Designer boutiques, bold restaurants, and stylish accommodations – the Bulgarian capital has much to show off.
It feels a touch unjust that Sofia is only now shuffling into public consciousness for reasons that are good to know about but completely unsexy. Last year, Bulgaria was finally absorbed into the EU’s Schengen Area, instantly making it easier to incorporate a visit into a broader European itinerary. This January, the nation adopted the euro, streamlining the travel process further.
Go ahead and visit the capital, though, and you’ll tell friends much more interesting stories. At over 7,000 years old, Sofia is one of the world’s longest-standing cities. Amble from the gargantuan, copper-domed neo-Byzantine Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and you’ll bypass cobbled boulevards with jaunty old-European mansions, Roman ruins, Ottoman mosques, formidable Communist-era monoliths, and a notable absence of identikit soulless skyscrapers. Instead, the low-slung city is framed by views of the nearby Vitosha Mountain — a popular spot for hiking and biking in summer and skiing come winter.
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The city is home to a flourishing community of creatives and entrepreneurs, and what they’re concocting is genuinely exciting. Major luxury hotel brands have yet to sprout here (despite on-off talk about a potential Nobu), but in any case, I found Dot Sofia much more interesting. Behind a fiery Corten-steel facade, its 11 minimalist apartments include a three-storey penthouse whose roof terrace gives 360-degree views of the city. There are 200 Bulgarian artworks on show throughout the property and temporary exhibitions are held at its on-site gallery. And, at its Bulgarian restaurant Komat, the chocolate parfait with tonka and rosehip was the most drop-the-spoon delicious dessert I’d had in months.
Sofia’s great for inventive, laidback dining and drinking experiences more generally. At 3 oz. Bar, top-tier mixologists make a punchy Negroni if asked but prefer to conjure up bespoke cocktails, something they do with aplomb. At fine-dining restaurant Cosmos, classic local dishes like tarator, a refreshing summer soup made of cucumber, walnuts, and yoghurt, are re-interpreted with a refined touch, and complemented by some robust regional reds.
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You get a further sense of the money and decadence that are increasingly flowing through the city when shopping at All-u-re’s two minimalist boutiques, artfully stocked with Alaïa and Dries Van Noten, but the most rewarding discoveries are found in the city’s cultural district Kvartal, like the pretty handmade porcelain homewares from Art.e, or along artsy Shishman Street, with its jumble of jewelers, like the contemporary Testa Gallery, and concept stores.
A broader overview of the capital’s culture and character, and a greater insight into Bulgaria’s complex history, await at its many museums and galleries. The fortress-like National History Museum sits in what was the residence of a Communist leader of Bulgaria, one big enough to now house 700,000 or so exhibits. In a former royal palace, the grand National Gallery displays centuries of Bulgarian and global artistry alongside surprising temporary exhibitions. Academy Award-winner Jessica Lange is among the artists who’ve been celebrated here, though her recent retrospective was dedicated to her decades of work as a photographer rather than as an actress. That meeting of Hollywood and Bulgaria might seem incongruous at first, but it makes sense when you’re in the thick of Sofia’s open-minded approach and surprisingly playful sense of creativity.
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