Travel
guide for Bulgaria - Hostels, things to do,
nightlife, tips ...
Administrative divisions : 28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, ...
A place to visit is the House of Humour and Satire. After a series of bloody and brutal Balkan wars, Bulgaria had the further misfortune to be occupied by the losing side in both World Wars, and fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Also communication in English might be rather cumbersome. Also note that in Bulgarian, there is no word for "cheese".YoghurtThe native Bulgarian yoghurt contains Lactobacterium bulgaricum, a bacterium only found in Bulgaria. Alternatively, better additionally, you have a map with the town names written in Latin and Cyrillic alphabet. Another quite popular drink is Mastika (МаÑтика) (40%vol), a drink closely related to Greek Ouzo and Turkish Raki. Assenovgrad (ÐÑеновград) - a small
city close to Plovdiv at one of the entrances of Rhodope Mountains, famous with its Pamid red wine and with that it is the
city with most churches per capita in the country. At Mount Shipka there is a visible from the
city monument in honour of a battle for the liberation of Bulgaria. Ayrian - a salty yoghurt-water mixture - is also very popular.Fast-FoodThere are many local and international fast-food chains. Ayrian and boza are two traditional Balkan non-alcoholic beverages.A powerful (40%vol), clear grape brandy, rakia (РакиÑ) is the Bulgarian national drink and is served neat, usually at the beginning of a meal. Bansko (БанÑко) - a beautiful old village in the Pirin
mountains with refurbished homes, stone wall, and cobblestone streets, but increasingly overtaken by
resort hotels. Be sure also to visit nearby Arbanassi.Sliven (Сливен) - Come on now, there is something interesting there too.Smolyan (СмолÑн) - Prefered destination for holiday planners and nature lovers. Be sure to be in Bulgaria for the celebrations of the "Den na Bukvata" ("Day of the Alphabet"). Be sure to visit also Etura - an open air museum that is actually an old-style Bulgarian village, presenting the traditional crafts and food. Be sure to visit the Castle of Assen and Bachkovo Monastery to the south of the
city. Bulgaria regained its independence in 1878 largely due to the intervention of Russia, who clipped the wings of the declining Ottoman Empire and installed a minor German prince as a ruler of the newly independent country. Bulgarian start off on the heavy stuff, such as Rakia, move on to wine, and finish off with a beer, should they still be thirsty. Don't be surprised if an extra "border fee" is asked from each traveller by the bus driver - it makes your border passing quicker. During the winter season, the tourists from the nearest town of Belitsa arrive at the complex by sledge. Especially for UK and US citizens, Bulgaria is really cracking down on this. Failure to register might mean a 2000 Leva fine (about $1200 US).Also take care that you have an entry stamp in your passport, otherwise your exit can be quite troublesome.By plane There are three international airports: Sofia, Varna and Bourgas. For example, recent trains are scheduled from Bucharest to Sofia in the daytime departing 11:35/arriving 21:30 and a night train departing 19:35/arriving 06:10. Gabrovo (Габрово) - the Scots of Bulgaria, with a lot of jokes about them. General 'problem' is that there are no really big roads, so you will mostly not cover long distances. Have your German, Russian or French on standby.Talk Bulgarian is a southern Slavic language, related to Serbian and Russian, with a certain number of Turkish loanwords in evidence, testifying to the long Ottoman occupation. However it is not more difficult than other Slavic tongues, once you get used to the Cyrillic, an alphabet of which the Bulgarians are justifiably proud (it having been invented by two Bulgarian monks, Cyril and Methodius). However many of these do not have separate websites, so the Bulgarian embassies or Ministry of Education and Science is to be contacted for further information.WorkThere are many online agencies that offer jobs. If not - usually, your hotel will handle the necessary paperwork (ask). If you do not stay in a hotel, you will need to go to the police and take the tedious task of registering on your own. If you have booked with a travel agency, this will be taken care of. If you plan to spend more time in one
