Where to stay in Sofia: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

The gold and green domes of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral are the image of Sofia, and the quarter around them is the city's showpiece. Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard, paved in distinctive yellow bricks, sweeps past the parliament, the little onion-domed Russian Church, the university and the former royal palace, now the National Art Gallery.

This is where the capital keeps its best hotels. Several five-stars look over the squares beside the parliament, some with cathedral views; quieter four-stars and boutique hotels in historic buildings sit on the side streets and by the Doctors’ Garden. Everything a first-time visitor wants is within a short walk, and the streets are calm after dark.

Vitosha Boulevard, known to everyone as Vitoshka, is Sofia's main promenade. It runs south from Sveta Nedelya Square, pedestrianised and lined with café terraces, and on a clear day the mountain it is named after seems to sit right at the end of the street. In the evening the whole city walks it.

Stay here to be in the thick of things. At the top of the boulevard, around the square and the Serdika metro station with its Roman ruins, there is a classic 1950s five-star built around a tiny medieval rotunda, along with smaller modern hotels a few steps from the shops. Restaurants and bars fill the side streets. It is livelier and a little noisier than the cathedral quarter, ten minutes’ walk east.

Follow Vitosha Boulevard to its southern end and you reach the National Palace of Culture, or NDK: a vast 1980s concert and congress hall set in a park of fountains, skateboarders and ice-cream stalls. It is the city's favourite meeting place and the frontier between the old centre and the newer districts beyond.

The hotels around it suit travellers who want space and facilities without leaving the centre. A large international five-star stands directly opposite the palace, with the mountain as a backdrop; there are stylish four-stars in historic buildings close to the boulevard and the NDK metro station. Rates are good, the cathedral is about 20 minutes on foot, and dinner is on your doorstep.

North of Sveta Nedelya, along Maria Luisa Boulevard, Sofia shows its Ottoman and mercantile side. The sixteenth-century Banya Bashi Mosque stands across from the Central Market Hall; the grand synagogue is a block away; and behind the ornate old bathhouse, locals queue to fill bottles with hot mineral water from public taps.

It is a grittier, busier part of town than the cathedral quarter, and noticeably cheaper. Hotels include a characterful address a hundred metres from the mosque and several practical modern ones towards the central railway and bus stations, useful if you are travelling on to Plovdiv or the mountains. The metro puts the rest of the centre one or two stops away.

South of the NDK the ground rises gently into Lozenets, one of the most desirable residential areas in Sofia. The streets are tree-lined, the apartment blocks handsome, and there are plenty of local bakeries, wine bars and restaurants that rarely see a tourist.

Hotels here trade proximity for peace. One elegant address has rooms facing a lovely garden, with an indoor pool and sauna; a luxury tower hotel has a large swimming pool and gardens of its own; and smaller boutique hotels offer quiet rooms and private parking. The centre is about three kilometres away, a few minutes by metro or taxi. Choose it for a longer stay or a restful one.

The south-eastern suburbs are the newer face of the city. Studentski Grad, the student quarter, is green, full of universities and embassies, and famous for its nightlife. Next door, Mladost and the Business Park hold glassy offices, shopping centres and the zoo, with the mountain rising just behind.

Hotels here are modern and spacious, with spas, indoor pools, free parking and conference rooms; there is a five-star in the Business Park itself and a stylish little aparthotel among the student cafés. The metro links the area with the centre and the airport is a short drive. It works well if you are driving, here on business, or planning to head up Vitosha to walk or ski.

Sofia's airport is unusually close to the city, on its eastern edge, and joined to the centre by metro. Around it, and along the Tsarigradsko Shose highway into town, a line of business hotels serves the exhibition centre, the arena and the tech park.

The closest are half a kilometre from the terminal; others stand opposite the exhibition centre with direct access to the metro line, or beside a large shopping mall. Expect modern rooms, sensible prices and airport shuttles. They are ideal for a crack-of-dawn departure and perfectly workable for a short city stay if you do not mind a metro ride.