Most of what visitors come to see in Sofia sits within a couple of kilometres of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. That makes the centre ideal for walking: you can join the main sights into one relaxed day of around six or seven kilometres, with a long lunch in the middle and plenty of places to sit.
Rather than ticking off a list, think of the walk as a journey through the city's layers: the Orthodox cathedrals, the Roman city underneath, the Ottoman mosque and baths, and the modern pedestrian boulevard.
Morning: the cathedral quarter
Start early at the cathedral, when the square is quiet and the light catches the domes. The Church of St Sofia, which gave the city its name, is right behind it, and the gilded domes of the Russian Church are a few minutes down the boulevard.
Cut through the small Crystal Garden to the Ivan Vazov National Theatre and the City Garden, where the chess players gather.
Roman Sofia underfoot
Around Sveta Nedelya Square the city drops a few metres into the past. The cathedral on the square was rebuilt after a bomb attack in 1925, and just beside it, when the metro was built, the streets of Roman Serdica were uncovered. You can walk through them for free. A short walk away, the 4th-century Rotunda of St George stands in a courtyard behind the Presidency.
Bring an empty bottle. In the garden beside the Central Mineral Baths, public taps run with warm mineral water that locals collect every day.
Lunch at the market halls
By lunchtime you'll be next to the Banya Bashi Mosque and the Central Market Hall, which makes lunch easy: eat at the stalls inside, or pick up fruit at the Women's Market a few minutes to the west.
Afternoon: Vitosha Boulevard to NDK
Walk back to Sveta Nedelya and follow pedestrian Vitosha Boulevard south. Stop for coffee wherever looks good; the boulevard ends at the National Palace of Culture, where the fountains and the view of Vitosha mountain make a good place to finish. NDK has its own metro station for the way back.
