Travelers Digest
Home Page

Europe Travel Directory

Bulgaria Travel Directory

Travelers Digest Bulgaria Page

Get Your Business Listed, Click Here For Details!

 Travelers Digest Review of Bulgaria

A tale of Bulgaria through the eyes of Dakota Smith (member of Travelers Digest crew). Also present in the story are Michael Smith (editor), & Crystal Meilunas (faithful staff member).

Bulgaria is one of the more exciting & lesser known destinations this world has to offer. What most consider the gem of Eastern Europe, Bulgaria offers unparalleled natural beauty, all at mind blowing cheap prices. From remarkably high mountains & world-class ski slopes, to beautiful sandy beaches, whatever you're looking for Bulgaria has it on offer.

Our personal experiences in Bulgaria were quite the adventure. Arriving in the early morning on all-night train from Thessaloniki, I looked out my window, & onto the industrial slums surrounding the capital city of Sofia. This was to be our first foray into Eastern Europe, & I was definitely curious as to everything it had to offer. The first thing that caught my attention was exactly how different the Soviet style of urban construction was in comparison to the more modern Western architecture that I had grown accustomed to. Where as in the West things were constructed for comfort, in the East most all things were constructed solely for practicality. Most of the modern-era buildings were definitely not eye candy, but thankfully the closer to the city centre you arrive the age of the buildings changes into a more medieval style of architecture, & is quite attractive.

Stepping off the train in central Sofia, we were immediately greeted by a small group of male Gypsies who wished to carry our bags for what we thought would be a small tip. Each one of course took a small article & feigned their best that their hands were full. After reaching the curb where we were to take a taxi, they as expected all put their hands out for their tip. Mike reaching into his pocket to get a couple of Euros out, was more than shocked when they requested the startling sum of 20 Euros per person. Ha! Surely they must've been deranged, as that sum long crossed the line of "train" robbery. Only ten minutes into Bulgaria & already a confrontation had arisen. The arguing did however stop shortly after it had began as they did reluctantly accept the few Euros that he had offered.

Taking a taxi to our pre-arranged accommodations, my mind wandered off during the taxi ride as I thought about all that Bulgaria held in store, would it be more of the train station fiasco, or would it have charms yet unbeknownst to us. We were to be staying at an apartment in the city center, the location couldn't have been better, it was quite nice. But as it was still Very early in the morning everything was yet to open, even the office where we were to pick up our keys. Sitting in the doorstep of the building for the next few hours Mike & I eagerly awaited the office manager, as Crystal set about trying to find food. She didn't meet very much success but she did come back about an hour later with a bottle of Pepsi & some plastic cups. Not food, but hey, it'll work.

Eventually after getting all checked in to our apartment & taking some much needed rest. We set about seeing this mysterious city of Sofia. The city was filled with giant basilicas, grand cathedrals, open squares, & wide avenues. I was very impressed, but of anything I was most impressed with the prices. They were unbelievably low! An ice-cream cone from a street vendor cost about ten American cents, & I was officially in heaven. Another thing I noticed as I was out & about on the town was the high rate of attractiveness of the Bulgarian women. They were amazingly beautiful in that true Slavic style. After a very long walk of around 80 blocks Crystal & I set about to find a movie theatre, on the way of course making several ice-cream stops. Eventually we found a movie theatre, & we saw the film Charlie's Angels 2. Mike on the other hand tried his hand at a local pub. Now I know that seeing an American movie may not seem the most culturally advantageous thing to do when visiting a new country, but do take into consideration that this time I had not been to America in over 2 years, so nothing about American culture was a mainstay in my life, & I did not shy away from it as most travelers do when first visiting a foreign country.

After a few days of staying in Sofia, we soon embarked on what was to be the rest of our Bulgarian adventure. The touring company Travelers Digest had arranged to sponsor our tour of Bulgaria had arranged a quite extensive program for us to follow complete with lodging vouchers, as well as complete itinerary suggestions. We were to head south, through the Rila Mountains & across great industrial ghost towns, the remnants of once prospering cityscapes. But first we had to find our way out of Sofia...easier said than done. We had rented a car for a month at a quite reasonable price, now however we were merely trying to find our way out of the city. The urban sprawl is extensive, which I guess is to be expected with a city that houses such a large percentage of Bulgaria's population. Asking for directions several, & I stress "several" times along the way, we eventually found our way onto the southbound highway. Getting lost was to become a way of life for us in Bulgaria, thankfully however the people could not have been more friendly, in regards to the incident on our first day do keep in mind that it involved the ethnic Gypsy minority population, & doesn't accurately represent the attitude of the average Bulgarian.