city, it might be better to get an abonnement, which on the avarage costs 60 leva a month. If you want a true mountain village experience, there are a few other villages nearby from which to choose. In a village near Kazanlak (also called Shipka) a very beautiful russian church has been build in memory of the russian soliders fallen in the battle at Shipka. In addition, almost everyone knows at least a few words of English, in the same way that the average American will know a few words of Spanish.Seeby Ptraciby Andrea Gerakby Andrea GerakDoBulgaria offers tourist attractions all around the year. In addition, since Bulgaria is a mountainous country, natural springs are quite abundant and many villages have a spring or two with clean water. In succeeding centuries, Bulgarian and the Byzantine Empires dominated South-East Europe, but by the end of the 14th century the region was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. In the beginning of august an annual Jazz festival is being held in the town. In winter numerous ski resorts are there to attract tourists. It became a town in 1960 after unifying three villages- Smolyan, Raykovo and Ustovo. It has 34 000 residents and lies 12 km from the Pamporovo resort, 45 km from Devin, 102 km from Plovdiv and 260 km from the capital Sofia. It is important to compare prices of several cars, because there are speculators.By carIf travelling by car be sure you can read the Cyrillic alphabet at least a bit. It is surrounded by Romania to the north, Serbia and Montenegro to the northwest, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the southwest, Greece to the south, and Turkey to the southeast. IT, professional education, consulting and tourism areas are known for being well-paid.Stay safeBulgaria is generally a safe country, and people are quite friendly. It’s situated south of the main ridges of the Rila Mountains, nestling in a wide field among pine forests. Kazanlak (Казанлък) - see the famous Bulgarian rose oil being made - best to visit in May or June. Locals usually drink it in a 1:1 mixture with peppermint liquour, called Oblak (cloud)Bulgaria has several well known local wine brands. Many European brands are also brewed in local breweries.SleepThere are hostels in Sofia and Plovdiv. Melnik (Мелник) - sample wonderful red wines from the region, see the sand pyramids, and take the long hike to Rozhen Monastery Nessebar (ÐеÑебър) - beautiful small town on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast a few hours south of Varna. Methodius (826-884), Cyrillic alphabet (check this site for more information about the Cyrillic alphabet http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cyrillic.htm), and Bulgarian educators. Most popular are summer seaside resorts, along the entire Black Sea coastline. Most signs in Eastern Bulgaria don't have the direction shown in Latin letters so it can become difficult for you to travel around. Near Kazanlak can be visited one of the most popular Thracian tombs found. Normally, the bigger internet cafés offer a good service and a fast connection.Bookmark this page. Numerous houses and churches from XVII- XIX centuries have been preserved up to the present day. Of course, try to avoid food that is obviously not too clean...The water in Bulgaria is safe to drink from the tap. Once the Slavs` tribe of smolyani inhabited the area and gave the name of the settlement. Originally made from sheep milk, it is also available made from cow milk or mixed. Pamporovo is a favoured destination for skiers, snowboarders, hikers, all those who value nice holidays amid the beauty of the mountainous nature. People give each martenitsa (usually a type of white-red ribbon) as a symbol of health.3rd of March - The day Bulgaria celebrates its Russia-aided liberation out of the Ottoman Empire after 5 centuries (1393-1878).24th of May - The day of St. Pizza, Doner or hamburgers are also very easy to be found at the streets.DrinkThere are hundreds, maybe thausends of mineral water springs around the country, so this is something you'd better taste and drink. Prepare for a taste quite different from "normal western yoghurt"! Rila (Рила) - in the Rila mountains, is home to the most beautiful monasteries. See http://europa.eu.int/youth/working/finding_a_job/index_bg_en.html for an extensive list of job portals. Semkovo (Семково) 17 km to the north of the town of Belitsa is situated the Semkovo