national institute of archaeology with museum

Center-located this venue has all original exhibits (with an exception of 2-3 objects). There are 3 floors devoted to the Ancient, Thracian and Medieval periods accordingly. Among the most precious exhibits are: Thracian treasure (partly), unique double-sided icon of Madonna and St. John, ancient ritual tools, Roman sculptures and many more.There are tour guides in English and other European languages.Entrance fee is 10 lv.(Frankly, if you are searching for a full understanding of the history of Bulgaria, better visit National History museum. It's far away from the center but it's definitely worth it.)

As a Bulgarian I underestimated the museum for years, as I didn't think there would be some interesting for me. I accompanied a friend from Mexico and was pretty surprised by the artifacts that are to be seen there. The interesting thing is that the building itself is a historical place. The museum is divided pretty well by periods and everyone can easily go through the history in the different periods. There is also an exhibition of rare gold jewelry from the Thracian period. There are rare Christian icons, saved from different parts of the country during the Ottoman rule, as well as Romanian sculptures.I was really impressed to see all of this in one place.

Great museum that was wasnt packed and you couldnt take in the exibts ,i found i could really emjoy the museum ,people moan about not tacking a camera , take youre pencil and a pad ,thats sketch pad not i pad

I completed my visit in less than two hours. Photo taking is prohibited and several legends of objects were wrongly (they were mostly falsely numbered but in overall this does not cause big problems). I expected this museum would present Bulgaria's history but for this the national history museum is more relevant.

An excellent museum, only down side was that I wasn't allowed to take photographs. Definitely worth the time to visit, and can be completed in a hour or so. Last Sunday of the month entry is free, so make the time to visit if you are in Sofia on the last Sunday of the month. One of the best attractions in Sofia for me.

A tip. This is totally free on the Last Sunday of the month. So if you're around this time, make best use of this

As a flying kiwi, I look out for these sorts of places. We don't see things like those in the museum where I come from; and a the proximity is encouraged by the lack of barriers. To stand in front of a marble sculpture from before the time of Christ is a buzz. Few visitors were there, so we had the place virtually to ourselves. The grave steles were remarkable, and the golden death masks ....... mind-blowing. I loved the icons and frescos, and the mosaics from the floors of the early church. There are objects in each upstairs room that show a progressive occupation of the area over the centuries, and they are mostly in stunning conditionWithin walking distance of the centre of Sofia

This is a good solid museum with lots of history and archaeology. Some of the exhibits on the second level are particularly impressive, as they date back thousands of years.

I sat beside a fountain just across from this museum waiting for the changing of the guard (every hour on the hour) outside the Presidency building. Well worth trying to time your visit here to coincide with the changing of the guard.

This is a fairly small museum but it holds a nice collection of artefacts. Contrary to an earlier review, I didn't feel a need to have a particular interest in Bulgarian history to enjoy the items on display. The exhibits range from stone-age tools, bronze age artefacts, religious icons, armour, weapons, sculptures, jewellery and pottery. A great variety.Photographs are permitted - but no flash photography (which is common in museums).Well worth a visit - especially on a rainy day!

This was one of the more interesting displays of ancient artifacts. Usually I get to the point of doing the speed review but, this was well organized with good quality artifacts that were a representative sample. It held my interest. It was also helpful that the pieces had been obtained relatively regionally.

Unless you're super into Bulgarian ancient history, this museum doesn't hold a lot for you. Maybe it was just the english explanations of things, but I found the info sheet just TOO much info as once, without explaining how they were connected. One of the most interesting things when I went was a collection of coins that artists from all over the world had designed.

A small but excellent collection in an attractive building.I like the the ground floor collection and how it opens out around the room. I enjoyed following the early prehistoric history of the area on the first floor.The collection of treasure on the second floor was excellent with some marvelous pieces of gold especially the death masks

I love history and this has a good--not extensive like Athens, but worthwhile--collection of artifacts. Well worth the visit for anyone who enjoys history.

The building is pretty, a former mosque I think. I'll go straight to the point! Start with the last floor as this is where the Thracian treasures shine and will put their spell on you for ever! Marvel at their sophistication and be grateful you were blessed to get to see them in surprisingly good condition, given their venerable age! There are so many details, so much to read, to dream about, that you'll want to gaze at those artifacts at least twice and all of a sudden you may also feel happiness of unknown origin and magnitude! :)Then admire on the 2nd floor the numerous statues or Madonas representative for the old cult of the Goddess Mother or Cybele and last, on the ground floor, most fascinating items are on the left side as you enter the museum. And all these wonders will have only cost you 3 euros!