Sofia

Sofia is Bulgaria's capital and, at an elevation of 550 metres with the Vitosha Mountain rising directly behind it, one of Europe's most dramatically positioned cities. It is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, with 7,000 years of settlement history that has left an extraordinary palimpsest of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Soviet-era monuments. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a massive Neo-Byzantine edifice built in the early 20th century to commemorate Russian soldiers who died liberating Bulgaria from Ottoman rule, is one of the Balkans' most impressive buildings. The ancient Rotunda of St George — a 4th-century Roman brick rotunda converted successively into a Byzantine church, an Ottoman mosque and back to a church — sits in the courtyard of the Presidency, layers of history literally visible in its walls. The Sofia History Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the National Gallery are all worth visiting. Vitosha Boulevard, the main pedestrian shopping street, and the area around the National Palace of Culture (NDK) are the liveliest parts of the city. The food and bar scene has developed well, with an excellent concentration of restaurants and craft beer bars around Ivan Vazov Park and the centre. Bulgarian cuisine — banitsa (pastry with cheese and eggs), tarator (cold cucumber soup), lyutenitsa relish, kebapche — is good value. The surrounding mountains offer skiing in winter and hiking in summer. Rila Monastery (UNESCO) is an excellent day trip.