Sofia & Western Bulgaria
41 lesser-known places in Sofia & Western Bulgaria, with history, curiosities, a map and tours nearby.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
41 places
Albotin Monastery
Deleyna · 14th-century rock monastery and Easter dances
Amphitheatre of Serdica
Sofia · Roman gladiator arena found by chance in 2004
Apriltsi Memorial Complex
Panagyurishte · hilltop monument to the 1876 April Uprising
Baba Vida
Vidin · the best-preserved medieval castle in Bulgaria
Battenberg Mausoleum
Sofia · neo-baroque tomb of Bulgaria's first prince
Belogradchik Fortress
Belogradchik · Roman-era fortress using towering natural rock
Boboshevo Monastery
Boboshevo · a small church inside, painted from floor to vault
Boyana Church
Sofia · tiny medieval church with 240 lifelike painted figures
Bozhenishki Urvich
Botevgrad · mountain fortress and a medieval stone inscription
Castra Martis
Kula · late Roman fortress and the tower that named a town
Church of the Holy Trinity in Bansko
Bansko · a modest-looking church with a grand Revival interior
Dragalevtsi Monastery
Sofia · tsar's monastery with 15th-century frescoes
Eagles' Bridge
Sofia · 1891 stone bridge guarded by four bronze eagles
Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum
Sofia · communist-era tomb built in six days, demolished in 1999
Glozhene Monastery
Teteven · monastery on a rock ledge, once a hideout of Vasil Levski
Heraclea Sintica
Rupite · ancient city located thanks to a chance inscription
Hristo Botev Monument
Botevgrad · 1966 bronze statue of the poet-revolutionary
Kadin Most
Nevestino · granite bridge of 1470 and a legend of a bride
Klisurski Monastery
Berkovitsa · a large working nunnery under Todorini Kukli
Kordopulov House
Melnik · 1754 wine mansion with a cellar cut into the rock
Lions' Bridge
Sofia · 1891 bridge guarded by four bronze lions
Magura Cave
Belogradchik · cave of 750 prehistoric paintings made of bat guano
Monument to the Soviet Army
Sofia · Cold War memorial, repainted often, partly dismantled
Monument to the Tsar Liberator
Sofia · bronze tsar on a black granite plinth, 1907
Monument to the Unknown Soldier
Sofia · eternal flame and a bronze lion that was lost for years
Nicopolis ad Nestum
Garmen · Roman walls, baths and mosaics by the Mesta
Pistiros
Septemvri · Greek emporion far from the sea in Thrace
Ratiaria
Vidin region · Roman Danube colony and capital of Dacia Ripensis
Rozhen Monastery
Melnik · Pirin's largest monastery, frescoes and sacred icon
Ruen Monastery
Skrino · new monastery near St John of Rila's first cave
Sacred Pit of Garlo
Garlo · underground well-temple with Sardinian echoes
Saint George Rotunda Church
Sofia · Roman rotunda with layers of medieval frescoes
Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers Church
Sofia · medieval church over a Roman crypt in the metro
Saint Sophia Church
Sofia · early Christian basilica above a Roman necropolis
Serdica
Sofia · Roman city walls and gates under the capital
Seven Saints Church
Sofia · a mosque turned church, built over a Roman shrine
Tower of Kurt Pasha
Vratsa · a 17th-century tower house that looks like a castle
Tsepina Fortress
Dorkovo · ruined Rhodope fortress of a medieval despot
Vrachesh Monastery
Botevgrad · active monastery born from a medieval victory
Vrana Palace
Sofia · royal palace, hunting lodge and landscape park
Zemen Monastery
Zemen · 11th-century church with rare medieval frescoes