Art Shop Hand Made

For something a little different, pay a visit to this tiny shop packed to the brim with hand-made, unique items. The display includes dolls, home decor, jewellery, and various knick-knacks made of cloth, hand-painted silk and ceramics - all fruit of an enthusiast's work.

• Web:

  www.everyoneweb.fr/artshophadmade

• Address:

  17 Gurgulyat Street, Sofia

• Phone:

  +35 9888439010

• Opening hours:

  Mon-Fri 11am-7.30pm, Sat 11am-6pm

Central Sofia Market Hall

The sleek Central Market Hall is more of a tourist attraction than a busy authentic bazaar, but it is certainly worth a quick look around if time allows. It mostly sells produce such as local cheeses and meats, but there are few souvenir shops inside as well.

• Address:

  28 Maria Luiza, Sofia

Dobrev's Cheese Store

The Dobrev family first established the brand in 1994, and has opened several dairy shops around town since then. The stores specialize in high-quality cheeses - curd, ricotta, white and yellow cheeses, mozzarella, and many more. Other dairy products are on sale, as well as coffee and sandwiches.

• Web:

  dobrev-cheese.com

• Address:

  139 Vitosha Blvd., Sofia

• Phone:

  +359 884 203 156

Elephant Bookstore

The bookstore features a large selection of literature in English, which makes it a very tourist-friendly place for literature enthusiasts. On top of books, there are lots of fun, quirky souvenirs and accessories to look at such as the "nihilism soap" or the Sigmund Freud wrist watch.

• Web:

  www.elephantbookstore.com

• Address:

  31 Shishman, Sofia

• Phone:

  +359 88 642 0954

• Opening hours:

  Daily 10am-10pm

Mall of Sofia

This is the first mall and currently one of the most popular ones in Sofia. Brands represented include Replay, Bobo Zander, Ceelio, Esprit, Kenvelo, Mango, United Colors Of Benetton, Lee Cooper, Adidas, Speedo and Intersport. You can also watch a movie in the “Cinema City” or “M-Tel IMAX 3D”.

• Web:

  www.mallofsofia.com

• Address:

  101 Al.Stamboliyski Blvd., Sofia

• Phone:

  +359 2 980 4437

• Opening hours:

  Daily 10am-10pm

Market

If the hustle of the market is more your thing, there are all manner of antique and craft stalls selling everything from religious icons to lace doilies scattered around the Alexander Nevski Cathedral. It's a good place to come if you're looking to buy local souvenirs.

• Address:

  Alexander Nevski Church, Sofia