National Opera House

Opera lovers should not miss seeing the opera house, between Dondukov Blvd and Vrabcha St., as the company is highly acclaimed. Concerts and ballets are also held here. Performances are staged throughout the year. Ticket prices are considerably lower than in western cities.

Central Hali Shopping Center

This newly renovated market building between the Mosque and the synagogue offers reasonably-priced meals as well as Bulgarian agricultural products.

Central Mineral Baths

Behind the mosque, away from Maria Luisa Blvd., is the public bath building. It opened in 1911 when the original Turkish bath building was torn down. It operated until 1986 when it was closed down due to its poor condition and fears that the roof might collapse. It has since been partially renovated. A museum and healing center are planned.

Ivan Vazov National Theater

Built in neo-classical style, the Vazov Theater is well worth seeing from the outside, if nothing more. It is named after Ivan Vazov (1850-1921), the most important poet, playwright, and author in the period immediately after defeat of the Ottoman Turks. His work parallels the Bulgarian struggle for freedom, as Vazov himself was a revolutionary, publishing his first poems while in exile in Romania.

Largo

The Largo is a complex of 1950s Socialist Classical architecture, built to replace some of the 3,000 buildings in Sofia destroyed in World War II. Once the Communist Party's showcase in Sofia, the Largo now serves a number of important functions.

Party House

Until 1990, this central edifice was the place where things happened. Sharp-eyed visitors may still see the signs of the fire set at the back of the building in 1990, as the Communist apparatus crumbled. Today the building serves the National Assembly.

TsUM Department Store

This giant building next to the Sheraton Hotel was modeled after the Soviet GUM Department Store in Moscow. Shoppers will be pleased to see its new western orientation. The store shares the building with the Bulgarian Council of Ministers.

The third building of the Largo complex was designed as the Ministry of Electrification. It today houses the President's office, the Sheraton Hotel, and the Ministry of Education.

President’s Office

The President's Office, facing Battenberg Square, is not open to the public but gives plenty of photo-ops as the guards change every hour on the hour during the day.

Sheraton Hotel

Today the Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan, the hotel was originally a government-owned institution, serving Party officials from the Soviet Union and other visiting dignitaries after opening in 1956. Its central location makes it a good place to get information about the city from the English-speaking staff.

National Palace of Culture

At the southern end of Vitosha Blvd. While not a palace in the sense one might expect in a European capital, this massive structure was voted the best convention center in the world in 2005. It also has extensive trade fair space. It was built with 10,000 tons of steel, considerably more than the Eiffel Tower.

Cultural events are held all year round here, including the summer months, when many theaters are closed.

Slaveikov Square

Named for father-son writers Petko and Pencho Slaveikov, this square is home to the used book stalls in Sofia. An unusual bronze monument dedicated to these two Bulgarians is a bench where one can join them for a one-sided discussion or a photograph.

Lions Bridge (Luvov Most)

This bridge crossing the Vladaiska River in northern Sofia is decorated by four lions on high pedestals. Orlov Most, near the National Stadium, is decorated by four eagles.