Almost 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of Communism, the lack of colour associated with shopping in former Eastern Bloc countries seems pretty far behind and Sofia is smartening itself up to become more consumer orientated. Many of the big Western names in clothes, shoes, cosmetics and electronic goods are now represented and prices are on a par with those elsewhere in the West, with some reasonably good imitations at considerably cheaper prices. Bulgarian products, such as textiles, wood, ceramic and leather goods, still offer value for money but can be difficult to find. The main shopping areas centre on bulvard Vitosha, ulitsa Graf Ignatiev and ulitsa Rakovski.

Following a costly facelift, TsUM, on the Largo, has cast off its former image as a drab department store and now operates as a Western-style shopping mall, with privately rented boutiques and cafés on three levels. The Tsentralni Hali (Central Food Halls), on Maria Louiza bulevard have been refurbished to form a spotlessly clean and well-organised bazaar and are open daily 0700-2400 (see Key Attractions). Pirotski has been repaved and pedestrianised, with a large open-air cafe-bar at the end facing the mosque, linking the Tsentralni Hali to Zhenski Pazar (Women's Market), open daily 0900-1800. Situated on Stefan Stambolov bulevard, Zhenski Pazar is a truly down-to-earth market (see Key Attractions).

Gleaming shopping malls have been the latest thing to transform Sofia's shopping culture: Mall of Sofia, bulvard Stambouliski, is the largest, complete with bookshops, a food court, crèche and international brands. CCS, bulvard Arsenalski, has six levels of bars, restaurants, an IMAX cinema, plus French fashions and Turkish homeware.

Souvenirs such as reproduction icons, Russian dolls, jewellery, ceramics, wooden items, embroidered tablecloths and lace are for sale at stalls in front of Alexander Nevski church and a few along the streets behind. The Bulgarian Union of Artists, ulitsa Shipka 6, offers arts and crafts pieces at reasonable prices, and decent souvenirs and CDs of Bulgarian music are at Ethnographic Museum (see Further Distractions). Also worth investigating for souvenirs are the shops in the subway between TsUM and the Balkan Sheraton. There is a large book market at ploshtad Slavejkov, near the National Theatre and ulitsa Rakviski.

Luxury goods to take home include Bulgarian wines, notably the full-bodied red Melnik, and rakiya (fruit brandy) - favourites being grozdova made from grapes and slivova from plum. Another national tipple is mastika, an anis-flavoured drink that is similar to Greek ouzo. These are available in shops throughout town. Supermarket chains have made an appearance in Sofia over the past couple of years, including the Austrian Billa, bulvard Bulgaria 55.

Most shops are open either 0900-1830 or 1000-1900 on weekdays and until 1300 on Saturday. Some private shops are also open on Saturday afternoon and even Sunday. VAT in Bulgaria is 20% and visitors who live outside the EU are able to obtain a VAT refund from the airport, next to passport control.