Communist Walking Tour of Sofia: Discover Life on the Eastern Side of the Iron Curtain

Experience what life was like behind the Iron Curtain by participating in our Communist tour. This comprehensive tour, lasting approximately 3-3.5 hours, covers a 45-year epoch, including the events that shaped it and its repercussions. Our main objective is to provide an unbiased, enlightening portrayal of this contentious era in history.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Sofia Court House - The first stop of the Sofia Communist Tour.
  • 365 Association Sofia Tours - The Palace of Justice in Sofia is the starting point of the Sofia Communist Tour.
  • Ancient Orthodox Church Saint Parascheva - the Old “St. Petka” - A hidden church. Religion during the Communist period.
  • The Presidency Building - The arrival of the Soviet Army in Bulgaria.
  • Former Bulgarian Communist Party Headquarters - The Largo Complex in the heart of Sofia. Story of the Red Star and Statue of Lenin.
  • City Garden - The story of the Mausoleum
  • National Art Gallery - The building of the Former Royal Palace during the early communist days.
  • Soviet Army Monument - Sofia’s most controversial monument and graffiti art. Early uprisings against the communist regime.
  • National Palace of Culture (NDK) - Sofia’s biggest communist landmark and a famous cultural hub.
  • Berlin Wall - Final stop of the tour. The story of how it all ended.
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Professional guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
Sofia City Court
bulevard "Vitosha"
Outside the Palace of Justice, at the corner of Vistosha Boulevard and Alabin Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(522 Ratings)
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Bruce_p
Jul 23, 2024
Just a great tour with a great tour guide - This was a great walk by Niki around Sofia explaining how things changed from pre-communist times to communist times and then to the start of the new times. This gave us a great insight into the City and how the people lived through these times.
Review provided by Viator
Cynthia_m
Jul 17, 2024
Highly recommend - Highly recommend! Guide was informative and engaging. The walking pace was steady enough to keep up.
Review provided by Viator
Helene_o
Jul 3, 2024
A must do - The guide was great (can’t remember his name unfortunately as was a few weeks ago). He was super informative, really knew his stuff, super engaging with group, and clearly passionate about the history of beautiful Sofia. Really enjoyed this tour - definitely worth the $ spent… which wasn’t a lot.
Review provided by Viator
Alessandro
Jun 29, 2024
Perfect tour to discover the city's communist past - Dino is a great guide and takes you to discover the secrets of the city in the communist period. Three very interesting hours where you discover the secrets of the downtown buildings.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joseph
Jun 24, 2024
Informative tour. Daniel was a great guide! - Great and informative tour. Daniel was knowledgeable, and actively suggested we ask questions to learn more about the socialist history of Sofia and Bulgaria. Would recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oliver_j
Jun 23, 2024
Interesting and informative tour - Really interesting tour that shares lots of different perspectives on socialism and communism. Would recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Cole8578
Jun 23, 2024
We discovered so much! - Having been on the Free Walking Tour the previous day, and thoroughly enjoyed it, we attended the Communist Tour. Daniel, our guide, was fantastic and explained so many important and interesting things about this period of Sofia and Bulgaria’s history. It is such a worthwhile experience and I thoroughly recommend it! Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Constance_a
Jun 22, 2024
Don’t Hesitate to Join the Communist Tour - Vasil is a 5 star guide as his English is excellent, he is very knowledgeable and we saw and learned a lot. The tour was a great overview. Vasil spoke to and showed photos of the sites during and post Communism. As it was quite hot on the day of the tour, Vasil made a point of telling us about the sites when we were in the shade. I had just arrived in Sofia, from a long international flight, and had little time between arriving in Sofia and joining the tour. At the end of the tour, Vasil kindly showed we how to return to my hotel. For sure, I would have been lost otherwise.
Review provided by Viator
Teun_v
Jun 17, 2024
Highly recommend! - Nikola (our guide) did a great job, he told everything in a balanced and informative but also very entertaining way. When questions were asked he was able to explain in detail; you could clearly see that he knows a lot about the history. Totally recommend this when you're visiting Sofia!
Review provided by Viator
Dimitri_b
Jun 17, 2024
Excellent - Very intersting experience. Very good guide The Tour is detailed and touch all the places related to the subject.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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