Sofia Travel Forum

My wife and I will be arriving Sofia from Istanbul by train in April 2008. We plan on staying 3 days in Sofia, is this enough time ? Any help on the night train would be appreciated, time, cost etc, thank you in advance.

If you plan on just sight seeing,i would say one day is enough. I was there this Sept, had afternoon, evening and following morning saw all the main sites.

I think 3 days is enough
You definitely should dedicate 1 of them for isiting Rilski monastery, that's breathtaking!

One day is enough to see the sights in Sofia itself - there aren't that many of them. You could also do a daytrip to Rila Monastery as someone else suggested, or do some hiking on Mt Vitosha. You could also visit Plovdiv, which has more in the way of tourist sites than Sofia. But as it is on the train line from Istanbul to Sofia, if you want to see it, get off the train at Plovdiv rather than backtracking.

If the night train from Istanbul is anything like the night train from Sofia to the Black Sea then don't bother (unless you're under the age of about 22)! I've done it twice and both journeys were the longest 7 (or so) hours of my life - and the most uncomfortable! If you do be sure to book a seat with your ticket but even that doesn't always guarantee you a seat and it's a long way.....