Why it is worth to visit Sophia
Two days may be enough to visit the all the interesting places, so you can spend a half a day for jumping out to the famous Rila Monastir, 100 kilometers far from the city. However, the most famous monument in Sofia is definitely the Boyana Church in the district of Boyana. Today it is a luxury residential area of the city. The UNESCO-protected building is decorated with magnificent medieval paintings. Particular attention should be attracted by portraits of the rulers of Bulgaria, which was formerly a powerful and influential country. That is why, today the church is so important for the Bulgarians.
The secound important monuments that is situated in the town center is Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. This is one of the largest Orthodox churches in Europe and it looks delightfully well from the outside. It is worth to enter the crypt, next to the Cathedral, where is hiding a huge collection of art and Orthodox icons. The church is the seat of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.The proof of friendship between Bulgarian and Russian is the “Russian” Church of St. Nicholas. Russians in a someway had saved Bulgaria from Turkish captivity after a great battle at the Shipka Pass. Beautifully decorated building with towers is situated in the heart of the capital.
At a junction of subway are located the remains of a Roman Serdica. Sophia, next to Constantinople was in the past an important center for the Eastern Roman Empire and the capital of Dacia Mediterranea province. It is said that earlier there was the city of the Thracians, what is evidenced by the walls from the 7th century.
Among other monuments, it is worth also to visit: the rotunda of St. George, Church of St. Sophia, the Museum of Art of Socialist Realism and Communism. The town is quite small and all the major sights are close to each other. Get ready for a healthy dose of history, culture, a lot of nice surprises hidden in narrow streets. And the great, aromatic coffee.