Guides and travel stories from Bulgaria.
19 articles
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.
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 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 guide to the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park: the God's Bridge rock arch near Lilyache, the seasonal Skaklya waterfall above Zgorigrad, the Borov Kamak falls, and when in spring to time the water.
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.
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 guide to Borovets: ski sectors Sitnyakovo and Yastrebets, gondola tips, night skiing, lift passes, hiking Peak Musala, and accommodation.
A complete guide to hiking the Seven Rila Lakes: the trailhead, chairlift, loop trail, parking, family tips, distances from Sofia, and where to stay.
Discover Vitosha beyond Cherni Vrah: UNESCO Boyana Church and waterfall, Zlatni Mostove stone river, Dragalevtsi Monastery, transport, parking, and winter skiing.
