First date ideas in Sofia: where to go

For a first date in Sofia, pick a place you can leave after an hour without it being awkward. A walk in Borisova Garden, coffee around Shishman Street, an exhibition at Square 500 or a film at Odeon cinema are safe choices. If you are both a bit nervous, choose something you do together: climbing, a board game or a short walk on Vitosha.

Walking side by side, you do not have to hold eye contact all the time, and pauses feel lighter. That is why a walk is my favourite first date.

Borisova Garden is the large park closest to the centre, with Ariana Lake and long paths. The Doctors’ Garden is small and quiet, with ancient stone fragments between the trees. The streets around Tsar Ivan Shishman and Oborishte are made for walking slowly with one stop for coffee or a glass of wine. For more space, South Park is wider and calmer.

An exhibition gives you a ready topic. Square 500, behind Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, holds a large part of the National Gallery’s collection. The National Museum Earth and Man has a large mineral collection and a hall of giant crystals. The Museum of Socialist Art has a park of statues from that era.

Check the closing day before you go. For many museums it is Monday.

Odeon is the cinema of the Bulgarian National Film Archive. It shows classics and themed seasons and feels nothing like a mall cinema. Most foreign films in Bulgaria are shown in the original language with Bulgarian subtitles, so an English-language film works even if one of you does not speak Bulgarian.

Toplocentrala has theatre, dance and concerts, with the month’s programme on its website. Theatre in Sofia is mostly in Bulgarian, while dance and music need no translation. Stand-up is good if you worry about silences, but you cannot talk during the show, so plan a walk afterwards.

Climbing sounds extreme, but a climbing gym is a calm place. Walltopia Climbing & Fitness is in Sofia Tech Park, and Balkan Climbing is near Ring Mall. Balkan Climbing runs a beginners’ course; for a first visit to Walltopia, check their website. Bouldering, which is low climbing above thick mats, needs no rope.

Board games are the other safe bet. The Other Castle (Drugiyat Zamak) club in Poligona, behind The Mall, has been around since 2012 and is both a shop and a place to play. One short game for two, then coffee.

If you both like walking, Boyana Waterfall and Kopitoto are short routes with a view. Kambanite (the Bells) park above Mladost 4 makes a quiet afternoon and is a walk from Business Park metro station. Save Cherni Vrah for later: a whole day together is a lot if things are not clicking.

If you do not have anyone to go out with yet, groups are an easier start than apps. Haide lists small events in Sofia that you can join on your own.

• Meet in a public place and get there on your own, so you can leave when you want.
• Tell a friend where you will be.
• Pick somewhere close to a metro station or stop. Getting home is easier for both of you.
• Plan for an hour or two, with an option to continue if it is going well.
• In an emergency, call 112.

Where should we go on a first date in Sofia if it rains? A museum such as Square 500 or Earth and Man, a film at Odeon, a climbing gym or a board game club.

What is a good first date in Sofia that is not a bar? A walk in Borisova Garden or the Doctors’ Garden, an exhibition, climbing or a board game. Coffee can come afterwards.

What are cheap first date ideas in Sofia? A walk in a park, a short Vitosha route, the Serdica ruins at the Largo, or a museum on a free-entry day; check that on the museum’s website.

How long should a first date be? An hour or two is plenty. If you both enjoyed it, meeting again will be easy.