5 Best Hotels in Sofia, Bulgaria

A 5-star hotel in our $$ price range? Yes, you did read that right. The modern Anel is situated half a mile west of the main sights and has large, modern, well-appointed guestrooms decorated in warming shades and containing original artwork. The bathrooms are filled with gleaming marble and have bathtubs. The restaurant serves Mediterranean cuisine and guests have access to the hotel's Health & Spa Club, which has an indoor swimming pool, steam bath, sauna, hot tub, infrared cabin, and gym. Massage and beauty treatments are offered at extra cost.

This friendly 3-star art hotel—it is full of paintings and drawings by Bulgarian artists—enjoys a convenient location just a few hundred yards north of the main sights. Rooms are simply furnished but are modern, clean, and perfectly comfortable. The basic rooms are quite small, but an upgrade will only set you back a few dollars. The only criticism occasionally made is that the beds may be too soft. There's a small restaurant on-site serving Italian and Bulgarian food.

This welcoming, modern, and great value mid-size hotel is a 10 minute walk from the downtown area and makes the perfect base from which to explore the city. There's a lobby bar, and the restaurant serves both local and Hungarian food (although the hotel's connection to that nation only derives from the name of the street). Rooms are clean, modern and well-equipped, and the staff is extremely helpful and friendly.

If large hotels are not your thing, this small, family-run B&B, conveniently close to the downtown sights, could be for you. This cozy home-from-home is furnished with early 20th century Italian pieces. There are only three bedrooms, named the Yellow, Blue and Pink rooms—you can probably hazard a guess as to their color schemes. All are homely and comfortable and have en suite facilities. They also have air-conditioning and are non-smoking. The friendly owners can help provide tips and maps to guide you on your city tour.

Fancy some five-star pampering in the heart of Sofia at three-star prices? Hotels in Bulgaria can offer fabulous value to visitors from the U.S. and Western Europe, and the Grand is living proof of this. Each of its rooms covers a minimum 500 square feet, all are sumptuously appointed with luxuriant furnishings, and all of its marble-filled bathrooms have a separate shower and bathtub. If you don't want to step outside, there are four restaurants and two bars to choose from, as well as spa and fitness facilities featuring a sauna, steam bath, Jacuzzi, solarium, and beauty parlor. If you do choose to go out, you will find you are also only steps from the main downtown sights.