£60 Flights vs. £715 Reality: Is Sofia Worth the Travel Chaos?

Unpacking the stunning architecture, gourmet food wins, and the airport experience I wish I could forget.

Well, Sofia, you absolute stunner. You're a city where ancient history, jaw-dropping architecture, and a quiet, trendy energy collide. But let's be real, you also taught me a valuable lesson in what not to do when chasing a travel "bargain."

If you’ve seen my socials, you know this trip with Mr. Lee was incredible. We were soaking up that November sunshine (17 degrees! Hello, t-shirts!) and getting utterly lost in your beauty. But here’s the full, glorious, and occasionally chaotic skinny.

The Flight of Icarus: My Budgeting Blunder

As a travel agent, I should know better, but my eyes went wide and shiny at the sight of under £60 return flights for two in the Wizz Air sale! Cue the montage of me smugly booking the rest of the trip à la carte with booking.com and Alamo.

3 days later, looking at the final tally of £715 (before petrol and pizza): "I've made a huge mistake."

Turns out, once you add seat fees, bag fees (Wizz Air staff have beady eyes trained on your luggage weight, you'll pay for every gram!), car hire that led to an arrest scare (long story, involves a Suzuki Swift and a phone call claiming we'd stolen it), and add on the airport carpark, your "bargain" is more expensive than a fancy package.

My takeaway? Sometimes, paying for the package price offers peace of mind and is cheaper than paying for the DIY stress. You live and you learn! Except I haven't, beacuse I already knew that and did it anyway! I'm just adicted to sales shopping!

The Sofia Vibe Check (It's Not Thailand)

Let’s address the elephant in the room: the people. If you’re expecting the big, welcoming smiles of Southeast Asia, you might think you’ve landed on the wrong planet. I’m pretty sure if I cracked a smile at border control, I'd have been arrested.

The general demeanor isn't exactly warm and fuzzy, and at the airport, angry-looking guards and sniffer dogs only added to the "we are serious people" vibe.

BUT, and this is a big but, don't let that put you off. Fun is what you make it, and the staff at all the restaurants, cafes, and museums we visited were welcoming, helpful, and friendly hosts. The city itself has a magnificent energy.

Car Hire & Terminal 1: A Comedy of Errors

You know what else was "serious"? Our arrival.

We land at Terminal 1 (note: I'm never doing this again, it feels more like a deportation centre than an airport). We're met by angry dogs and angry guards. We finally get to our car hire office, Alamo, only to find... it's closed and moved to Terminal 2. A huge thanks to the very un-helpful people who looked at me like I was swearing when I said 'thank you' for directions to the free shuttle.

The Driving? Don't. Even Mr. Lee, 25 years a driver across Europe, was like Bambi on ice. No road markings, high speeds, and we still hadn't worked out which lane was the fast lane by the time we left. Cobblestone streets meant our automatic, hybrid Suzuki Swift gave us a full-body shudder with every bump. I'd need a 4x4 next time! Final verdict: Taxis are cheap. Stay central. Skip the car.

Tsarsko Selo Spa Hotel: The 4-Star Maybe

Our hotel, Tsarsko Selo, was billed as 4-star, but I'd say 4-star is very generous. It was a perfectly clean, warm base with a mountain view and a balcony for a cheeky sunset gin (from the chargeable mini-bar, naturally). For 3 nights at £235, it wasn't awful.

• The Spa: Open 10 am - 8 pm. Great for a quick splash, a celestial-lit pool, a warm jacuzzi, and some working saunas (one was broken, and the doors were swinging wide open, giving everyone a quick Arctic blast). Warning: The floor is slicker than an oil spill, walk with extreme caution!

• The Food: Dinner was surprisingly decent (and under £40 for two courses and drinks!). Mr. Lee and I went for the non-traditional Bulgarian burger and pizza, followed by championship-winning pancakes. However, the included breakfast was utterly dismal. I didn't think it was possible to fail at breakfast but this place gets the gold! Finding someone else's cornflakes on my apple juice cup was enough to put me off for the rest of the trip. We quickly retreated and never went back.

The Hotel Verdict: Undecided. If you have a car, want mountain access, and never want to eat there, it's a base. Otherwise, we’ll be staying central next time.

The Sofia Adventures: History, Art, and Epic Food

This is where Sofia truly shines. We hit the streets in 17-degree November sunshine, t-shirt weather! Parking was tricky (tourists can't use the phone system), but we found a spot near the Central Market Hall for £10 for almost six hours. Bargain!

Friday: History & Dinner with a View

1. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral: Free, stunning, and utterly grand. The gold gilded paintings and stained glass are a must-see.

