Bulgaria

Black-and-red striped arcades covered in frescoes, ringed by mountains. It is a little over two hours by car from Sofia as a day trip, or you can stay in the guest rooms inside and see it at dawn.

An Orthodox cathedral raised in memory of the dead of the Russo-Turkish war, with domes visible from across the city. A separate icon gallery sits in the crypt.

A second-century Roman theatre on the hill, which still hosts performances in summer. The city and the mountains spread out below it.

Capital of the medieval Bulgarian empire, with the fortress standing on a hill inside a river bend. A regular sound-and-light show lights the walls at night.

Fine sand and calm water make this a crowded summer resort coast. Nessebar, an old town on a peninsula, layers church upon church, so ruins and beach fit into one day.

A large share of the world’s rose oil comes from here, and the fields are only in bloom from late May into early June. Thracian tombs are scattered through the same valley.

Regarded as the place that preserved Bulgarian culture through Ottoman rule. The arcade frescoes are the main draw.

A peninsula joined by a narrow isthmus, where Thracian, Greek and Byzantine layers sit on top of one another. Extremely busy in summer.

Thirteenth-century frescoes known for realistic portraiture that predates the Renaissance. Numbers and visit length are limited for conservation.

An eighth-century relief cut into a hundred-metre cliff face, a symbol of the founding of the Bulgarian state. It is a long stair climb to reach eye level.

Roman remains are exposed in the middle of the centre alongside a metro station, and Vitosha mountain rises directly behind the city. A city bus and a lift take you to the top.

Ottoman-era timber mansions line the old town on the hill, with a café-lined pedestrian street below. Two hours from Sofia.

The fortress and the cliff-hugging town read as a single piece of landscape. The stone houses of nearby Arbanasi are usually seen on the same trip.

A long beach and sea garden, and a museum holding the oldest worked gold yet found. Summer charter flights land here.

Cheap by European ski standards, which draws foreign visitors in winter. In summer it becomes the base for walking in Pirin National Park.

Lakes carved by ice, strung up the mountainside; a lift takes you partway and you walk the rest. Snow lingers late, so summer is the safe season.

The mountains flower and visitor numbers are low. Late May into early June is the rose harvest.

The Black Sea coast is at its busiest and most expensive. Inland is hot, but the mountains stay cool.

The sea is still warm while the crowds have gone, which makes it the best time to travel. The mountains turn colour now too.

Ski season at Bansko and Borovets. Most of the coastal resorts are closed.

Bulgaria came fully into the Schengen area, land borders included, from 2025. Up to ninety days in any one hundred and eighty across the whole area.

The lev was replaced by the euro in 2026. Older guides and price lists may still quote lev, so check which unit you are reading.

Signs are in Cyrillic, so even city names are hard to read at first. Major stations and tourist sites carry Latin transliteration; rural buses do not.

Bulgaria is known for reversing the usual head gestures. To avoid a misunderstanding, confirm in words.

Trains are slow on many routes, so buses are the norm between cities. The Sofia metro runs to the airport, so you can ride it straight from arrival.

The pan-European number reaching police, ambulance and fire. Outside the larger cities, English may not get far.