Sofia & the West Sofia Dating back to the fourth century BC, the ancient capital of Sofia has a wealth of different architectural styles including Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Bulgarian and Turkish. The city boasts many theaters and museums (including those of archaeology and ethnography), opera houses and art galleries (including the National Art Gallery housed in the former Royal Palace), as well as universities, open-air markets, parks (over 300 of them, including the Borisova Park) and sports stadiums. Visitors should see the extraordinary Alexander Nevski Memorial Church
(which dominates the city with its gold-leaf dome), built to celebrate Bulgaria’s liberation from the Turks in the Russo-Turkish war at the end of the last century. The crypt hosts an exhibition of beautiful icons and the choir is excellent and well worth hearing. Other churches in Sofia include St Sophia, which is Byzantine and dates from the sixth century; Rotunda of St George, which dates back to the fifth century and contains 14th-century frescoes; St Petka Samardziiska, which is 14th century, and St Nedelya. There is an archaeological museum housed in the nine cupolas of the Bouyouk Mosque (the largest in Sofia). The Banya Bashi Mosque is also worth a visit. An example of modern architecture is the Alexander Batenberg Square, which contains the Government Buildings and some Roman remains nearby (discovered when an underpass was being constructed), together with a reconstruction of the city as it was in Roman times. Other attractions include the Turkish baths and the markets at Hali (covered market), Georgi Kirkov and Kristal Square (flea market and antique shops).
Rila Rila Monastery is 121km (75 miles) from Sofia, perched high up on the side of a mountain in the middle of thick pine forests. Rila has a fascinating collection of murals, woodcarvings, old weapons and coins; and manuals and Bibles written on parchment. The monastery itself is notable for its delicate and unusual architectural features. Originally founded in the 10th century by the hermit and holy man, Ivan Rilski, the monastery acted as a repository and sanctuary for Bulgarian culture during the 500-year Turkish occupation from 1396. Fire has destroyed most of the early architecture and the present buildings date from the 19th century, with the exception of the 14th-century Khrelio’s Tower. There is good accommodation in the monastery and a nearby hotel. Rila is an excellent starting place for climbs and hikes in the surrounding countryside.
Elsewhere The mountain of Vitosha on the outskirts of Sofia is a National Park with chairlifts and cable cars to help with the ascent as it is approximately 1800m (6000ft) high. Here, the medieval church of Boyana, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, can be seen, with its beautiful and ancient frescoes painted around the year 1200 and thought to be some of the oldest in Bulgaria. South of Sofia is Blagoevgrad, home of the Pirin State Ensemble (the world-renowned folkloric group), and Sandanski, an ancient spa town and birthplace of the Roman gladiator, Spartacus. Further south still, travelers can visit two of Bulgaria’s museum towns: Melnik is known for its wine cellars, 18th to 19th century architecture and its proximity to Rozhen Monastery with its beautifully carved altar, stained-glass windows, murals and icons; and the museum town of Bansko, at the foot of Pirin Mountain, contains the Holy Trinity Church with its carved ceilings and murals, and its monastery-like houses with high stone walls.
Central Bulgaria Plovdiv Founded in 432 BC and the country’s second-largest city, the museum town of Plovdiv is divided by the Maritsa River and contains both an old quarter and a new commercial section. The old part contains many buildings dating from the 18th and 19th centuries (and earlier) in typical National Revival style. It is possible to wander along the narrow cobbled streets and see Roman ruins (including an amphitheater), picturesque medieval houses and 17th-century buildings with their upper sections hanging out into the street and almost touching those opposite. The Archaeological Museum has collections of gold Thracian artifacts, including cooking utensils, and the Ethnographic Museum is also worth seeing, as are the churches of St Marina and St Constantine & Helen.
