Explore the best of Sofia with our sightseeing walking tours
FREE SOFIA TOUR
START: Palace of Justice
No Reservation Required! Just Show Up!
Free Sofia Tour is back! You can join us ЕVERY DAY at 11AM, 2PM & 6PM!
On-demand 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:
Every Day at 11AM, 2PM & 6PM
Free Tours in Spanish/Tours en Español:
Every Day at 11AM
Every Friday at 11AM & 6PM
Every Sat at 11AM & 2PM
Free Tours in Italian/In Italiano:
Every Saturday at 11AM
Meeting point: Palace of Justice
Our guides are waiting ONLY in front of the 2 lion statues in front of the Palace of Justice. Other providers might operate in the area.
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)
All tours will be handled in accordance with the advice of the local health authorities. We will make sure to keep our groups small so that we can provide the necessary distance between people.
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
Theatre in English
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
ofriedm
Really good tour guides that cover all the major spots in the Sofia city center. Good English speakers that are very knowledgeable of the city, the culture, the history and the politics 25.07.2014
anatidenphobie
This is a fantastic tour around Sofia. I can see why this is such a popular tour, some very interesting information about the history of the place undertaken by a great team of guides and is certainly worthwhile. Thank you to Viktoria who was a great guide for such a large group of people! Highly recommend! 12.07.2015
Kaminoge
A free tour (although donations are appreciated) which covers the major sites of Sofia and gives interesting information and background. My guide Dima did a great job of explaining the background to the sites we saw. Definitely worth taking advantage of if you’re in Sofia. 04.08.2013
Sandra T
This was a free walking tour of Sofia. It was about 1 1/2 hours long and it was very informative. You walk around the city and the guide talks about the different buildings and happenings of Sofia. 20.04.2015
Tanya K
This was the absolute best experience I’ve ever had on a city tour! The tour guide was not only knowledgable but made history fun! She (I wish I remembered her name) was very enthusiastic and ensured all of us are having a great time while sightseeing and learning about the historic sites and events. She was encouraging questions and discussions, plus, she came up with fun games that made the experience even better! The tour covers the main attractions of Sofia and is very well organized! On top of all of that… It’s free!!! I’ve paid a lot of money for tours that weren’t even half as good as this one! Thank you, “Free Sofia Tour”, for the wonderful experience! 04.08.2014
Scott2586
A free walking trip (it’s up to you to make a donation at the end) which orientates the major sights and gives you an overview of the city. Very friendly and welcoming guides and it’s great to meet a few fellow travellers, especially if, like me, you’re on your own. Highly recommended 🙂 02.11.2014
Gary Gainsbury
Thanx Nikolai for a great one-to-one tour of the city. sooo interesting, will definitely come again… 23.02.2011
Muffingg
Excellent and informative tour – Made us appreciate the city a lot more This was only our second experience of a free walking tour (the first one being in Bratislava) and we absolutely loved it. We thought there wasn’t much to see or knoow about in Sofia, which we quuickly realised was a very ignorant viewpoint and the free walking tours really helped in us understanding more about the city and the history of Bulgaria. We did the Jewish Tour and the Free Walking Tour and our guides were both very entertaining and were able to answer all our questions very well. These free walking tours are amazing to find out more about a particular city or country and we honestly would’ve never found out anything about the Jewish history, how the name Sofia came about, or the geographical importance of the city in the past. Our Free Sofia Tour guide was really interesting as she gave out free Bulgarian candies to us for answering questions correctly. We found that… Read more “Muffingg”
Jean Druette
We really loved it and warmly recommend it, especially at the beginning of your stay as it will make the rest of it much easier! 17.07.2011
Julien K
A great way to discover the city centre of Sofia and its history, as well as to meet other people when you travel alone. Our guide was really nice. I also recommend the Sofia Green Tour (haven’t tried the bike tour). 27.10.2014