Top 50 best museums in Bulgaria

Saint Nedelya Cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox cathedral located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It serves as a cathedral of the Sofia bishopric of the Bulgarian Patriarchate. This religious site is a significant part of the city's spiritual and cultural heritage, offering visitors a glimpse into the rich history and traditions of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is a significant religious and architectural landmark. Constructed in the Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria. It is also recognized as one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume globally.

The National Palace of Culture, also known by its initials NDK, is a congress palace located in the heart of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It was inaugurated in 1981 to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the birth of the Bulgarian state. The palace is a significant cultural and historical landmark, offering a glimpse into the country's past and its cultural evolution.

The Dragalevtsi Monastery of the Holy Mother of God of Vitosha is a Bulgarian Orthodox monastery situated on the lower slopes of Vitosha mountain, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of western Bulgaria. This location offers a serene and tranquil environment, making it an ideal place for tourists seeking peace and quiet. The monastery's location also provides a stunning view of the surrounding landscape, adding to its appeal for visitors.

The Rotunda of St. George, an early Christian church, is a significant historical site located in the heart of Sofia, Bulgaria. Constructed from red brick, the church is situated in the area known as Serdica, which is the historical center of the city. This location offers visitors a chance to explore the rich history of Sofia and its early Christian roots.

The National Institute and Museum of Archaeology (National Institute of Archaeology with Museum in Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) is devoted to the culture of tribes and peoples that have occupied present day Bulgaria from the remote past until the 18th century. The museum is an archaeological museu

The Regional Ethnographic museum of Plovdiv houses over 40,000 objects mostly relating to the traditions of the population of Plovdiv and its cultural and economic environment. The collection of the Regional Ethnographic museum of Plovdiv includes objects made of copper, pottery, ancient weapons, wo

The National Museum of Military History (NMMH) is a state museum devoted to cultural valuables connected with the national and European military history. The museum holds a collection with over 1,000,000 objects, including weapons, artillery, armored and motor vehicles, decorations, uniforms, flags,

The Varna Archaeological Museum is housed in a former Girls’ High School (1892 - 1898), designed by Bulgarian architect Petko Momchilov in New Renaissance style. The museum holds a collection of objects from the prehistoric, Thracian, Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman periods, the times of the medieva

The Banya Bashi Mosque, also known as Seyfullah Efendi Mosque, is a significant historical and religious site in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is the only active mosque in the city and is considered one of the oldest mosques in Europe. This mosque, built during the Ottoman Empire, continues to serve as a place of worship and is a testament to the city's rich history and cultural diversity.

The Art Gallery & Museum Philippopolis is an art gallery that holds a private art collection, that includes works from the classical Bulgarian Revival period to works by renown contemporary artists. The museum is housed in a restored house of Hadji Aleko Tzvetkov that was originally built in 1865.

Kvadrat 500 - National Gallery in Sofia is the largest building of the National Gallery. The museum holds a collection of over 42,000 art pieces by Bulgarian and international artists, of which around 1,700 are exhibited in in 28 rooms on four floors. The collection of Bulgarian art dates back to t

The Regional Archaeological Museum in Plovdiv is a history museum in Plovdiv that holds a collection of over 100.000 artefacts related to the history of the city and its region. The history of Plovdiv goes back to being the biggest and most famous ancient town in the Balkan Penninsula: Philippopolis

The Sofia History Museum is housed in the former building of the Central Mineral Baths and is devoted to ethnography, archaeology, economy, and cultural life in Sofia and its region. The museum has a collection of around 120,000 objects, covering the period between 6th millennium BC up to the1940s,

The Museum of Socialist Art in Sofia is an art museum that covers the history of the communist era in Bulgaria. The museum holds and displays a collection of statues, busts, and paintings from the establishment of the People's Republic of Bulgaria to the fall of communism, roughly from 1944 to 1989.

The National Museum of Natural History in Sofia (NMNHS) is the first natural history museum on the Balkans and is devoted to the preservation of scientific collections of live and non-live nature. The museum consists of fifteen halls on four floors. The collection includes a Caroline parrot, a monk

The Plovdiv Regional Historical Museum (Regional History Museum - Plovdiv) is dedicated to the past of Plovdiv and its region in the period from the 15the century until the 20th century. The museum holds a collection of over 60,000 pieces, including a collections of cold steel and firearms, orders a

The Festa Dolphinarium in Varna was founded in 1984. The futuristic Dolphinarium building features a front wall of glass and aluminum, designed by architect Simeon Saraliev. During regular days, there are performances of dolphin shows three times a day. Visitors can touch and feed the animals.

