Bulgaria / Република България – Let’s explore here
Bulgaria is an incredibly beautiful country full of mountains rising from the plains, and sits within the Eastern Balkans. It’s about half the size of the United Kingdom, and has a population of about 6½ million people, 1½ million of whom live in the capital Sofia / София.
With the Black sea as its coastline, it has an interesting history encompassing multiple empires. Its neighbours include Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey.
The highest point is Mount Musala, in Rila national park, at 9,600 ft (2,925 m) above sea level.
Current travels
From the outset, it was a big shock to us just how beautiful Bulgaria is, much in the same way as Romania was – just incredible! This time around we travelled from the south of North Macedonia, through to the Pirin and Rila mountains of Bulgaria and up the west side to Belogradchik and Montana. We then travelled through the Central Balkan national park in dense fog and icy roads, taking in some Thracian tombs, before heading over to the Black Sea coast at Nessebar.
Our route from North Macedonia through Bulgaria and on to Turkey took us via Kresna – Bansko – Pirin national park – Blagoevgrad – Stob pyramids – Rila Monastery – Rila national park – Belogradchik fortress & rocks – Montana – Veliko Tarnovo – Central Balkan national park – Shipka – Kazanlak – Nessebar – Malko Tarnovo
The route from Greece through Bulgaria and on to Serbia took us via via Granichen punkt Ilinden – Pirin national park – Bansko – Sofia – Kalotina
Our best places in Bulgaria
Belogradchik fortress & rocks
Belogradchik fortress and rocks are located in the north west of Bulgaria, next to the town of Belogradchik. The formation of the Belogradchik Rocks has been taking place over the the last quarter of a billion years (250 million years). There remains some debate as to how they have realised their exact shaping, due to the time periods covered. The Belogradchik Fortress was initially created during the Roman empire, and was extended during the 14th century. The walls are 6½ft (2m) thick and 30ft (12m) in height.
Kazanlak
Kazanlak is an ancient town in central Bulgaria, having been occupied since the 6th century BC. In addition to being the center for rose oil extraction in Bulgaria, it’s also the home of the Thracian city of Seuthopolis and a magnificent Thracian tomb.
Montana
Montana is a lovely, intriguing town in the north west of Bulgaria. Its population is around 37,000 (2021) people. We stayed in the very nice Hotel Jitomir, which overlooks the Monument of the September Rebellion and the Fountains on Jeravitsa. The hotel also has a great restaurant.
Nessebar
Nessebar is split between the old city and the new city. The old city is a small ancient city on the Black sea coast, having been occupied since the 6th century BC. The new city was built in 1925, and houses most of the hotels for this pretty seaside tourist resort.
Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery is a working, 10th century monastery located in the Rila mountains in the west of Bulgaria – 60 monks live there. It is officially known as the Monastery of Saint John of Rila, and is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. Its is one of Bulgaria’s most important tourist attractions.
Shipka
Shipka is a village at the start of the Shipka pass in the Central Balkan national park. There are numerous very interesting Thracian tombs and artefacts in the area, such as the Tomb of Seuthes III.
from c. 331 to c. 300 BC
Sofia
Sofia is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, having been occupied since 7000 BC. As the capital of Bulgaria, its population is around 1.7million people (2021). The famous Statue of Sveta Sofia, at 26½ft (8m) in height, stands in a spot once occupied by a statue of Lenin.
St. Alexander Nevsky, Sofia
Stob pyramids
The Stop pyramids are located close to the Rila mountains in the south west of Bulgaria. They are rock formations caused by rain which washes away the softer sandstone rock beneath harder rocks. Mostly they are 20-30ft (6-10m) in height.
Veliko Tarnovo
Veliko Tarnovo is a very pretty, small city in north central Bulgaria. The architecture and the steep sided cliffs are a sight to behold.
What currency do they use in Bulgaria?
In Bulgaria they use the Bulgarian lev. The use of credit / debit cards is now widespread in most cities and towns, although use of cash is prevalent in urban areas. Traveller’s cheques are accepted in banks in major cities. There are lots of ATMs.
You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
What language do they speak in Bulgaria?
They speak Bulgarian in the Bulgaria. Quite a sizeable number of people also speak Turkish, Romani and Russian. We found that many also speak English, particularly in tourist areas.
What time zone is Bulgaria in?
Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in.
Do I need a visa to visit Bulgaria?
We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!
What’s it like to drive in Bulgaria?
Most roads in Bulgaria have now become toll roads, and thus it’s advisable to pay online prior to travelling into Bulgaria. The fine per day is BGN70 (Nov 2023), which far exceeds the cost for paying the toll online. If you receive three fines in a calendar year (Jan – Dec), there is no point is paying for a vignette, as you cannot be fined more than three times in a calendar year. If you do receive three fines in a calendar year, you may still be asked by BG Toll guards to pay a further fine at the border if you haven’t bought a vignette; however you should not pay this fine at the border – all you need to do is argue your case – as customs officials will not ask you to pay a further fine.
Driving in Bulgaria is very ordered in the main. Most driver follow the rules, and there are many traffic police hiding on roads, as well as numerous toll road ‘police’. We didn’t encounter any aggressive driving at all.
Despite the roads being paid for though tolls, many are in a poor state, although to be fair, many are also very good. More rural roads do still tend to have large potholes and large cracks, as well as melted tarmac.
Driving across the mountains in the Central Balkan national park also requires additional care, due to the sudden changes in temperature and precipitation, which can cause very dense fog.
We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂
Is wild camping legal in Bulgaria?
No, wild camping is illegal in Bulgaria, although it’s well tolerated – leave no trace!
Is it safe to drink water in Bulgaria?
Yes, it is safe to drink tap water in Bulgaria, although in our experience much of it has an unusual taste. Bottled water is readily available across the country. There are also many natural springs throughout the mountains that can also provide water – most of these springs have road signs indicating their locality.
If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know!
And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!