Boyana Church and National Museum of History - experience the greatest mystery of all - time

If you have already had your morning coffee on Vitosha Blvd - the largest pedestrian street in Sofia, go to the bus stop facing the National Palace of Culture located near the end of the pedestrian zone of Vitosha Blvd. Take trolleybus №2 to the last stop. Then head toward Vitosha Mountain. Cross the ring road of Sofia and go up the hill. In 600 meters you will reach the entrance of the museum.

One-day trip: Vitosha Blvd – National Museum of History – Boyana Church Sofia is a city with an ancient history and plays an important role in the development of the country. Here, through the millennial history of the city and the history of one of the oldest countries in Europe – Bulgaria, you will be able to experience the greatest mystery of all – time. In just one day you can visit the National Museum of History and the Boyana Church which is included in UNESCO World Heritage List. You can take public transport from the central pedestrian zone of Sofia - Vitosha Blvd, to the National Museum of History and travel for about 35 minutes, or to Boyana Church and travel for about an hour. The price of a one-way ticket is BGN 1.60. The most convenient option is to buy a one-day card for BGN 4 that offers an unlimited number of trips within the day on all types of public transport - buses, trolleybuses, trams and metro. Outset: Vitosha Blvd – National Museum of History If you have already had your morning coffee on Vitosha Blvd - the largest pedestrian street in Sofia, go to the bus stop facing the National Palace of Culture located near the end of the pedestrian zone of Vitosha Blvd. Take trolleybus №2 to the last stop. Then head toward Vitosha Mountain. Cross the ring road of Sofia and go up the hill. In 600 meters you will reach the entrance of the museum. National Museum of History (NMH) has preserved the history, the culture and the greatest achievements of the Bulgarian people. This is the legacy of one of the three richest in artifacts areas in Europe and presents over 650 000 objects of art some of which date back to 5000 BC. Because of this, in NMH you can experience the greatest mystery of all - time, as well as the history of the Thracians – one of the most ancient cultures on earth. There you can also see some of the ancient Thracian treasures – the Panagyurishte Treasure, the Borovo Treasure, the Letnitsa treasure and the Rogozen Treasure. Working hours: Every day. The museum does not work on public holidays – January 1, Easter (Sunday), December 24 and 25. Summer hours (April-October): from 9:30 to 18:00. The cash desk works until 17:15. Winter hours (November-March): from 9:00 to 17:30. The cash desk works until 16:45. Ticket price: BGN 10; for pupils and students – BGN 1; for visitors accompanied by children – BGN 3; for children under the age of 6 – free entrance. Combined ticket (valid for 1 month from date of purchase.) can be purchased for: NMH and Boyana Church – BGN 12 NMH, Boyana Church and Zemen Monastery – BGN 14 Guided tour (duration: 1h 30min.): in Bulgarian – BGN 15 in Bulgarian with a translation – BGN 20 in a foreign language – BGN 30 The guided tour for visitors with children, people with special needs, children of pre-school age, pupils and students (duration 1h): in Bulgarian – BGN10 in a foreign language - BGN 30 Access for disabled visitors: yes. Free entrance days: the last Monday of each month.

From there (NMH) go back and cross the ring road. Take bus №111 in the direction of Pavlovo for one stop, get off the bus and cross the ring road again. Take bus №107 which will take you to Boyana Church. If you do not want to visit NMH take the metro from the city center – Metro Line 2. The metro station is located next to the Largo Tourist Information Centre. Travel in the direction of Lozenets to the last stop - Vitosha. When you go out of the metro station you will be next to one of the biggest shopping centers in Sofia. There will be a bus stop – take bus №64 to Boyansko hanche Stop. From there if you walk up the street towards the mountain for about 500 meters you will reach a site under the protection of UNESCO – the Boyana Church. There is a restaurant in the area where you can have lunch and taste the Bulgarian cuisine. The Boyana Church – dedicated to St Nichola and St Panteleymon (10th century – 1259), has realistic frescoes created 50 years before the birth of the European Renaissance and presents psychologically expressive and realistic images. Over 240 images stand out with individuality and high artistic value. The portraits of the donors - Sebastocrator Kaloyan and his wife Desislava, tsar Konstantin Asen Tih (tsar of Bulgaria from 1257 to 1277) and his wife Irina, and Saint John of Rila, are among the oldest preserved portraits of historical figures from Bulgarian history. Working hours: Every day. The museum does not work on public holidays – January 1, Easter (Sunday), December 24 and 25. Winter hours: from 9:00 to 17:30. The cash desk works until 17:00. Summer hours: from 9:30 to 18:00. The cash desk works until 17:30. Individual visitations: Ticket price - BGN 10 For pupils and students – BGN 2 Combined ticket (valid for 1 month from date of purchase.): NMH - Boyana Church – BGN 12. Guided tour: in Bulgarian, English, Russian, German, French - 10 minutes. in Bulgarian – BGN 5 in a foreign language – BGN 10 Access for disabled visitors: yes. Free entrance for: people with special needs children of pre-school age each Monday after 15:00

Go down the hill to the Boyansko hanche Stop and take bus №64 to Vitosha Metro Station. From there, take the metro in the direction of Obelya to Serdica Metro Station which is located in the heart of Sofia.