Elsewhere 8 km (5 miles) from Plovdiv is Batchkovo Monastery, founded in the 11th century, with some rare frescoes, icons, manuscripts and coins. Batchkovo lies within the area known in ancient times as Thrace (partly occupied by the Rhodope Mountains) and many items of archaeological interest have been discovered, including wonderful gold Thracian objects. The town of Kazanluk has a Museum of Rose Production and is the center of Bulgaria’s major export: attar of roses. The valley of Kazanluk itself has countless archaeological and historic treasures – Greek, Roman, Thracian and Ottoman. Veliko Turnovo, ancient capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1187-1393), is another museum town, situated on three hills circled by the River Yantra. It contains extraordinary collections of historic works of art, including church relics. Turnova has many fine examples of houses built in the National Revival style (18th to 19th century), many of which were designed by master builder Kolyo Phicheto and typically seem to grow out of the steep slopes flanking the river. The Preobrazhenski Monastery is quite close, as is the open-air folk museum at Etar, near the town of Gobrovo. The picturesque village of Arbanassi, a museum town located 4km (2.5 miles) from Veliko Turnovo, was a wealthy merchants’ town between the 16th and 18th centuries and is noted for its unique stone-built houses, its two monasteries, St Nikola and Holy Virgin and, in particular, the beautiful murals of the St Elija Chapel. 8 km (5 miles) northwest of Plovdiv, the museum town of Koprivshtitsa is one of Bulgaria’s best-preserved towns, with primary colored examples of National Revival architecture apparent everywhere. The town is perhaps best known for its Great Koprivshtitsa Folklore Festival, held every four years. Further museum towns to the east of Plovdiv include Tryavna, again with many examples of houses in the National Revival style; Kotel, which is located in a small valley in the Balkan mountain range, and is famous as a center for carpet making; and the village of Zheravna, in the Eastern Balkan range, containing beautiful 17th-century wooden houses.
The Black Sea Coast The Bulgarian Black Sea Riviera resorts are ideal for the traditional seaside family holiday. Swimming is generally safe, as even at 150m (500ft) away from the shore, the water is only shoulder-high. Areas where currents are a problem are clearly marked. The Black Sea has half the salt content of the Mediterranean. Some of the sand is pulled by currents from as far away as the Mediterranean, flowing through the Bosphorus and Dardenelles. Special children’s pools have been installed on many of the beaches; swings, slides, playdomes and donkey rides are also available and most resorts offer a wide range of watersports.
Resorts There are dozens of attractive resorts on the Black Sea Riviera. St Constantine and Elena Resort is Bulgaria’s oldest Black Sea spa, centered on the Grand Hotel Varna, the largest and one of the most luxurious hotel on the Riviera. Albena, named after a famous local beauty, is situated on the edge of a lovely forest, and is Bulgaria’s newest resort (a showcase and vivid monument to contemporary Bulgarian design), with good food and lively nightlife. Golden Sands, is the largest resort on the Northern Black Sea coast. It has good facilities and probably the best nightlife on the Black Sea Riviera. Sunny Day offers a wide range of beauty and health treatments in two of its four hotels. In a forested setting overlooking the sea, it is only 10km (6 miles) from Varna, the Black Sea capital founded in the sixth century BC, which contains many Roman and Byzantine remains. Sunny Beach is a large purpose-built family resort with beautiful and safe beaches. Close to Sunny Beach is the seventh-century fishing village of Old Nessebur with its wooden fishermen’s houses and its famed four dozen Byzantine churches. The Black Sea port town of Burgas has a Maritime Park and an extensive beach.
Winter resorts Borovets is a World Cup venue. It is only 72km (45 miles) from Sofia, at 1350m (4300ft) in the Rila Mountains and is the oldest and largest mountain resort in Bulgaria. There, the 2400m (8000ft) Yastrebets (Hawk’s Nest) is a steep, twisting red trail for the advanced skier, in operation from November until April. Seven comfortable, friendly and well-run hotels provide most of the accommodation and there is a village of timber-framed houses (each sleeping six) nearby. In Bulgarian resorts, hotels usually provide most of the nightlife. There is a disco in the Mousalla. There is also a wine bar and some folk taverns (mehana); sleigh rides through the snow are also available. At Pamporovo, in the Rhodopi Mountains, 85km (53 miles) from Plovdiv, there is one of the finest ski schools in Europe. Pamporovo is also the most southerly ski resort in Europe. The major ski runs start from the top of the 1926m (6318ft) Snejanka Peak. Vitosha, 1800m (6000ft) high and home of the National Ski School based on the FIS methods, overlooks Sofia. Two of the six ski runs have been approved for international competitions. All the resorts have been purpose-built to blend in with the magnificent natural scenery of mountains and forest. Equipment on hire is modern and well maintained. The most recent resort is Bansko, a small town in southwest Bulgaria at the foothills of the Pirin Mountain. There are slalom and giant slalom runs available, as well as a 5km- (3.1 mile-) cross-country track.
