If you find yourself stranded in Sofia for the weekend, are bored of cinemas, have made the constitutional pilgrimage down Vitosha Boulevard, and most importantly, want to lay a smoke screen so your wife doesn’t end up dragging you on a dreaded shopping trip, you may deploy a good old escape and evasion manoeuvre and opt for the Military History Museum in Sofia instead.

Take my word for it: firstly the kids will love it, which will earn you brownie points at home; you are likely to enjoy it yourself, and most importantly, your wife will have absolutely nothing to spend your money on. If you hammer out your tactics properly and time your advance carefully the experience will last several hours by which point she will be worn out and the stores will be closed. Tactical victory assured.

A quarter of an hour away from the Borissova Gradina, the museum is on the intersection of Cherkovna Street and the Sintiakovo Boulevard, consisting of the administration building, two large courtyards packed with hardware, mainly from the two world wars, but also equipment from the Cold War era. Adult tickets are two leva - children half price - and if you fancy taking pictures you will have to fork out a tenner. You may photograph the equipment in the courtyards, although taking pictures inside the main building is forbidden.  

Outside  is a decent collection of trucks, cars, cannons, artillery units and howitzers, spanning from the Balkan Wars era, through to World War 1, World War 2 and the Cold War.

Anything from reconnaissance cars and armoured patrol vehicles, to radar stations, mini-tanks, French, British, Russian and German made artillery units, to World War 2 Russian T34 tanks, medium-sized German Maybach T4 tanks, World War Two German self-propelled artillery, 150mm Krupp motor towed howitzers, Russian self-propelled artillery SU 76 units, T-55 Russian medium sized tanks AM2, Stalin-era heavy tanks dating from the final stages of the World War 2, tactical ballistic missile unit system SS23, a range of armoured reconnaissance vehicles, BRDM’s, the fearsome combat helicopter MI24 D/B, and the odd Russian MIG’s and Sukhois, as well as a wide range of other items.

Sadly, there were no Tiger or Panther tanks, nor were there any American Shermans, or British Cromwell, Crusader or Churchill tanks, so popular with modellers and history buffs.

Not quite the Imperial War Museum in London, but definitely a bargain for your time and money, especially if you are young at heart, and would like some more close-up detailed pictures for your own military scale models.

The interior section of the museum occupies three floors, showing artifacts and weaponry from Bulgaria’s foundation to present operations in Afghanistan and, formerly, Iraq.

The layout is nicely done, with some amazing authentic artifacts dating back from their corresponding times, medieval Bulgarian castles and fortifications, orders of battle, maps, paintings, battle dresses and equipment.

Turkish occupation and the Russo-Turkish wars, through to the Balkans wars, a live-sized model of a World war 1 trench and a machine gun nest, a wreck of a downed French bi-plane, and a vast section dedicated to Bulgaria’s participation in World War 2, and my personal favourite, a beautifully preserved Bren LMG just asking to be stolen. Lastly, the museum will show you what the Bulgarian armed forces looked like during the post-war era, and finally onto to modern-day operations and international deployments.

I was told there was a canteen at the museum but I was too immersed in history and forgot to make it there. For me, the only "downer" of the entire experience was the loudspeakers positioned in the rooms depicting different epochs of Bulgarian history. Sound files, anything from medieval battles, to a cavalry charge, to heavy machine gun fire and trench warfare were a bit annoying, at least for me. Not because they were there, but because they weren’t done properly – short and constantly repeating, they quickly became aggravating.

Don’t let that discourage you however – visit the museum, a highly recommended alternative to shopping and movies - ladies, you have been warned!