Bulgaria has a great cultural tradition that was fostered by years of Communist governments. Many of the older venues for sports and other events are in dire need of repair and modernisation, but there has been a major improvement with the relative recent opening of Arena Armeets. At other venues such as the National Palace of Culture, Bulgaria Hall and the Opera - the overall prestige and grandeur, helps you forget that the toilets may leave a little to be desired! Do however be careful when wearing your 'Sunday best' as loose screws, and broken edges can cause serious irreparable damage. Dress codes are not too strict but certainly casual smart dress should be the minimum guideline for everything bar rock, pop and sporting events.
Listed here are the main cultural venues in Sofia and what you can expect to see there. You won't run out of things to do in Sofia!
Check our weekly feature on what's on as well as the calendar pages.