Smart World Traveller

If you are visiting Sofia and staying for more than a couple of days, you may want to step your feet outside of the Bulgaria's capital town. Below are our suggestions for amazing places to visit nearby Sofia. If you have an extra day in Sofia, here are some great ideas what to see and where to go nearby.  Boyana Church  The Boyana Church - this is one of Bulgaria’s most significant treasures listed in the Unesco World Cultural Heritage list.  It is an ancient Eastern orthodox church dating back to 10th Century. The amazing thing about the church is that inside have been preserved 3 layers of beautiful frescoes dating back to 11th, 13th and 17th century. More information about this amazing church can be found here .  The National History Museum  The numerous exhibits in the museum show the development of social, cultural and political life in Bulgarian. The history-lovers can easily spend a whole day admiring the different exhibits, but even if...

To travel by taxi in Sofia is cheap and affordable. But there are couple of things that you have to pay attention to in order not to get cheated. Here are some tips for safe travel with a taxi in Sofia (like the locals do). 1. Avoid getting a taxi from the street.  There are a lot of fraud taxis that would charge you up to 10-20 times more for a single ride. So, always read the rate that should always be displayed on the front window of the taxi. Normally all prices there should be LESS than 1 BGN each. Regular rates nowadays are:  avg. initial (starting) fare: 0,70 BGN or 0,36 EUR; avg. fare per kilometer / day time (6:00 AM – 22:00 PM): 0,80 BGN or 0,41 EUR; avg. fare per kilometer / night time (22:00 PM – 6:00 AM): 0,90 BGN or 0,46 EUR; avg. waiting fare per minute: 0,22 BGN or 0,11 EUR (this is when the car gets stuck in a traffic or is waiting at a traffic light); Beware that many fraud taxis copy on the outside (similar logo and name) one of the biggest ...

Explore the city of Sofia on foot just for a few hours (estimated duration of the walk: 3-4 hours) There are many things to see and do in Sofia as a tourist: you can visit some of the interesting museums and learn more about the country’s rich history (see National History Museum and National Archeology Museum), you can visit some of the attractions in the city’s outskirts (see Boyana Church) or if you are a nature-lover, you can visit Vitosha mountain for a brisk hike. But if you have just a few hours for sightseeing in Sofia, here are the top 20 attractions that you should definitely see. The suggested walk is suitable for kids and can be interrupted along the way by a break in some of the nice cafes and restaurants  in the city center. 1. Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Start your visit of Sofia from its main tourist attraction - the impressive St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral . You cannot mix it with any other orthodox church in Sofia because of its size, beauty and shiny ...

You just landed, so now it is time to get to your hotel or favourite destination in Sofia... which may be harder than expected.  Here are some trips for foreigners to help them travel in Sofia.  Use the Public Transport You can find info about the busses, trams and trolleybuses on the following link ( Sofia Urban Mobility Center ) The single ride costs 1.60 BGN (about 0.85 EUR) and is valid for a single ride with a single vehicle. If you carry larger suitcases, these are also subject to a charge (you should use a regular 1.60 BGN single ride ticket for these).  If you plan to travel more, you can get a daily ride card for 4.00 BGN (about 2 EUR) (only sold in the specialized kiosks). This card is valid for all means of transportation, but to use it for the subway lines, you need to present it to the cashiers at the entrance for additional validation (free of charge). Another alternative is to buy a combined ticket for 10 rides. This is valid for busses, trolleyb...

The long summer nights are a great opportunity to explore the vivid nightlife in Sofia. You can start by checking out some of the best bars in town.  Get a drink, or two, or three..mix with the locals... and you will get in love with Sofia by night. Oscar club If you are a cocktail-lover this is the place for you! Some of the most amazing cocktails which can be found in town! The experienced bartenders are not afraid to experience with liquors and ingredients in the search of the best cocktails. The atmosphere is modern and cool (only indoors), the cocktails are top-quality and the people are cool -  if you fancy good cocktails, you should definitely give it a try. Sputnik Another fun bar with a lot of good cocktails. There are both indoor and outdoor options. When you are inside, make sure to have a look at the modern lamps and interior. There are many different cocktails, even not  so typical ones with rakia. The bar is situated right next to a great dining...

To fully enjoy your summer vacation in Apulia (Puglia), have in mind the below tips from our own experience. Read this article for a summary of our great trip to Puglia. Tip:  ALWAYS have coins in Italy  J  most of the street parking payment machines do not accept bank notes or credit cards. So do not be surprised if you have to pay 10 EUR or even more in coins. Also, as a recommendation do not test your luck by leaving your car without a parking ticket – because we saw quite on some occasions cars being locked and slips for wrong parking penalty being left on the driver’s window. Even on a late Sunday evening, at 21 pm there were some officers from the municipality who were writing tickets to the cars who had not paid for parking. Tip: If you go for the option of using your private umbrella, beware that due to the strong winds in entire Puglia it is recommended that you also have a rope to secure the umbrella in the nearby sand/rock so that it does not get blown aw...

Often I get the question "How do you manage to travel that much? Isn't it too expensive?" And the fact is we travel a lot because we know how to get the best deals and save money... Here are some advises on how to save some money when buying travel tickets... Search the flight search engines first. Sites like  skyscanner.net  or my favourite if you read German  flug.idealo.de  allow you fast look for the cheapest fare possible. They often are capable of combining airlines to get the best deal for you, which is not something you can always do yourself. It is a good idea to use the 'incognito' mode of your browser when using these, as many sites use cookies and change the prices based on these. For flights (unlike rental cars), the presence of these cookies normally means higher prices for you.  Check for a package deal. Often it is way cheaper if you book the hotel and the flight simultaneously. I got this experience with British Airways where it was 20 GBP...

You want to travel, but your budget does not allow? Think again! Most of the people traveling abroad use  booking.com  or another hotel search engine. And yes, it works in many cases. Many, but not all... Plus, this only gives you access to hotels and more luxurious apartments, which as rule are very expensive. How can you get a more pleasant stay for less? Here are some ideas (tested and verified by me): Airbnb - a great alternative to standard hotels and my personal favorite. The idea is brilliant - if you have a spare room in you house or a whole house or apartment, you can host someone in there without having to rent your space for a longer period. Hosts can choose whom to lend the property to and have the flexibility to set their own prices. But, these are much cheaper than the hotels and you have more space for you and your friends. For me the biggest advantage is that you literally feel like in home. And, often you get some perks that make you smile - like free b...