SoSofia.com

The summer has many surprises in store. That is why we love it!

This time is no exception as we are preparing mentally and physically for a great event, namely The Open-Air Summer Festival. How cool is that?
Lots of air, music, especially music and good mood are gathered in one place. The Sun is arranged to shine for us and the Moon is involved too. It is important not to forget that the music will never stop for 36 hours, 15 minutes and 54 seconds, as far as my calculations are right.

So, be prepared, because you will hear one of the best Bulgarian artists, djs, performers, guys who play live music and guys who sing it. The guests of the festival are from UK, USA and other exotic countires.

The rest of us will dance.

The place is near Kutina village, about 15 km away from Sofia.

There is a public transport and you can find more info here: http://www.hmsu.org/

Pancharevo lake is a great alternative if you want to escape from the city noise or simply to change the scenery. It is close enough not to get bored from the distance and at the same time you feel like running far away from the urbanization.

Well, restaurants and cafes have appeared around the lake and the smell of kebapche or kyufte is in the air, teasing our appetite. Still, you can ignore the eating part as there are lots of isolated places for sun bathing or just enjoying the nice view.
Unfortunately, you cannot swim in the lake and instead, there is a public pool just at the beginning with water bars and all the accessories needed to spend all day splashing in the water.
Personally, the pedalo is my favorite because the lake is big enough to encircle it for an hour or two, it depends on the wind and how expeditious you are. It is either fun, healthy and you get tanned in no time. You can rent a pedalo or a boat with big oars, suitable to impress everybody with rowing skills.

Otherwise, if you are a keen fisherman, you can hang out there, especially now, when the love season of the fish is over. Bear in mind that you have to carry your permission to fish with you.

The lake is famous for water ski and rowing competitions organized now and then.

To reach Pancharevo lake you can use the public transport - from the circuit where 4km Party Centre is you have to take bus line number 5. If you have decided to go with a car, the right direction is through Gorublyane village, which actually is no longer a village but a part of our beautiful capital.

The fitness centre is in the building of “Vasil Levski” National Stadium which means that it is a perfect spot for sport in the centre of Sofia.
It offers more than a fully equipped hall with all the fitness appliances.

Inside you will find aerobics and tae bo courses, massage, sauna, solarium, in short - everything you need to keep your body and your mind in shape.

The game of bowling attracts people from all ages, therefore it is so much fun to play it either with your family or with your friends.

Bowling Galaxy is the oldest one in Sofia and many professional tournaments have been organized there.

Inside it is very spacious and in addition to the six lanes of the bowling area, several billiards tables are situated in the one end and in the other you will find darts and electronic consoles.

A plus is that the place is in the center of Sofia and it is easily accessible from almost every point you can think of since it is in the administrative building of NDK (the National Palace of Culture).

Open: Monday to Thursday - 10:00 a.m. - 02:00 a.m.

Friday to Sunday - 10:00 a.m. - 04:00 a.m.

An indoor swimming pool just at the center of our capital, situated in the solid gray building of the National Agency for Youth and Sport.

Quite unnatural for a swimming pool, you’ll think.

After you get inside, however, you’ll see that the cool architecture of the place allows the sunlight, coming from the roof, to reflect in the water and to illuminate every part of the hall. Very recharging as the sun gives you more power for a longer swim.

The length of the pool is 25m. You can use it in the winter too since it is open all seasons. Also, sauna and aerobics are offered.

The address is 75 Vasil Levski boulevard

Open: Monday to Friday - 06:30 - 18:30

Saturday - 08:00 - 16:00

The club exists since the beginning of the millenium and after that it has always been an important part of Sofia’s club life.
To enter Life House you go underground as the club is a former bomb shelter and maybe this is one of the reasons why the acoustics inside are smashing - the thick walls don’t allow any of the sounds to be wasted.
The music is always electronic and famous Bulgarian and foreign djs are often guests there, turning the night into a memorable event.

The interior is one of the distinctive features of the club - stylish and modern, organized as to have enough space either for dancing or for chilling out.

Drinks for two would be 20 Leva (10 Euro)
The admission is from 5 to 15 Leva per a person.
Life House club is near the junction of Vitosha boulevard and Denkoglu street.

Telephone for making reservations: 0888 241 016

It is good that nowadays people think about everything.
Imagine, going out with your car, having no serious intentions of dancing the night away and suddenly the party turns out to be outrageous.

What will you do?

A) Sit on the chair and drink mineral water;
B) Dance on the chair and drink mineral water;
C) Go home because of your car;
D) Call the guys from “You Drink, We’ll Drive”.

It is up to you, still have them in mind.
Cheers!

The price is 2 Leva (1,20 Euro) per kilometer and they will come up to 20 minutes to drive you and your car home, safely.

Tel: 0886 600 602

Web: http://youdrink-wedrive.eu/

I don’t know what is the exact definition for this place. Everybody refers to it as Lodkite (the Boats) but in fact it doesn’t have anything that resembles vehicles of such kind. I have heard stories that in the past, a water channel existed and people could sail with tiny boats around.
Now, you actually sit in the dry channel or what it is left from it.

Lodkite is a bar, so to say, that offers the drinks in plastic glasses and the walls of the toilet are all in graffiti.

I always have sensed something hippyish in the air.
The bar attracts lots of people and I believe one of the reasons is that you don’t have a roof over your head, also it is in the Borisovata gradina (Boris’ garden) which makes it a quiet and isolated place during the days and not so quiet during the nights. Another reason - people like the fact that it is not flashy and pretentious.
The music is usually reggae, dub or drum&bass.

The season for Lodkite has come - it is open only in the summer and there is no day off.

Drinks for two would be about 10 Leva (5 Euro).

Lodkite bar is situated in the Borisovata gradina (Boris’ garden) close to Bulgarian Army Stadium or you can reach them from Dragan Tsankov boulevard, where the Biological Faculty of Sofia University is.

If you got tired of walking around the museums, here is something for you - a game of chess in the garden of the National Theatre “Ivan Vazov”.
It is relaxing, fun and brain stimulating.
While you move the figures on the special tables made for the purpose, people pass by you… you watch them, they watch you. And if you are really an expert, there is a mighty good chance a crowd of fans to gather around you. Unfortunately, it has never happened to me, but I’ve been part of the crowd and I’ve witnessed some excellent games.

The tension grows when the players and the audience bet money and then it seems that the game of chess is turning into a real battlefield. Try it!
A game for two is 2 Leva (1,30 Euro) per an hour.

It is worth noting that St. Joseph catholic church, Banya Bashi mosque, the synagogue and St. Nedelya church are within minutes to each other.

The building is relatively new. In fact, the church has existed on this place long ago but during the bombing of Sofia in the Second World War, it was completely destroyed. After that, the chances for its rebuilding grew smaller and smaller due to the fact that the communists took over the power and denied religion in favour of the faith in humans and their progress.

During the Sundays and when there are feasts, the church has a Mass in three languages - Polish, Latin and Bulgarian. Otherwise the Masses are only in Bulgarian language.