Sofia Property
As the capital city, property in Sofia is rising steadily throughout the city. As the economy of Sofia continues to grower faster than Bulgaria as a whole (which is growing quickly anyway), property prices in the city are one of the fastest rising in Bulgaria. Sofia is one of the most active Bulgarian property markets with many foreign investors purchasing apartments there.
Sofia
The city of Sofia is situated near the geographical
centre of the Balkans region, in the Sofia Basin,
a troughlike valley in the western part of the country.
Immediately to the south is the Vitosha National
Park and to the north is the Stara Planina mountain
range. At 550 m above sea level Sofia is the highest
capital in Europe. There are four distinct seasons
here, with dry, hot summers and snowy winters. Extreme
climatic conditions, however, are very rare. The
city has a population of 1.3 million and the average
age of the population is 38 years. The motto of
the city is “Ever growing, never aging”.
Sofia History
The capital of Bulgaria is one of the oldest
settlements in Europe. For over 7,000 years Sofia
has been a meeting place of the four directions
of the world. Tribes and peoples came and went,
civilisations flourished and declined but the
city has stayed forever. Today Sofia is a modern
and busy capital and a centre of Bulgaria's political,
economic and cultural life. Its central parts
have a European character with tree-lined boulevards
and balconied buildings by 19th-century Russian
and Viennese architects. Sofia combines the atmosphere
of a large city with the cozy feeling of a place
whose main attraction can be seen on foot.
Sofia Location and Travel
With its well-developed infrastructure and strategic
location, Sofia is an important centre for international
railway and automobile routes. All major types
of transportation (except water transport) are
represented in the city, which is home to 8 railway
stations, the Centre for Flight Control and the
Sofia Airport. Three Trans-European Transport
Corridors cross the city: 4, 8 and 10. Public
transit is well-developed, reliable and important
to the city's economy; it is provided by means
of underground trains (metro), buses, trams and
electric buses. There are over 15,000 licensed
taxi cabs operating in the city.
Things to do in Sofia
Sofia boasts numerous places of interest, many
related to the rich and diverse history of the
city. Most notable of these are the landmark Alexander
Nevski Cathedral, the St. Nedelya Church, the
St. George Rotunda, the Banya Bashi Mosque, the
Central Sofia Synagogue and the Women’s
market, among others. Scores of museums, theaters,
music halls and cinemas complement the impression
of a place where one never gets bored. The innumerable
restaurants offer cuisines from all over the world
that can satisfy even the most capricious of tastes.
Shopping in Sofia
If shopping is your priority, Sofia will not
disappoint you. The capital offers the full range
from large shopping centres to designer boutiques
to small street shops. The main shopping street
is Vitosha boulevard where one can find almost
any designer brand. The main shopping mall is
TSUM, but currently The Mall of Sofia project
is under way, expected to best TSUM in size and
diversity starting from the end of 2005. Major
European chains like Metro, Praktiker, HIT, Mr.
Bricolage and others have opened doors in Sofia
with more heavy investments expected in this area.
Night life in Sofia
Sofia is well known for its fantastic nightlife.
Bars are popular in the evening hours till midnight
after which the crowd moves to the night clubs.
While present everywhere, bars and nightclubs
are concentrated in the central part of the city
which makes it easy to explore several different
places in one outing. Recommendable bars include
By The Way, Motto, Cargo, The Piano Bar, Buddha
Bar, JJ Murphy’s, Select and among the best
night clubs are Chervilo, Escape, Mojito, Tequila,
Caramba, Brilliantine, Black Box. Some places
offer live music. There are also casinos, which
require ID, but do not operate a dress code.
Green Areas in Sofia
Sofia is a city with a lot of green areas. The
parks offer peace and tranquility in the heart
of the city. All major parks have alleys where
one can enjoy several relaxing hours of strolling
or biking. The Boris Garden Park hosts two football
stadiums, including the National Stadium, and
many other sports facilities. A great place for
recreation is the Vitosha National Park just south
of the capital, where Sofians and tourists enjoy
hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter.
Mount Vitosha also provides some great views to
the people in the city.
Development and Investment in Sofia
Sofia has changed notably in the last 5-6 years.
Nowhere else in Bulgaria has the recent economic
growth been felt more strongly than in the capital.
It is a magnet for a growing number of multinational
corporations, as well as for qualified labor force
from all over the country. As a result, the population
has grown steadily, yet unemployment is at record
low levels – 1-2%. In the last 2 years thousands
of new apartment units are being constructed to
meet the growing demand of quality housing. Substantial
investments were made especially in infrastructure
projects. Standards of business are also being
raised as Bulgaria is heading to the EU.
Between 2007 and 2009 Bulgaria will receive 4.6
billion euro from the EU which is the highest
amount per capita for any accession country ever.
This fact only adds to the already positive prospects
for the development of this vibrant city. Factors
like qualified labor, competitive operational
costs, strategic geographic location, low corporate
taxes, low real estate prices and quickly developing
capital market, make Sofia not only a great tourist
destination, but also an exciting place to invest. |
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