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National Museum of History

Sofia

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Housed in the former communist presidential palace, this museum occupies a stunning, if inconvenient, setting; unless a coach party turns up, you may have the place to yourself. The exhaustive collection includes Thracian gold treasures, Roman statuary, folk costumes, weaponry and icons, and outside you can see some Russian MiG fighters. There are regular temporary exhibitions, too.

Guided tours in English must be requested two weeks in advance by email. To get here, take public transport or a taxi (about 10 lv one way) from the city centre.

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