Adventures near Sofia
August 10, 2018
How to get to Veliko Tarnovo from Sofia
November 28, 2018
You are planning to visit Sofia? You are 12 – 18 years old? This article is written just for you! I chose these places from my hometown, because as a teenager myself, I’ve visted them plenty of times and I think that they are all worth your time. I hope that this information will be useful for you and will be very happy if you decide to visit my city and add different ideas to this list, so that more teenagers can experience Sofia their way.
Number One: Escape Rooms
Escape rooms are places where you can get locked in for about one hour and you have to solve tasks, in order to escape. When you are ready with all of the obstacles in your quest you can go out and enjoy freedom once again. Apart from that, you can celebrate your birthday there.
There are many different escape rooms in Sofia. The first one that opened in my city, is called “Dextrophobia”. The one which I personally visited for the first time and I truly recommend is called “Questomania“.
Photo source: Dextrophobia
Photo source: Questomania
Number Two: Dance Halls
If you are a teenager and a fan of dancing, you have to go to one awesome hall. Its name is “VS dance“. You can dance to any style you want. All the teachers are really cool and kind. It’s cheap and also funny. You only need clean shoes, comfortable clothes and water. There are different kinds of dances like break, house dance, hip-hop, ladies style and many others. You can go only for one lesson and you will study new steps and will meet many new friends.
Number Three: Sofia’s Cinemas (a.k.a Every Teenager’s Paradise)
If you are a movie fan, you have some good choices. In all of Sofia’s malls there are cinemas. Some of the ones that I recommend are :
- Bulgaria mall
- Serdica Center mall
- The mall
- Paradise Center
- Sofia Ring mall
- Park Center.
But if you don’t want to go to a big and spacious mall you can go to one of Sofia’s independent cinemas, just like :
- Odeon cinema
- Cinema House
- Cinema Vlaikova
You can buy tickets from there or from the internet. You can see the movie programs online.
Number four: National Palace of Culture
The National Palace of Culture (NDK) is a very nice place for walks and a meeting point for many teenagers. There are all kinds of green paths. In the left part of NDK there’s a library. But it’s stranger than the others. It’s a place where you can drink some hot chocolate, tea or coffee and you can enjoy some nice cookies, while reading your favorite book. Apart from that you can buy a book from there or work on the computer. The name of the library is “Peroto” which in Bulgaria we translate as “The Feather”. Under the Feather there’s a dance stage, where people gather to dance to swing music.
Number five: Sedmochislenici Church and the Garden in front of the church
One of the coolest gardens is the garden next to Graf Ignatiev street. Nearby there are lots of bookstores, restaurants and others. In front of the garden there are stalls with fruits and nuts.
In the garden there are bars where you can buy juice, coffee, tea and some snacks. I personally recommend the cafe in the middle of the garden. Nearby you can also ride your skateboard, rollers, bike or scooter. About the shops you can read more in the following point.
Number six: Cool shops in Sofia
I would like to tell you a bit more about the shops near that garden. One of them is the art library – “Slanchogled”, where they sell different brushes, drawing material and paints. Next to Slanchogled there’s another cool shop. Its name is “Na Tumno”, which translates as “In the Dark”. There you can find very cool badges, bags and graffiti sprays. In this neighbourhood there are many more fun shops you have to visit.
Number seven: “Kokolandia”
“Kokolandia” is a rope park. There you can climb on different levels, from 1 to 6. It’s near the Borisova Garden. It’s where you can find a shop for snacks and drinks in case you are hungry or thirsty. Apart from that you can celebrate your birthday there. I did it myself some years ago and it was great fun. Also, not very expensive. The rope park is built on trees but apart from that there is an installation which is called “Tarzan”. It allows you to play on the ground. Last but not least, there are amazing climbing walls. The park is perfect for a warm and sunny day.
Number eight: Vitoshka Street
Vitoshka street is near the National Palace of Culture. It’s a street with many shops selling:
- books
- phone cases
- food and drinks
- clothes
My favorite shop is a bookstore called Greenwich where you can drink hot chocolate and read interesting books. From Greenwich you can buy brushes for drawing, games, pencils and maps. Another very cool shop is called Zona Urbana. It is full with bags, wallets and badges. Everything is made out of recycled materials such as packages of washing powder, tea boxes and old paper.
Number nine: Sofia’s Borisova Garden/Ice Rinks
A nice way to enjoy the warmer days in Sofia is to visit the park – Borisova Gradina. There you can ride a bike, you can rollerblade or skateboard. There are stalls for corn, popcorn and cotton candy at different places around the park. Besides there’s some games you can enjoy like trampoline jumping and carts.
If you are visiting in winter time – there are several awesome ice rinks in Sofia. One of them is the ice rink – Ariana. It’s open all day and all night. You can hire skates, but if you have your own, you can take them and use them as well. Inside there’s a bar from where you can buy tea, sandwiches or other snacks and drinks . At the beginning of March, the ice rink closes.
Author: Rada Valkanova /High School Student, teenager and guest-writer at the Free Sofia Tour Blog/
Have other ideas about what a teenager would love to do in Sofia? Make sure to let us know in the comments.
Also check out: Top 10 Things to Do and See in Sofia
