The Best Parks in Sofia

Sofia is known for its big parks, and three of them, Borisova Gradina, Loven Park and South Park, run almost unbroken from the east of the center around to the south. These are the 8 parks I'd send a visitor to, with what each one is good for, the nearest metro stop, and the 3 worth a ride out of the center.

Sofia's parks at a glance

Most of the parks below are a short walk or a few metro stops from St Nedelya Square. The two big ones sit side by side, so one long walk can take in Borisova Gradina, Loven Park and South Park.

The big parks east and south of the center

1. Borisova Gradina

Borisova Gradina is the oldest and best-known park in Sofia, laid out from 1884 and named after Tsar Boris III. It covers 3.02 square km, starting at Eagles' Bridge and running southeast along Tsarigradsko Shose, and past Peyo Yavorov Boulevard it turns from a formal garden into something closer to forest.

The park has two lakes worth finding. On Lake Ariana you can rent a pedal boat from spring to late autumn. The Lily Lake sits deeper in the park, and the Japanese Corner, planted in 1940, is up toward Tsarigradsko Shose.

Add the Rosarium, an astronomical observatory from 1897, two big stadiums, tennis courts and a cycling track, and it is easy to spend a morning here. Borisova Gradina is the park I'd give the most time to. Two metro stops, SU St Kliment Ohridski and Orlov Most, sit on its edge.

2. South Park (Yuzhen Park)

South Park, or Yuzhen Park, is the park most Sofia locals use day to day. It was planted after World War II and now covers more than 100 hectares south of the National Palace of Culture, about 2.5 km from north to south. The paths are mostly paved, there are ponds and streams, and from the open lawns you look straight at Vitosha.

The main entrances are along Vitosha Boulevard and Nishava Street, and the European Union metro station is a short walk away. Inside you find playgrounds, outdoor fitness stations, areas for dogs, and cafes and kiosks near the entrances. In summer the open-air stages host concerts.

The eastern side is hilly. Runners like it; parents with strollers do not. If you are staying in Lozenets, Borisova Gradina, Loven Park and South Park are all a walk from your door.

Between the two big parks sits Loven Park, the Hunting Park, south of Borisova Gradina and the old TV tower. It is less developed, with flat forest trails around the National Tennis Center, and on a busy weekend it is where I'd go to get away from the crowds.

Parks and gardens in the center

3. City Garden

The City Garden is the green square of the old center, in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre and near the former royal palace. It is small, a few paths and lawns around fountains and flower beds, and it is where Sofia sits down for ten minutes between errands.

A small play area opposite the National Theatre keeps children busy while parents take a break from sightseeing. From 14 November to 21 December the garden holds the German Christmas Market, and Christmas in Sofia is when this little garden is at its fullest.

4. The Doctors' Garden

The Doctors' Garden, Doktorska Gradina, is a quiet, shady park in Oborishte, a short walk from Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Its centerpiece is a big pyramid-shaped stone monument to the doctors and medics who died in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 and 1878, the war that freed Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.

It is the park I'd pick for an hour with a book, and the streets around it are full of small places to sit: Kolichka Bar, one of the best cafes in Sofia, is a tiny coffee bar and microroastery at San Stefano 9, close to the garden.

5. The NDK gardens

The gardens of the National Palace of Culture, NDK, fill the long stretch between the end of Vitosha Boulevard and the palace itself. They are paved more than green, with fountains down the middle, and they open into South Park behind.

In summer, children run through the fountain jets, and the grass slope beside the big Sofia sign has stone slides. From the gardens you look along Vitosha Boulevard toward the mountain it is named after. The National Palace of Culture opened in 1981, and the NDK metro station is on the edge of the gardens. The garden behind the building is far quieter than the one in front.

Parks worth a trip out of the center

6. Vrana Park

Vrana Park is the landscaped estate of the former royal residence at Vrana, about 11 km east of the center. Go for the grounds: exotic trees and ponds among wide lawns.

It opens on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and on some national holidays such as 3 March. Adults pay about €2.50, and children under 7 go in free.

7. The Bells (Kambanite)

The Bells park, Kambanite, sits on the edge of the city near Business Park Sofia, about 20 minutes by car from the center. It was set up in 1979 for an international children's assembly, and more than 100 bells sent from countries around the world hang around a tall concrete tower.

You are allowed to ring them, which is what children remember. It is one of the stranger corners of Sofia, and it sits high on my list of unusual things to do in Sofia.

8. Vitosha Nature Park

Vitosha Nature Park starts where the city stops. It was set up in 1934, the oldest nature park in Bulgaria and the Balkans, and its summit, Cherni Vrah, stands at 2,290 meters.

Take metro line 2 to Vitosha station, then bus 66 to Aleko hut for the high trails, or bus 64 to Boyana for the 25 m Boyana Waterfall, about 1 to 1.5 hours up from the church. Zlatnite Mostove, the Golden Bridges, has a river of giant boulders a short stroll from the parking area. Vitosha Mountain needs a full day, and I'd save it for the clearest day of the trip.

More parks locals use

These two parks and one small garden are where Sofia runs and walks the dog, and they are the green spaces to know if your base is in the west, the north or Oborishte.

Which park for what

With children, I'd start with South Park or Borisova Gradina, and Sofia with kids works best when every museum stop has a park stop next to it.

Sofia's parks through the year

Spring is when the parks look best. Cherry trees and lilacs flower in Borisova Gradina, the Rosarium follows in late spring, and the lilies cover the Lily Lake from late spring into summer.

In July and August, the mature trees make Borisova Gradina noticeably cooler than the streets around it. Autumn is my favorite season for the Doctors' Garden and for Vitosha, when the forest above the city turns gold.

Snow covers the parks most winters. The best time to visit Sofia for parks is May and June or September and October, when it is warm enough to sit on the grass.

Tips for Sofia's parks

Picnics on the grass are normal in the big parks, and South Park's wide lawns are the ones I'd pick for a blanket. Barbecues and open fires are not allowed in Borisova Gradina. Buy supplies at a bakery or shop on the way, since the kiosks inside sell mostly coffee, snacks and ice cream.

Weekends are when Sofia goes to the park, so Borisova Gradina and South Park are busiest on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. On a weekday morning you share them with runners and dog walkers. After dark, stick to the lit main paths.

For most of these parks the metro does the work: line 2 runs to NDK, European Union and Vitosha, and lines 1 and 4 stop at SU St Kliment Ohridski by Borisova Gradina. A ride on the Sofia metro costs €0.80, and tapping the same contactless card stops charging at €2 a day.