The 7 Best Bookstores in Sofia, Bulgaria, for English Books

Whether you’re an expat, traveller, or local bibliophile in search of your next read, Sofia, Bulgaria offers a surprisingly rich selection of bookstores catering to English-language readers.

From quirky independent shops to well-stocked chains, this guide highlights the best places in Sofia to find English books, complete with locations, opening hours, and insider details that make each spot worth a visit:

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1. Elephant Bookstore

• Location: Sofia Center, ul. “Tsar Shishman” 31, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM

Elephant Bookstore is a beloved independent shop with a vintage, Harry Potter–themed vibe. Specializing in English-language books, particularly second‑hand, rare editions, modern fiction, LGBTQ+ titles, comics and manga.

The vibe is super-cool, but this felt more like a gift shop to me; there’s a lot of memorabilia and curated quirky gifts. I found the “famous guests” wall a little off-putting too, though I appreciated the nod to Victor Krum, Harry Potter’s nod to Bulgaria!

There are some genuine vintage items for sale though. I was tempted by a Soviet-era pamphlet for women, but the price was a little steep.

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2. Greenwich Book Center

• Location: Sofia Center, Vitosha Blvd 37, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: 9:00AM – 9:00 PM Monday to Friday, 10:00AM – 9:00 PM Saturday, 10:00AM – 8:00 PM Sunday

Greenwich Book Center lies on bustling Vitosha Boulevard. It features a cosy bookshop + café atmosphere, plus a bar area at the entrance.

It offers a solid selection of English-language books, with particularly strong romance/YA/fantasy/sci‑fi sections, and options to order titles they don’t carry in stock. Pick a book, grab a drink, settle in.

I found Greenwich Book Center a little hard to find at first (don’t trust Google Maps to show you how to get there – it’s around the corner from where you think). The entrance was also easy to miss, so I didn’t have high expectations.

However, the place was huge inside! And the English-language section was really big too. In general, I’m surprised how much modern romance fiction can be found in Bulgarian bookstores: it usually accounts for half the English selection!

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3. FOX Book Café

• Location: Sofia Center, William Gladstone St 32, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM daily

FOX Book Café doubles as a café and boutique bookstore. Downstairs hosts a children’s play and reading space; upstairs cosy seating framed by antique furniture.

They carry books in multiple languages—including English—especially children’s and illustrated books, alongside snacks, cakes, espresso. A relaxing spot for reading, working or enjoying a coffee with a book in hand.

I loved the vibe here, though the books were a little hard to peruse amongst the tables and chairs. I could easily spend a whole afternoon in a comfy armchair with a good book and cup of coffee.

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4. Booktrading

• Location: Sofia Center, ul. “Graf Ignatiev” 15, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM Sunday

Booktrading is a large bookstore chain. The store at Graf Ignatiev has a dedicated second floor for original English titles, covering genres from fantasy to nonfiction. They also stock Bulgarian editions and offer a pleasant shopping environment with helpful staff.

Again, I was surprised by the extensive English titles, though there was a heavy leaning towards romance and Chick Lit.

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5. Orange Center (Orange Bookstore)

• Location: Sofia Center, pl. “Petko R. Slaveykov” 10, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM daily

This chain, listed as Orange Bookstore or Orange Center, offers a wide selection of English books, frequently including new releases (sometimes available even before Bulgarian translation).

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It also hosts mostly foreign‑language sections and a café area where visitors can browse comfortably and even enjoy a drink.

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6. Ciela (КНИЖАРНИЦА СИЕЛА – Ректората)

• Location: Old City Center, Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd 22, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: 8:30 AM – 8:30 PM Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM Saturday, 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM Sunday

Ciela Bookmania / Knigomania stores are major chains with large inventories—Knigomania specializes in imports of English and Russian language books, with over 40,000 titles, often able to order anything not in stock.

I liked Ciela’s multi-level layout, including a “book caving” basement and huge selection, including English sci‑fi, fantasy, classics, children’s, non‑fiction.

I also appreciated how organised the books were! usually the English section in foreign bookstores is a hodgepodge of everything, but the shelves were well laid out ad clearly labelled.

They also have a branch on the main shopping street in town (see above), but I didn’t venture into this one.

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7. Mahala Independent Bookstore

• Location: Sofia Center, ul. “Georgi Benkovski” 27, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
• Opening hours: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM Tuesday to Sunday (Closed Mondays)

Mahala Bookstore is a smaller independent shop with a superb selection English‑language books and magazines and appreciated for its selection of indie, thoughtful, curated titles in English.

I’ve saved the best for last because this was my favourite Sofia bookstore that I visited. The selection is small, but curated. It’s in a quiet, bohemian-feeling part of town. Very hipster, but laidback and cool.

It was also the easiest place to pick up a book by a Bulgarian writer in English. The staff were super friendly and helpful.

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More Sofia Bookstores

This is by no means a definitive list of Sofia bookstores. As I wandered around the capital, I seemed to come across a store for new or used books every block! However, most had a very small and modest English section, so I’ve just included the seven above in my list, which have the best range.

If you have any other bookstores to recommend, let me know in the comments!

More Fantastic Books & Where to Find Them

For more of what to read where, check out my full Travel Books Guide, filled with book recommendations for different destinations, the most beautiful bookstores around the world, tips on how to get the best deals on audiobooks and e-books, as well as more literary travel.