Ethnographic Museum
Housed in a former royal palace, this museum has a small permanent collection of folk crafts, costumes and photographs of traditional festivals, with a major temporary exhibition that changes every year. A huge bonus in the museum is the excellent Museum Shop on the ground floor, which manages to cram in stacks of painted ceramics, silver jewellery, copper wine goblets, CDs, carpets and religious icons, all at fixed prices.

Ploshtad Aleksander Batenberg 1
Tel: (02) 987 4191.
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 1000-1800 (museum); 0930-1830 daily (shop).

Tsurkva Sveta Nikolai (St Nicholas Russian Church)
Built by Russian workmen in 1912 and dedicated to St Nicholas, ‘the miracle maker', Sveta Nikolai is possibly the prettiest church in Sofia. The roof is covered with green majolica tiles and crowned with five gold-plated onion domes. The exterior was recently renovated by the Moscow Patriarchate, which provided the gold. More popular than the church itself is the crypt, accessed to the left of the main entrance. Here lies the tomb of the former Bishop Serafin, who died in 1950. Locals come here in droves to post hand-written messages into a box, standing to the right of the tomb. Although Serafin was never canonised, he is revered as a saint and believed to make prayers and wishes come true.

Bulvard Tsar Osvoboditel 3
Opening hours: Daily 0730-1800; services Sat 0900 and 1700, Sun 0900.
Free admission.

Tsentralni Hali (Central Food Halls)
The Tsentralni Hali offers a clean, well organised and modern (albeit a little soulless) version of the bazaar shopping experience, but retains its early 20th-century ironwork. Archaeological excavations reveal that the area was a marketplace from Roman times and some of the finds are on display in the basement. Stalls on ground level sell fruit and vegetables, local cheeses, olives, meats, wine and spirits, plus an array of breads and pastries. There are also a few coffee and drinks bars, as well as a modern crèche. The upper level is given over to fast-food kiosks with a large seating area, which closes around 2000.

Bulvard Maria Louiza 25
Opening hours: Daily 0700-2400.
Free admission.