Parks and Nature in Sofia city-greenery everywhere
Plan your dream vacation, experience the true authenticity of one of the oldest European capital cities, but don’t miss to travel to exciting mountainous spot, or simply spend a couple of hours, strolling along one of the green Sofia’s parks. Sofia, a vigorous cosmopolitan city where dreams come true for people of all ages and tastes alike.
The Sofia city breathes not only through its "lung" Vitosha Mountain, but also through its numerous areas and streets planted with greenery.
Being surrounded by the grandiose Vitosha Mountain and having plenty of parks in its centre, the capital city offers great places for relaxation and recreation amongst nature.
What would you find in the ‘Parks&Nature’section?
Sofia is one of the greenest cities in the world. Many small parks and vast gardens decorate it, thousands of tree-lined avenues and charming cobbled streets. An introduction to green Sofia’s parks, astounding places where you will fall in love with the Nature and feel yourself being a hero in a magic fairytale. green Sofia’s parks has a variety of daily activities and events that we would like to share with you. Please browse each page and stay tuned!
You will find sports schedules, special events, eco initiatives plus general information on all programs available. Check often for dates, times and schedules of current and upcoming events and happenings.
The main park in Sofia is the Vitosha Nature Park, which covers a large part of the mountain.
The Central park of Bulgaria’s capital city is the Borissova gradina (translated: The Garden of Boris), along the Tssarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard, just across the Eagles’ Bridge .
The City Garden is situated in a prime location, just opposite to the Sofia Municipal Gallery . One can recognize easily the park as there are fountains with a sculpture of a female dancer in front of the National Theatre .
It is true that the City Garden is ideally located, but the second largest park, following the Borissova Garden is Yuzhen park (the Southern park). It extends from the ‛Ivan Vazov“ quarter to the ‛Hladilnika“ quarter. Numerous children’s playgrounds are included in its territory. In close proximity to the Southern Park is located the ‛Spartak“ swimming and sports center, an attractive place for open–air celebrations organized by the Sofia Municipality.
The Zapaden Park (the Western park) is close to the ‛Zaharna Fabrika“. Several catering and sport establishments are available there, still there is enough space for walks and outdoor activities.
Beautiful Nature
It is said that the colours of sunset are more captivating than that of sunrise. It may happen. Keep your eyes focused; try to reach the skyline of the Vitosha Mountain as the night is falling… Snap some fantastic photos in the evening, because the lung of Sofia, Vitosha Mountain is simply splendid. It is worthy for praise, you will find out why.
Beatuiful nature is what invites to many different activities and inspires the man in this strenuous everyday life.
Vitosha Nature Park
The main park of Sofia is Vitosha Nature Park, which covers over 27 079.114 hectares of ground. It is the first nature park in Bulgaria and on the Balkan Peninsula as well. Vitosha’s closeness to Sofia makes it the most visited mountain in Bulgaria. The main access ways to the park come through the quarters Vladaya, Knyazhevo, Boyana, Dragalevtsi, Simeonovo, Bistritsa.
Are you curious to see the black bear, the rhino and other interesting and rare animal species? Don’t miss to take a tour in the Sofia is Sofia zoo! The Sofia zoo is one of the most visited tourist places of the city. It is a family destination in the true sense of the term, but it is equally popular among the adults and the children.
Do you wish to get engrossed in the world of flowers? In the Botanical Garden of Bulgarian Academy of Science, Sofia, one can see all year round the richest collections of tropical plant species from the Balkans! Old Cycads! 12% of the kinds of cacti in the world! Wonderful orchids!
Every month the visitor is welcomed to see something unusual as the Botanical Garden gathers flowers from all continents, blossoming and fruit-bearing, all of them unveil their beauty during a different season.
Bird-watching in Sofia
Just 20 minutes drive from the centre of Sofia, there is a stately mountain, the wondrous Vitosha, teeming with exotic birds. There are some trails in Vitosha Mountain that will delight the passionate ornithologists. Many rare and interesting bird species have been spotted in and around the city, and hence we can proudly say that Sofia is a great venue for observing birdlife. As we all know the hobby of bird-watchers is spotting and identifying bird species and so many people are obsessed with it. "Twitchers," as enthusiasts are sometimes called, often travel long distances at great expense to catch just a glimpse of even a single rare species through their binoculars.
Don you fancy observing the birdlife? All right, but we can guess that you feel very relaxed after a trip bird-watching.
