Holidays in Bulgaria reviews Sofia Varna

I spent about ten days in Bulgaria this summer (2017), and in this article, I will give you my opinion on Bulgaria.

Opinion on Bulgaria

Places visited: Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Varna, the Rila Monastery, and the Rila Mountains. Number of days in Bulgaria: 10 days / 9 nights. I stayed 4 nights in Sofia, 2 nights in Veliko Tarnovo, and 3 nights in Varna.

Opinion on Sofia: the capital of Bulgaria

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. I took a Free walking tour in Sofia which gave me the history of the city, explained the meaning of the buildings, and I also took a cultural route that explained the influence of communism in Bulgaria (about ten euros).

There are also other tours including a gourmet route: tasting local specialties in Sofia – Guided walking tour and another more complete one with a cultural route as well: taste and cultural route of Sofia – Guided walking tour

These are interesting tours because if I had toured the city by myself, I would have been bored since the cultural aspect is much more interesting.

The downside is that the guided tours are in English.

The city of Sofia in Bulgaria is much less beautiful than Bucharest or Istanbul, neighboring capitals for example, so taking these tours made me appreciate the city much more. It is also much less attractive than Budapest or Krakow.

During my stay in Sofia, I stayed at the hostel: Hostel Mostel which offers day activities, a breakfast and a basic free meal (without meat) included in the accommodation price (about ten Euros).

I also went partying several nights in Sofia, the atmosphere is very relaxed and less festive than Bucharest for example.

Review of Rila, the mountain area!

Rila is a place less than 150 km south of Sofia (2 hours from Sofia) that you must not miss in Bulgaria. It is a region with the Rila National Park and also has the Rila Monastery which is the most significant religious monument in Bulgaria.

It is a region for hiking lovers, there is even a 2-day hike from the Rila Monastery to the area of the 7 lakes.

I personally did 2 day trips from Sofia (booked at my hostel, prices are higher in agencies but the trips are not guided) to go to the monastery and the 7 lakes area (photo above).

The trip to the 7 lakes area cost me: 25 euros + 7 euros for the chairlift (4 to 5 hours hike).

The day trip to the monastery: 20 euros (free entrance). You can tour it in 2 hours.

City	Type	Recommended duration
Sofia	Capital	2-3 days
Plovdiv	Old ancient town	2 days
Varna	Seaside	2-3 days
Veliko Tarnovo	Medieval town	1-2 days
Rila Monastery	Excursion	1 day

If you want to stay in the Rila region: Here is a hotel

My personal opinion: If I had not gone to Rila on the mountain and monastery side when I was in Sofia, I think my stay in Sofia would have been a waste of time. It is really worth touring the region near Sofia.

Review of Veliko Tarnovo: a Bulgarian town from another time.

The town of Veliko Tarnovo is a small town where the main attraction is the Veliko fortress, this town can be visited in an afternoon or a day, it has a shopping street and a heightened U-shaped architecture which is nice to see.

It is a quiet town that you can explore on foot.

The visit to the fortress takes a maximum of two hours and you can also take a peaceful walking tour of the town in a few hours.

If you go to Veliko, you must not miss under any circumstances, Buzludzha the UFO-shaped building (UFO), I talk about it further below.

Here is a list of accommodations for Veliko

Review of Varna

Varna is a Bulgarian seaside resort, it is a coastal city very popular with Bulgarian tourists.

The majority of tourists are Bulgarian but there is a bar/beach very popular with foreign tourists (Le Kubo) where most foreign tourists gather.

If you want a more international place, go to Golden Sands where there are all-inclusive hotels and hotel complexes. Here is a list of hotels in Golden Sands in Bulgaria

The main activity here is the beach, it is possible to get around on foot in the city center very easily. It is possible to do several marked hikes, for example, we went on a 3-hour hike that started with a small path.

Transport in Bulgaria

I used taxi, train, and bus in Bulgaria.

I also used the car without driving during my excursions.

You should always negotiate the taxi price when there is no meter in Bulgaria; you can negotiate a price that is almost “local”. You should always ask for the meter to avoid being surprised by the price at the end.

