Tourist Guide round Sofia Wherigo Cache

Welcome to Sofia - the capital of Bulgaria, my home town and the city where I live!

I'm glad to be your guide here! If you trust me I will tour through some of the most popular landmarks in the city. Furthermore, I will guide you through more than 20 caches during our walk (I will regularly update them). The route is approx 5 kilometers (only the zones), it takes 1-3 hours!

Let's cache on! You can download the cartridge from here.

And thus let's see from where will go and what will see...

The National Palace of Culture

The National Palace of Culture or NDK as it is mostly known from the Bulgarian abbreviation is one of the most popular symbols of Sofia. Its huge silhouette on the backdrop of the magnificent snow-capped (most of the year) Vitosha Mountain is delight for the eyes of the local citizens and guests of the city, walking by the fountains of the vast Bulgaria Square. NDK is one of the largest and best equipped contemporary congress and exhibition centers on the Balkan Peninsular. It plays a prominent role in the cultural, business, social and commercial life in the Bulgarian capital city as a host of various concerts, movie shows, conferences, congresses, commercial exhibitions, Christmas markets etc. read more...

Church of St Petka of the Saddlers

The Church of St Petka of the Saddlers is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is a small one-naved building partially dug into the ground located in the very centre of both the modern and the antique city, in the TZUM subway. The church features a semi-cylindrical vault, a hemispherical apse, and a crypt discovered during excavations after the Second World War. The walls are 1 m thick and made from brick and stone. The church was first mentioned in the 16th century and was constructed at the place of a former Roman religious building. It is today a monument of culture known for its mural paintings from the 14th, 15th, 17th and 19th century depicting biblical scenes. read more...

The Church of St George the Victorious / Rotonda

The church dedicated to Saint George the Victorious, mostly known as the Rotonda because of the round shape of its central and largest part, is located in the heart of Sofia, Bulgaria. It stands in the inner courtyard of the Presidency, several meters under the contemporary ground level. The church is part of an entire architectural complex of archaeological monuments, consisting of the base remains from a large basilica (probably with public functions), on the floor of which there are evidences for a special heating system - the so called hypocaust, as well as the stone pavement of one of the main streets in ancient Serdica, supplied with skillfully constructed drainage. This archeological complex of the church and the above mentioned remains was on the territory of the Constantine's quarter" in the antique city. The residence of Emperor Constantine I the Great itself is identified with the ruins under the neighboring Hotel Rila. read more...

Bulgarian National Theatre "Ivan Vazov"

In the pleasant park next to the yellow paved Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd, right opposite of the former Royal Palace and present-day National Art Gallery, you will find the splendid Baroque building of the Bulgarian National Theatre “Ivan Vazov”. It is among the most impressive works of the Bulgarian early 20th-century architecture.

The building of the theatre was designed by the popular Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner, authors of a series of other theatres, operas and palaces in Vienna, Salzburg, Graz, Berlin, Rijeka, Timisoara, Odessa and other prominent European cities. The lavish Baroque decoration of the building's facade is very impressive. read more...

The Russian Church of St Nikolay

The Church of St Nikolay in Sofia, mostly know as the Russian Church, is one of the most elegant and beautiful Christian temples in Bulgaria. It lines up between the most interesting sights of Sofia, included in the UNESCO list of world heritage architectural monuments. It is built in the fairytale architectural style of the Moscow churches from the 17th century. Its gilt onion-shaped domes lend even more charm and grace to it.

The initiative for its building comes from the Russian embassy in Sofia. Initially it was meant to be a small chapel only for the needs of the Russian diplomats in Bulgaria but it soon became a centre of the numerous Russian emigrants, who found refuge in Bulgaria after 1917. read more...

The Central Military Club

The Central Military Club in Sofia is among the masterpieces of the Bulgarian early 20th-century architecture, which still adorns the city centre of Bulgaria's capital city. It is one of the earliest monumental buildings erected after 1878 (the re-establishment of the Bulgarian state after centuries of Ottoman government). The edifice was initially known as the Officer’s Club and its halls were used for receptions, festivities, balls and various events of the nascent capital's elite, a larger part of which belonged exactly to the military class. read more...

St Sophia Church

Today shaded by the magnificent Cathedral of St Alexander Nevsky, the Church of St Sofia is often missed by the tourists and it is not very popular even among the local citizens of the Bulgarian capital. In spite of this the people who are interested in the city's past know, that the church is one of the most important sights and symbols of Sofia. It was the name of St Sophia Church which was given to the medieval city of Sredets (ancient Serdica) and it started to be called Sofia in the late Middle Ages. So it appears that besides an important historic and cultural monument, a must-see for all visitors, this church is the godfather of the capital too. read more...

Cathedral of St Alexander Nevsky

The Church of St Alexander Nevsky is maybe the most popular symbol of the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia and Bulgaria as a whole. It is located in the heart of the city and is the cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch. Its high gilt domes are seen from many spots around the city and a reason for national pride of every Bulgarian read more...

Monument to Vasil Levski

The Monument to Vasil Levski in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is one of the first monuments to be built in the then newly-liberated Principality of Bulgaria. It commemorates the hanging of Bulgarian national hero and major revolutionary figure Vasil Levski in the city on 18 February 1873.

Born in the Sub-Balkan town of Karlovo to middle class parents, Levski became an Orthodox monk before emigrating to join the two Bulgarian Legions in Serbia and other Bulgarian revolutionary groups. Abroad, he acquired the nickname Levski, "Leonine". After working as a teacher in Bulgarian lands, he propagated his views and developed the concept of his Bulgaria-based revolutionary organisation, an innovative idea that superseded the foreign-based detachment strategy of the past. In Romania, Levski helped institute the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee, composed of Bulgarian expatriates. During his tours of Bulgaria, Levski established a wide network of insurrectionary committees. Ottoman authorities, however, captured him at an inn near Lovech and executed him by hanging in Sofia. read more...

Monument to the Soviet Army

The Monument to the Soviet Army is a monument located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. There is a large park around the statue and the surrounding areas. It is a popular place where many young people gather. The monument is located on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, near Orlov Most and the Sofia University. It represents a soldier from the Soviet Army, surrounded by a woman and a man from Bulgaria. There are other, secondary sculptural compositions part of the memorial complex around the main monument. The monument was built in 1954. read more...

Borisova gradina

Borisova gradina or Knyaz-Borisova gradina (Boris' Garden or Knyaz Boris' Garden) is the oldest and best known park in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Its construction and arrangement began in 1884 and it is named after Bulgarian Tsar Boris III.

The history of the garden embraces three periods under three renowned gardeners. All followed the initial scheme, developing it further and perfecting it instead of making radical changes to the original design. read more...