Best time to visit Sofia

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
123457875321
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
6791096
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
272419131011101011131724
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
453529181214141316192641
September 10/10 feels 23°C (+2°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 96/100
Day 24° · Night 13° 47% humidity 13 km/h wind 6 rain days (50h) 243h sun
Thermal 10
Sky 10
Rain 9
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

How is this scored? HCI / Steadman / CCI gate — full methodology and citations below.

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Tours in Sofia

7 top-rated tours via Viator. Booking links earn this site a commission at no cost to you. Map locations are approximate (centred on Sofia).

  1. 1Sofia: History and Heritage - Small Group City Tour4.94★ (140)from $21🔥 Selling fast
  2. 2Sofia Escape Room - Teorema Rooms4.99★ (978)1h 15mfrom $36
  3. 3Wine Tasting in Heart of Sofia4.92★ (565)1hfrom $35
  4. 4Life Under Communism - Small Group Guided Tour in Sofia5.00★ (2)1h 30mfrom $23🔥 Selling fast
  5. 5Communist Walking Tour of Sofia4.88★ (744)3hfrom $21
  6. 6Drinks of Bulgaria with Traditional Wine and Rakia Tasting5.00★ (4)2hfrom $29
  7. 7Sofia Hidden Gems: Small-Group Walking Tour with Tram Ride5.00★ (9)from $23

Last refreshed 2026-06-28.

Similar climatesPlovdiv94% · Veliko Tarnovo94% · Bucharest93%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Sofia (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Sofia's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan -2–6 2 8 115 14.4 65% 15 153 1 Quiet 5
Feb -1–10 7 6 76 12.7 59% 14 169 2 Quiet 6
Mar 1–11 8 11 134 12.2 54% 14 192 3 Quiet 6
Apr 5–16 13 10 128 12.8 51% 15 224 4 Quiet 7
May 10–21 19 13 124 9.5 53% 14 256 5 Quiet 8
Jun 14–25 25 11 104 9.5 54% 12 297 7 Quiet 9
Jul 17–29 29 4 39 9.8 43% 13 329 8 Quiet 8
Aug 17–29 29 8 58 7.3 44% 13 287 7 Peak 8
Sep 13–24 23 6 50 8.3 47% 13 243 5 Busy 10
Oct 8–19 17 6 71 11.8 53% 13 208 3 Moderate 9
Nov 3–12 9 9 92 10.2 67% 13 148 2 Peak 6
Dec 0–7 4 12 136 11.3 74% 13 134 1 Busy 4

UV Index in Sofia by Month

UV index in Sofia peaks at 8 (high) in July, dropping to 1 (low) in December. June, July, August have high UV — SPF 30+ and sunglasses recommended.

Best months in detail

September

10/10

13–24°C · 6 rain days (50h) · 243 sun hours · 47% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (high)

October

9/10

8–19°C (feels 17°C) · 6 rain days (71h) · 208 sun hours · 53% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 3 (moderate)

June

9/10

14–25°C · 11 rain days (104h) · 297 sun hours · 54% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 7 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 9 (very high)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

5/10

-2–6°C (feels 2°C) · 8 rain days (115h) · 153 sun hours · 65% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 1 (low)

February

6/10

-1–10°C (feels 7°C) · 6 rain days (76h) · 169 sun hours · 59% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 2 (low)

March

6/10

1–11°C (feels 8°C) · 11 rain days (134h) · 192 sun hours · 54% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 3 (moderate)

April

7/10

5–16°C (feels 13°C) · 10 rain days (128h) · 224 sun hours · 51% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 4 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (high)

May

8/10

10–21°C (feels 19°C) · 13 rain days (124h) · 256 sun hours · 53% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 7 (high)

July

8/10

17–29°C · 4 rain days (39h) · 329 sun hours · 43% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 8 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 10 (very high)

August

8/10

17–29°C · 8 rain days (58h) · 287 sun hours · 44% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 7 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 9 (very high)

November

6/10

3–12°C (feels 9°C) · 9 rain days (92h) · 148 sun hours · 67% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 2 (low)

December

4/10

0–7°C (feels 4°C) · 12 rain days (136h) · 134 sun hours · 74% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 1 (low)

Frequently asked questions about visiting Sofia

When is the best time to visit Sofia?

September is the highest-scoring month (10/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 13–24°C (6 rainy days). The top three months by score are September, October, June.

What is the worst time to visit Sofia?

December is the lowest-scoring month (4/10). Typical conditions: 0–7°C (12 rainy days).

When are crowds lowest in Sofia?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in March and peaks in November. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Sofia have good weather but fewer tourists?

June (climate 9/10, crowd index 9) and October (climate 9/10, crowd index 48) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Sofia by month?

UV peaks at 8 (high) in July and is lowest in December at 1 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan 1, Feb 2, Mar 3, Apr 4, May 5, Jun 7, Jul 8, Aug 7, Sep 5, Oct 3, Nov 2, Dec 1.

What is the UV index in Sofia in July?

July is the peak UV month in Sofia, with a daily-peak UV index of 8 (high). Apply SPF 30+, wear sunglasses, and seek shade during midday hours.

How high can UV get in Sofia on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. July is the worst case: typical days average UV 8 (high), but the top 10% of days reach UV 10 (very high) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: April, May, June, July, August, September. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.

Is air quality in Sofia bad for travelers?

PM2.5 (fine-particle pollution) exceeds the WHO sensitive-group guideline (15 µg/m³) in 8 months: January, February, March, April, September, October, November, December. The worst month is January with a typical-day mean of 27 µg/m³ (unhealthy); on the worst 10% of days PM2.5 reaches 45 µg/m³ (hazardous) and higher. People with asthma, heart conditions, or sensitive children may want to avoid these months or limit outdoor activity. Source: CAMS via Open-Meteo.