Bulgaria's capital Sofia has ranked as the best bargain among 56 European cities in the Europe Backpacker Index for this year.
In the ranking's seventh annual edition, Sofia is described as "a fantastic bargain among European capitals."
It has "a very pleasant city center that is quite welcoming of foreign tourists."
However, while prices of "nearly everything" are cheap, this does not apply to "inbound flights from other major cities" and for this reason Sofia is "out of the way for anyone who isn't doing an extensive tour of the region."
It is also estimated that a day in Sofia costs a tourist BGN 43.75, or USD 24.04 - slightly below the second city in the ranking, Krakow (USD 24.82). It estimates an overnight stay in the cheapest hostel is worth BGN 11.45 with breakfast, while budget meals cost BGN 16.80 on average. One should set aside BGN 7.50 for drinks and BGN 6 for attractions.
However, the index has not taken into account that a single public transport ticket now costs BGN 1.60 and uses the previous price of BGN 1, estimating it would take BGN 2 for two rides per day.
This does not affect Sofia's ranking as it would keep daily expenses slightly below those in Krakow.
More about the index is available here.