Tsarigradsko shose ( bg, Цариградско шосе, lit= Tsarigrad (

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

) Chausseé (Road)) is the largest

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may b ...

in the capital of

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. ...

. The boulevard provides grade-separated dual carriageway in almost its entire length of 11.4 km, running from the north-west to the south-east. It begins in the city center, at

Orlov Most Eagles' Bridge ( bg, Орлов мост, ''Orlov most'' ) is a bridge over the Perlovska River in downtown Sofia, capital of Bulgaria.''Travel Sofia: Illustrated Guide, Phrasebook and Maps'', MobileReference, 2010 The bridge and junction where it ...

(Eagle's Bridge), before which it is called Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard. In its east end, at the

Sofia Ring Road The Sofia ring road ( bg, Софийски околовръстен път, ''Sofíyski okolovrásten pat''), also called in Bulgarian Okolovrástnoto shosé (''Околовръстното шосе'', The ring chaussée), often shortened to just ...

, the boulevard becomes part of the Trakia motorway (A1). The maximum allowed speed on Tsarigradsko shose is 80 km/h between Orlov Most and Gorublyane neighbourhood. To the south the boulevard borders with Sofia's largest park, the

Borisova Gradina Borisova gradina or Knyaz-Borisova gradina ( bg, Борисова градина or Княз-Борисова градина, translated as Boris' Garden or Knyaz Boris' Garden) is the oldest and best known park in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. I ...

, which hosts the

Vasil Levski National Stadium Vasil Levski National Stadium ( bg, Национален стадион „Васил Левски“), named after Bulgarian national hero and revolutionary Vasil Levski (1837–1873), is the country's second largest stadium. The stadium has 43, ...

and Bulgarian Army Stadium. A number of departments of the

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; bg, Българска академия на науките, ''Balgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated ''БАН'') is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy ...

are situated along the road in the area of the Fourth Kilometer Square, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Polygraphic plant, Arena Armeec, Sofia Tech Park and several hotels including the emblematic Pliska Hotel. In the outskirts of the city there are a lot of hypermarkets and office buildings constructed along the boulevard. Reconstruction and resurfacing are ongoing since 2013 to improve safety and comfort. On April 25, 2012, Tsarigradsko shose Metro Station started operation with large underground park-and-ride. Nearby the metro station, the highrise of Capital Fort was completed in 2015. The boulevard bears the old Bulgarian name of the city of

(medieval

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

), '' Tsarigrad'', as it leads southeastwards out of the city, towards

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

and Istanbul.

Gallery

File:Sofia Tsarigradsko shose view from Orlov most 2012 PD.jpg, The beginning of Tsarigradsko shose at

Orlov most Eagles' Bridge ( bg, Орлов мост, ''Orlov most'' ) is a bridge over the Perlovska River in downtown Sofia, capital of Bulgaria.''Travel Sofia: Illustrated Guide, Phrasebook and Maps'', MobileReference, 2010 The bridge and junction where it ...

File:Downtown Sofia Boby Dimitrov 1.jpg, Tsarigradsko shose near Orlov Most File:Бул. Цариградско шосе, София.JPG, The eastern part of Tsarigradsko shose File:Джонсън Контролс, Бул. Цариградско шосе, София.JPG, Tsarigradsko shose near Mladost district File:Tzarigradsko shose and Poligrafitscheski kombinat Sofia 007.JPG, The ex-Printing factory File:Бул. Цариградско шосе, София 3.JPG, Office buildings File:Мега парк, Бул. Цариградско шосе, София.JPG, The Mall (Sofia) File:Sofia - Bulevard Tsarigradsko Sosse IMG 0664 Vivacom Center.jpg, Vivacom Centre and The Mall File:Boulevard Tsarigradsko Shose (1) (37705775771).jpg, Looking at

File:Tsarigradsko Shose and Capital Fort.png, Capital Fort Building at the entrance to Sofia Streets in Sofia {{Bulgaria-road-stub