[Brian]

There has been some talk on other threads about Sofia, and I have had the good fortune of spending about 6 weeks there over the last 3 years, so I'm going to help give you guys a breakdown and answer any questions you may have.

Background:
How in the world did I end up in Sofia? Well a few years ago one of my friends got assigned there for work for 3 years and was set up in a very nice apartment. I really had no familiarity w/Bulgaria before that but told him I would come visit when he got settled. So in May of 2007 I booked a two week trip to Sofia w/o any idea of what to expect.

May was a great time to be there since there climate is similar to the East Coast/Mid Atlantic region it was Spring and the weather was perfect. I dont know if there is every a bad time to go, but weather wise Spring and Fall are the nicest climates.

Where to stay:
As far as hotels/hostels I cant give much advice here because I stayed w/a friend. Sofia itself isnt very big and taxi's are so cheap they may as well be free so as long as you are in the city you should be fine. The City Centre is the area that has the most foot traffic. I spent one night at a placed called "Hotel California" that was a nice low budget hotel - the room was about $50 per night, definitely a good deal.

Game/Girls
Both times I was there I ended up meeting a girl that I hung out w/for the whole trip. Bulgaria girls are smart and beautiful. They are all in shape w/very good bodies, if you like thin girls. Usually have dark hair, blondes are few and far between. Its not difficult to pull here but it takes a little time. Almost all of the younger generation speaks very good English. Being American helps because its rare that Americans are there so there is a natural curiousity and they are curious as to what you think about their country and why you are there. But its not a one night stand type culture. if you meet a girl one day or night, spend some time with her afterwards, you'll probably be banging her by the second or 3rd date and for the rest of your trip. But you wont roll in and pull a bunch of 1 night stands.

Nightlife:
I enjoyed the nightlife scene there. Lots of clubs and lounge type places. A google search can probably give you most of the good places. There is also a part of town called Student City which has many bars/clubs right near each other that are mostly geared towards the younger crowd, as its basically in an area thats almost all college kids. Walking into a club/lounge you really cant tell you're in a foreign place, its mostly American music, although I'd recommend checking out a place called Nightclub that places Bulgarian music (chalga).

All in all its a great little city. Its also very cheap. If you are w/2 or 3 guys you can get a bottle of vodka at most clubs for about $50 plus mixers. You can get a bottle, some mixers, and invite girls to have a drink and spend less then $50 each easily if you have a couple of guys with you.

I will say though that I had a huge advantage in that I had people I knew there who knew the layout and spoke the language. That made my trips much easier. If you have any other specific questions let me know and i'll check back.

[PartyTime]

Thanks for the report! I've got a bunch of questions:

Do the girls there play games like American girls?
How safe is the city?
Do Bulgarian guys have game?
How feminine are Bulgarian woman (as apposed to feminist)?
Do Bulgarian woman see Americans as potential rich husbands?
How conservative is the culture?
How heavily do the people drink when they go out?
Do young adults live with their parents until they get married?
Do the girls seem to stick to men from their own country (as I experienced in Greece, Bulgaria's neighbor) ?

[Brian]

Thanks for the report! I've got a bunch of questions:

Do the girls there play games like American girls?
No, not really. Eastern European girls are much more direct. They tell you pretty much exactly whats on their mind whether its a good thing or bad thing.

How safe is the city?
Very. Safer then pretty much any American city. There is some organized crime, and I'd be careful w/credit cards, but you're not going to get mugged on the street like in South American countries.

Do Bulgarian guys have game?
nope, very few do. often times over there game = money and most dont have any

How feminine are Bulgarian woman (as apposed to feminist)?
Very. much more so then American women. liked to be taken care of. stylish, well dressed. the whole 'bulgarian weightlifter women' stereotype really couldnt be further from the truth. bulgarian girls are similar to other eastern bloc countries like Czech or some Russians, they are very fit and stylish, but they have dark features vs. blonde

Do Bulgarian woman see Americans as potential rich husbands?
Yeah, some definitely do. not even so much as a 'rich' husband but more as someone who can get them out of the country. there is not a lot of opportunity over there for the younger generation right now.

How conservative is the culture?
not sure what you really mean by that. not like Argentine girls or anything like that.

How heavily do the people drink when they go out?
not heavily. you wont see a bunch of shitfaced people like you do in America. and they typically party pretty late into the night/morning.

