This is a 4K walking tour of Bankya, Bulgaria – a royal spa town on the edge of Sofia that most visitors never hear about. We walk it on a sunny autumn day, from the town center through the chestnut park to the old Mineral Bath and out into the quiet villa streets.
Bankya has been known for its mineral springs for centuries, but the town really took shape after Tsar Ferdinand had the Mineral Bath built between 1907 and 1910. Locals still call it the Royal Bath. It stood abandoned for years, reopened in 2022 after a full renovation and works as a spa again today.
Officially Bankya is part of Sofia, about 17 km from the center, but it feels like a different place. It is calm, green and full of big houses, and many wealthy Sofians choose to live here. People from the city come out for a walk in the park, and on Saturdays the alley in the center fills with a farmers’ market.
The second half of the walk loops through the residential side streets, past the Yuri Gagarin monument and Hotel Zheravna, and back to the center.
📍 Location: Bankya, Bulgaria
📹 Filmed on: October 2026
⛅ Weather: 21 °C
🎧 This video features binaural audio – for the best experience, use headphones.
📜 Don’t forget to turn on subtitles for travel tips and additional information.
⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 Knyaz Boris I Street, Bankya Center
2:32 Bankya Town Sign
3:37 AquaBankya Complex
4:50 Kestenite (Chestnut) Park
8:27 Statue of Hygieia
9:59 Bankya Mineral Bath (Royal Bath)
12:21 Bankya Clock Tower
14:10 Bankya Center
15:15 The Rotunda
16:50 Farmers’ Market Alley
27:08 Royal Bath Courtyard
33:24 Aleksandar Stamboliyski Street & Art Center Bankya
36:47 Aleko Konstantinov School of Tourism
39:35 Tsaribrodska Street
42:55 Yuri Gagarin Monument & Hristo Smirnenski Street
47:55 Sveti Kiril i Metodiy Street
51:15 Hotel Zheravna
52:45 Back to Bankya Center
