SoSofia.com

Brasserie is a sleek, medium-sized, yet boutique bar/diner close to Slaveykov square.

It is a good place for coffee in the late morning (excellent coffee machine), business meeting at any time or a drink in the evening. You can be sure that there will be free tables. There’s also a nice little garden, pictured below.

Music is general house, trying hard not to get noticed that it’s a bit old.

Food starts to be served at noon. All dishes are somewhat pretentious, yet tasty. Not the place to go if you’re very hungry, ’cause the meals are small – about 200 grams. There’s additional Sushi menu every Sunday evening. The soup-of-the-day or meal-of-the-day practice is good, so if you like the place, there’s something to surprise you every time. A light lunch with wine or a drink will cost about 20 leva per person.

Warning: Impossible to park there. Reservation is not required.

Address: 3 Rayko Daskalov str., right behind Slaveykov square / open book market. Phone: +359 2 980 0398, +359 89 844 9055.

How to get in Sofia.

By regular plane

The recently-privatized Bulgaria Air offers low-fi on-board service, old planes, but a steady schedule. A two-way ticket from Paris to Sofia is about 250 euro, bought some months in advance.

Other airlines which have regular flights to or from Sofia are Austrian Airlines, Air France, AlItalia, British Airways, Lufthansa, Czech Airlines, Helios Air, Lufthansa, LOT, Malev, Olympic, Turkish, etc.

Note: Sofia Airport has constant problems with the fog in the winter months (early December – end of February), and our long experience shows that Bulgaria Air is most reliable when it comes in taking off and landing during winter months.

Low-cost carriers

Since 2006, there are low-cost carriers servicing regular flights to Sofia.

The Italian My Air flying to Sofia from Milan (Bergamo), Venice, Bari and Bologna (Italy).

WizzAir fly to Sofia from London/Luton, Dortmund , Milan, Rome/Fiumicino, Barcelona, Valencia, Varna (Bulgaria) and Izmir (Turkey).

SkyEurope fly from Prague (Czech Republic) and Vienna (Austria).

Easy Jet fly to/from London/Gatwick airport.

Germanwings fly to and from Cologne/Bonn.

By Train

Bulgarian State Railways travel from various cities in Europe daily or weekly – Kiev, Moscow, Prague, Bucharest, Vienna, Istambul, Athens, etc.

There might be some delays – up to 3 hours – on the Serbian and Turkish borders. Customs officers would search for cigarette smuggling or illegal goods, so be Patient. The state railways are slow, dirty, but safe and reliable.

By Bus

Probably the cheapest way to get into Sofia. The Central Bus Station is right next to the Central Railway Station. You can find a Transport Service Centre at the National Palace of Culture building in Sofia, underground floor. The phone number for the International Bus Station is +359 2 952 5004.

Nice Greek restaurant on a main street right in the center of the city. A lot of Greeks go there, so that’s a sign of quality.

Elea offers various Mediterranean and traditional Greek dishes – salads, fish and deserts. A dinner for two will cost about 50 leva (25 euro). It is right above Alcohol club, so it may be a good start of the evening.

Warning: It’s almost impossible to park nearby. Reservation is required.

Address: 127 Rakovski str., phone +359 2 987 0339

This is the first post of sosofia.com, an insider’s guide to the city of Sofia, Bulgaria.

Your hosts are Elenko and Rada – Bulgarians, brother and sister, born and raised in Sofia.

Feel free to contact us with whatever interests you.