy and dimly lit, but this just adds to the mystical atmosphere.

Boyana Orthodox Church is both a charming and fascinating medieval structure in the southern outskirts of Sofia, on the lower slopes of Mt. Vitosha—get here by bus 64 or 107, minibus 21, or take a taxi. The earliest part of the building, the east wing, was originally constructed in the late 10th or early 11th century. The central wing was added in the 13th century, and it was expanded again in the mid-19th century. But the church owes its global fame mainly to its frescoes, most of which were painted in 1259 by a local artist known simply as 'Vasily'. Recognizing the 89 scenes depicting 240 human images as one of the most complete and well-preserved examples of Eastern European mediaeval art, UNESCO awarded the building World Heritage status in 1979. The frescoes have been restored and cleaned several times in the last century and are worth making the effort to visit.

The performances at Bulgaria's national theater—also its oldest, having opened in 1907—may be almost exclusively in Bulgarian, but it is worth coming here to check out the building's wonderful architecture alone. The Neoclassical structure was designed by famous Viennese theatre architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner, but it had to be almost completely rebuilt after it was extensively damaged by a fire in 1923. Still one of Sofia's most impressive buildings, it is also located in the leafy heart of the city, with a facade facing the City Gardens. Together these make a beautiful and peaceful place simply to stroll about.

Rising to more than 7,500 feet, yet just 4 miles south of central Sofia, Vitosha is visible from pretty much anywhere in the city—although the summit is covered in cloud for more than half the year. In winter the mountain becomes a popular ski resort, making this the only European capital where you can reach the pistes on local public transport. In summer hiking is the most popular pastime, and there is a network of trails where locals come to picnic and to gather wild berries. There is a cable car that will take you from the suburb of Dragalevski (reachable on bus 64) up to the Aleko Ski Center at 6,000 feet. When that isn't running you can also get there by road. A taxi is quite reasonable even from downtown.

About 5 miles south of central Sofia (a short taxi ride is easier than complicated public transport), and with Mount Vitosha looming over it in the background, this is both one of the city's best museums and a fascinating monument to the Communist era. The monolithic concrete building is a former palace for Communist party cadres and has a helicopter parked outside. Inside, the vast halls with their enormous wood-carved doors make the perfect setting for the largest museum in Bulgaria. The collection is huge, with some 650,000 artefacts telling the complete history of this Balkan state from prehistoric times to the present day. Note that ticket sales end 45 minutes before closing time.