At the beginning of 2023, the children playgrounds in Sofia were over 1700, almost half of them however need repairs. Here are some of our favorite places to play, hoping that their number will increase, and in Sofia there will be more places for safe, and amusing games.   

(1) At the elephant – Borisova Gradina – the park is very well maintained, besides playgrounds there are two lakes – one with lilies and turtles, the other one with ducks. There are swings and climbing frames for children of all ages. The only inconvenience is the parking, as the nearby parking spaces are the Green Zone, where the maximum stay is 4 hours, which limits the stay in the park.

(2) North Park – there are wonderful children’s facilities, as well as a beautiful lake. Here is the largest playground for children from 0 to 3 years old, separated in the upper part of the lake and forming as if part of a port – with numerous climbing boats, submarines-slides, octopus-benches and 6 baby swings. The only inconvenience is that the entire playground is in the sun and the metal slides quickly heat up in the summer and become unusable. Behind the port is Nadezhda Airport,  which is a playground for older children, with numerous slides, climbing frames made as airplanes and terminals.

(3) South Park – there are many shady and quiet alleys excellent for putting a baby to sleep in a stroller. In the park there are also several lakes with ducks and a river passing through the entire park. There is also a variety of playgrounds, one of the most beautiful of which is Alphabets, where there are swings and slides for disadvantaged children,  something that is rare not only for Sofia, but also for Bulgaria. Unfortunately, there is only one baby swing in the whole park and the facilities for children from 0 to 3 years old are not so nice, but for older children there are all sorts of attractions – several inflatable palaces for jumping, carousels, trains, bumping strollers, a lake with boats, etc.
South Park is an excellent place for a picnic.

There are 65 bird species in South Park, 29 of them protected and 2 listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria.

Some of the attractions in the park also work in winter

(4) Geo Milev Park – the park may not be so big, but it is a very picturesque and excellent place for children. There are several playgrounds, one of which is the unique Music Playground (also called Margaritka / Daisy), where children can play xylophone, drums, and jump on a trampoline.

(5) Lagera Park in Lagera district has many nice rink houses, but unfortunately most of the facilities do not work and are broken. The slide is metal and quickly heats up in the summer and can not be used. Lovely park… for pictures, not so much for games…

(6) Zapaden Park – in the summer of 2021, the renovation of the alleys and facilities in the West Park was completed. Unfortunately, as early as the beginning of 2022, some of the new playgrounds have already been broken, but the park is a wonderful place for walks, games and laughter among the crooked mirrors.

(7) Slatina River Park – located not far from Geo Milev Park, along the park there is a river, with bridges, and in spring you can meet hedgehogs among the trees. In the park there is a children’s playground for the younger and a fitness playground for the older ones. On the other side of the river there is another playground that we call the train, because of the large facilities such as the train and the site is much larger compared to the one in the park.

(8) The playground at the National Palace of Culture did not impress us, unlike the beautiful fountains. There are two nice slides, but the playground is relatively small. There are nice skating alleys here.

(9) The playground at the five corners or the so-called Madara Garden – here the facilities are not the newest, but there is enough space for other games, such as chaser, hide and seek, etc. The place is suitable for younger and older children.

(10) The playground in the Doctor’s Garden – it is very well separated for the youngest. However, it is often full of children.

(11) Zaimov Park – In Zaimov Park there are wonderful alleys for stroller walks, as well as two playgrounds for games, which on weekends are full of kids. Interesting is the Fairytale House erected here, in which many fairy-tale characters are presented through music and lights. However, it is necessary to register in advance, and entry is only possible at certain times.

(12) Zdrave Park – the park is located between the busy intersections of Bulgaria and Geshov Blvd., but it is skillfully nestled on a small hill with lots of greenery and wonderful facilities for children. Ideal place for games. 

(13) Krasno Selo – tucked away between the blocks this is one of the best preserved playgrounds in Krasno Selo district. The only minus is that the nice slide-dog is metal and in summer it can be used only early in the morning.

(14) Krasno Selo at Buxton Blvd. – this is one of the few playgrounds that is almost all day in the shade and is an ideal playground for young children during the hot summer days. Excellent preserved facilities.

(15) Krasno selo “The playground opposite Kaufland” – a wonderful shady playground, which for the moment is very well maintained and great for games for young and older children. There is even a stand for a children’s store where the kids can sell the found petals and pebbles.

(16) Krasno Selo next to Bulgaria Boulevard – this is a very lively playground, which is almost always full of children, and yet it is a well-preserved and preferred place for young and old.

(17) The site at Lidl in Borovo – in fact these are two playgrounds connected to each other, one of which is set aside for children up to 3 years old, and next to it another playground for older children. The initial gazebo has now been replaced with a new slide, hopefully the renovations and good maintenance will continue.

(18) Belite Brezi Park – a very well preserved children’s playground with colorful swings and slides. There is plenty of room for running and playing.

(19) The playground opposite Comsed – next to each other are two playgrounds for the younger and the older children. They are located on Todor Kableshkov Str. opposite the children’s store Comsed.

(20) The Green Island playground (behind Mall Bulgaria) – a very spacious and relatively modern playground with plenty of space for playing, running and climbing. The playground is divided for younger and older children. The only minus again is that all facilities are heated in the sun and in summer they can be used only in the morning.

(21) Oborishte – In the immediate vicinity of Serdika Mall and Sitnyakovo Blvd. are hidden two very well preserved interactive playgrounds, which we are happy to visit. Here is the first of them.

(22) Jungle playground in Oborishte – This playground is called Jungle and is suitable even for children under 3 years of age, for whom there is a separate baby swing, and the slide has comfortable large steps.

(23) Knyazhevo Playground (GPS Coordinates: Latitude 42.6583771, Longitude 23.2408023) – This site was opened in November 2018 and is located in the grove next to the last stop of tram No5. It is still well preserved, very shady and even in the greatest heat with cool mountain air. There are two children’s playgrounds for the youngest and older kids and it is a wonderful place for games.

(24) Children’s playground City Center – right next to Mall Park Center Sofia, in the direction of the National Palace of Culture there is a very nice playground with a place for running, hide and seek and climbing frames. From here starts a wonderful park for walks.

(25) Druzhba Park – in 2020 the playground in Druzhba Park was renovated creating a real fairytale playground – with dragons, carriages, castles, and for older children a huge pipe slide. Unfortunately, only a year later, most of the seesaws are missing, but it is still a wonderful place to play. In the immediate vicinity there is a large lake with ducks and fountains.