   History Hit: This massive Neo-Byzantine cathedral was built between 1882 and 1912 as a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), which liberated Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. It's one of the largest Orthodox cathedrals in the world! Its gold-plated domes and opulent interior are a fitting tribute to the country's freedom.

2. St. Sofia Basilica: Next door. We bought a candle, said our thanks, and then went full on Indiana Jones by heading underground (about £5 each) to wander among ruins and tombs from 3AD and 4AD. Seriously cool if you're a bit of a nerd like me.

   History Hit: The St. Sofia Basilica is so important, it gave the city its name! It stands on the site of several earlier churches and was built in the 6th century. The underground museum you explore is actually the necropolis (cemetery) of the ancient Roman city of Serdica. Those stone ruins and tombs date back to the 3rd-5th centuries and hold the remains of the former city's inhabitants!

3. National Gallery: Six floors of art, but the winner for me was the tiny, beautiful Brail Art Room where you could feel the lines of the image. Such a brilliant concept!

4. Lunch MVP: Dark Sister by Made in Home. Rustic charm, great Bulgarian beer, and the focaccia was divine. 100% the best, most interesting meal so far, not the foccachia but the cabbage dish Mr Lee licked his lips over for several hours after.

5. Anniversary Dinner at Sense Rooftop Bar: We've reviewed this on Nothing Ventured socials, but the view is the absolute star! The illuminated Alexander Nevsky Cathedral from the 9th floor? Breathtaking. The food was good, not great, and the service was rushed, but the atmosphere was worth the £165 splurge.

6. Christmas Market: We walked off dinner and ended up at the market. Lights, beer, gifts, and we discovered Samardala, a local herb that will now replace salt in our kitchen! A must try.

Saturday: Mountain Escapes & Culinary Perfection

My feet were done after 21,000 steps, so Saturday was about healing and driving.

1. Boyana Church (UNESCO): A quick ten-minute drive from the hotel. We admired the grounds before a coach load of visitors arrived. A beautiful, quiet spot you can enter for £5pp but they don't allow photos and the coach had turned up so we decided against it.

2. Breakfast Gold-Tier: Viewtop Café. Seriously, skip every other breakfast in Sofia. The best hot chocolate I have ever had, a phenomenal omelette, and gorgeous views from a dark, Tim Burton-esque art-deco hotel setting. £22.50 for two! A place I would consider staying even though it is up in the mountains and further from the cities action.

3. Vitosha Mountain Drive: After dealing with the car companies theft saga, we drove up the mountain. We found stunning viewpoints and the beautiful Dragalevsti Monastery. We saw local families making a mini-pilgrimage up the path, a lovely slice of culture.

4. Lunch Vibe Check: Rainbow Factory Café. A trendy, standing-room-only cafe where Mr. Lee raved about his beef sandwich, and I devoured a French toast with fig jam. Pure perfection. Take aways were bought to devour later!

5. Pancharevo Lake: A final stroll to work off lunch, watching families fish, picnic and BBQ in the autumn sun.

We finished the day with a final great meal at Leo's Pizza Il Rustico in Boyana (£60 for prosecco, starters, and mains) before preparing for the worst airport experience of my life.

The Ultimate Low Point: Sofia Airport Terminal 1 (The Sequel)

I’ve already vented on my socials, but I have to repeat: AVOID TERMINAL 1 IF YOU CAN.

We got through check-in fine, but once past the yawning passport officer, the departure lounge is practically barren. One slow security scanner. Virtually no seats (we sat on the stairs). And one tiny duty-free shop with a single till where everyone was desperately buying cheap cigarettes. We queued for 50 minutes just for two bottles of water. Pro-tip: Fuel up beforehand, because there's no coffee or breakfast available at this airport!

The Next Time Sofia Plan (Because I AM Going Back)

Don't let the airport or the grumpy locals put you off. Sofia is a city that keeps on giving. I'm already planning my return:

• Fly: EasyJet into the bigger, better-looking Terminal 2.

• Stay: Central! Grand Hotel or Sense Hotel.

• Transport: Taxis and trains. No car!

• Book Ahead: Dinner reservations at the places we missed: Hadjidraganov House, Manastrika Magernitsa, and Pod Lipite.

• Must-Do: The Sofia Baths, the National History Museum, National Museum of Culture, Tsarevets Fortress, Rila Monastery and a show at the National Theatre. I'm sure I'll find more before the next visit too!

  
  

Sofia, thank you for the memories, the architecture, and the incredible food. We'll be back soon, and next time, I'll package it properly as I would for my customers! You can see deals here. To check out reviews on my socials, head to NothingVenturedTravel on Facebook look for posts between the 13th and 16th of November 2025.