National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
National Museum of Natural History, Sofia
4
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The exhibitions of National Museum of Natural History at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences occupy 15 halls on 4 floors. It exhibits the Caroline parrot, which became extinct world-wide, the monk seal, bearded vulture, little bustard, grey and maiden crane, steppe viper, German sturgeon, all of which extinct in Bulgaria. Large mammals recently exhibited are the white rhinoceros, the Himalayan bear, cheetahs, buffalos. The visitors are intrigued by one of the last pure-bred aurochs found in nature, the brown bear proclaimed as the largest in Europe, the rare small panda, the beautiful birds of paradise, toucans, the Californian condor extinct in the wild nature, the different types of pheasants with splendid feathers, the giant African tortoise, the blind cave fish from America, the Periophtalmus fish, which can move on land as well. The Museum is open every day except 1 January, 3 March, Easter and 25 December. Last admission is at 17:30.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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- Serdika II • 8 min walk
- St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University • 9 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
191 reviews
Excellent
80
Very good
64
Average
35
Poor
10
Terrible
2
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Joerg-Ulrichr
Obernkirchen, Germany637 contributions
Sep 2024 • Solo
The Natural History Museum in Sofia is definitely worth a visit. The museum can be found diagonally opposite the National Bank. Also nearby is the archaeological museum. In the Natural History Museum, visitors first get an impression of the regional flora and fauna. You can also see stuffed animals from other latitudes of this earth. The interested visitor gets to see a variety of beautifully stuffed animals on several floors, from the small bird to the squirrel to the big game. Of course, there is no lack of the corresponding inscription in English. In the basement of the museum there are some aquariums with fish. No entrance fee was charged on the day of my visit. However, an entrance fee may have to be paid. Admission would be free of charge anyway if I presented my severely disabled ID card. Very worth seeing!
Automatically translated
Written September 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
L H Larsson
Lund, Sweden73 contributions
Aug 2023 • Solo
A nice museum, though small and old-fashioned and traditional in its structure.
A whole floor is devoted to geology and I think the exhibition of minerals and rocks is of a very high class. Other collections more traditional with stuffed birds and other animals in displays. The room with insects unfortunately smelled of pesticides. On the ground floor during my visit there was an exhibition about pollinating insects. Good and educational!
A whole floor is devoted to geology and I think the exhibition of minerals and rocks is of a very high class. Other collections more traditional with stuffed birds and other animals in displays. The room with insects unfortunately smelled of pesticides. On the ground floor during my visit there was an exhibition about pollinating insects. Good and educational!
Written September 4, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas Desmet
Ghent, Belgium105 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
I absolutely loved this museum. The building and exhibits are very old, but absolutely charming. The museum is filled with steel and glass cabinets full of animals. Especially the bigger animals are very impressive. The museum is not very big, so you can take your time to look around at ease. It would be a pity if the museum were to be renovated, because it would lose its old charm. Definitely a must see if you are interested in animals.
Written May 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chris B
Sheffield, UK153 contributions
Jan 2017 • Solo
Go there, don't be put off by the unassuming entrance with its quirky shops (do look for the huge dinosaur in the one on the lhs) and read nothing into the ludicrously low price (4 lev for adults). It's a gem.
I agree with the general consensus seemingly developing among reviews that the 'dated' feel is a positive feature of this museum. I was struck that there had been more thought put into some of the displays than has seemed to be the case in newer collections I've seen elsewhere in Europe. I like clean and crisp in museums usually but this feels - somehow just right. Loved the floors too.
Some cases have QR codes on them for further info (albeit some of them just to wikipedia) & videos - I was told this is being expanded and to me feels a better way to develop the museum than revamping it physically.
You could make a visit here last as long as you wanted - I would happily have spent three hours had I not arrived with only two left before closing. The children there with their parents (under 10s) seemed to be loving it as much as I was.
First floor geology. And a lovely collection it is. This was one of the most varied collections I've seen, in terms of the range of mineral and rock types included. English descriptions are limited, but all are identified.
Second floor birds - a vast, eclectic mix with some lovely specimens.
Third floor is mainly mammals - not sure if the oldish homo sapiens sat at a desk chuckling away at a game he was playing on a tablet was an exhibit or staff. Endearing all the same.
Nice chance for kids to have photos taken with tigers, etc., with no glare from reflection in the room in which there were no glass cabinets too.
