Learn what life was like in communist-era Bulgaria on a Sofia city walking tour. Meet your informative guide in central Sofia and check out the buildings and monuments that testify to its and Bulgaria’s 45 years on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain. See the Largo complex, former home of Bulgaria’s Communist Party; the Monument to the Soviet Army; the National Palace of Culture and more as your guide explains communist ideology and the everyday lives of Bulgarians during the controversial Cold War period.

Walking tour of communist Sofia led by a local guide
See Sofia’s communist-era landmarks including the Monument to the Soviet Army and National Palace of Culture
Pass other important Soviet buildings such as the Secret Police Investigation Facility
Step back in time as your guide recounts everyday life in the Cold War
Learn about communist ideology and why it rose and fell in Bulgaria
Pickup from a central meeting point in Sofia

What's Included

Local guide
Professional guide

Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Sofia City Court
bul. "Vitosha" 2, 1000 Old City Center, Sofia, Bulgaria
Outside the Palace of Justice, at the corner of Vistosha Boulevard and Alabin Street

Start time

04:00 PM

End point

National Palace of Culture
бул. „България“, 1463 Ndk, Sofia, Bulgaria
The tour will end next to a piece of the Berlin Wall on the left side of the park of the Palace of Culture.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Stroller accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

about cancellations.

Traveler Photos

Traveler Tips

This 3-hour walking tour takes you to sotes around the city center usually overlooked by the basic Sofia tour.

Wonderful guide, good tour and if you love history, a must.

Reviews

5.0

330 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 330 reviews

Wonderful Tour Wonderful Guide

AnyaLiftig, Jan 2023

Vasil was a terrific guide. I learned so much about Bulgarian history on this tour. Highly recommend.

Back in time with Vasco

Tobias_F, Dec 2022

Vasco/Vasim is an excellent guy with a lot of knowledge. I learned so much! Highly recommend! Even that I grew up in socialism, there was so much to learn about socialism in Bulgaria. Besides .. Bulgarian Renault cars and a Zsar that came back to become prime minister .. how would have known :)

Informative walk

Joan_M, Nov 2022

That was a peaceful and informative walk with many stories told. I really appreciate a group of young ones promoting their historical points related to your beloved country. Very patriotic of you all. Keep it up!!

Excellent, evocative tour giving an insight into of a way of life hard to imagine

David_M, Nov 2022

The guide, Stefan, made the tour special. His command of English was excellent and he made me laugh at some things, react with shock to others and bewilderment to many, fitting responses I think to this bizarre period in Bulgaria’s history. Although he lived under Communist rule for only the first few years of his life he was able to make the period come alive for the group.

Best tour I went on in Sofia. Must do!

Mark_K, Nov 2022

The Communist Walking tour was really informative. The guide was friendly and answered my many questions. You get to hear a lot of interesting Cold War history.

excellent

Ragnheidur_B, Nov 2022

Dino the guide was excellent, vibrant and shared interesting stories of his family 👏 the tour was well connectd to the history

Enjoyable tour with an expert guide

Ross_K, Nov 2022

When we turned up for the tour we were worried that there were a lot of people and not many guides. From the outset Martin, our tour guide, was open and honest explaining that there was more people than expected and not enough guides available to cover the group this size. However, from the outset Martin was a superb guide. Although a large group he constantly tried to involve the whole group in the tour. He remembered peoples names and where they were from - something I really appreciated. You could tell that Martin had a passion for history and this period, adding personal family stories that make the topic feel more real. In the end the size of the group didn’t impact the quality of the tour, thanks to Martin’s commitment and enthusiasm to the topic. I was pleased I went on the tour and would 100% recommend it to anyone.

Great way to understand the recent history of Bulgaria

Matt_Q, Oct 2022

This was a great experience, such a knowledgable guide with very clear communication and some good jokes! Really felt like we got to know the city as a whole, and also to understand the complex relationship Bulgaria has to communism/socialism, and its recent past. Would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting the city.

Evening walk

Tony_H, Oct 2022

Stefan the guide was very knowledgeable and took his time to explain everything very well. His knowledge on life in Sofia under communism was very interesting.

What a delightful,...

Charlene_Z, Sep 2022

What a delightful, informative, and great educational walk around the city. This gent was fun, had so much broad and specific info, really recommend this tour to understand an objective view of the history.

Very informative & interesting tour

Jeni, Aug 2022

Amazing tour, very informative & interesting! As an American my life was completely different in the 80s/90s. It was very surreal to walk the streets and hear how life was in Sofia!

Worth doing

nadine_m, Jul 2022

The history part explained by Vasil/ Vasco. He took time to show and went above required time. Was a worthwhile tour

Good experience

PAMELA_D, Jul 2022

Guide was very engaging and articulate.I learned a lot.Even though it was unbearably hot it was still worthwhile.

Very enthusiastic guide....

Shane_Q, Jul 2022

Very enthusiastic guide. Gave a very informative history of communism in Bulgaria. Only negative was that it was a little bit long. Still worth it.

Interesting and Informative Tour

gailwhiting, Jul 2022

We had an excellent guide telling us how communism started and affected Bulgarian people. Very interesting and highly informative. Would definitely recommend.

Fun, informative and interesting.

Janette_J, Jul 2022

The whole trip was well paced, great information delivered in a digest able way. Thoroughly enjoyed it

Very informative and engaging, with a friendly and resourceful guide!

James_A, Jul 2022

Very informative tour, our guide Niki was knowledgeable and engaging. My wife is not particularly interested in political history, but Niki spoke very eloquently, and clearly. Definitely worth booking if your are in Sofia and have an active interest in Communist or socialist history. Would highly recommend! Massive thumbs up.

Fun tour of communist relics

Gavin_S, Jul 2022

Very interesting and eventful tour. I enjoyed myself very much. There were moments to laugh and to reflect along the entire tour. It is definitely worth the time to check out.

Vasil is a wonderful...

LinKiu_T, Jun 2022

Vasil is a wonderful guide. Knowledgeable and humor. I understand the Bulgarian history more and highly recommended to everyone

Great experience

Alan_C, Jun 2022

Very enjoyable tour, interesting period of history which I learnt a lot. Its a great way to see the city, meet new people also. Excellent tour guide who shared his knowledge so well. Highly recommend.

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Questions?

Product code: 14199P2

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