Explore the best of Sofia with our sightseeing walking tours
FREE SOFIA TOUR
START: Palace of Justice
No Reservation Required! Just Show Up!
You can join us:
EVERY DAY AT 11AM & 2PM
On-demand private tours are also available. Please contact us.
The free English language sightseeing walking tour of Bulgaria’s capital organized by the 365 Association.
The Free Sofia Tour expects its guests every single day, all year round. The best attraction in Sofia according to TripAdvisor users. This 2-hour walking tour covers Sofia’s most famous landmarks and is led by enthusiastic local guides. Approved by Tourist Service Municipal Company at Sofia City Municipality. The sightseeing city tours of Sofia are both fun and educational – the perfect introduction to the city and its thousands of years of history.
Free Tours in English:
Until March 31st: Every Day at 11AM & 2PM
From April 1st: Every Day at 11AM, 2PM & 6PM
Free Tours in Spanish/Tours en Español:
Every Day at 11AM
Meeting point: Palace of Justice
No booking needed! Just show up! Our free walking tours run all year round, no matter the weather conditions (incl weekends, national holidays, Christmas, Easter, etc)
If you are an organized group of ten people (10+), please contact us at least 24 hrs in advance to get information on our private tours policy. The idea of Free Sofia Tour is to show the city to individual travelers and small groups. For organized groups 10+ our Association will arrange a tailor-made tour for you. Otherwise, our guides have the freedom of refusing your participation.
E-mail: groups@365association.org
Organized Groups Tel.: (+359) 988 920 461
Other Tours
Communist Tour
Jewish Tour
Pub Crawl
Food & Culture Tour
Alternative Tour
Private Tours
Sofia - Capital of Bulgaria
Discover the best of Sofia with our team of wonderful local guides.
Sofia is Bulgaria’s capital and largest city. Situated in the very heart of the Balkan peninsula, it is one of Europe’s oldest cities. It has by far the most dynamic cultural life in the country and offers a large variety of activities. The Free Sofia Tour covers most of the main things to see in Sofia: the St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the National Theatre, the St. George Rotunda, the Bulgarian Presidency and many more. It will also immerse you into the city’s rich Roman heritage.
The city’s appereance today has been widely shaped by the twists and turmoils of the 20th century. One of them is the unique plot-twist story of the Bulgarian Jewish community during WW2, which is extensively covered on the Sofia Jewish Tour. The second half of the 20th century saw Bulgaria firmly locked behind the Iron Curtain. Make sure to explore this rather controversial period of Bulgaria’s history with our Communist Tour.
Any trip to Bulgaria would be incomplete without diving into our country’s unique food, folklore and traditions. Our Culture Tour is all about that! For those looking to explore Sofia off the beaten path, the Sofia Alternative Tour takes you to the city’s hidden spots on a quest-like adventure. To top it all off, Sofia’s great nightlife is also not to be missed! Our daily Pub Crawl takes you to Sofia’s best bars.
Activities
Red Flat Sofia
Free Sofia Tour Recommends
Gifted Urban Culture Hub
Sofia Guide
Practical Information about Sofia
Where to eat in Sofia
Where to drink in Sofia
Shopping in Sofia
Events in Sofia
Our Guides
Yana was born and raised in Sofia. Аfter studying Film in the UK and China, she returned to live and work in her hometown. Her passions are cinema, literature, nature and endlessly exploring new places and characters. She believes meeting people from different cultures and sharing stories with them fuels creativity like nothing else, and that is why becoming part of Free Sofia Tour is a dream come true for her! She can easily direct you to some of the hidden gems of Sofia, which only locals know, so do not hesitate to ask her! 🙂
As a geographer, Vasko loves travelling and exploring both cities and nature. The 3 years he spent studying in London made him even more passionate about his hometown – Sofia. When he is not out exploring the built environment, you can probably catch him running up the mountains or doing any other outdoor activity. He also enjoys a good book.
Nina’s motto is “Carpe Diem” and she definitely lives by it, just ask her what her everyday schedule looks like: from doing presentations across Bulgaria for a global anti-human trafficking NGO, to giving private English lessons, to attending an art and/or cultural event, or mingling at a startup event, to meeting friends for dinner at a local hip restaurant, or having a weekend getaway, she can always find a way to make it work.
