Borisova Gradina

Borisova Gradina, Boris' Garden, is Sofia's oldest and best-known park: about 3 square km of lakes, tree-lined alleys and forest that begin at Eagles' Bridge, a short walk east of the center. This guide covers what to see inside, how to get there by metro, what to do with children and in each season, and the walk I'd take through it.

Borisova Gradina at a glance

The park starts at Eagles' Bridge, by Sofia University, and runs southeast along Tsarigradsko Shose. Near the center it is a formal garden of alleys, lawns and flower beds. Past Peyo Yavorov Boulevard it turns wilder, closer to a forest than a park.

A short history of Borisova Gradina

In 1882 Sofia's mayor, Ivan Hadzhienov, brought the Swiss gardener Daniel Neff from Bucharest to create a garden for the new capital. Neff started with a tree nursery, which grew saplings for the rest of the city, and building began in 1884. The big lake followed in 1889.

Three gardeners shaped the park between 1882 and 1944.

By 1942 the park also held an open-air school, football fields, a tennis club and a cycling track. It is named after Tsar Boris III. Under communism, the 1944 to 1989 chapter of Bulgaria's history, it was called Freedom Park, Park na Svobodata, and it went back to its old name after 1989. It was last rebuilt in 1986, when it was also declared a monument of Bulgarian park and garden art.

What to see in Borisova Gradina

Lake Ariana

Lake Ariana sits near the park's western edge, a few minutes from Eagles' Bridge, so it is the first thing most people see. Cafes line the shore, and from spring to late autumn you can rent pedal boats and small boats.

In winter the lake becomes the biggest open-air ice rink in the city, about 1,200 square meters.

The Lily Lake and the Japanese Corner

The Lily Lake is the round pond at the heart of the park. From late spring into summer it fills with flowering water lilies, and the path around it is the park's classic slow walk.

The Japanese Corner was planted in 1940, up toward Tsarigradsko Shose, with plants sent by Japan's minister in Sofia as a gift of friendship. The Rosarium is the park's other garden to find, at its best in late spring and early summer.

The Astronomical Observatory

Among the trees stands the University Observatory, the astronomical observatory of Sofia University. It opened in 1897, a group of low buildings with a white telescope dome.

The observatory opens to the public only for occasional events. When it is shut, I'd still walk past for a look at the dome from the lawn.

The old TV tower

The Borisova Gradina TV tower went up in 1958 and 1959, and it is the landmark you steer by inside the park. It rises above the trees at the southern end of the park.

You cannot go up it. South of the tower, the park runs into Loven Park, the Hunting Park, and on to South Park, so the tower is where a long walk crosses from one park into the next.

Things to do in Borisova Gradina

Walking comes first. Paved and unpaved paths roll up and down through the park, and the perimeter makes a loop of about 3 km that Sofia's runners use.

The park holds two big football stadiums, the Vasil Levski National Stadium and the Bulgarian Army Stadium, plus tennis courts, a cycling track and outdoor fitness areas. An outdoor gym sits near the entrance from the center.

Chess players take over the benches in the shade, families picnic on the lawns, and the park hosts open-air film nights and small festivals. For a free afternoon, this is where I'd send anyone on Sofia on a budget.

Borisova Gradina with kids

The big playground has stone slides, wooden climbing frames and a tall climbing net for older children. Stone sculptures are scattered around the park, and children climb and pose on them.

Kokolandia, a rope park under the trees, opens from April to late October. Its lowest course, for ages 3 to 6, runs about 1 meter off the ground, and the higher courses and zip lines suit older children, teenagers and adults.

The main paths are paved, so a stroller copes fine. With small children, this is the park I'd put first in any plan for Sofia with kids.

Borisova Gradina through the seasons

Spring brings cherry blossom and lilac, then the roses and the lilies, and the flower beds are at their fullest.

In July and August, the mature trees keep the park noticeably cooler than the streets around it, and ice cream stands line the main alleys.

Autumn turns the sycamores, maples and chestnuts gold, and snow covers the alleys most winters.

How to get to Borisova Gradina

The park is on the edge of the center, and the Sofia metro has two stations by its main entrance.

On foot, it takes a few minutes from Alexander Nevsky Cathedral: walk down Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard past the university to Eagles' Bridge, where four eagles stand on the pillars.

A walk through Borisova Gradina

This is the route I'd take on a first visit, from the main entrance to the TV tower. Start at Eagles' Bridge and go straight to Lake Ariana for a coffee by the water. From there, take the long alleys of linden and chestnut deeper into the park, past the flower beds near the entrance.

Head to the Lily Lake at the center, then up toward Tsarigradsko Shose for the Japanese Corner. Look for the observatory and its white dome among the trees, then carry on south to the old TV tower.

The park fits the second day of a Sofia itinerary well, on the way back from the Museum of Socialist Art and before an evening at NDK.

Food, drink and picnics

The cafes around Lake Ariana are the easiest places to sit down, and smaller cafes and kiosks around the park sell coffee, pastries and snacks.

Picnics on the grass are normal and welcome. Bring a blanket, buy bread, cheese and fruit on the way, and pick a spot under the trees.

What is near Borisova Gradina

The park's northwestern corner is part of the old center. Sofia University stands at Eagles' Bridge, and the Doctors' Garden, a smaller and much quieter park with a stone pyramid to the medics of the 1877 and 1878 war, is a short walk away.

To the east, the Museum of Socialist Art in Iztok keeps its sculpture garden of communist-era statues, 15 to 20 minutes from the center by tram. To the south, Loven Park and South Park continue the green belt all the way to NDK, and the zoo is in Lozenets, a short taxi ride away.

Tips for visiting Borisova Gradina

• Go early on weekends. By Saturday afternoon the playground, the lake and the main alleys are full of Sofia families.
• Wear proper shoes for the upper park. Past Peyo Yavorov Boulevard the paths are partly unpaved.
• Stay on the lit paths after dark. The park is open around the clock and busy in daylight and early evening, and I'd keep to the main alleys late at night.

If you are choosing a base, Lozenets borders the park, which is one reason it suits families staying in Sofia. I'd put the park on any list of the top things to do in Sofia, and save it for the sunniest afternoon of the trip.