Bulgaria Travel Guide
Bulgaria, the gateway south-eastern Europe, is a country with a long history, from ancient Neolithic settlements, to the Thracians and Greeks, to the Romans who built grand cities, the falling of the Bulgarian Empire to the Ottomans in 1396, and liberation from the Ottomans in 1876. Bulgaria has everything from Roman ruins, medieval cities, fortresses and ruins, vast gold-domed churches, the beaches of the Black Sea, the stunning untamed landscapes of the Bulgarian mountains, incredible affordability, a bustling nightlife, and amiable locals.
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 Bulgaria |
Top 5 Destinations in Bulgaria |
 Sofia |
 Veliko Tarnovo |
 Plovdiv |
 Varna |
 Buzludzha |
Top 5 Nature Destinations |
 Belogradchik |
 Rila |
 Pirin |
 Marvelous Bridges |
 Krushuna Falls |
Other Destinations |
Arbanassi – a small village near Veliko Turnovo famous for its beautiful Church of the Nativity.
Balchik – a coastal town on the Black Sea. Perhaps most notable for Balchik Palace (1936).
Burgas – Bulgaria’s second largest city, located on the Black Sea coast.
Buzludzha – a bizarre ufo shaped communist monument, abandoned in 1989, on Buzludzha peak.
Dyavolski most / Devil’s Bridge – a spectacular 1500 century bridge spanning the Arda River.
Etar Architectural Ethnographic Complex – an open air museum near Veliko Turnovo.
Melnik – an enormous area of eroded cliff serves as a striking backdrop to the town.
Nesebar – this little UNESCO inscribed town has a number of sights of interest.
Plovdiv – formally known as Philippopolis, one of the oldest cities in the world.
Rila Monastery – an incredibly beautiful monastic complex in the Rila Mountains.
Sofia – the capital of Bulgaria, in Roman times known as Serdica, a city steeped in history.
Sunny Beach – an overpriced tourist trap beach resort and party area.
Varna – formally known as Odessos, an oldd port city and now seaside resort on the Black Sea.
Veliko Tarnovo – a historical city in the north, with the impressive restored Tsarevets Fortress.
Nature
Belogradchik – home to the equally stunning Belogradchik Fortress and Belogradchik Rocks.
Devetashka Cave – a huge picturesque cave, 15 kilometres from Lovech.
Emen Canyon – a spectacular little canyon, 20km from Veliko Turnovo.
Krushuna Falls – a beautiful cascade, 34km from Lovech.
Magurata – prehistoric cave paintings, 25 kilometres from Belogradchik.
Marvelous Bridges – truly spectacular natural arches in the Rhodope Mountains.
Meander on Arda River – a beautiful meander of the Arda River in the Rhodope Mountains.
Momin Skok Waterfall a scenic little waterfall, Emmen Canyon, 20km from Veliko Turnovo.
Pobiti Kamani / The Stone Forest – a rock phenomenon, just outside Varna.
Prohodna Cave / Eyes of God – karst cave in north central Bulgaria, 112km from Sofia.
Biking – two Eurovelo routes pass through Bulgaria. These are Eurovelo 13; which passes along the length of the former Iron Curtain, and Eurovelo 6; which follows the Loire and Rheine rivers and continues to the mouth of the Danube.
Bungee Jumping – organized on the higher bridges in the country, as well as in the Prohodna cave.
Hiking – with approximately 30% of Bulgaria being covered in mountains, hiking opportunities abound! Bulgaria has part of the E3 and E4 European long distance path trails, other popular hikes are Kom–Emine, Sultans Trail, and the Seven Rila Lakes.
Kayaking – popular on the rivers in the Iskar and Kresna Gorge areas.
Paragliding – glide over Albena, Kyustendil, Sliven, Sopot, Stara Zagora, or Vitosha.
Rafting – popular rivers are Iskar, Mesta, Struma, and Kresna Gorge.
National Parks |
Central Balkan – deep canyons, mountain meadows, precipices, vertical rock faces, waterfalls, and numerous peaks of which some are over 2,000 meters in hight.
Pirin – diverse limestone mountain landscape, with over 70 glacial lakes, a range of glacial landforms, many waterfalls, rivers, rocky screes, caves, conifer forests, alpine meadows, high mountain peaks and crags.
Rila – this largely forested national park has over 120 glacial lakes, including the prominent Seven Rila Lakes, and is home to Musala Peak (2925m), the highest summit on the Balkan Peninsula.
UNESCO Sites |
Cultural (7)
Ancient City of Nessebar (1983)
Boyana Church (1979)
Madara Rider (1979)
Rila Monastery (1983)
Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo (1979)
Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (1979)
Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari (1985)
Natural (3)
Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe (2007,2011,2017)
Pirin National Park (1983,2010)
Srebarna Nature Reserve (1983)
Typical Costs |
Accommodation
Hostels: €6-10
Hotels: €15+
Activity Costs
Attractions that charge will only set you back a couple of euros.
Eat/Drink
Beer: BGN3 / €1.50
Coffee: BGN2-3 / €1-1.50
Sitdown Meal: BGN10+ / €5+
Tipping:
Transportation
Public transportation with cities is very cheap. Intercity buses are also very low cost, you can cross Bulgaria from one side to the other for under €20!
Budget
Tight: €20
Relaxed: €40
Guidebooks |
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Useful Websites |