The city of Sofia

Sofia is in the heart of the Balkans, in the western part of Bulgaria and is located in the Sofia Valley, in the foothills of the Vitosha mountain range.

• Population: 1,300,000 inhabitants.
• Area: 356 km².
• Dialling code: (+359) 02.

and in the centre of the enclosed Sofia Valley, the Bulgarian capital is crossed by several rivers, the main one being the Vladayska. Administratively, Sofia is its own province, called Sofia-City.

Administratively, Sofia is its own province, called Sofia-City.

The capital of Bulgaria is located at an average altitude of 550 metres above sea level in what is known as the Sofia Valley in a place surrounded by mountains. Sofia is ideally located for visiting the ski resorts of Borovets and others.

Population

With a population of approximately 1.3 million, Sofia is the most populous city in Bulgaria. The ethnic composition in the Sofia area is fairly homogeneous, with almost all the inhabitants being Bulgarian and therefore Slavic. The most notable minorities are Turkish and Roma (Gypsies). The predominant religion is Orthodox Christianity, with Islam practised by the Turkish minority.

Clima

Sofia has a temperate continental climate with four seasons, hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. The average annual temperature in Sofia is around 15 degrees Celsius, while in summer the average is around 30 degrees Celsius.

More information about Sofia’s climate