Do young adults live with their parents until they get married?
Usually. some of the younger early 20's girls i met w/jobs would make about 500 Euros a month. You can really afford an apartment on that.

Do the girls seem to stick to men from their own country (as I experienced in Greece, Bulgaria's neighbor) ?
No, not at all. I hung about w/a bunch of Americans when i was there, some military guys stationed there for a year, some there for other reasons, and almost all the guys had Bulgarian girlfriends. At the American Embassy many American marriages had been ruined by guys who dumped a fat whiny American wife for a beautiful Bulgarian girl, that was very common. A marine I met a couple years ago ended up marrying a girl who was in Bulgarian playboy magazine. Bulgarian men dont have a good reputation w/the Bulgarian girls. But at the same time they're not all out to bang tourists who are only in town for a few days. If you could find a way to live over there for work or whatever you could absolutely clean up with beautiful girls.

[Peoloom]

Any chance you could get the name of a reasonably-priced hotel in Sofia for me? I'll be there from Jan 3 - 6. I looked up the Hotel California but it's about 50 euros a night; kind of steep for Eastern Europe. I'll stay in a hostel if I have to but I always prefer to stay in a hotel or rental apartment.

[Lumiere]

Nice report.

[Brian]

Eric - when i was there i stayed w/a friend. One night me and a girl needed a hotel room and I went to about 4 places and the Hotel California was the cheapest I found, and I think I paid 60 Lev's (Bulgarian currency) which is about $50. I dont know much else about the hotels there since I didnt need one, if you cant swing that I'd either scour the internet further or look into hostels.

[PartyTime]

Brian, Thanks for all the details. Some really good info!

[thegmanifesto]

Brian,

What about the 'bulgarian weightlifter men' stereotype?

The few Bulgarians I have know were heavies and hoods.

Do you feel like you are going to have to throw down (any more than anywhere else) if you go out swooping girls?

Did you hit up the beach there?

Also, great report.

-MPM
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

[The Duke]

(10-11-2009 11:51 AM)Brian Wrote:  

Do the girls there play games like American girls?
No, not really. Eastern European girls are much more direct. They tell you pretty much exactly whats on their mind whether its a good thing or bad thing.

I've never been to Sofia, but I lived in a neighboring Eastern-European country. I found Serbian girls to be very much into game-playing, saying one thing but expecting something else. Actually I've found most girls in developing countries to be quite indirect in comparison to American girls.

Overall, this is a good report, but I'd like to get some feedback from someone who has lived in Sofia for a few months or more.

[Brian]

Brian,

What about the 'bulgarian weightlifter men' stereotype?
The few Bulgarians I have know were heavies and hoods.
Do you feel like you are going to have to throw down (any more than anywhere else) if you go out swooping girls?

there are a lot of guys there who meet that stereotype but i never once felt threatened. as long as you are respectful the men there are usually very nice. just be respectful. for me it was a little easier because i was staying w/a local who spoke the language and knew people there but they're not going to try and fight you for hitting on girls. i think there is kind of an 'there's enough for everyone' mentality. just dont swoop on another guys girl.

Did you hit up the beach there?

i did, i went to Sunny Beach in Bulgaria. very good time but much different. mostly tourists. lots of nordic/scandanavians, english, and germans, a few russians. the only bulgarians that were really there were the workers. its also a bit of a younger crowd, moreso in the early 20's. if you are there in july or august i'd definitely recommend checking it out. there is some amazing scenery.

[thegmanifesto]

I am guessing topless right?

- MPM
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

[familydude]

Nightlife :
Many of the clubs in the city center are hit or miss. And maze-like streets make it a cluster-fuck for non-locals to find their way.

So if you're short on time, skip all the bullshit and take a taxi to "studenski grad". It'll cost you about 5 euros if the cabby is scaming you. There has to be more than 30 clubs in this university district and it's the only area in town where you can truely bar hop. During school season, every day of the week you'll always find a party happening (mondays are one of the best!). Strike up a conversation with a couple of kids on the street and ask where the action is. Most of the venues are chalga discoteques, except for three, which can be best described as american-style dive bars : toucan buzz club, maskata and stroeja (my fav).

