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

Step back in time and explore life on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain with our Communist Walking Tour of Sofia. Discover the factors that led to this controversial period and its lasting impact on the city. Join us for an objective and informative journey through history.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
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…
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Professional guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Discover the experience of life on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain by participating in our Communist tour. This tour condenses a 45-year era into approximately 3 hours, covering the causes, consequences, and its impact on modern-day Bulgaria. The primary aim is to provide an objective and informative overview of this contentious period in Bulgarian…

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
(652 Ratings)
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Patricksauter
Sep 25, 2025
A Good Choice for a tour. - The leader of our group was outstanding. Well informed, easy to listen to and accommodating. He really know his stuff.
Review provided by Viator
Sarah
Sep 24, 2025
Bulgarian History - Nikola was a wonderful guide. Lots of knowledge about Communist period as well as Bulgaria’s transition to present. Highly recommend this introduction to Bulgarian history!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
723rebw
Sep 21, 2025
More Than a Tour: Powerful Insights into Sofia's Experience of the Communist-Era - This is more than a tour — it’s a message that needs to be heard. I truly recommend that anyone with the opportunity makes time to walk through Sofia’s Communist/Socialist Authoritarian history. History doesn’t sleep in the past; we live it now and shape it through our thoughts and actions. The detail and design of this tour provides deep insight and awakens your mind to the present by revealing the Soviet regime’s machinations, strategies, and the culture of fear, suppressed freedoms, and stifled creativity that resulted from authoritarian control. Like the Free Sofia City tour, it’s a privilege to hear local people share their knowledge and stories. Yoan was an excellent, eloquent guide with vivid storytelling skills and a deep passion and care for Sofia’s history. His personal family stories made the information especially resonant and accessible, and showed the everyday impacts on Bulgarian people — Благодаря, Йоан : ) The tour is insightful and educational — it makes you think and helps you understand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andre_b
Sep 20, 2025
Absolutely worth it. - I can absolutely recommend this tour. At about 3 hours it is quite long and covers quite some distance BUT it is well worth it. Our guide Vasko planed for plenty of breaks and chosen path was easy to walk. Vasko’s knowledge was super waste. He told us so many interesting stories, anecdotes and helped us understand things using pictures. He made sure not a single question stayed unanswered.
Review provided by Viator
Catherinenl4886ye
Sep 17, 2025
Brilliant tour! - Vasil’s tour was excellent! Clear structure, lots of information, fluent in English (and Spanish), and we learnt so much as we walked the streets of Sofia. And sensitive to needs for a quick refreshment stop.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heather_h
Sep 17, 2025
Worthwhile introduction to the city and country - My daughter and I really enjoyed this tour. Yoan was our tour guide; he was friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. We took the tour the day after we arrived in Sofia so we knew very little about the place. The tour was a very good starting point to try to understand some of the incredible history of Bulgaria.
Review provided by Viator
Andysx1009ud
Sep 17, 2025
Engaging and informative - A really interesting tour which brought the - relatively recent - past to light. The tour guide was both knowledgeable and engaging and I learned a lot. Would highly recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adventure38378913421
Sep 15, 2025
A very rewarding experience - The tour was very complete, imaged, thanks to a guide: Ivo, passionate and very interesting. He was able to answer all the group’s questions about both the Communist past and the current consequences on Bulgarian society. An exciting ride that I recommend 1000x. This tour also allowed meetings between all the participants
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Johnox4828aj
Sep 15, 2025
5 Stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Nikola was an excellent tour guide - very entertaining, knowledgeable and engaging. He really gave us lots of interesting historical, political and social perspectives on the evolution of the city so it was the perfect introduction to Sofia. Would 100% recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X9006uzjoanaf
Sep 15, 2025
Wonderful experience! - Really interesting experience, definitely recommend going. You learn a lot about Bulgaria's communist regime and people's life in geral in that period of time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $21
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).