FOR ICE CREAM LOVERS

If you're looking for the perfect place to stay in Sofia, Vitosha Downtown Apartments, located in the heart of the city, are the ideal choice, offering convenience and proximity to the best gelaterias and ice cream spots. Whether you're a fan of authentic Italian gelato or prefer natural vegan options, by staying with us, you'll have easy access to all of this and many more culinary delights.

Here are a few places in the center of Sofia where you can enjoy fantastic ice cream (or gelato).

• SladoledЪ www.facebook.com/sladoledA Address - City Garden, 1 Knyaz Alexander I Battenberg Street (just a few minutes walk from our apartments). Hours - Sunday to Friday from 10:30 AM to 8:00 PM, closed on Saturdays.

Near the fountain in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, there's a beautiful green retro kiosk. It used to sell newspapers. It was built in 1894, owned by the Vassilev Brothers, and was the first place in Sofia to offer foreign newspapers—from the New York Times to Le Monde. After being closed for a long time, the green retro kiosk was restored a few years ago and transformed into a place for incredibly delicious ice cream. Here, you can try a wide variety of flavors while enjoying the coolness of the park. SladoledЪ can also be found at 2 Krakra Street (near Zaimov Park).

• Gelateria Naturale www.gelaterianaturalesofia.com www.facebook.com/GelateriaNaturaleSofia Address - 12A Shishman Street (a 15-20 minute walk from our apartments). Hours - Every day from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Gelateria Naturale opened its doors in June 2015 and is the first place in Sofia to offer 100% natural artisanal gelato. The variety of flavors is extensive—dairy ice creams, vegan options, gluten-free, sugar-free, and sorbets made from fresh seasonal fruits. They are prepared using Italian recipes with natural Bulgarian products, without industrial mixes or ready-made bases, and without preservatives, colorants, or hydrogenated fats. Fresh seasonal fruits are used—strawberries, raspberries, figs, apricots, peaches, watermelon, melon, lemon, blueberries, and wild berries in summer; pears, plums, grapes, roasted pumpkin in autumn; dates, apples, bananas, and mandarins in winter. Other flavors include nocciola, chocolate, cream, vanilla, pistachio, hazelnut, almond, ricotta, tiramisu, and granola (muesli with organic yogurt). The vegan ice creams and sorbets are made with certified products and are enriched with rice protein. The gelateria organizes various themed parties and children's workshops where kids can learn the history of ice cream, become master gelato makers, and have fun with different games and quizzes while preparing their own delicious gelato. They also offer catering services and home delivery. At Gelateria Naturale, you can purchase a home ice cream machine, made in Italy, which allows you to make 1.5 kg of real ice cream in just 1 hour. It is suitable for homemade mixtures (liquid and powder). It is made of stainless steel inox, with an innovative design, a transparent lid, a protective system, and a separate cooling system.

• Afreddo Gelateria Address - 12 Vitosha Boulevard (1 minute walk from our apartments) Hours - Every day from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Afreddo Gelateria offers delicious Italian gelato right in the heart of the city, on Sofia’s largest pedestrian street—Vitoshka. Here, you'll find a wide variety of flavors and friendly staff. They also offer home delivery. Afreddo Gelateria also has a location in Plovdiv.

Gelato Fabbrica www.gelatofabbrica.com/bg Address - 17 Todor Alexandrov Boulevard (near Serdika metro station, just a few minutes' walk from our apartments). Hours - Every day from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM.

Gelato Fabbrica is a place where you can enjoy fine Italian ice cream, sorbets, and pastries in a pleasant atmosphere. Gelato flavors include pistachio, hazelnut, almond, chocolate, bacio, vanilla, stracciatella, salted caramel, yogurt, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, and various seasonal fruits. Gelato pastries include tiramisu, apple pie, lemon cream with white chocolate, cheesecake, crème caramel, and more. Sorbets include kiwi, pineapple, mango, strawberry, raspberry, fig, peach, pear with hazelnut, passion fruit, guava, lime, and various seasonal fruits. Vegan flavors include pistachio, chocolate, hazelnut, and almond. The cones come in various shapes and sizes as they are handmade.