Living life to the max, is a must for her! Also, if you are a foodie, she will let you know where to go in Sofia. Although she is a local, be forewarned, she has spent many years in America, so don’t be surprised by her slight American accent. Some of her favorite things to do are traveling and meeting new and interesting people from all over the world, hence she loves, being a FST guide!
Mitko was born in the love of his life – the city of Sofia which never stops surprising, exciting and meeting him with new people from all over the world. Most of his life he spent here before moving to London, where he studied and worked for four years. Once a citizen of the world, Mitko couldn’t stop traveling and visiting more than 25 different countries. He spent seven months working at the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin and one more year doing a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the London School of Economics. After this, Mitko returned to Sofia to become a Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the United Nations. His working visits to New York and South Korea convinced him that it is more worth it to be an ambassador in Sofia, so that all its guests experience the same excitement, joy and love to the city. Becoming part of the team of Free Sofia Tour is one of Mitko’s happiest lifetime moments. Except for traveling, in his free time he enjoys skiing, singing, playing volleyball and kayaking.
Tommy was born and raised in Sofia until the age of 17, when he moved to live in Belgium for a few years. Then he studied in the Netherlands and eventually in Munich, before moving back to Sofia to start a job in teaching. As a tour guide, he tries to show the same passion in his storytelling as he does in the classroom and believes that learning should be connected to some kind of an unique experience. Tommy is also interested in photography and movies and works for the Free Sofia Tour team in different projects.
Dimitar grew up in Sofia. He was 11 when the Berlin Wall fell down and he has a lot of personal stories from the Cold War times to share. In 2004 he went to Paris where he spent 10 years learning and working in theatre and cinema. He came back to Sofia in 2015 and joined Free Sofia Tour team in 2016. Dimitar is a keen traveller and adventurer and he has been to 65 countries so far. He loves foreign people visiting Sofia and he is very happy to share his knowledge about the city and the country.
Anina was born and raised in Sofia. She studied Spanish and Portuguese and got a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations. She is in love with Latin America and her true passion is volunteering. That’s why she spent two weeks in Brazil training volunteers from all over the world who wanted to help the locals. Anina has been very active in Bulgaria as well. She has been a member of various NGOs and she was selected for Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the United Nations for 2015-2016 when she had to defend youth rights and interests on national and international level.
Born, raised and lived all her life in Sofia. Named after Louis Carol’s “Alice in wonderland” she keeps searching for wonders wherever she goes and whatever she is doing. Actress, dancer and restless traveller. Believes that life is a never ending learning experience. Becoming a guide is her way of exploring the city through the eyes of her guests and meeting people from all over the world. She would do her best to make you feel the spirit of her city. If it is true that the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players – let’s play together 😉
Vyara likes to present herself as an explorer of new places and people. She is not originally from Sofia but has been living here for the past 8 years which gave her the opportunity to discover the city’s many diverse sides. Besides a tour guide, Vyara is also an architect and would love to give you an insider’s glimpse to Sofia’s landmark buildings. She likes art, dancing and the nature and is always ready to recommend a nice hiking tour in some of Bulgaria’s mountains.
Kathy’s career as a tour guide began in 2014 with Free Plovdiv tour at her hometown Plovdiv, but eventually she had to move to Sofia to study law at the Sofia University. This gave her the perfect opportunity not to give up on her passionate hobby, but to expand it in Free Sofia tour. She spends her time travelling from Plovdiv to Sofia almost every day, trying to make every tour a one of a kind experience both for the tourists and herself.
VIKI is studying law at the Sofia university. She really loves travelling and meeting new people. Her dream is to travel around the world, but in the end she will always want to come back home cause Sofia rocks:D and it will be a real pleasure for her to show you her city and try to make you fall in love with it as well.
