Guides and travel stories from Bulgaria.
52 articles

8 overnight getaways from Plovdiv: spa towns, Rhodope villages and caves, Troyan and skiing — with drive times, transport and what is open in winter.

10 overnight weekend getaways within 2.5 hours of Sofia: mineral baths and spa towns, guest-house villages, winter walks and ski — with distances and transport.

A practical guide to Chepelare: the Mechi Chal ski area, Snezhanka Peak, getting there from Plovdiv, parking, where to stay, and why it beats Pamporovo on price.

A guide to Svezhen — the architectural reserve above Brezovo: how to get there, the road, the museums and their opening hours, the hut, autumn hiking and where to stay.

The best day trips from Burgas: Nessebar and Sozopol old towns, the Pomorie salt pans, Ropotamo reserve and Strandzha, with bus and driving tips.

A guide to the Burgas Sea Garden: 5 km of coastal parkland, the pier, the city beaches, shoulder-season tips and flamingos at Atanasovsko Lake.

An expert day-by-day plan for Eurovision 2027 week in Burgas: semi-final dates, free-day coastal trips to Nessebar and Sozopol, fan zones, and late-night tips.

A guide to Bulgaria's three national parks and eleven nature parks — Rila, Pirin, Central Balkan, Vitosha, Vrachanski Balkan, Strandzha, Persina and the rest — what the categories mean and which to visit.

A guide to Central Balkan National Park: its nine strict reserves, the UNESCO-listed primeval beech forests of Boatin and Tsarichina, the Dzhendema cliffs, bears and wolves, and which town to enter from.
Discover the Iskar Gorge north of Sofia: Visit the Lakatnik Rocks, Cherepish Monastery, the Ritlite formation, and ride the scenic Sofia–Mezdra railway.
A guide to Montana and Berkovitsa in north-west Bulgaria: the Ogosta reservoir, Berkovitsa's pottery and Ivan Vazov connection, Klisura Monastery, and Kom Peak at the western end of the Kom–Emine trail.

A complete 4-day road trip itinerary through Bulgaria's least-visited region: Iskar Gorge, Vratsa, God's Bridge, Chiprovtsi, Belogradchik Rocks, Magura Cave, and Vidin.
A complete guide to crossing the Shipka Pass: Climb the 890 steps to the Monument of Freedom, visit the gold-domed Shipka Memorial Church, and explore nearby Buzludzha.

A complete 4-day driving itinerary across the Balkan Mountains: Veliko Tarnovo, Dryanovo, Tryavna, Bozhentsi, Etar, Gabrovo, Shipka Pass, and Kazanlak.

A guide to the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park: the God's Bridge rock arch near Lilyache, the seasonal Skaklya waterfall above Vratsa, the Borov Kamak eco-trail, and when in spring to time the water.

How to pick a base by your children's ages, the drive times that make or break a family trip, which caves and beaches actually work with young kids, which ski resort suits which age, and rainy-day fallbacks.

Sofia's German market by the National Theatre, Plovdiv's Kapana bazaar, Bansko's ski-town lights and the coastal markets — when they open and what to expect.

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 — the route from Aleko, bus 66, the lifts that still run, difficulty, and season.

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, stages, water, huts and season.
How to hike Malyovitsa (2,729 m), the cradle of Bulgarian mountaineering in northern Rila — the route from the resort and hut, parking, difficulty and season.