Choose your base in Sofia-Grad

The government quarter, yellow cobblestones, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the streets tourists actually mean when they say central Sofia.

Embassy row, secession-era apartment blocks and the Doctors Garden — central but calmer than Sredets and often cheaper.

The Womens Market, cheap grills, the synagogue and the mosque within one block — central Sofia at its most honest.

The Roman ruins under the metro, the TZUM building and the tightest transport hub in the country — dead central and always moving.

Vitosha Boulevard, the National Palace of Culture park, and Sofia's densest concentration of restaurants and rooftop bars.

Sofia's cafe district. Yuppie streets, third-wave coffee, dog walkers, and the closest you get to a Berlin feel in the city.

Working-class residential south-west of the centre. Panel blocks, cheap food, tram 5 to the centre in 15 minutes.

Embassies, expat cafes, Borisova Gradina park on the doorstep, and the quietest of the near-centre neighbourhoods.

Between Borisova Gradina and the eastern ring road. Residential, embassy-heavy, and useful if you are here for business.

The student city — 40,000 students, cheap grills, dive bars open until 05:00, and Sofia's most reliably cheap accommodation.

The business district. Office towers, chain hotels, the Business Park Sofia metro terminus and the airport 10 minutes east.

The largest panel-block district in the Balkans, on the western edge of the city. Cheap, honest, 20 minutes on the metro to the centre.

West-side working-class district. Trams, kiosks, small grills, and 15 minutes to the centre by tram 22.

The mountain itself. Trails from Dragalevtsi and Simeonovo, ski lifts at Aleko in winter, empty forests 20 minutes from the centre.

Small spa town on the western edge of Sofia. Mineral baths, sanatoria and quiet — a genuine break 25 minutes from the centre.

Foothill village with the UNESCO-listed Boyana Church, the National History Museum and quiet lanes 15 minutes from the centre.

Mountain village at the foot of the Vitosha cable car. Forest walks, taverna dinners, and 25 minutes from central Sofia.

Foothill village with the working Vitosha cable car — the reliable route up the mountain, 20 minutes from Sofia.

Reservoir village south-east of Sofia. Rowing on the lake, thermal baths, weekend day-trip crowds — quiet on weekdays.

Small town at the mouth of the Iskar Gorge, north of Sofia. Cliffs, medieval churches, freight trains — a genuinely rural feel.

South-west suburb with mineral springs, old villa houses and 20 minutes on tram 5 to central Sofia.

Western suburb famous for its bottled mineral water. Quiet villa streets, foothill walks and a genuine local feel.