Play & adventure ‹ › 1/3 Kokolandia Adventure Park · Photos: venue’s website
€€ Borisova Gradina · Nezabravka St 1 · Коколандия
A rope park in the trees of Borisova Gradina, with instructors who clip children onto courses of bridges, nets and zip lines. The rope courses are for children over 6; little ones get trampolines, bouncy castles and mini golf.
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Tip Tickets are sold until 19:30. Bring closed shoes; sandals are not allowed on the ropes.
Ages 3+ Ropes 6+ Outdoors
No free-licence photo of the inside yet See what it looks like ↗ Real photos of Lazy Park on Google Maps
€€ Borisova Gradina · Yavorov alley · Лейзи парк
An open-air café in the middle of Borisova Gradina with a children’s play area, so parents can sit with a coffee or a burger while the kids play in sight. The short menu has grilled beef, burgers, quesadillas, salads and Italian ice cream.
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Tip A good lunch stop between Kokolandia and Lake Ariana. It also hosts children’s birthday parties.
Café Play area Outdoors
No free-licence photo of the inside yet See what it looks like ↗ Real photos of Area 52 Trampoline Park on Google Maps
€€ Sofia Ring Mall (outside the map) · Okolovrasten pat 214 · Ария 52
A big indoor trampoline park in Sofia Ring Mall, with dozens of linked trampolines, foam pits, dodgeball and a separate soft area for toddlers. A good rainy-day plan.
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Tip Book a time slot online at weekends. Grip socks are compulsory and sold at the desk.
Indoor Rainy day Taxi ~25 min
Museums & science Muzeiko · Photos: venue’s website
€€ Studentski grad (outside the map) · Prof. Boyan Kamenov St 3 · Музейко
Bulgaria’s first children’s museum: three floors of hands-on science, from digging for dinosaur bones and exploring caves on the lower floor to cities, nature, space and robots higher up. Outside are a science playground and a climbing wall on the roof.
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Tip The small planetarium has its own tickets. Buy online and allow at least two to three hours.
Indoor Ages 3–12 Planetarium
‹ › 1/2 National Museum of Natural History · Photos: Apostoloff , Motekov
€ Centre · Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd 1 · Национален природонаучен музей
The oldest museum on the Balkan peninsula, founded in 1889 by Prince Ferdinand, next to the Russian Church. Four floors of minerals, stuffed animals, insects and a small live collection of reptiles.
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Tip Combine it with the Russian Church and the City Garden playground on the Sofia on Foot walk.
Indoor Centre
‹ › 1/4 Earth and Man Museum · Photos: MrPanyGoff , Vassia Atanassova - Spiritia , Vassia Atanassova - Spiritia , Михал Орела
€ Lozenets, near NDK · Cherni Vrah Blvd 4 · Национален музей „Земята и хората“
One of the largest mineral museums in Europe, in a 19th-century military warehouse a short walk from NDK. Giant crystals, glowing minerals and quartz geodes big enough for a child to stand in.
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Tip It is a 10-minute walk from South Park and the NDK fountains; do both in an afternoon.
Indoor Minerals
‹ › 1/3 National Polytechnic Museum · Photos: Antonio Georgiev , Antonio Georgiev , Antonio Georgiev
€ West centre · Opalchenska St 66 · Национален политехнически музей
Old cars, telephones, cameras, computers and a planetarium dome, with science shows and family Saturdays with experiments. Many exhibits can be touched or switched on.
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Tip It is closed on Sundays. Check the programme for the monthly family Saturday.
Indoor Machines
‹ › 1/4 Museum of Illusions · Photos: venue’s website
€€ Centre, by Lions’ Bridge · Knyaginya Maria Luiza Blvd 16 · Музей на илюзиите
Rooms that make you shrink and grow, tilt, spin and see double: a hands-on museum of optical tricks, great for funny family photos.
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Tip Bring a phone with space for photos; the staff show you the best angles.
Indoor Photos
Parks & animals ‹ › 1/6 Sofia Zoo · Photos: venue’s website & MrPanyGoff , Termininja , Κλυτίος
€ Loven Park (outside the map) · Srebarna St 1 · Зоологическа градина София
The oldest zoo in south-east Europe, founded in 1888, in green grounds at the foot of Vitosha. Big cats, bears, elephants, giraffes, primates and a reptile house.
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Tip A taxi is the easiest way there. Wear comfortable shoes; the grounds are large.
Animals Outdoors
‹ › 1/3 Borisova Gradina & Lake Ariana · Photos: Мирослав Зографски , Apostoloff , Мирослав Зографски
Free Borisova Gradina · Borisova Gradina park · Борисова градина · езеро Ариана
Sofia’s oldest and biggest park, with large playgrounds, bike paths, ducks on Lake Ariana and pedal boats in summer; in winter the lake becomes an ice rink. It is also stop S on the Sofia on Foot walk.
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Tip Hire bikes or scooters at the park entrances, then end at Lazy Park or Kokolandia.
Free Playgrounds Outdoors
‹ › 1/3 South Park · Photos: MrPanyGoff , Nikolai Karaneschev , MrPanyGoff
Free Behind NDK · South Park · Южен парк
A long green park of meadows, a river and some of the newest playgrounds in the city, where many Sofia families spend their weekends.
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Tip Start from the NDK end and walk upstream along the Perlovska river.
Free Playgrounds Outdoors
‹ › 1/4 Golden Bridges, Vitosha · Photos: Todorovadesi , Todorovadesi , opoznai.bg , Eola
Free Vitosha (outside the map) · Vitosha Nature Park · Златните мостове
A ‘stone river’ of giant granite boulders in the forest above Sofia, where children love to jump from rock to rock. Kiosks sell tea and banitsa, and easy paths lead into the woods.
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Tip Drive or take a taxi; it is about 30 minutes. See the Mountains & hiking page for more walks.
Free Nature Taxi ~30 min
Shows & events Sofia Puppet Theatre · Photos: Vassia Atanassova - Spiritia
€ Centre · General Gurko St 14 · Столичен куклен театър
Sofia’s main puppet theatre, playing fairy tales and new shows for small children, mostly on weekend mornings and afternoons. Many shows are almost without words, so they work for children who do not speak Bulgarian.
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Tip Check the programme on the theatre’s site and buy tickets a few days ahead.
Indoor Ages 3+
‹ › 1/2 Vidas Art Arena · Photos: venue’s website
€€ Borisova Gradina · Former Velodrome Serdika · Видас Арт Арена
An open-air venue on the site of the old cycling track in Borisova Gradina, with two stages for concerts, theatre and family events from spring to autumn.
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Tip Look for daytime family events in the programme; evening concerts are mostly for adults.
Outdoors Seasonal
‹ › 1/2 Changing of the Guard · Photos: yeowatzup , Kiril Kapustin
Free Centre · Presidency, Knyaz Al. Dondukov Blvd 2 · Смяна на караула
Guards in white-and-red 19th-century uniforms with plumed hats change every hour on the hour in front of the Presidency, with high-stepping marching that children love.
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Tip Stand on the pavement opposite a few minutes before the hour. The Rotunda of St George is in the courtyard behind.
Free Every hour