LUXE/DETouR

Sofia tends to get overlooked on the European circuit, which suits it well. The city centre rewards unhurried exploration — Roman ruins sitting alongside Ottoman mosques and Orthodox churches, Soviet-era monuments on the same boulevard as contemporary galleries — all of it with Vitosha Mountain as a constant backdrop. The café culture is well established, the food scene has improved considerably, and the crowds that have caught up with other Balkan capitals largely haven’t arrived yet.