The Best Hotels in Sofia, Bulgaria

With a facade faintly resembling a modest French chateau, Maison Sofia stands in the quiet southern suburbs alongside expansive Borisova Gradina Park. Comfortable rooms are brightened by large windows and there’s a charming conservatory restaurant – with Bulgarian and Mediterranean cuisine – nestled between the two rear wings and extending into a pretty garden. The gym and a rather swanky indoor pool might round off a sightseeing day.

The rather odd building of the Grand – an austere glass-fronted box perched upon a masonry-clad low-rise – stands in the heart of Sofia. Opened in 2004, the interiors seem of another era: plenty of dark-wood panelling and heavy furniture, frumpish drapery and modern art in gilt-edged frames. This old-school atmosphere pervades the notably spacious rooms at this Sofia hotel. Although the well-regarded main restaurant tends toward fine dining, the cafe and conservatory with Eiffel-esque canopy and steelwork is rather more laid-back and relaxing.

With an array of rooms ranging from compact doubles to studios with kitchenettes, interconnected rooms and two-roomed apartments, this downtown hotel in Sofia offers flexibility in spades. It’s modern, comfortable and thoroughly functional rather than homely though renovations to the lobby and reception have spruced things up. While the restaurant’s fairly modest, the comprehensive wellness facilities include a sauna, steam bath, jacuzzi and massages.

A little south of the centre near the National Palace of Culture, VIKO has modern stylish apartments, most with kitchenettes, ranging from family to presidential. Occupying a smart seven-storey apartment block on a quiet street, the majority have just one bedroom so families should choose carefully. Tasteful rather than homely, you’ll still have some regular hotel services such as a breakfast snackbar (with room service if needed), modest business-centre facilities and a meeting room.

The enigmatically named R34 melds mellow industrial chic with touches of Scandi-cool furniture to conjure a rather fun, almost hipsterish, vibe. It’s the sort of place where you won’t receive a map but will be shown the way; and the partnership of crumbling plaster with exposed brickwork is a design element rather than a maintenance issue. Candles, arty monochrome prints and groovy lighting and lamps lend a quirky feel to one of Sofia’s best hotels, while the location is both central and quiet.

This modest downtown hotel in Sofia features double rooms and business apartments for up to three guests in a plain, modern building. Decor and feel vary considerably from the simple and unfussy to near hostel-like austerity, but all are bright and well-kept. Rather more appealing is the homely garden restaurant mostly covered with a conservatory, hung with lamps and (winter) heaters – a charming spot to hang out and sample Bulgarian cuisine.

Firmly in hostel territory, the no-frills Generaator stands on the northern edge of the city centre. Signed above a facade resembling a shop front, the accommodation lies in a three-storey house overlooking a small pallet furniture-strewn courtyard. Stripped floors and odd patches of exposed brickwork lend a faint rustic hue to the simple, almost spartan, rooms, but you’re more likely justifying a stay here on the premise of being out all day rather than in for the night.