The former palace of Alexander I Battenberg, the first Bulgarian prince, is now home to the National Art Gallery (NAG) and the National Ethnographic Museum. This is the ideal place for lovers of or those curious about Bulgarian art, as you can explore a diverse collection of early Bulgarian art from the 4th century to the present day.

Following the Liberation, the task of converting the former Turkish konak into a royal palace fell to the Austro-Hungarian architect Viktor Rumpelmayer. The result is a beautiful and stylish space, evoking the charm of 17th- and 18th-century French salons. 

In addition to the Palace, the National Art Gallery has several other venues across the city, such as the Crypt, Square 500, the Museum of Socialist-Era Art, the Sofia Arsenal – a museum of contemporary art – and house museums. The entire collection comprises a total of 42,000 works from Bulgaria, Europe, Asia, America and Africa.