The changing face of Sofia

Even though the Bulgarian capital Sofia has been on the radar of many Irish property investors for some time now, the city still has a reputation as a dour, gloomy place.

But while it's certainly nowhere near as scenic as Prague or Budapest ��� and has away to go before it catches up with either of those cities in terms of infrastructure - Sofia is surprisingly vibrant.

Home to more than 1.2 million people, the city has more than a few things in common with Dublin. Many of the locals are driving shiny new cars, trendy coffee shops are offering vanilla lattes to go, ...