Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. Sofia, which has spent 500 years of its 1300-year history under Ottoman rule, is a city intertwined with history.. When I went skiing to Bansko last year, I looked for ways to go to Sofia, but I could not find it.. The Jordan ticket I found on Ryanair drops us on the way to Sofia. Because the plane leaves from Sofia. We are turning this into an opportunity in case we visit another country or city.
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How I Got to Sofia?
You need a Schengen visa or a Bulgarian visa to go to Sofia. If you are going to use it only for transit, you should get a transit visa. You can go to Sofia by train departing from Halkalı.. Metro Turizm organizes regular flights to Sofia throughout the day.. Huntur has two flights a day.. We are wondering how to go. There is also a return to this, I recommend you to read the article to the end.
The train is a bit expensive and you have to constantly wake up during the border crossing.. The information I’ve read says that. Bus 160 TL. We bought the plane ticket for 9 Euros.. strange situation. We are going to Edirne with Bla Bla Car. We pay 23 TL. I also find someone to host us from the Couchrail Facebook group.. We arrive in Edirne around 3 am.. The next morning, our host Gökhan drops us at the border.
It’s not very crowded Kapıkule. We start hitchhiking as soon as we cross the border. Turkish plates never stop. There is a place near the border. En plates usually go there for shopping.. That’s why they don’t take. Bulgarian plates never stop anyway. It’s freezing cold and it’s starting to rain. Luckily, a vehicle stops and picks us up before we wait too long.. Brother Ali, a Norwegian citizen of Iraqi origin, takes us all the way to Sofia.. If I didn’t have a plane ticket, I would go all the way to Norway like this.. Our trip to Sofia costs 23 TL by Bla Bla Car and hitchhiking.
Sofia Accommodation, Hostel Mostel-Hostel44
In the evening in Sofia. We are looking for Vitosha Boulevard. Vitosha Boulevard was Sofia’s Istiklal Avenue. We couldn’t find a place on Couchsurfing. It is difficult for Turks to find a place in Bulgaria.. We are looking for Hostel Mostel. When you walk straight from the tramway with Vitosha Boulevard on your left, you come to a huge intersection.. Cross the road straight, there is a tiny sign and a door on the right.. We found it by asking. It was a little difficult.
I fell in love with the ambiance the moment I walked in the door.. It even has a parking lot.. It is a very nice hostel, but there is no place because we went without a reservation.. They allow us to use their internet. We find a place called Booking Den Hostel 44. 7 euros per person at Hostel44. Quite close to the center. Very close to metro, prime minister’s residence, Black Mosque (Banyabaşı Mosque). 10 minutes from Vitosha Boulevard.
Hostel Mostel has no air, but it’s a nice clean place. After all, it will just be a place we will use to sleep.. In the evening, we coincide with the musical feast of travelers from all over the world.. I love these entertainments. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, your age, your identity, nothing.. We also found Hostel44 a bit difficult. People can’t tell where it is even if they look at the map. The address cannot be described.
We left our bags at Hostel Mostel on our return from Jordan.. They got it without any problems. You can also use it to warm up, use the internet, drink tea and pack your bags.. You don’t have to stay. These backpacker-friendly places exist to make your life easier, but if I go to Sofia again, Hostel Mostel will definitely be my place to stay.
We’re exploring Vitosha Boulevard in the evening.. Looks great with night lights. Cafes, restaurants, shops… Whatever you look for, there is. We must have been in and out of all the shops.. It is not as long as Istiklal Street.. not even half. We changed some of our money to Leva at the border.. We’re getting some more Leva on this street. 1 TL 3.7 Lev. This place is not cheap for us anymore.
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Early in the morning we go to Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The symbol of the city, at the top of the list of places to see. One of the main Orthodox churches used by Bulgarians for worship is currently. It was built to commemorate the 200,000 Serbian soldiers who died in the Ottoman-Russian war.. With its neo-Byzantine architecture and gold-plated dome, the cathedral is the largest in the world.
There is a Sunday morning mass. Taking photos and videos inside is subject to a fee.. It was already quite crowded.. We were able to stop by again on the way back from Jordan and visit the empty version.. Right in the square, its huge gilded domes stretch imposingly towards the sky at noon.. It took 30 years to build. In the very center of the city. It’s not that hard to find. Even though we went to the flea market set up right next to it in two different time zones on two separate days, we could not catch the open state.. However, everyone talked about it a lot.. It’s beautiful, but it didn’t fit us.. I really wanted to visit this antique market.
After Alexander Nevsky Cathedral we are going to see the Sofia University building. A magnificent building on the corner of an intersection, but you don’t have to search and search.. Every part of Sofia is already adorned with beautiful old architectural structures.
The Russian Church of St. Nicholas
When you turn your back on the Alexander Nevsky Cathedraland pass through a park, it’s as if it came out of Aladdin’s Magic Lamp. we meet the church. It was built for the Russians who survived the Ottoman rule.. I really loved the look of the St. Nicholas Rus Church, which is completely dominated by Russian architecture. The church we visited during a Sunday mass was so crowded that. It was already tiny, and it was full of people inside.
