Cheap city break where pints are £1.75 and there’s mountain views | Europe | Travel

With holidays becoming more expensive and a simple getaway seemingly a lot less simple, this hidden gem city break stands out as a very affordable option to escape the UK this year.

Situated in the Sofia Valley, sitting at the foot of the breathtaking Vitosha Mountain, you’ll find Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria.

Not only is it the vibrant capital but also the largest city in the country and the third highest in Europe thanks to its vast mountainous destination.

Despite all of this, Sofia tends to go pretty under the radar when the topic of city breaks is considered, and yet, it’s so cheap to visit.

While price isn’t everything, there is a vast amount of history to absorb and buildings to explore all while eating and drinking your way around the city.

Not to mention, tourists can fly directly from the UK for as little as £20 in the spring from major airports across the country. With a price like that, it’s no wonder more people are discovering the city’s charm, all these years later.

Food and drink

According to Wise, the drink prices in Sofia are more than reasonable, making it a new rival of the likes of Prague and Budapest for stag dos and cheap and cheerful holidays with friends.

Their draught beer typically costs somewhere between four and seven BGN, which starts at the equivalent of roughly £1.75. Meanwhile, store-bought bottled beer in a shop can cost you as little as 1.30-2.50 BGN, working out to a starting cost of as little as 58p.

When it comes to dining out, the cuisine you can expect to see is a lot of affordable Balkan food with a strong focus on grilled meats and savoury pastries.

Delicacies to try often include must-try items, such as banitsa, which is a cheese-filled pastry, as well as kebapche, a grilled minced meat, and their yoghurt, specifically tarator, a cold yoghurt soup.

One of the top-rated restaurants on TripAdvisor in the city centre includes Manastirska Magernitsa Restaurant, which has garnered hundreds of positive reviews. One recent customer claimed: “If you only visit one Bulgarian restaurant, make it this one.”

Shtastlivetsa Vitoshka has also been cited as one of the “best Bulgarian restaurants in Sofia”, along with the likes of Manastirska Magernitsa Restaurant and Hadjidraganovite Kashti.

Landmark buildings

Sofia has been an area of settlement since at least 7000 BC and has strong ties to the Roman era, making it a fascinating destination for architecture and history.

One of its biggest landmarks, and with good reason, is the breathtaking St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in the heart of the city. It’s hard to miss, with its glorious gold roofing, and is often illuminated with a gorgeous cast of orange light.

A recent visitor shared their experience: “Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an iconic landmark that represents Sofia, and everyone will admire its magnificence and splendour.

“The golden dome and delicate decoration of the exterior are visible from far away, while the interior of the cathedral is filled with sophisticated mosaics and icons and stained glasses.”

Others chose to make a point of stopping by and immersing themselves in the Sofia Central Mineral Baths, a site of ancient Roman baths later repurposed as the Sofia History Museum.

History aside, the grounds of the museum make for a delightful walk, and outside remains a feature from the original baths. A famous public fountain continues to run water for locals and tourists to try, as it pours out hot mineral water with temperatures of up to 46 degrees.

Or if the natural world is more your thing, you can absorb the undeniable beauty of Vitosha Mountain, which can be hiked to from Sofia. The views at the top offer unmatched views across the whole of the city, and travellers have claimed it to be a “five-star attraction on warmer days”.

Spring is the ideal time to visit the city and explore all that it has to offer during the lighter, cooler months, ahead of any potential summer holiday buzz.