Hello, we will be in Sofia for 4 full days mid-May. We are very active seniors, also something of foodies. Would love recommendations for a hotel (4-5 star), and anything else for 4 days - particularly restaurants. (We eat everything, except I'm allergic to shellfish, but my husband loves it.) Also interested in a possible bicycle tour of the city, and possibly Jewish history tour.
Posted by
near San Francisco
6391 posts
I spent 12 solo nights in Sofia in 2023 at the Eurostars Hotel and a couple of nights at the Arte Hotel as part of the Rick Steves Best of Bulgaria tour.
My comments and recommendations on the hotels are in my trip report, along with quite a few restaurants, my activities in Sofia and my day trips beyond Sofia.
ETA: The Eurostars Hotel (4 star) is the nicer of the two, but the Arte Hotel is the typical, more centrally located Rick Steves tour hotel. If I were to go back, I would stay at the Eurostars. Since you are active, the extra walk to the central attractions might not bother you. I preferred the Eurostars location. You should read reviews to see if Eurostars is at the standard that you like.
Posted by
North Carolina
116 posts
Sofia is one of a few cities that offers regularly scheduled free walking tours. (One pays or tips at the tour’s end—or not.) You may sign up in advance or just show up at a scheduled time. (Tours begin at the Palace of Justice.) I took this tour in mid-March, and it was very good.
The company that runs the free city tours also offers some traditional tours with a set fee, and one focuses on Jewish history.
I am unsure of the rules for posting websites, so … if this company offers something in which you might be interested as a starting point for your visit, launch a web search for “Free Sofia Tour.”
Posted by
Washington DC
30604 posts
The way the "free" tours work is that the guide must pay the organizing company a fee for everyone who shows up. Year ago (pre-COVID) Rick said the fee was several euros. As a result, the guide starts out very much in the hole. Folks who take "free" tours are morally obligated to tip, and tip rather generously, so the guide is decently compensated. I usually tip about what I'd pay for a similar tour not advertised as "free" in the same city. These days that's probably at least 15 euros in most places.