Why I’m Making Sofia My Home Base

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Last Updated on: 31st December 2019, 06:14 am

When I left Sofia, Bulgaria at the beginning of December, I was really heartbroken about it. Something along the lines of this:

Who Knew I'd Love Bulgaria so Much?
Who Knew I’d Love Bulgaria so Much?

But now I’m back! And though I’ve alluded to my reasons before, now that I’ve been here for a month, I think its time to share what’s up.

In November, I met the sweetest, cutest guy while I was here. And though travel flings typically come and go, this one felt like it wasn’t supposed to end. Since he’s based from here, I came back to spend time with him and see if we were right.

 

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, composed using the Rule of Thirds
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

But that’s not the only reason it’s a great city to use as a base. Some other highlights:

  • The US dollar goes incredibly far here. My furnished studio is less than $200 a month for rent, utilities, and internet.
  • My dog doesn’t have to schlep around as much. When I went to Budapest last week, she got to stay here and chill.
  • The tourism scene is on the up and coming. In fact, I agree that Bulgaria is the next big thing.
  • The architecture! I love neo-Byzantine architecture, and it’s particularly great here.
  • It’s easy to travel to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East from here. My plane ticket to Budapest was $28 roundtrip on Wizz Air. The Sofia Airport is a Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Bulgaria Air hub, which means cheap tickets to lots of cool nearby places.
  • It’s delicious! I love Bulgarian cuisine and there are lots of great international restaurants to check out as well.  In addition, Bulgaria is a wine country with great wine at Eastern European prices.
Snapped walking through Sofia on Valentine's Day
Snapped walking through Sofia on Valentine’s Day

I haven’t actually posted on here much about my first trip to Bulgaria other than in round-up posts. I covered the Boyana Church, but there was so much I loved about Sofia it was overwhelming to try to share all of it.  Instead of trying to make one big post on this cool place, I’m going to cover it smaller chunks and get more granular about my favorite spots.

See also
How to Visit Rila Monastery from Sofia

And if for some reason you’re going to be passing through, shoot me a note. I’d love to give you some trip ideas.

5 thoughts on “Why I’m Making Sofia My Home Base”

  1. Your rent is $200 a month? That is unbelievable. What is the public transportation system like in Sofia? Streetcars? Buses? or metro?

    Reply
  2. Hey l love what am reading. We have also visited Bulgaria, we loved our stay there. The kids loved swimming in the black Sea everyday. We will definitely visit again.

    Reply
  3. This is awesome, congrats on the new home base, and on the cute guy! It’s nice that it’s so cheap to live and it sounds like a great base to explore Europe from!

    Reply

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