Museums in Sofia
There is a lot to see and learn about Bulgarian history and traditions if one decides to check one or more of the most famous and visited Sofia museums. The topics vary as well as the locations but we’ll help you get around with few tips and tricks.
Depending on your time and resources, you could choose free or paid guided city tours for a couple of hours. In case you prefer to explore Sofia in your own step you would probably like to make your own choice which will exact more of your time. For those of you who prefer to explore the city on foot we recommend to stick to the downtown area where you have quite a choice of museums to explore within walking distance. Bear in mind though that in the outskirts of Sofia there is also a lot to discover and we strongly recommend you to visit few more museums outside the city center if you have spare time.
Museums Downtown Sofia
The National Archaeological Institute with Museum located in the very center of Sofia near the Presidency covers the complete study of the culture of tribes and people who have occupied present day Bulgaria from the remote past until the 18th century.
Address: 2 Saborna Str.
Working hours:
10am – 6pm from May till October;
10am – 5pm from November till April,
closed on Mondays
National Ethnographic Museum located also in the heart of the city in the former Royal Palace, a monument of culture from the end of the 19th century, possesses more than 50000 collection items organized under several categories: clothes, goldsmithery, copper objects, agriculture, wood-carving, home furnishing, ceramics, fabrics and embroideries, carpets, ritual objects and foreign art.
Address: 1 Batenberg Sqr.
Working hours:
10am – 6pm from March till October;
10am – 5pm from November till February,
closed on Mondays
Sofia History Museum is also placed in a symbolic for Sofia building – the Central Mineral Baths located near the Banya Bashi Mosque. Its permanent and temporary exhibitions cover Sofia’s Antiquity to present days with more than 1000 artefacts plus dedicated room for children where they can touch Sofia’s history.
Address: 1 Banski Sq.
Working hours:
10am – 6pm, closed on Monday
For the curious to learn more, you can visit Museums branches – the archaeological level of the basilica of St Sophia, National Reconciliation Exhibition, Serdica’s ancient cultural and communicative complex, Archaeological remains in the surrounding space of the St. George rotunda, West Gate of Serdica archeological park, Alexander I Battenberg tomb, North-eastern corner tower and Triangle tower of Serdica. Other museums in downtown Sofia you could consider are the National Museum of Natural History near the Russian Church and the National Earth and Man Museum near the National Palace of Culture.
Museums in Sofia outskirts
Boyana Church located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain is world-famous for its exceptional medieval paintings. The building is constructed in three stages from late 10th century until mid-19th centuries. It is under the auspices of the UNESCO World Heritage Programme as its frescoes from 1259 represent one of the most complete and well-preserved monuments of mediaeval art in the Balkans.
Address: 3 Boyansko Ezero Str.
Working hours:
9.30am – 6.00pm from April till October,
9am – 5.30pm from November till March
National History Museum is the largest history museum in Bulgaria and one of the richest on the Balkans with its more than 650 000 exhibit materials from antiquity to present days. We promise you’ll remain speechless at the site of the Panagyurishte Gold Treasure, gold jewelry from the Village of Dabene from the 5th Millennium B.C., medieval crafts, orthodox icons, artifacts from Bulgarian folklore and national liberation movement presented at the permanent and temporary exhibitions of the museum.
Address: 16 Vitoshko lale Str.
Working hours:
9.30am – 6pm from April till October,
9am – 5.30pm from November till March
This list of course is not exhaustive you can visit as well:
National Museum of Military History
MUZEIKO – America for Bulgaria Children’s Museum
