World City Guide

Further Distractions

Tsurkva Sveta Nikolai (St Nicholas Russian Church)
Built by Russian workmen in 1912 and dedicated to St Nicholas, ‘the miracle maker’, Sveta Nikolai is possibly the prettiest church in Sofia. The roof is covered with green majolica tiles and crowned with five gold-plated onion domes. The exterior recently was renovated by the Moscow Patriarchate, which provided the gold. More popular than the church itself is the crypt, accessed to the left of the main entrance. Here lies the tomb of the former Bishop Serafin, who died in 1950. Locals come here is droves to post hand-written messages into a box, standing to the right of the tomb. Although Serafin was never canonised, he is revered as a saint and believed to make prayers and wishes come true.

3 Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard
Transport: Bus to Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya.
Opening hours: Daily 0730-1800; services Sat 0900 and 1700, Sun 0900.
Admission: Free.

Tsentralna Sofiiska Sinagoga (Central Sofia Synagogue)
Situated behind the Hali, the Central Sofia Synagogue is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe, although nowadays it serves a very small community. During the Diaspora of the 15th century, Jews exiled from Spain were welcomed into the Ottoman empire and settled quite peacefully. At the liberation from the Turks in 1878, Jewish people made up 20% of Sofia’s population. Although spared in the war, from the 1950s onwards, 90% of the Jewish population immigrated to Israel. Designed by the Austrian architect, Grunanger, the synagogue was built to resemble a former synagogue in Vienna, which was destroyed by the Nazis. Building began in 1905 and the official opening took place in 1909. The building is a square block of Spanish-Moorish design, with a large central dome lit by a showpiece 2250kg (4960lb) chandelier. The outer walls are ornamented with floral and geometric motifs. The building was restored by Bulgarian emigrants in Haifa (Israel), in the 1990s and officially rededicated in 1996. Originally intended to accommodate 1300 worshippers, nowadays services are only attended by 50 or 60 people.

16 Exarch Yossif Ulica
Tel: (02) 831 273.
Transport: Bus to Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya.
Opening times: Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat 0900-1300; closed Bulgarian and Jewish holidays.
Admission: Free.

Zhenski Pazar (Women’s Market)
The largest and busiest market in Sofia, Zhenski Pazar offers a wide range of fruit and vegetables, cheese, cured meats, dried fruit and nuts, homemade halva and other Turkish-inspired goodies. The stall holders at the Women’s Market were once all women but now male and female peasants from the surrounding hills travel to town each morning, to sell their produce here. There are also some stalls selling cheap fake designer clothes and a few tourist orientated items. The atmosphere is chaotic and a bit dirty but fun. There are also some good Turkish cafs around the perimeter of the market.

Stefan Stambolov Boulevard, between Slivnitsa Boulevard and Exarch Yossif Ulica.
Transport: Bus to Ploshtad Sveta Nedelya.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.
Admission: Free.