mountain resort. Semkovo is a starting point for marked tourist routes to Vapski circus and the Vapski lakes (2 hours 30 min walk), Polejanski circus and the Dry Lake which are one hour walk, Skalishki circus and Skalishki lakes - 2.30 hours walk. Shumen (Шумен) - see the Madara Horseman carved into the cliff wall. Skiiers and Snowboarders can find BanskoSki useful. Smolyan is a starting point for many mountain routes. So you can at least compare the forms of the letters. So, this problem is close to disappear:), even in Eastern Bulgaria.By bicycleAll roads in Bulgaria are paved. Some of them are: "Pangalov’s house" (1860), "Sgurov’s house" (1866), "Alibeev’s town- hall" (1751), "Kelev’s house" (1860), etc. Some of these offer parallel supervision in English. Some people will suggest that it is not advisable to drive your own car to Bulgaria as there is a possibility of it being stolen, although the situation has bettered in recent years. Sozopol (Созопол) - together with Nessebar these are the two sea towns with traditional houses and ancient dig sites. Stepping in a hole is a much greater danger in Bulgaria then getting robbed.Stay healthyMost food is quite safe to eat. Street signs are commonly absent, as the gipsies frequently take them down and sell them for scrap metal.In recent days, all road signs are in both 2 alphabets - Cyrillic and Latin. Taxi tariffs in Bulgaria are not standartized. The architectural and ethnographic reserve called Cheshitska mahala is located in the district of Raykovo. The country's iconic heroes were all freedom fighters to a man: whether Rakovsky, who mixed revolution and literature, Vassil Levski - the Apostle of Freedom, or Christo Botev, poet and fighter. The ethnographical village of Bozhenci is located near Gabrovo. The Gorna Bania (Upper Bath) area is especially known for its excellent mineral water, and is where some of Bulgaria's bottled water comes from.CommunicationsIn general the telephone system is extensive but antiquated, now being modernized. The magnificent nature, mild climate, its closeness to the mountain and the Pamporovo resort attract the tourists all the year round. The most famous one and a must see is the Rila Monastery. The municipality town is famous with its planetarium center, drama theater, historical museum.The marvellous town of Smolyan occupies the narrow gorge of the Cherna River in the East Rhodope Mountains. The original city castle and walls are reconstructed. The Park of the dancing bears is located near the complex. The resort complex Semkovo includes the Rila hotel, Bor hotel, the "Semkovo" chalet, holiday houses of universities, and several ski track and rope lines. The Smolyan lakes and the Smolyan waterfall are located not far from the town. There are also a planetarium, an ethnographic museum and an art gallery. There are numerous hotels, holiday houses, villas. These are mainly residents of other Balkan or Slavic countries. These include Melnik, Mavrud, Pamid, Gamza (red dry), Kadarka (red sweet) and Keratsuda (white dry).Local lagers, Zagorka, Kamenitza and Shumensko are very good, inexpensive, widely available and drunk in copious amounts. This is also the highest mountain in the Balkan pennisula with highest peak mount Musala (2925 m). Today, reforms and democratization have brought Bulgaria into the NATO fold, with EU accession planned for 2007. Tourists can be accommodated in two big and a great number of small private family ones. Traditional bakeries prepare different kinds of batter products, with most liked banitsa and mekitsa. Travel by train is not recommended as the trains are invariably in poor condition and are rarely maintained. Veliko Turnovo (Велико Търново) - a beautiful city along a winding river, the former capital of Bulgaria in the middle ages. While flights to Sofia are normally priced, there are a lot of charter and last-minute flight offers to the other two cities leaving from Western Europe (especially Germany). You can go from German airports to Varna or Bourgas and back for less than 100 Euro, if you are lucky. You can look up train schedules and prices on the Bulgarian State Railways website: http://www.bdz.bg/eng/index_eng.htmBy taxiMost of the taxi drivers do not speak proper English. You should however behave according to common sense when you are outside of the main tourist areas, i.e. You should normally mix it with water in a 1:4 - 1:5 ratio.