The free tours in Sofia are an awesome way to get to know the city better. As you would see there are different free tours in Sofia, which will show you amazing things about the city and leave you with a cool experience.
Joining one or all of those free tours in Sofia will be a great addition to your stay in the Bulgarian vibrant and artistic capital.
Beginning with the one and only known so far free food tour,
Balkan Bites
Have you ever heard before about a free food tour? I haven’t either. That’s why when I heard about the free food tour, Balkan Bites, I was very excited to join it.
The tour lasts for approximately 2 hours and takes you to several different locations around the city. During the tour, all of the food you are going to try is free. Of course, they are only samples. Don’t expect when you go on the tour to get a free four-course menu. No.
The free food tour manages to collect quite enthusiasts who want to taste some of the amazing local cuisines.
During the tour we visited 5 spots and tried the following:
- Restaurant Bagri – bites with hummus and cheese dip
- Slice of banitsa at a small bakery in the underpass in the center
- Skaptoburger – yes, the burgers are not traditional Bulgarian food, but you will understand why they are part of the tour when you go on it. Note that you don’t get a whole burger, the burgers are split so everyone can try them.
- Mekitsa and coffee – a mini mekitsa with powdered sugar
- Hadjidraganovite izbi – more bites, with different types of cheese and a shot of wine. This was our last stop and because part of the people had already left before that (because they needed to catch their flights, not because they didn’t like it) there was more for us.
I was almost going to forget to mention that if you are a vegetarian you have nothing to worry about, the people joining the tour are usually separated into two groups, one of which is vegetarians.
Where: Park Crystal, in front of the big head statue of Stefan Stambolov
When: Every day at 2 PM
Balkan Bites website / Facebook
Sofia Graffiti Tour
This is so far my favorite free tour in Sofia. I’ve learned so many interesting things about graffiti and street art in Sofia.
Do you also enjoy beautiful street art? You will love this tour.
Sofia is full of street art with interesting stories behind and with nice and very cool ideas.
The tour I’ve joined was guided by a boy named Tsvetan. He was very passionate about what he’s doing. He has a lot of knowledge about graffiti and street art, which he will share with you.
Sofia Graffiti tour is a walking tour that lasts for approximately 2 hours. It takes you to discover some awesome places and amazing art.
This tour will show you a different perspective of the city.
Where: The Statue of Sofia (Serdika metro station)
When: Every Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM
Sofia Graffiti Tour website / Facebook
Sofie Free Walking Tour
Sofia free walking tour is the best way to get to know the city in a few hours and learn about the history of Sofia.
When I went to the tour, I wasn’t able to stay to the end of it, but for the time I was walking with the group, even I learned a lot of things about Sofia that I didn’t know before that.
The tour was guided by a very smiley and sunny girl named Svetla. If you listen to her carefully and answer her question, she will give you candy.
Where: Palace of Justice
When: Every day at 11 AM and 6 PM
Sofia Free Walking Tour website / Facebook
Photo credit: Sofia Free Tour Facebook page
Those three free tours so far I have taken personally part of them and I’m sharing everything experienced. About the others on the list, I still haven’t taken the tours personally. But I know for sure they are awesome and I can’t wait to experience them as well.
Communist Trabant Tour
The free tours in Sofia continue with the free Communist Trabant tour.
This tour will take you back to the communist times of Bulgaria.
Where: Next to Starbucks and the National Palace of Culture (Fridtjof Nansen Str.)
When: Every Saturday and Sunday at 10 AM
Communist Trabant Tour website / Facebook
Sofia Green Tours
Bike Tours
Exploring Sofia by bike is an awesome idea. The city is becoming more and more bike-friendly.
Where: National Theater ‘’Ivan Vazov’’
When: From April until November at 11 AM and 5 PM
Hiking Tour
Hiking tour in the city? This is one of the reasons to visit Sofia, the closeness with Vitosha Mountain. The mountain is just 30 minutes away from the city center.
The free hiking tour takes you to the beautiful Boyana waterfall, Boyana lake, and Boyana church.
For this tour, there are some expenses to have in mind: transfer to Boyana and back by taxi and entrance fee for the church, 2 leva (1 euro) for students, and 10 leva (5 euro) regular ticket.
Where: National Theater ”Ivan Vazov”
When: From April until November at 11 AM
Sofia Green Tour website / Facebook
READ NEXT: Hikes near Sofia
These Sofia free tours are awesome, aren’t they?
All of these free tours in Sofia are donation based. To participate in them you don’t need to pay anything. Though, I would encourage you to tip your guide. The people/guides doing it are very passionate about what they do. This is their job, and this is how they make their living. So, if you like the tour show them some love and support.
For more information about the tours, visit their websites or Facebook pages.
Which of these free tours in Sofia would you like to join?
Thanks for reading,
Bilyana
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