Sofia is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of the mountain massif Vitosha. Sofia is one of the oldest capital cities in Europe, blending its past and present in a remarkable architectural style. Historic landmarks include the 10th-century Boyana Church (one of the UNESCO World Heritage protected sites), the Alexander Nevski Cathedral (one of the world's largest Orthodox churches), and the early Byzantine Church of St Sophia. Sofia has also a huge nightlife scene with many different night clubs, live venues, pubs, mehani (Bulgarian traditional taverns), and restaurants.
Sofia houses numerous museums, notably the National Historical Museum, the Bulgarian Natural History Museum, the Museum of Earth and Men, the Ethnographic Museum, the National Museum of Military History, the National Polytechnical Museum and the National Archaeological Museum. In addition, there are the Sofia City Art Gallery, the Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts, the Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art as well as numerous private art galleries. You can also visit the National Gallery of Foreign Art and the National Archaeological Museum. The city also offers many places of special interest such as the Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Library (which houses the largest national book collection and is Bulgaria's oldest cultural institute), the Sofia State Library, the British Council, the Russian Cultural Institute, the Polish Cultural Institute, the Hungarian Institute, the Czech and the Slovak Cultural Institutes, the Italian Cultural Institute, the French Cultural Institute, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Open Society Institute, and the Sofia Zoological Garden founded in 1888.
Some of Sofia's popular tourist attractions include: the late Roman Church of St George (4th century) situated in the courtyard of the Sheraton Sofia Hotel, the outdoor book-market on Slaveykov Square, the early Byzantine Church of St Sophia, built in the 6th century and the gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The National Palace of Culture cultural and congressional centre is the largest multifunctional complex in Southeastern Europe, inaugurated in 1981 and situated ina lush green park surroundings.
Vitosha Mountain, one of the symbols of Sofia, is just a short drive or lift trip away, open year round. Ski and snowboard are popular in the winter, and hiking in the summer.