Resources :
http://www.programata.bg : THE number one site for events in bulgaria
http://www.bgmaps.com

I'll post day-game, more nightlife, girls/culture later. And yes g, the black sea beaches allow topless.

[thegmanifesto]

travelstobang ,

Great tips.

[Brian]

if you are going to Studentski grad make sure to check out Jim Beam, especially on Wednesdays. Yes, there is a bar in Bulgaria called Jim Beam

[K-man]

(10-12-2009 04:15 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

I am guessing topless right?

- MPM
The Guide to Getting More out of Life
http://www.thegmanifesto.com

That's right, about 20% of girls, I'd say, go topless at the beach. I have a beach house in Bulgaria, near the marina at Sunny Beach, which is about 3 miles from the main drag but still gets decent traffic. At the beach, though, it's mostly foreigners, it gets overcrowded in June-August, and you'd offen see drunk brits&germans puking on the sidewalks, etc.
Some of you guys going to Bulgaria, let me know. I'm off the scene now, mostly (married plus a baby daughter) but I could always tell the old lady I'm going out with an American buddy.

[Brian]

Kman - my days of partying in the BG are passed, but i'd be curious to hear how you ended up there and what you are doing to support yourself

[InternationPlayboy]

As far as not knowing whether or not there is a "bad time" to go to Bulgaria as far as weather goes, I do know it snows in Bulgaria in the winter, for anyone who doesn't like the snow. I definitely gets cold there.

[K-man]

Brian - I was born here, lived in the US for 10 years (7 in DC), then moved back home. Working in renewable energy development now. But not on an expat salary, unfortunately.
Brandon - yeah, it does snow, which is good if you ski. What's good about Bulgaria is that you have both mountains with ski resorts, and the sea with party beaches. You usually get both of these only in larger sized countries.
For visiting, Spring and Fall are perhaps best for city-hopping. Summer is hot and city life kind of empties out, as lots of people go on vacation.

[Brian]

@Kman - a close friend of mine is in the State Dept and spent 3 years in Sofia - i spent about 6 weeks there over the course of those 3 years and had an awesome time. It's a great country with great people. Spent a few days at Sunny Beach last June but mostly went out in Sofia. If I could ever get there on an expat salary i'd be gone in a heartbeat.

[mangadooza]

How's Sofia in June exactly? I hear finals are around this time and end in July, at which point people begin to go on vacation. What effect does this have on nightlife? I'd like to visit in June for a couple weeks, but not if all the students are staying inside to cram for their exams.

Cheers

[Peoloom]

(05-26-2010 01:49 AM)K-man Wrote:  

Brandon - yeah, it does snow, which is good if you ski. What's good about Bulgaria is that you have both mountains with ski resorts, and the sea with party beaches.

This is what I liked about Sofia. The skiing is only about an hour from the city, and there are great public transport links directly from the center to the ski resort. Then you have Sunny Beach down the road (not sure how far, I was in Sofia in the winter).

I really liked Sofia. Very laid back town with a chilled out vibe. It felt less sleazy than a lot of other Eastern European capitals (I was there in the winter, though). Prices were low and the locals, for the most part, were friendly. I updated my wardrobe there after not buying clothes for two years -- spent about $200 for 3 pairs of pants, a new winter jacket, and two nice dress shirts.

[Brian]

Sofia in June is great. Still plenty of people in the city and its not too hot. I was there in June of last year and it was really nice.

Im surprised you got a good deal on clothes there. From my experience services were very cheap but things like clothes were very expensive compared to the US. It was more expensive to buy clothes there then in the US which I found very odd since the average income is much lower. But i could take a taxi anywhere in the city of Sofia and it rarely costs more then 2 or 3 US dollars

[kindredspirit]

Any photo sites for Bulgarian women you can share? I'd be interested to see what a wide cross-section of girls in Sofia look like.

And what's the cost of living like over there these days? Say, rent for 1 month at a very nice luxury pad in a central location in Sofia?

[Brian]

not sure on cost of an apartment. there is a section of the city basically called student city where its all college kids and i've heard thats pretty damn cheap. a nice place near city centre would cost more but its still relatively inexpensive. actually these websites can help you with that

http://www.sofiaapartments.com/

as far as the girls in sofia check out http://bg.tilllate.com/en/all

[familydude]

Cost of living is the cheapest in the European union.