A Day in Sofia, Bulgaria: More Photographs.

Note: This article pertaining to A Day in Sofia, Bulgaria: More Photographs. was originally published on Wednesday, August 27, 2014 at 4:26 in the afternoon and has been updated. This is a continuation of the trip report of the day I spent in Sofia, which is the capital city of Bulgaria.

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Even if you are not a history buff — and I can only take so much history before I have had enough — a visit to the National Institute of Archaeology in Sofia is a must.

A Day in Sofia, Bulgaria: More Photographs.

The museum is housed in the oldest preserved building in Sofia — which dates back to the end of the fifteenth century.

The entrance fee was 10.00 Bulgarian Lev — or approximately $6.75 — back in 2007. Discounts for students and groups are available; and guided tours are available. Current rates in 2025 are listed at the conclusion of this article. The good news is that admission prices have not increased all that much in 18 years.

Guided tours are available in either Bulgarian or English. I did not take a guided tour.

Permanent exhibitions are on display in the Prehistory Hall, the Middle Ages Hall, the Central Hall, and the Vault…

…and temporary exhibitions are on display at the museum as well.

The artifacts and relics — both inside and outside of the building — were interesting to me…

…and I was amazed that I can view objects that were created by human beings from centuries ago and get a small glimpse of what life was like back then.

Wandering About Sofia Before Heading Back to Bucharest

I decided to continue to wander about the city and simply photograph some of the typical day in the life of Sofia. I walked south down the main street in the city center of Sofia.

A streetcar carries its passengers towards the city center of Sofia.

People enjoy wandering at a shopping promenade in Sofia.

Plenty of lamp posts were at the shopping promenade.

The statue of Saint Sofia and Statue is located at an intersection in the city center of Sofia; and another statue of a dancer was located in a fountain in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theater.

I reached a pedestrian bridge which has no name but is known as The Bridge of the Lovers because it supposedly was commonly used place for meetings of young people in love.

The bridge — which connects the National Palace of Culture to the Hilton Sofia hotel property — has an open air gallery with photographic exhibitions. Sometimes festivals take place on this bridge. The photographs above show two similar perspectives of The Bridge of the Lovers as seen from near the Hilton Sofia hotel property.

This McDonald’s restaurant is located below and just west of The Bridge of the Lovers.

I decided to walk the approximately four kilometers from the Hilton Sofia back to Sofia Central Railway Station to catch my overnight ride back to Bucharest, as I was scheduled to be a passenger for a flight the next day. Vendors sell their wares inside of the train station.

The inside of the train station did not look nearly as eerie and dark as it did early that morning.

A green train that is displayed inside of Sofia Central Railway Station actually brought a whimsical quality to what one might otherwise consider as a cold and utilitarian interior of the train station.

The decorative architectural work on the walls was rather interesting to me. This wall in the above photograph emulates a form of art deco.

Detail of what I consider the art deco work on the wall of the interior of Sofia Central Railway Station is shown in the photograph above.

Sofia Central Railway Station opened to the public on Wednesday, August 1, 1888; but it was rebuilt on Friday, September 6, 1974. It is the main train station that serves Sofia, which is the capital city of Bulgaria.

This is the schedule board, which is all Cyrillic to me. For all I know, the information may as well have read that the train from Sydney to Anchorage was on time as well.

Some broken clocks are at least correct twice per day. Not this one.

Two separate photographs of the signage which designate the Sofia Central Railway Station were joined together.

Despite the broken clock, I knew that this train was about to depart Sofia on time on its overnight journey to Bucharest in Romania.

Final Boarding Call

Plenty of historic buildings and parks abound around Sofia which one can enjoy — but I arrived with absolutely no plan in mind; nor had I had any idea what was in Sofia. That is actually not a bad way to spend the day in an unfamiliar location; as it heightens the experience with adventure and curiosity — almost as if I “discovered” the places which I highlighted in both parts of this trip report.

I would have been interested in exploring a number of other areas around Sofia — and I did not have the time to venture outside of the city; but I understand that the natural topography of Bulgaria is breathtaking.

A day trip walking around Sofia truly does suffice; but if you are more interested in exploring the culture and history of Sofia and Bulgaria in general, I would recommend staying overnight and spending at least part of the next day in Sofia — and add more time if you plan on exploring other parts of Bulgaria.

The National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
2 Saborna Street
1000 Sofia
Bulgaria
+359 2 988 24 06
naim@naim.bg

National Archaeological Museum Admission Prices:

• Adults: 12 Bulgarian Lev or €6.14, which is approximately $7.14 in United States dollars
• Pupils and students: 3 Bulgarian Lev or €1.53, which is approximately $1.79 in United States dollars
• Parent with child or children up to 16 years of age: 12 Bulgarian Lev or €8.18, which is approximately $7.14 in United States dollars
• Two parents with a child or children up to 16 years old: 16 Bulgarian Lev or €6.14, which is approximately $9.52 in United States dollars
• Jubilee tickets: 20 Bulgarian Lev — the ticket price is 20 Bulgarian Lev or €10.23, which is approximately $11.89 in United States dollars; and its holder can visit the exposition unlimited times until the end of the calendar year
• Free Admission is available for:
  • People with physical disabilities and their assistant
  • ICOM Card-Holders
• Free admission days:
  • Second Thursday of the month — valid for pensioners
  • Last Sunday of the month — valid for all visitors
• Guided tour:
  • Bulgarian: 20 Bulgarian Lev or €10.23, which is approximately $11.89 in United States dollars
  • English: 40 Bulgarian Lev or €20.45, which is approximately $23.79 in United States dollars
• Mobile Guide in Bulgarian and in English: 6 Bulgarian Lev or €3.07, which is approximately $3.57 in United States dollars

Hours of Operation:

• Summer hours — May through October: 10:00 in the morning through 6:00 in the evening, seven days per week
• Winter hours — November through April:
  • 10:00 in the morning through 5:00 in the afternoon, Tuesday through Sunday
  • Closed on Monday
• The National Archaeological Museum is closed on 25 December and 1 January every year.
• Opening hours on 24 December and 31 December: 10:00 in the morning through 2:00 in the afternoon.

Last admission is 30 minutes before the closing time of the museum.

All photographs ©2007 by Brian Cohen.