Besides homemade ice cream and sorbets, Gelato Fabbrica offers great cakes (including ice cream cakes), handmade chocolates with selected cocoa bean varieties, hearts with delicate milk ice cream, strawberry cream and strawberry chocolate, macarons, crispy croissants, waffles with ice cream, fruits and toppings of your choice, éclairs, Christmas cookies (including vegan ones), coconut macaroons, butter cookies, sandwiches, Italian espresso, and other coffee specialties, homemade lemonades, smoothies, and milkshakes. Everything is made using homemade recipes, with carefully selected ingredients (fresh farm milk, fresh fruits and nuts, fragrant Madagascar vanilla, quality chocolate), without any preservatives (artificial flavorings, colorants, aromas, etc.).

Gelato Fabbrica can host various events. It has 32 seats of different types and a children's area with 2 tables and 8 chairs. Reservations are required in advance. They also offer catering services and an outdoor ice cream display for various celebrations. Orders can be placed by phone or online through their website.

JK Rollin Vitosha www.jk-rollin.com www.facebook.com/rollin.jk Address - 46 Vitosha Boulevard (a few minutes' walk from our apartments). Hours - Monday to Thursday from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11:00 AM to 12:00 AM.

JK Rollin is the first company in Bulgaria to offer Thai rolled ice cream (founded in 2018). The ice cream is handmade into elegant rolls that bring the flavors of Thailand to customers. They also offer sugar-free options. JK Rollin provides catering services for birthdays, corporate parties, weddings, and other events. Besides Sofia, you can find them in Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Sveti Vlas, Sunny Beach, Nessebar, Pomorie, Ravda, Sozopol, Primorsko, Kiten, and Lozenets.

Hans & Gretel - Sofia www.hansandgretel.bg Address - 50 Vitosha Boulevard (a few minutes' walk from our apartments). Hours - Every day from 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

Hans & Gretel is a magical place filled with lots of ice cream, candy, and all sorts of treats for both kids and adults.

Gelateria Vivaldi www.facebook.com/gelateriavivaldi.eu Address - 84 Vitosha Boulevard (near the National Palace of Culture, a few minutes' walk from our apartments). Hours - Every day from 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM.

At Gelateria Vivaldi, you'll find unique gelato combinations with amazing flavors—for example, gelato with basil, olive oil, and blue cheese; gelato with Damascena rose and raspberries; gelato with yogurt, pine nuts, and basil; gelato with Italian cheeses, jams, and honey; gelato with mango and mascarpone or caramelized almonds; blackberries with rosemary and black pepper; tiramisu gelato, and more. The owner creates different gourmet flavors like blue cheese gelato, Gorgonzola gelato, Sicilian cannoli, carbonara, green cheese from Cherni Vit village, gelato with oysters, champagne, and seaweed, and others. Most of the ingredients are sourced from Italy, including the famous "Bourbon" vanilla from Madagascar, and chocolates of various origins. Gelateria Vivaldi also has locations in Plovdiv and Sunny Beach.

"Oshte Radost" Ice Creams www.facebook.com/oshte.radost Address - 9 General Skobelev Boulevard (near the National Palace of Culture and the Five Corners, a 5-10 minute walk from our apartments). Hours - Monday to Friday from 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM, Saturday from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Sunday from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

"Oshte Radost" Ice Creams is a collaboration between the Italian company Gaya Gelato and the Bulgarian company Harmonica. They opened in June 2023. They offer incredible ice creams and sorbets made from quality ingredients, using only one type of organic unrefined sugar. The wide variety of flavors is determined by seasonal local fruits, mainly from small Bulgarian producers, while the citrus fruits come from the island of Crete. Ice cream flavors include blueberry, raspberry, cherry, fig, grape, apple, pear, mandarin, lemon, orange, boza with coffee, stracciatella, bacio (with chocolate and roasted hazelnuts), salted caramel, and more. There are also vegan options. The delicious and crunchy waffle cones perfectly complement the ice cream flavors. Sorbets include blueberry, raspberry, cherry, and more. The ice cream machine used is the Principessa, which does not use water and has lower energy consumption compared to traditional machines. At "Oshte Radost," you will also find Harmonica organic foods products—waffles, chocolate balls, biscuits, pretzels, Smiles, pretzels, roasted hazelnuts, syrups.

