Getting official information about Sofia can be difficult. The National Information and Publicity Centre , at pl. Sveta Nedelya 1 ( Tsentâr za natsionalna informatsiya i reklama ; Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; tel 02/987 9778, ), doesn't always have the answers to specific queries about the capital, though the staff are English-speaking and friendly. They also have a limited amount of information and brochures on other parts of Bulgaria. More useful is the commercial travel agent Odysseia-In , bul. Stamboliiski 20 (entrance round the corner on ul. Lavele; Mon-Fri 9am-6.30pm, plus Sat & Sun in summer 9am-5pm; tel 02/989 0538, ), who specialize in independent travel, and offer accommodation bookings in Sofia and throughout Bulgaria, advice on rural tourism and hiking, and have a good selection of maps for sale. They charge a hefty US$2.50 consultation fee, but this is deducted from the price of any accommodation you book through them.

You'll find several reasonable city maps , most featuring public transport routes, on sale at newsstands and street stalls. For listings , the monthly English-language brochure Sofia City Info Guide (free from big hotels - try the lobby of the Sheraton if you can't find one elsewhere; or available online at ) has comprehensive details of what's on in town as well as advice for new arrivals in the city. There's also a weekly English-language newspaper , the increasingly authoritarive Sofia Echo ( ; available from central newsstands), which offers good cultural listings as well as up-to-date coverage of Bulgarian politics and business news.