If you have a car, you are recommended to park it in a paid guarded lot. Parking in the center is difficult; although you can find free spaces, the Bulgarian police tends to behave harshly towards foreign license plates. Even though the other cars appear to be parked legitimately, double check that there are no signs or pavement markings prohibiting it. If you drive out of the city (or enter the country by road) you must have a vignette (винетка) on every high-way. Buy it right away at the border (even though no one will tell you to and there may not be signs) or before leaving Sofia(rental car) from any fuel station. The price (2011) is 10 leva for one week - this is the shortest period available, also one-month and one-year vignettes are available. You must place it on the front window, in the bottom right corner. The fine, if you forget the vignette, is about 200 leva.
Car lights are also compulsory in the light part of the day from November 1st until March 1st; it is best just to drive with them on always.
Pedestrians should be careful since Bulgarian drivers do not yield right of way to those on foot.
Generally at night, you should avoid the area around the Bus and Train Station, Maria Luiza Blvd, the Parks (around the Palace of Culture and Borisova) and the Lions' Bridge (Lavov Most). This is especially true for single women and girls. Junkies get high there, prostitutes (both female and transsexual) offer their "services", some people might want to tempt you with touts of contraband (stolen, illegal, etc.) and/or then try to mug you. These areas are also frequented with the homeless and the drunk. If your hotel is in the area you'll be alright, just don't hang around it unnecessarily. Try to act like you are familiar with the area (and farmiliarize yourself during the day) and look like a local. As long as you avoid the poorly lit areas, the centre is okay, stick to the well-lit areas such as Vitoshka, the Largo, the Sheraton hotel, the Ivan Vazov theater and Voennia Klub (Military Club). It is wise to choose a hotel/hostel in a better location, such as the ones listed above.
Do not get into conflict with locals especially if they seem aggressive or drunk. Avoid football fan groups, they tend to be drunk and aggressive. Avoid wearing football shirts or scarves of the Sofia-based football teams, especially on match days.
On top of it all there are strong allegations of deep-rooted corruption in the Bulgarian justice system. Foreigners may find themselves in serious difficulty if they get into any legal trouble.
There are many other reports of violence on foreigners in Sofia, although all of them were 'aggravated' cases such as a person trying to illegally buy documents or drugs.
Be careful with taxis, make sure you check the prices first before you get in (the fare is per kilometer and it should be something like 0.59 during the day and 0.70 during the night, avoid cabs that display their fare as above 1.00), also make sure the cab has the driver's card on the front with his name.
Also, be wary of money exchange shops. Some of them exchange money for generally lower rates than displayed on the exchange rate panel. Go to banks, otherwise you can easily become a victim and if you want your money back the security guard might intimidate you, rough you up or physically abuse you. One such change shop is on Maria Louisa as you walk towards the Lion's bridge (Лъвов мост) just after Halite (Халите) and Ekzarh Yosif street (you'll recognise it by the misspelling of currency, spelled 'currensy').
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Sofia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Sofia - updated Apr 2024
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Sofia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
