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Privacy policyChampagne city guide
Sofia is a city of red wine and rakia, with Vitosha mountain filling the view at the end of many streets. Champagne plays a smaller part here, but it’s there if you know where to look: in hotel bars high above the city and in wine bars run by people who take what goes into the glass very seriously.
Sofia’s Champagne scene is still small, and that makes each find feel a bit more personal. Most of the places on the map are in the centre, around Vitosha Boulevard, the long pedestrian street that points straight at the mountain, and in Oborishte, the leafy district around Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Expect wine bars with deep cellars and hotel venues with views over the rooftops rather than a whole street of Champagne bars.
Bulgaria has its own wine story, and Sofia is a good place to taste it. Look for Mavrud, a dark local red grape from the Thracian Valley, or wines from Melnik in the south-west, close to the Greek border. Plenty of Sofia wine bars will happily put a Bulgarian red next to a glass of Champagne and let you compare.
Check the Champagne Hunters map before you go. If you find a bar or restaurant in Sofia serving real Champagne that isn’t listed yet, add it to the map and help the next Champagne lover find it.
Some Champagne offers in Sofia are seasonal, especially rooftop and terrace concepts that only open in summer. If you have a specific place in mind, check the venue’s own website or social media before heading over. In winter, many visitors combine Sofia with the ski resort of Bansko, about two and a half hours away by car, where you’ll find a few more venues on our map.
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Add a spotLook in the city centre, around Vitosha Boulevard and the Oborishte district, where wine bars and hotel venues keep Champagne on their lists. The Champagne Hunters map shows the venues we’ve found so far.
At some venues, yes. A few wine bars and hotel bars pour Champagne by the glass, while others sell it only by the bottle. Use the map filter to check, and keep in mind that pours by the glass change often.
Dedicated Champagne bars are rare in Sofia, and the ones that exist may only open in summer. Wine bars and hotel bars are the more reliable places to find a good bottle all year round.
Try Bulgarian wine, especially Mavrud or a red from the Melnik area. Rakia, the local fruit brandy, is traditionally sipped with a shopska salad at the start of a meal.
Bulgarian cheeses work well, such as sirene, a white brined cheese, or yellow kashkaval, and so do cured meats like lukanka. Banitsa, the flaky cheese pastry sold all over the city, is an easy match for a glass of Brut.
Start at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, look at the Roman ruins of ancient Serdica in the city centre and walk down Vitosha Boulevard. If the weather is good, head up Vitosha mountain for views over the city.
Champagne Hunters only lists venues serving authentic Champagne from the Champagne region of France. Other sparkling wines are not included unless the venue also serves Champagne.