Fourth floor plants and insects and a nice more modern area which sadly seems more to be a focus for educational events. The plants section is the weak point of the museum but butterflies and other insects are a nice collection.
I agree with the general consensus seemingly developing among reviews that the 'dated' feel is a positive feature of this museum. I was struck that there had been more thought put into some of the displays than has seemed to be the case in newer collections I've seen elsewhere in Europe. I like clean and crisp in museums usually but this feels - somehow just right. Loved the floors too.
Some cases have QR codes on them for further info (albeit some of them just to wikipedia) & videos - I was told this is being expanded and to me feels a better way to develop the museum than revamping it physically.
You could make a visit here last as long as you wanted - I would happily have spent three hours had I not arrived with only two left before closing. The children there with their parents (under 10s) seemed to be loving it as much as I was.
First floor geology. And a lovely collection it is. This was one of the most varied collections I've seen, in terms of the range of mineral and rock types included. English descriptions are limited, but all are identified.
Second floor birds - a vast, eclectic mix with some lovely specimens.
Third floor is mainly mammals - not sure if the oldish homo sapiens sat at a desk chuckling away at a game he was playing on a tablet was an exhibit or staff. Endearing all the same.
Nice chance for kids to have photos taken with tigers, etc., with no glare from reflection in the room in which there were no glass cabinets too.
Fourth floor plants and insects and a nice more modern area which sadly seems more to be a focus for educational events. The plants section is the weak point of the museum but butterflies and other insects are a nice collection.
Written January 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosanna
13 contributions
Jul 2021
This museum is very nice, definitely child friendly. It doesn't get all five points because there's no dinosaurs.
Written July 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bálint N
264 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
An old museum with lots of different animals.
Compared to The natural musem in Strassbourg (France) or in Budapest (Hungary) this seems to be the biggest and seems to have the most variety of animals exhibited.
Most of them are only within a "vitrine", but there are some nice compositions as well.
Compared to The natural musem in Strassbourg (France) or in Budapest (Hungary) this seems to be the biggest and seems to have the most variety of animals exhibited.
Most of them are only within a "vitrine", but there are some nice compositions as well.
Written July 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
alisdair t
Workington, UK6,344 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
I love natural history museums, and this ranks as one of the best small ones I have visited. We had the whole place virtually to ourselves when we were there. Ovver 4 floors, crammed with exhibits, well laid out in order. The ground floor is dedicated to geology, with good mineral exhibits, and the top floor, bugs, insects, butterflies, etc. Great bird displays, and animal ones too. One of the highlights of our visit to sofia. AND THEY LET ME TAKE PHOTOS
Written November 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tourist3603
Dundee, UK28 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
I'm not a big fan of taxidermy but there is a certain charm about this museum. Be warned if you are taking kids that this is not interactive in any way but really old school. Doesn't matter of you hate all of that. It is worth a visit for the ground floor alone. The no etsls are fabulous. Every one is labelled in English and there are great diagram.s to help you understand how they were formed and which family they belong to. But the best bit for me was getting my sticky paws on enormous examples which were not under glass and had no do not touch signs. It's incredible and makes you feel part of earth'life cycle. And it was cheap. Until I got to the little shop! The assistant had no English at all but got a book out to show me exactly what minerals I was buying and what properties they have. Shop is available without going into the museum btw and is a tiny treasure trove.
Written July 27, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Filip M
Sofia, Bulgaria13 contributions
Apr 2016 • Solo
One of the best museums in Europe. The museum's collections are very extensive and date back to the Bulgarian monarchy. A perfect visit would be at night (only possible during European Night of the Museums) as the museum has a very peculiar ambiance!
Written November 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pun
London, England, United Kingdom185 contributions
Nov 2015 • Friends
This is not like the NHMs you get in bigger cities, but a perfect example of how you can still get this education around the world. Good breadth of the natural world covered, and a nice way to pass the time. Only 4 Lev entry, well worth it
Written November 27, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our exhibition is open on Monday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00
The Museum is open every day except 1 January, 3 March, Easter [Eastern] and 25 December.
Last admission is at 17:00.
Written July 26, 2022
Our exhibition is open on Monday to Sunday, from 10:00 to 18:00
The Museum is open every day except 1 January, 3 March, Easter [Eastern] and 25 December.
Last admission is at 17:00.
Written July 26, 2022
Salve,
come posso provare il mio status di studente? E' necessaria per forza una ISIC card? Grazie
Written April 29, 2017
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