National Parks Bulgaria has a number of national parks which abound in rare flora and fauna, bird species (including vultures, eagles and falcons), as well as endangered animal species such as bears, wolves and red deer. Facilities for nature and outdoor enthusiasts have improved in recent years, with different types of accommodation, including small hotels, lodges, private chalets and camping becoming increasingly available. Guided tours or private visits are possible; for some areas, a permit is required. For details, contact the Ministry of Economy (Website: www.mi.government.bg ). The Pirin National Park is situated on the highest part of the Pirin mountain range. The landscape varies from the ancient Baikusheva pine forests to crystalline lakes and limestone rocks. Many rare plant species, such as the near extinct Edelweiss, are preserved within the park, which also contains nearly 180 glacier lakes. In the southwest, the Rila National Park covers nearly half of the Rila mountain range and is renowned for its seven lakes and its 10th-century monastery. Vitosha National Park, just outside Sofia, is home to many species of butterflies and offers shelter to wolves, bears and wild cats. The Vratchansky Balkan National Park, in the northwest, has spectacular rock formations, waterfalls and ancient caves. It incorporates the Vratchansky Karst Nature Reserve, whose caves provide a habitat for many species of bats. The Central Balkan National Park, located to the northeast of Sofia and reached via the Troyan Pass, is noted for the Raiskoto Praskalo waterfall – the highest in Bulgaria - and its 50 protected plant species, many of them native to these mountains. The small Sinite Kamani National Park has spectacular rock formations and is home to the royal eagle, long-legged buzzard and the peregrin falcon. The Shoumen Plateau National Park near the town of Shoumen has a varied landscape of thick forests and steep rock formations and is home to the Shumenska Krepost archaeological reserve. Situated near the River Danube close to the town of Rousse, the Roussenski Lom National Park is known for its rich wildlife and fauna. The Strandzha National Park in the southeast is Bulgaria’s largest. It borders the Black Sea and is famous for its oak and beech forests. The nearby Ropotamo Reserve on the banks of the River Ropotamo has a diverse landscape ranging from cliffs and forests to sandy beaches, dunes and swamps; the Arkutino swamp is a shelter for many rare bird species.
World Heritage Sites Bulgaria has nine UNESCO-listed World Heritage Sites. The Thracian Kazanluk Tomb, located in the Valley of Roses near the town of Kazanluk, has perfectly preserved murals dating from the fourth century BC. The Sveshtari Tomb is situated in an archaeological reserve near the town of Razgrad; it was built 2300 years ago for a Thracian king. The Madara Horseman, an image carved into a rock of a horseman piercing a lion with his spear dates from the early Middle Ages (eighth century); it is located on the Madara Plateau in the Danube plain. The 13th-century Boyana Church is located at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the Sofia suburb of Boyana and is famous for its murals, which include replicas of icons from Constantinople. The Ivanovo Rock Monasteries near the city of Rousse stretch for more than 5km (3.1 miles) and consist of cells, churches and chapels dug into the rocks by hermit monks who settled there between the 11th and 14th centuries. Old Nessebur is one of Europe’s oldest towns (for details, see The Black Sea Coast section). The 11th-century Rila Monastery is set on Rila Mountain, 121km (75 miles) from Sofia (for details, see Sofia & The West section). The Sreburna Lake nature reserve is located near the Danube river, 16km (10 miles) west of the town of Silistra. It stretches over an area of 600 hectares (1482 acres) and is listed for its unique fauna and wildlife, including the rare Dalmatian pelican, the cormorant and the ibis. Thanks to swift preventative measures, the park seems to have escaped unscathed from the recent Danube cyanide spill. The Pirin National Park (for details, see National Parks section) is a protected area of 27,400 hectares (67,678 acres).
