Guides and travel stories from Bulgaria.
66 articles
Master the art of layering for a country where temperatures can swing from a 30°C afternoon in Sofia to a freezing morning on Mount Musala. Includes plug types, monastery dress codes, the winter tyre law, and what you can buy locally.
Which Bulgarian network to pick, whether you need a SIM at all as an EU visitor, eSIM options, passport rules, and where coverage actually drops.
Bulgaria is a full Schengen member. Who needs a visa, how the 90/180 rule now applies, the biometric EES checks, and what ETIAS means for late 2026.
A complete guide to transfers from Burgas Airport (BOJ): Bus No. 15 to the city, direct Bus No. 10 to Sunny Beach and Nessebar, taxis, and fare details.
E-vignette prices, speed limits, winter tyre rules and rental gotchas — plus an honest answer on whether you need a car in Bulgaria at all.
How to get to Plovdiv: Plovdiv Airport (PDV) routes, train and bus options from Sofia, private transfers, costs, and travel times.
Metro in 20 minutes for €0.80, bus, or taxi from Sofia Airport. Terminal 1 vs Terminal 2, real fares, and how to avoid the taxi touts in arrivals.
Bus 409 reaches central Varna in 20 minutes for about €1 and Golden Sands in 50. Zoned fares, the two operators to tell apart, and taxi costs.
Everything you need to plan a Rhodope Mountains trip: Smolyan, Pamporovo, Trigrad Gorge, Shiroka Laka, Perperikon, caves, spa towns, food, itineraries and when to go.
The best day trips from Plovdiv: Bachkovo Monastery, Asen's Fortress, the Rose Valley, Buzludzha, Koprivshtitsa and more — with distances and how to go.
The best day trips from Sofia: Rila Monastery, the Seven Rila Lakes, Vitosha, Koprivshtitsa, Plovdiv and more — with distances, travel times and how to go.
How to hike Botev Peak (2,376 m), the highest summit of the Balkan Mountains, from Kalofer — past Raysko Praskalo, the highest waterfall in the Balkans.
How to hike Cherni Vrah (2,290 m), the summit of Vitosha above Sofia — routes from Aleko, the lifts, difficulty, season, and Bulgaria's easiest big peak.
A guide to the Kom–Emine trail, Bulgaria's ~600 km E3 traverse of the Balkan Mountains from Kom Peak to the Black Sea: route, duration, difficulty and season.
How to hike Malyovitsa (2,729 m), the cradle of Bulgarian mountaineering in northern Rila — the route from the hut, difficulty, season, and where to stay.
The highest peak of every major Bulgarian mountain — Musala, Vihren, Botev and more, with elevations, difficulty, base towns and how to climb each.
How to climb Musala (2,925 m), the highest peak in Bulgaria and the Balkans: the Borovets gondola, the route, huts, distances, season and what to pack.
How to climb Vihren (2,914 m), Bulgaria's second-highest peak, from Bansko — the route, the fearsome Koncheto ridge, huts, season and what to pack.
A complete travel guide to Bansko ski resort: pistes, gondola tips, lift passes, parking, family skiing, après-ski, driving distances, and where to stay.
A complete guide to Borovets: ski sectors Sitnyakovo and Yastrebets, gondola tips, night skiing, lift passes, hiking Peak Musala, and accommodation.
Borovets, Bansko, or Pamporovo? Bulgaria's top ski resorts compared on pistes, snow, lift passes, nightlife, families, and transfer times.
Discover the best of Bulgaria in winter beyond the slopes: hot thermal spa towns, quiet snow-covered monasteries, the Kukeri mask festival, and winter hiking.
A guide to Bulgaria's festivals and traditions: Kukeri mummers, Baba Marta martenitsi, the Kazanlak Rose Festival and Nestinarstvo fire dancing.
Does Bulgaria use the euro? Yes — since January 2026. What changed, the fixed rate, old lev, cards and ATMs, and what it means for travelers.
