10 Coins Hostel & tours
The 8-year-regular Sofia hostel — 15+ years running, owner-led tours, bicycle parking, Nadezhda district.
10 Coins Hostel & Tours is a small, long-running Sofia hostel on Dechko Uzunov Street in the Nadezhda district — 15 years at the same address, 318 reviews, small enough that 8-year-returnee regulars are normal. Owner runs daily city tours and arranges day-trips to Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, and Vitosha.
10 Coins Hostel & Tours is a small family-run operation on Dechko Uzunov Street in the Nadezhda district — 2.7 km north of Sveta Nedelya and 9 km from the airport. It is not where you stay if you want to walk to the Free Sofia Tour starting point. It is where you stay if you want the tour itself to leave from your own hostel reception, with the owner driving the van.
The hostel has been open under the same family for 15+ years. The 318-review count looks small next to Bla Bla's 4,952 but that is because regulars repeat — Francois from Bulgaria is on year 8 of returns. The owner arranges day trips most hostels charge inflated commissions on: Rila Monastery (UNESCO, 120 km south, full-day, €30), Plovdiv (2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre, €25 half-day), Seven Rila Lakes (hiking day, €35). This is value most central hostels cannot match.
The neighbourhood (Nadezhda) is not touristy. It is a real Sofia residential district with apartment blocks, a Subway, a grocery store, and local cafes. The 7.8 rating is held back by location (solo travelers complain about the centre walk) but the pros — owner's tours, paid airport shuttle, flexible check-in (guests bring cats, book hours later than normal), bicycle parking — keep the specific clientele loyal. If you are doing a Balkan cycle tour, or a Sofia → Plovdiv → Rila hiking trip, 10 Coins is a better base than any central hostel.
- 01Owner-driven day tours is the Sofia experience most centrally-located hostels can't offer — you're subbing commission for personal service
- 02Francois on his 8th return is the kind of loyalty metric corporate hostels never match
- 03Bicycle parking with actual racks + storage — the only Sofia hostel properly set up for cyclists
- 04Paid shuttle to airport (€12, 15 min) is the hack that lets you arrive / depart at 05:00 flights without the metro being shut
- Repeat guests at 8 years of loyalty — Francois from Bulgaria returns yearly, a real hostel-loyalty signal
- Owner-operated daily city tours + day-trip bookings (Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, Seven Rila Lakes)
- Private + express check-in, paid shuttle service to/from airport + station
- Bicycle parking — one of the few Sofia hostels actually set up for cyclists
“I am and have been a regular customer of the 10 Coins hostel for the last 8 years. Easy to find, close from the centre, fair prices. The owner runs good day trips too.”
“The manager at the hostel was very accommodating and attentive. They provided information and support for my cat whenever I needed it. Very flexible with late check-out too.”
“Friendly staff. Very clean. Grocery store is close nearby as well as Subway — for longer stays having a block-away shop changes the daily routine.”
- Nadezhda bus stop (direct to centre)300 m / 4 min walk
- Subway (sandwich chain)60 m / 1 min walk
- Local supermarket (Billa)90 m / 1 min walk
- Sofia Central Railway Station2.7 km / 9 min shuttle
- Sveta Nedelya Square (city centre)2.7 km / 8 min shuttle
- Sofia Airport (via shuttle)9 km / 15 min shuttle