Gelateria Confetti www.facebook.com/italianfoodconfetti

Address: 4 Graf Ignatiev Street (near Garibaldi Square - just a few minutes from our apartments). Hours: Every day from 10:00 AM to 11:45 PM.

Confetti is an Italian restaurant in the center of Sofia, known for its ice cream, cakes, pastries, pizzas, pasta, salads, and other specialties, including vegetarian dishes. In addition to a wide variety of homemade Italian ice cream, the restaurant offers delicious croissants for breakfast, a lunch menu (between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM), coffee, and cocktails. It features a spacious dining area and a cozy garden. Reservations can be made by phone.

Atelier Del Gelato Baci www.facebook.com/atelierdelgelatobaci Address: 149 G.S. Rakovski Street (near Slaveykov Square - a few minutes' walk from our apartments). Hours: Sunday to Thursday from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM, Friday and Saturday from 12:00 PM to 1:00 AM.

Atelier Del Gelato Baci offers quality Italian gelato and sorbets, made by an Italian master using quality natural ingredients. Here, you will find 8 unique flavors—vanilla, mascarpone, pistachio, mango, lemon, strawberry, chocolate, and yogurt, with many vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free options. Some of the main ingredients used include chocolate from Colombia (known for its rich flavor, quality, and intense aroma with hints of fruit and flowers), Alfonso mango ("the king of mangoes" from India, with a deep yellow color and sweet taste that gives the ice cream a distinctive exotic aroma), vanilla from Tahiti (produced from the Vanilla tahitensis orchid, native to the island), white hazelnut (from the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy), almond from Avola, southeastern Sicily, and pistachio from Bronte, Sicily (grown on the slopes of Mount Etna, with a deep green color and intense flavor rich in amino acids). Atelier Del Gelato Baci also offers catering services.

AMORE GELATI www.amoregelati.bg www.facebook.com/amoregelati.bg Address: 41 Tsar Shishman Street (near the "St. Sedmochislenitsi" Church - a 10-minute walk from our apartments). Hours: Every day from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

At AMORE GELATI, you will find homemade Italian gelato and sorbets with various flavors. Every day, they offer 16 flavors, with 8 constant options and 8 that change daily. Gelato flavors include pistachio, dark, milk, and white chocolate, marzipan, pino classic, vanilla, almond, salted peanut, stracciatella, farm cheese with mandarin, salted caramel, cheesecake, mascarpone, yogurt, coffee, coconut, blueberries, tiramisu, marsala, mint, lemon biscuit, walnut, elderflower, gianduja, unicorn, blue bubblegum, and more. Sorbet flavors include strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, forest fruits, cherries, mango, passion fruit, melon with banana, pineapple, guava, papaya, apricot, peach, kiwi, and banana. They also make chocolates and cakes. Orders can be placed by phone and online through the AMORE GELATI website.

Vitosha Downtown Apartments offers a variety of studio accommodations in Sofia, as well as fully furnished and equipped two-bedroom apartments, suitable for both short-term and long-term stays. Just a 5-minute walk from our apartments is Afreddo Gelateria on Vitosha Boulevard, while Gelato Fabbrica is about a 10-minute walk away or one metro stop from Serdika Station. From Vitosha Downtown Apartments, you can easily reach all these destinations using convenient public transportation or by strolling through the center of Sofia.

As guests of Vitosha Downtown Apartments, you'll enjoy an unforgettable culinary experience with easy access to unique local and international restaurants and ice cream delights in the heart of Sofia. Our location provides you with the opportunity to explore a range of gastronomic offerings, from authentic Italian gelato to innovative culinary specialties, all within walking distance from your comfortable apartment.