The train is generally slower than the bus but offers extra comfort because you will have more space, and it usually costs a few euros more.

I traveled from Sofia to Veliko by bus and from Veliko to Varna by train.

You need to be careful because there are several bus stations for different departures depending on your direction.

You can also decide to take a car, but you should know that the directions and signs are in Cyrillic, and you need to get used to reading it. You can always use GPS or Google Maps.

Safety in Bulgaria

When I traveled in Bulgaria, I did not feel unsafe at night or during the day. I walked alone several times at three in the morning in Sofia, which I would never have done in South America, for example.

You just need to use common sense, and everything should go well.

The streets are lit at night, and you should walk on the main streets and avoid small dark alleys.

Budget in Bulgaria

For me, Bulgaria is one of the cheapest countries in Eastern Europe and Europe along with Moldova and Ukraine.

You can eat for 2-3 euros at a restaurant, have a beer for less than one euro. It is much cheaper than Romania or Greece or Turkey for example.

You can easily find a hotel room for two for less than 20 euros per night.

You can travel from city to city for about 10 euros per trip.

It is really a country for small budgets, for people wanting fewer tourists because it is less attractive as there is less exposure about this country from the former communist Soviet bloc.

Guerrier bulgare chinois avec une machette 😀 #bulgarie #bulgaria.

Une publication partagée par Tanned Stefan (@conseilvoyageur) le 7 Juil. 2017 à 3 :15 PDT

Living in Bulgaria

One of the reasons I would like to live in Bulgaria is the price, the few international tourists, it has a continental and Mediterranean climate.

You can ski cheaply in winter and go to the beach in summer. It has influences from the Balkans and Russians.

Accommodation in Bulgaria

What you need to know is that often the toilet and shower are in the same place (shower above the toilet) and half the time they are combined. You can shower and use the toilet, for example.

If you want to see examples of hotels in Sofia. If you want to see examples of hotels in Varna.

My favorite place in Bulgaria

The region of the 7 lakes in Rila was my favorite.

What I did not like in Bulgaria

The locals are not smiling when you talk to them in general, maybe because you speak to them in English and not in Bulgarian.

Customer service is therefore not the best.

Although it is not very expensive to go out at night, Bulgaria is not a place if you want to go dancing, but for going out for a drink, you will have plenty of choices.

What I did not do and wanted to do in Bulgaria

I did not go to Plovdiv because I only wanted to do the northern part of Bulgaria, but many people found the city of Plovdiv very pretty.

Buzludzha the UFO-shaped building is perhaps one of my biggest regrets because it is a place I really wanted to see, I could have gone there from my hostel for 25 euros or hitchhiked there.

Other readings that follow the same logic: our feedback on holiday gift returns that sets the tone, the practical guide on working holiday visa program for concrete details, and finally creating memories if you want to extend the reflection.

Bourgas, Sozopol, Sunny beach, I do not claim to know the beaches in Bulgaria but Varna was enough for me.

Making a loop, my opinion on Bulgaria

If you rent a car for about fifteen days or for 3 weeks if you want to take your time, you can do the tour passing through:

• Sofia and its surroundings, the region of the Rila Monastery and the region of the 7 lakes. There is a multi-day hike from the monastery to the 7 lakes.
• Plovdiv, you can stay there for a few days
• Bourgas and Sozopol, which remain tourist spots worth visiting and are very popular with local tourists.
• Varna and Golden sand beach passing through a tourist beach with many foreign tourists (Sunny beach or golden sands beach). In Varna, however, you find many locals or Slavic tourists.
• Veliko Tarnovo and Buzludzha the UFO-shaped building. There are nice photos to take here, be careful because the building is normally closed to the public.

Conclusion on my vacation, my opinion on Bulgaria: Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv, Bourgas.

I would have liked to visit Bulgaria a little more because the 10 days left me feeling unfinished.

If you want to hike, I recommend Bulgaria.

If you want to party cheaply, it is better to go to Sunny beach and Golden Sand for the international spots.

The appeal of Bulgaria is the price, I wouldn’t want to go there if it were more expensive or I would choose other places. And you? What did you think of Bulgaria? Did I change your opinion about Bulgaria?