Sofia

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food

cheap

country

center

parks

good

beautiful

amazing

bad

bars

varna

una

ciudad

muy

linda

nice

nightlife

part

Sofia receives mixed reviews. Many agree it's very affordable, with low rent and cheap food (though restaurant quality can vary). The city has reliable, fast internet, making it attractive for remote workers. There are several parks, especially in the city center, and the area is easily walkable. Some nomads also mention a decent expat community, especially through WhatsApp and Facebook groups. Safety is generally okay, and some parts of nightlife are appreciated, particularly among students and young locals.

However, several issues consistently stand out. Air pollution is a serious problem, particularly in winter. The city can appear dirty, and many buildings are described as old or in poor shape. Locals are often reported as unfriendly or even hostile, with racism and homophobia mentioned repeatedly. Scams, fake alcohol, and corrupt nightlife practices are a problem, especially for visitors. Some also note boredom setting in quickly, saying there’s not much to do in town beyond parks or day trips.

Overall, Sofia may work well as a short-term base for budget travelers or digital nomads who value affordability and don't mind urban flaws. For others, especially long-term or non-white visitors, it could feel unwelcoming or difficult to enjoy fully.

Sofia is a pretty safe city, lots of nice parks, at least in some areas of town.
Pro's:
Safe, relatively well connected (airport), good nightlife (if you are a student or part of the support center crowd), nice hinterland for recreational activities.
Con's
No longer cheap, low service quality, low quality of food (I've seen Cosmos featured here and c'mon :), the expat scene is well developed but again, more at the level of support center staff

I've been here 2 years now. I pay for internet at 3 seperate places (home, office, 2nd apartment on seaside) I pay about 20ドル USD / month for 300Mbps/300Mbps at each of the 3. Internet here is super cheap, reliable and fast.

I think Sofia is a wonderful place to be right now - especially as a base. Rent is super affordable and there are decent apartments available.

There's a vibrant expat community with lots of WhatsApp groups. You can find a list of all the WA groups in the featured posts on the Sofia Digital Nomads and Remote Workers Facebook group.

It's a very convenient place to live - walkable, good transportation, lots of English-speaking people.

WiFi speeds are great. Most cafes have plugs. Best ones to work from I think are: Cafe 1920, Altruist, Barter Community Hub, The Steps, Boho, Barista Coffee and More, КОМПАНИЯТА, Coffee Fellows.

Unfortunately, food can be very hit and miss. Here are my favourite places after much exploring: StandArt, Niko'las 0/360, Contessa, HAMACHI, Cosmos, Royal Thai, Mediterraneo, Veda House, Satsanga, Under the Linden Trees, Umami.

In terms of things to do, there are plenty of parks, fun escape rooms, board games places, walking tours. Vitosha is a very popular hiking spot nearby.

Overall, I highly recommend paying a visit!

The city has some nice parks and is not too crowded. The center of the city is easily walkable. But it gets boring very quickly. Not much happening there. Airpolution can be China level bad during the winter. The food is good and cheap. Internet and mobile works well.

Overall the city/country feels very old, you hardly see any young people on the street. Most buildings and streets are in bad shape. The locals are a dealbreaker. People are argumentative, rude, and cold. Nobody ever smiles, people stare uncomfortably long at you. The service sector is bad, nobody does more than the bare minimum. People hang up on you on the phone in the middle of conversation. Traffic is dangerous, cars seem to actively hunt you at crosswalks.

Never felt this unwelcome in any other country. Romania or Serbia are far better choices in this region.

I've been living for 20 years in the Uk abroad outside of Bulgaria, nothing in the world like Bulgaria, the best country in the world, of course, there's a bad side to the country like any other country in the world. Bulgaria has 4 seasons summer being very hot and winter snowing and going to ski resorts, it has one of the tastiest cuisines worldwide rich in history and in culture. Also has the most beautiful women there !! It's very cheap and affordable coming from abroad. Definitely, a place to visit at least once in a lifetime. Of course, there is downside like the economy, poverty, and corruption beggars however if you choose the best places in Bulgaria you won't regret it xохо Gabriela (обичам българия)

Spent 1 week in Sofia working remotely. I did not like it at all. Perhaps I was staying at some bad part of the center. But it was dirty, drunks(just peeing on the street was a nice sight) and beggars on the streets. Was also very unlucky with the food I took in some resturants/cafes. (expensive and below average taste/portion size). Street food was actually good. I did see many people speaking English around the center so definitely there are tourists there. Nightlife- quite expensive, tourist fees for entrance to the bars by security guards. For me it seemed strange that parties happens extremely late at nigh (3:00 AM when it was most crowded and I was already heading home.) Rented a car and outside of Sofia I found the country to be more authentic with beautiful mountains etc. I suggest skipping Sofia as a nomad and going to Varna instead.

