As I arrived for my departure flight in Bulgaria I read a sign that read, “Sofia is yours to keep.” This quote caught my attention. As I reflected on the message, I knew that it was very accurate. All the memories, the sights, encounters and even the calories, were mine to keep. When someone travels to a city, these moments stay with them. No one else will experience Bulgaria’s capital gem like me.
Many asked why I was starting my Girl Takes Mundo Latina solo traveler adventure in Bulgaria. When I started traveling, or planning for this female solo sabbatical visiting Bulgaria would have been questioned by me too.
No matter how you decide to make this trip your own. Or any trip for that matter, remember it’s yours to keep. I wouldn’t have thought that Bulgaria would start my #GirltakesMundo journey. Now, I don’t see how else it could have started. This first stop included guest appearances by other Latin solo travelers. My new amigos came from Chile (Who I met again when I visited Santiago, Chile) and Mexico. Which reassured me that I would meet other Latino solo travelers like myself.
Sofia is mine to keep! See how you can make this yours. Plan your own Sofia city break to Bulgaria’s capital gem with this Sofia travel itinerary.
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Where & Why Visit Bulgaria
During my 5 day trip, I visited Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital gem and Plovdiv, the 2 biggest cities in Bulgaria. If you have extra days and looking for a weekend trip; Bulgaria is the country for you! Many Europeans are visiting this little gem as flights are cheap. Additionally, the pound, euro and dollar go a long way. For me, stretching my budget and to fill gaps in my Girl Takes Mundo solo sabbatical got me to Bulgaria.
I would recommend Bulgaria as a good solo travel destination for Latina Solo travelers.
Plan Your Visit To Bulgaria’s Capital Gem
 Flight |  Stay |  Do |  Drive |
| WayAway | Hotellook | GetYourGuide | Rentalcars.com |
6 Best Tip Based Tours In Sofia
Despite being a smaller European city, Sofia offers plenty of free activities to enjoy. These include walking, bike, hiking, jogging, graffiti, and food tours. These 6 Best Tip Based Tours In Sofia, Bulgaria, allow you to tip your guide. While I couldn’t try all these tours myself. Here are my personal tips based on my experiences or feedback from others who did.
See all free tours in my 6 Best Tip Based Tours In Sofia Bulgaria here.
More Tour Options
Sofia Nightlife
Anything that looks like you’re hiding something by nature intrigues people more and that’s how nightlife in Sofia is. While you will find your regular clubs and bars in Sofia, it’s the cooler concept bars that captured my attention. These night spots have no signs outside indicating they are a bar. When you finally find them, you still have to be “cleared” so to speak after you knock on the door. They will open a small window to see who you are before letting you in. This was the case in “Pub Lorca“. If electricity isn’t your thing, then you will love “Hambara“. Hambara is a piano bar with no electricity that is lit up by the many candles in the establishment. If nature is what you fancy, drink in a park. Imagine it, be under the stars while exchanging stories with your new found travel friends.
Day Trip From Sofia – Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria and named the European capital of culture for 2019. It is a short 1.5 hour road trip. 4 of us, who stayed at Moreto & Caffeto hostel decided to split the cost of renting a car. And used this car rental to spend the day in Plovdiv.
Rent a car for your day trip to Plovdiv HERE.
Plovdiv offers a free walking tour. This helps maximize the day trip and get a good overview of the city. By the time our group arrived to Plovdiv we had missed the 11a tour and the 2:30p tour wasn’t available. In the meantime, we walked around the new and old town on our own. We ate a typical Bulgarian lunch and got lost in the Plovdiv neighborhoods until the evening tour.
My favorite neighborhood was “Trap”. It was once an abandoned neighborhood that recently had a renaissance with many great restaurants, shops and cafes opening up. Including a cafe themed after the tv series coffee shop, “Central Perk” in Friends. The neighborhood itself is filled with awesome murals, which only adds to the color of this charming neighborhood. Of the many awesome walls, the ones by the crew Stern below were my favorite.
Want to discover where else you can visit in Europe?
See my TRAVEL GUIDE SECTION for tips and recommendations for other bordering cities. Learn how to get there, where to stay, eat and what to do!
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