Sofia with kids: Sofia Zoo
I do not know who loves going to a zoo more: my kids or I. When I was preparing for our Bulgaria trip, I discovered that there was a zoo in Sofia, so we decided to pay it a visit.
Getting there was quite easy, we took a metro to Vitosha station and from there you can either take a 5 minute bus ride or walk for roughly 15 minutes to the zoo entrance. We tried both options and they are both doable with kids: bus stop is slightly ahead of the metro exit. For the bus number we just asked the passer by for advice.
Sofia Zoo has a large territory and it is nicely organised, so we were able to see lots of animals without doing detours or walking for miles. When we were there in Spring 2019 some of the areas were being redeveloped, so maybe when you visit next the zoo will be even prettier.
Admission prices are very affordable , especially if you compare it with London Zoo, where you need to spend £100 for a family of 4 before getting through the door. I find London prices for kids attractions sometimes prohibitive, so it was a relief to see that Sofia was not heading in that direction. Sofia zoo tickets costs £2.00 for an adult and £1.00 for a child 3-18. Kids under 3 are admitted for free.
We saw many animals, our favourites this time were the bears, the elephants and various types of fish. Letitia also loved the fact that she could read about some of the animals in English, as her Bulgarian is non-existent. The space around animal enclosures is plentiful, so if you have a buggy , you should not have any difficulties and there is plenty of space for kids to see the animals up close.
Sofia Zoo is one of the oldest in the world, in fact, it is 130 years old and was established by the King of Bulgaria at the time. While Letitia was enjoying the swings, I was able to read a little bit about the history as there is an outdoor display with old photos and how it is all started.
The facilities are also good , as there are plenty of affordable food options, so you don’t really need to bring a picnic as there is plenty to choose from and, of course, don’t forget the ice-cream. Or if you want to bring the picnic, it is also fine and there are plenty of tables available. We also saw couple of playgrounds, which will come in handy if your little ones are tired to look at animals and want to switch the activity.
We enjoyed Sofia Zoo, but had to say goodbye to the animals at the end of the day. You can easily spend a whole day there, so bring a good mood and enjoy learning and watching different animals!
Our visit was hosted by Sofia Zoo, but all opinions are my own.