I love Bulgaria, but Sofia wasn't my favorite part by far. It is quite an ugly city, mostly flat and grey in color. There are some decent hostel, decent bars and nightlife, but not really much for the tourist to do. Yes, the women are very attractive, and it's cheap to rent there... but why would you want to? I had a great time down on Varna, and along the coast of the black sea. Sofia is worth a visit or a place to stay a few weeks, but I wouldn't want to live there personally.

Its time to make a review about my hometown. I lived many years in Sofia and Varna, so you can trust my review as a Bulgarian who lived in longterm in Vietnam, Germany, Thailand, Spain etc...
1. Bulgaria is amazing in the Summer. (Varna!) Sofia is not. Will get boring super fast.
2. Life is a lot cheaper as listed here.
3. 90% of Bulgarians are racists and hate GAY people. Lesbians are tolerated.
4. Food is amazing and cheap
5. Its dirty and poluted
6. People will try scam you (not only foreigners even locals get scammed). You can get beat up pretty easily without a real reason. My friend (local from Sofia) got destroyed by the security, for putting a Flower Vase in the nightclub to another spot as an example.
7. Fake Alcohol is even common in the best nightclubs. You are never safe to order a expensive bottle. Only the cheapest Vodka is always safe because not worth faking it.
8. Women are STUNNING but english level is low. So you will have a hard time finding non gold digger that are more than 7/10 on the looks.
If you are a white male, you will have fun! If not better avoid it for more long term visits.

Sofia is a small city and it is very polluted. In fact it is one of the most polluted cities in Europe. The restaurants and bars are ok. For the rest there is not a lot to do. After a couple of days you have seen it all. The people are ok but Sofia misses an international vibe. Lets be honest here, you mostly get where you pay for.

Sofia is one of the most amazing cities ever, it has old buildings because of the low economic status of the country, but the main cause is from the low number of tourists visiting this lovely country. The food is amazing and cheap, the population is very fun, but they are a little bit homophobics and racists (not everyone, but there are a lot of people who really are). Bulgaria has amazing views, parks, coffeehouses and of course the most beautiful beaches and sunsets, the temperature of the water is around 27°, which is really warm compared to the ocean temperature. All day and night the city center has open mini markets and coffeehouses, you will see a lot of Bulgarians having fun out there. It is a great country to visit.

I lived in Sofia for 3 months and I loved it. The food scene is amazing; quality food in very cheap price. Very calm atmosphere with a lot of nature. Park everywhere! As Asian, I felt the least racism in the region. However, I did see a lot of Swastikas everywhere, even on a guy's calf. The city center has some cool bars.

I really enjoyed my ten days in Sofia. It was early Sept and the students were just arriving, so it wasn't too busy. At first glance it seemed sort of dead, and boring. But since I'd been all over Bulgaria I knew that most of the gems would be hidden, so I asked locals. Then I found cool nightlife spots, good cafe's, and met a few girls to date.

It's close to the mountains and there is hiking and winter sports.

Sofia doesn't have the vibe of a top tier Euro city, but if you're a single man looking for an easy place to find a beautiful apartment for cheap, and maybe a beautiful girlfriend, Sofia could be up your alley. And if not, there are many cool places nearby, like Plovdiv, Banksko, and Varna further down.

Sofia is a pretty cool city if you know where to go. It's also next to high mountains (ski available) and feels very green. However, Bulgaria has a very strongly marked Soviet past, so it might be a bit of a shock to some.

the best city in the world lol

It’s the poorest country I’ve ever soon

Incredible cheap, great food (if you like meat) and lots of parks. Many bars and coffee shops in the city centre. Downside: Many aggressive gipsy's and beggars. Bulgarian people rather rude and everybody is staring at you uncomfortably long.

Sofia es una ciudad muy linda

Sofia es una ciudad muy linda

Sofia es una ciudad muy linda

Sofia es una ciudad muy linda

Sofia es una ciudad muy linda

Sofia is quite peaceful despite the medium to heavy traffic. It is very easy to travel this city, even without the metro, but public transportation is simple as well.
Many beautiful parks, and access to wifi, make it easy to work anywhere. My favorite part is grabbing a coffee for .40 lev and getting to work. Also, grabbing a beer and lounging anywhere in the city is no concern. There are also plenty of outdoor, free events to experience if you want to meet other people, or travelers.

Price of clothing and electronics is comparable to US/UK standard, some places even charge more. For this reason, I recommend having a good idea of the price range for any items you are looking to purchase.

It’s one of the most homofobic cities in Europe

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