The priest stood by the pulpit with a cross in his hand.. People were lining up and passing by the priest one by one, kissing this cross and the priest’s hand.. I could not photograph these images, as photos and videos are still subject to a fee inside.. Of course, I don’t know if they would let me photograph the ritual.. This is a church with plenty of beggars at its door.. I have never come across it in other countries. You can see the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral from the side of the back door of the St. Nicholas Russian Church. They are so close.
Banyabaşı Mosque
Banyabaşı Mosque, also known as the Black Mosque because of its black roof, is located below Vitosha Boulevard, near the metro.. A tiny mosque built by Mimar Sinan. When we went, we couldn’t go inside because there was worship inside.. When we look inside the windows, we can see its small but plain state.. Banyabaşı Mosque is also the only mosque in Sofia.
Sofia
A building with a very different architecture attracts our attention right across the mosque. When we wonder what’s inside, we see that there is a huge bazaar.. This is a three-storey bazaar where you can buy vegetables and fruits, snacks, gloves and hats.. I saw the biggest sliced pizza we see on the streets in this bazaar.. I saw a shop on the ground floor that sells clothes that you can buy by kilo.. It was quite interesting to me.
The very center of Sofia is full of historical artifacts.. It is possible to see historical artifacts inside the underpasses in the center.. You can even see it on the way to the subway. Underpasses with glass ceilings have also become a gathering center for young people.. The one who took his skate came there. The dimly lit night state has turned into a place where you can get sheltered and warm from the cold Sofia streets.. Romantic Sofia youth entwined in nooks and crannies.
It is also very enjoyable to watch outside from the glass covered roof.. You can go to the parliament building by passing through these historical monuments.. During our time in Sofia, all the streets were filled with police. The protests started by the yellow vests were also in Sofia. We could not find the time to visit the museum and also the cash.. Boiling water is flowing from the fountains in the streets of Sofia.. Everyone comes and fills the drums. The streets are steam steam.
The streets in the center are the tramway. Stopping in the middle of the road and picking up people. It’s a stop, of course, but the stop is on the sidewalk, the tram is in the middle of the road.. Not every tram goes everywhere. Wherever you’re going, you need to change lines.. They named it like green and blue.. Bulgarian people do not know English very well, but you can still explain it somehow.
Sofia Streets Sofia Sofia Streets
How to Get to the Airport in Sofia?
Hostel44 was very close to the metro. They told us to go to the airport in half an hour, but we still tried to go early.. Just in case. We bought a ticket and went down to the subway.. I thought I’d ask someone and I’m glad I did.. You need to find Redline in the metro in the center. The metro you see when you get off the metro does not go to the airport.. We manage to find Redline, albeit in a somewhat detour. We also take the subway.
I still don’t feel comfortable. I say “Let me ask”. Glad I asked again. There are two separate subway lines on this Redline. We manage to get off it and take the subway to the airport this time.. The airport is the last stop.. By the way, never throw away the ticket you bought. If I didn’t think that I would keep it as a souvenir after my work was done and throw it away, I would have been punished.. A long time after getting on the subway, an attendant asks for my ticket.. Fortunately I can show. This subway tired us a bit, but at the end, there is everywhere in between.
Sofia is my gateway to Jordan. While I’m at it, I have the chance to travel in two different time zones while leaving and returning.. At the Sofia airport, where we arrived at midnight, we try to take a taxi because the metro is closed.. Glad I asked for the price.. asking for 50 euros. On the 20-minute journey. We return to the airport and spend the night there.. There is internet and it’s warm. People must be crazy.
How will we get back to Turkey?
We are considering taking a bus this time to return to Turkey.. We hitchhiked on the way back, but on the way back, we are very tired and it snowed in Sofia.. We are in the cold air coming from those famous balkans.. Metro Turizm’s hours suit us. They charge 160 TL on arrival and 178 TL on return.. Since we are too lazy to go to the bus station and my phone is turned off abroad, I cannot use my credit card for online shopping.
A friend from Istanbul has it taken off.. When we go to the bus station, we experience the shock of our lives.. Somehow, the ticket goes to Kapikule. The woman in charge speaks good Turkish. Cannot cancel ticket. He sells us Kapikule-Istanbul tickets and somehow we return to Istanbul for 100 TL instead of paying 178 TL.. Two separate tickets should be more expensive, but much cheaper. We can’t plan.
When you drop your luggage down at Metro Turizm, you should also take the risk that it gets wet.. My backpack is soaked. When we ask the reason, you can get disrespectful answers such as “the next time the heater will be installed”.. You can wait for an hour at the bus station where you arrive at 3 in the morning, and then you can be dropped off in Aksaray.. It’s as if the answer to why we use hitchhiking instead of a bus is hidden here.. If my friend’s transit visa hadn’t expired, we definitely wouldn’t have used the Metro.. So we had to. If you’re going to Sofia, find another way or don’t expect much.