STEFAN was born in a 19th century house in downtown Sofia, spent most of his childhood in the ghetto, while still studying at the central part, so he has seen both sides of the city. He started learning English when he was four and ended up working as a freelance translator for several years. After graduating from the American College of Sofia, he spent a semester studying Public Administration in his hometown, then three semesters studying Political Science in Teaneck/Hackensack, New Jersey, USA, before returning to Sofia University and starting his education in Law. Apart from English, he has also studied French, Spanish and German and insists he will become fluent in at least two of those as well. In his spare time Stefan likes meeting old friends and new people, writing, traveling, the seaside, the mountains, skiing, swimming and football, but above all he loves history and sharing his thoughts, so he enjoys doing the tours as much as the tourists, if not more so. When asked about an opinion on whether Stefan will make a valuable contribution to the Free Sofia Tour, a reference once said: “I bet my head on that. He is practically a reincarnation of one of those yellow paving stones…” What this means you will learn when you visit our tour!
Niki is a deep thinker and observer. His eyes – wide angle lenses – trying always to capture every single detail, even what`s behind the curtain or invisible. Nevertheless, don`t consider him to be the most serious guy, as he is fond of goofing and joking around all the time. Appreciates the people with great sense of humour. Considers himself proud inhabitant of the lands of the Rhodope Mountains, however Sofia has been his home for the past several years and he’s got nifty advices in order to make your time here even better. A music addict — dubstep & hip-hop bangin’ through his earphones. Extremely passionate basketball player, if you dare to challenge him… you be stuck playing with him till he finally gets more wins & beats you.
DANIEL was born and raised in the beating centre of Sofia. In March 2012 he came back from a student exchange programme Erasmus in Prague, where he visited a free tour and then started showing his friends all around the city. He has graduated Finance, but at the same time decided to study History, so now he is on his way to graduate his second Bachelor. Daniel has taken part in different voluntary projects, especially with the youth organisations AEGEE and ESN. His passion is to discover new and interesting places, so he will be happy to share with you about his travelling adventures. His other interests are watching movies, running or just enjoying a cold drink in the park with friends.
Testimonials
Addie100
I highly recommend this 2 hour walking tour as a wonderful way to learn so much about Sofia. Dino did a fantastic job of informing the large group and he was witty and personal as well. He really knows the history of the city. If you only have a short time in Sofia, this is a great way to get to know the city. It is free but please tip/donate as this is how the tour guides get paid. 11.09.2015
Sergei-Avramenko
Despise “bizarre weather” I enjoyed every minute of it. I love history and know some things. Still I learned a lot. This tour was a very nice introduction that gives a good picture of Bulgaria and its people. The tour guide Kristina was nice to make the atmosphere as good as possible. What she did very well. 04.01.2015
Magda M
We had a great time on the Sofia walking tour. Yana was a great guide and we learned so much from her and we enjoyed it very much.
I highly recommend this tour to everyone, it was enjoyable and educational all in one.
Thanks so much Yana 🙂 05.04.2014
NavdeepBrar
A very good experience. Nora was our guide and it sounds amazing when she told about the stories around the city places visited. would recommend to everyone. 28.02.2015
Amit K
We had a new instructor and still we enjoyed the tour quite a bit. A lot of fun facts and a great way to get your way around the city in a short period of a time. Definitely recommended, 07.05.2015
Goodandhard
Our guide was great, answering any questions you have, at the end of the tour he recomended a Bulgairian restaurant for us to visit, even calling them to make sure they were open. Do it you will not regret it. 27.12.2011
Sarah B
Our tour guide Martin was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about his city. We did the 6pm tour which was nice as we got to see the city at night time. I’d recommend doing this when you first arrive in sofia to get your bearings. We saw most of the main sights and learnt things along the way. It’s good for meeting other like minded people too. 16.03.2015
Waiyu C
A great way to see most of the city, especially when you don’t have much time. It’s also very convenient that they have two tours a day. Though it rained and was quite cold that day but the guide made the most of his efforts to keep the atmosphere up! 13.04.2015
kncsaucee
If you only have one day in Sofia, this is a must do. This amazing company runs free tours twice a day, every day. The tour guides all speak good English (from what I’ve experienced) and are very knowledgable on the parts of the city they’re showing you and the history of the country. I went by myself and met many people from all around the world! It was quite enjoyable and I loved learning more about the monuments I walk by everyday. MUST DO while you’re in Sofia. 19.06.2015
Princess F
Went with my coworkers and had an amazing time. Our guide, Niki, was very knowledgeable about Sofia and very accommodating. Thank you 07.10.2014