The National Maritime Museum is dedicated to the history of the Bulgarian navy, which it illustrates from its establishment in 1879 to the present, focuses mainly on its military side. The collection of the museum includes photographs, documents, anchors, sailor`s and officer`s uniforms, scale model

The Balabanov House was built in the 19th century by wealthy merchant and usurer, member of the tailors’ guild, Hadji Panayot Lampsha and ended up in the hands of the merchant of wood Luka Balabanov, whose name the house bears now. It exemplifies the symmetrical houses from the 19th century that wer

Aviation Museum in Plovdiv (the Bulgarian Museum of Aviation) is located near the airport south east of Plovdiv. The museum holds a collection of around 7,000 objects and 65 aircraft, including airplanes, helicopters, gliders and radio -relay stations.

The Varna Zoo opened in 1961 and is home to 60 species of animals, with more than 300 individual animals. Seventeen of these are protected species. Besides welcoming visitors, the zoo is also acting as an animal rescue centre.

MUZEIKO - America for Bulgaria Children's Museum in Sofia is the largest children's science center in Eastern Europe. The museum features around 130 interactive games, science studios and art workshops. Muzeiko features special themed exhibitions, namely: Iconic Tree, Early Childhood Area, Planetari

Cultural Center-Museum TrakArt is a history museum in Plovdiv. It features 160 square metres “in situ” ancient Roman mosaic from the 3rd - 4th century, an exhibition called 'Glass in ancient art' that illustrates the development of glass manufacturing from the 5th century BC till the 4th century AD,

National Gallery - The Palace is housed in the Royal Palace that was built after the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878. The museum has temporary exhibitions of Bulgarian and foreign art on display.

The Earth and Man National Museum is a mineralogical museum in Sofia. The museum is housed in a historic building that was constructed at the end of the 19th century as part of the Sofia Arsenal complex. The Earth and Man National Museum is one of the biggest mineralogical museums in the world. Its

The Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium Copernicus is named after Nikolai Kopernik and was opened in 1968, making it the first astronomical complex in Bulgaria. The complex comprises an astronomical observatory, a planetarium and a tower with Phuko’s pendulum.

The Small Basilica in Plodiv, also called The Small Basilica of Philippopolis was an early Christian church. The ruins of the church were found during construction works in 1988. It was a three nave basilica that was built in the second half of the 5th century AD and contained rich architectural dec

The Ethnographic Museum Varna is located in a house that belongs to the age of Revival, built around 1860. The museum presents the variety in culture and style of life of the population in Varna and its region. The museum focuses on the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

The National Ethnographic Museum in Sofia is housed in the former royal residence in Sofia. The museum holds a collection that includes costumes, goldsmithery, copper objects, agriculture, wood carvings, furniture, ceramics, fabrics and embroideries, carpets, ritual objects and foreign art.

Park-Museum of Military Friendship 1444 Vladislav Varnenchik is located at the place of the battlefield from 10.11.1444 , where the Polish- Hungarian King Vladislav Yagello was killed. The museum holds a collection that contains arms and equipment from the 15th century, found on the battlefield (inc

The Museum of the Revival is housed in a building from the 19th century, which had several purposes, including being a high school for girls after the Liberation. The museum highlights important moments of the history of Varna and its region during the Revival period in the 19th century. The first f

The Varna Aquarium & Black Sea Museum is an aquarium based in Varna, that focuses on the flora and fauna of the Black Sea. The aquarium holds over 140 fish species, including freshwater fish, Mediterranean fish, exotic species, but also mussels and algae.

The National Polytechnical Museum is a science museum in Sofia that is housed in a building formerly used as a museum devoted to Georgi Dimitrov. The collection of the museum consists of over 22,000 objects of which 1,000 are on permanent display. Its collection is segmented in various themes, inclu

The Sofia Zoo is a zoo that covers an area of 36 hectares and is the oldest and largest zoo in the Balkans, founded in 1888. The zoo is home to around 2,500 animals from all over the world, representing more than 300 species. The zoo houses 81 species of mammals, 78 species of birds, 46 species of r