What is a trip abroad without coming back with some really good gifts and souvenirs?

If you are in the area of Small Five Corners in the heart of Sofia and you are an art lover, then you should definitely visit a small shop called “Gallery Lale”.

You can easily recognise it by the lots of colourful stuff in its window and (depending on the weather) the decoration on the sidewalk.

“Gallery Lale” is not a souvenir shop or a place where to find traditional goods. It is an art place showing the best handmade examples of current Bulgarian crafters. Your eyes will easily get distracted so taкe at least 10 minutes if you want to see enough things.

You will find ceramics, pictures and drawings, books, jewellery, postcards and notebooks, accessories, seasonal stuff and different kinds of decorations.

I recommend this place if you are looking for a local artsy present. There you will see the most popular handmade items and you can also find out more about the art trends in the country.

The word “lale” (лале) means tulip in Bulgarian and if you happen to be in the area after the shop is closed, you will see a big colourful graffiti tulip, so look around carefully. 

One thing that I really enjoy is that even the street pillars in front of the gallery are painted in different colours. It is a nice place for cool Instagram photos!