Even the forest in the centre of Sofia- the Bulgarian capital, gives perfect opportunities for birding, and Vitosha mountain national park is just a few minutes by car from Sofia. The dozens of reserves in the country and also many unprotected areas with their variety of landscape, birds, plants insects etc, in a small country such as Bulgaria, mark it out as a leading European country for birding.Frankly speaking, Sofia might not be "a bird-watcher's paradise" all year round, but even a day trekking in the mountain, listening to the singing birds, is worthwhile.
Pure Nature-Pancharevo Lake and Boyana Waterfall
Do you wish to taste something different, but serene and relaxing? There you can walk and submerge in the beautiful nature, an hour or so and you will be completely restored both physically and emotionally. Pancharevo Lake is situated in the Pancharevo quarter.
The lake is about 5 km long and 1 km wide and offers plenty of opportunities for sports and recreation activities.
The Boyana Waterfall is considered the most beautiful and largest waterfall in Vitosha Mountain. The The Boyana Waterfall is located some 4.5 km from the center of Boyana quarter. Hence, it will take you 1-2 hours to get there, but you will see breathtaking sceneries which make your trip worthwhile.
Vitosha Nature Park |
Vitosha Moutain embraces Sofia city. Vitosha Nature Park is the oldest nature park on the Balkan Peninsula. Vitosha-diverse flora and fauna, scenie landscapes, ski possibilities, natural landmarks-Duhlata and Boyanski Waterfall.
Borisova Gradina Park (Central Park) |
The biggest Park in Sofia is the Borisova Gradina Park, also popular as the Central Park. The Borisova Garden lies Tsarigradsko Chaussee Boulevard, more precisely between the Eagles’ Bridge /Orlov Most/ and Vassil Levski stadium. In the garden the visitor will find the National Stadium Vassil Levski, Stadium of Bulgarian Army, tennis courts, Ariana Lake.
Fountains in Sofia |
Sofia is a unique city because of its characteristic charm and cultural diversity. In the city which ever grows but never ageing, the visitor will discover the grandeur of the ancient Serdika, museums- treasures, and buildings-architectural landmarks with true artistic value. Visit fountains in major Sofia's parks- National Theatre Ivan Vazov, City Garden, National Palace of Culture, Oborishte Park
Public gardens and green areas |
The Southern Park is the second largest park in Sofia city after the Borissova Garden. It lies to the south of Bulgaria blvd. It extends from Ivan Vazov Quarter to the Hladilnika Quarter. Numerous kids playgrounds, walking paths ...
Sofia botanical garden |
The Botanical Garden in Sofia is a part of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences from 1947. Greenhouses collections are the richest on the Balkan Peninsula. The Botanical Garden lies at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain, not far away from the Okolovrasten Put/ ‘Ring Road’ / between major boulevards in Sofia. Botanical Garden Sofia is the richest on the Balkans, boasting various interesting collections, including cacti, roses etc.
Sofia Zoo |
Sofia Zoo is another place of interest for Sofia’s visitors. The zoo was established in the beginning of 1888 and is a great spot for spending some spare time whilst getting acquainted with the diverse life of animals. It is the oldest and biggest zoo garden in Bulgaria. The zoo shelters more than 1200 animals.
Pancharevo lake |
Pancharevo Lake is an artificial lake, located just 15 km southeast of Sofia in the Pancharevo Quarter. The Pancharevo Lake is located at the end of the Pancharevo Gorge of the Iskar River. After you have explored a guided city tour with a visit to the most interesting landmarks of Sofia, you may enjoy spending a couple of hours at the Pancharevo Lake, it has a lot to offer and is very near the Bulgarian capital city. Sports activities, outings, rowing, water wheels, hiking trails and hot mineral springs await you there.
Sofia University Botanic Garden |
The Sofia University Botanical Garden is in the heart of Bulgaria’s capital city, just next to the National Gallery for Foreign Art and the biggest Orthodox church, St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral. The garden includes about 1500 species. Admire at impressive orchids, many tropical plants as well as some unique representatives from Asia, many cacti and two meta-sequoias. A venerable ginkgo tree-representative of the vegetation from the Palaeozoic Era.
Boyana waterfall |
The Boyana waterfall is located some 4.5 km from the center of Boyana quarter, Sofia city. The Boyana Waterfall is the most beautiful and largest waterfall in Vitosha Mountain. Boayna waterfall is one of the most important natural landmarks in Sofia. Enjoy hiking in Vitosha Mountain, ice climbing, stone rivers, eco trails, visit Boayna church.