Our first night's stop was to be at a very small lodge located high up in the mountains near the ever famous seen alpine glacier lakes. Finding this lodge would prove to be a very arduous task, which took us from a mid-afternoon hour well into the evening. Eventually though we did reach our destination, & let me tell you, it was well worth it, as the next day's hiking would prove. Now Bulgaria is one of the world's best destinations for the avid hiker, I’m not the most skilled of hikers but I do appreciate a long walk in the country. Setting out bright & early in the morning, we strode off up the hill & towards the mountains in the distance. The hike was difficult, but the beautiful & I do mean beautiful scenery more than made up for any which difficulty we encountered.

A few hours into our hike we reached a hidden valley in the midst of the surrounding very large mountains. In the winter Bulgaria is one of Europe's most popular skiing destinations, but as this was the summer the ski resort which we had stumbled upon mirrored more that of a ghost town than a resort. Albeit deserted, it was still a beautiful attraction, there were well bred horses grazing in the valley, & a small family of caretakers keeping watch over the property. After a very long day's worth of hiking, around eight hours or so, we headed back to our lodging. Upon arrival the host had prepared a large meal for us, & we ate with his family. The owner of our humble lodging was quite a tall man, who told us of how he had just gotten back into the country from Macedonia where he was on business, as he was a professional basketball scout. Eastern Europe for information purposes is home to some of the world's best basketball players.

Bulgaria being a Slavic nation uses a completely different alphabet than the English Latin-based script. This of course added greatly to the difficulty of crossing the country, as it made it quite difficult to read street signs. But we were starting to learn how to manage. Another fun fact about Bulgaria is that when asking someone a question you might often confuse their answer. As what we believe is a headshake saying no, to the left & right, in Bulgaria actually means yes. Where as a headshake, up & down, means no. Now that undoubtedly is the most confusing thing ever when you are asking a waitress a question about what food is available.

A few days after our first stop we were on the road again, this time headed for the winter ski resort town of Bansko. Even though it is a famed resort town in the winter, that doesn't mean it's not also beautiful in the summer. As the high peaks from the mountains surrounding the city does add up to good scenery. On top of that the village itself is a very quaint & charming one. A little town square is the centrepiece of the town, & there are sidewalk cafes, & very nice restaurants all around. We spent a few nights in the city at a very good hotel on a small cobblestone street about one block from the town square. Just like our other visit to a small town in Bulgaria this one also greeted us with the utmost in warmth & affections.

Taking to the asphalt once again, this time we headed in a more easterly direction and into the Rhodope mountain ranges. See Bulgaria although small is a country of striking contrasts, from the flat terrain of the Black Sea coasts, to the mountainous interior. Bulgaria is made up of four large mountain ranges, the Rila Mountains, the Pirin Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, & also the Rhodope Mountains. In my personal opinion the Rhodope Mountains are the best, but that's probably more form personal experience, & less from natural scenery or anything like that, as when compared physically all four mountain ranges are striking in their beauty.

Our destination this time was the small town of Devin, famous throughout Bulgaria as the "water town", most all of Bulgaria's bottled water comes from Devin, & bears the title on its label. Devin was by far the most charming little village we had came across as of yet. Situated on a pleasant little plateau surrounded on all sides by mountains, & rivers, it was as picturesque as picturesque could be. Our hotel accommodation that had been arranged in this town was second to none, this small little town actually offered a hotel of a 4-star rating, & we were staying in it. Our first night in town I was transferring pictures to my notebook in their business center, & some of the staff members came in to talk to me. They told me that they were going out in town that night, & asked if I'd like to come along. I of course never being one to turn down an invite, excitedly went along. It was then that the true friendly nature of the people became ever more apparent to me. We went to a small discotheque in the centre of town, where all of the youth had conglomerated that evening. It was an amazing time, & in reference to the friendliness which I've just referenced, all-night I didn't have to pay a single tab or buy my own drinks. These poor yet ever so friendly locals had taken it upon themselves to show me a good time, & they were intent on doing that. After the evening was through, I stayed up the whole night in the hotel lobby chatting with them about all of the things that people from two completely different cultures would have to talk about.

The next day we set about on an activity of a lifetime. We were to go horseback riding! But it wasn't just any horseback riding, this was to be special. Trying to find the small town near the Greek border where the stables were located saw Crystal & I arguing about where to turn, where as Mike just drove. I could've sworn that we were supposed to take a left at the water treatment plant. Crystal of course thought that we were supposed to go right, however her with the more extensive knowledge of the Cyrillic alphabet turned out to be correct, we eventually found our destination after only a couple of u-turns.

The cowboy that greeted us at the stable gates was that of an imposing stature. He stood about 6’5; he had great long red hair, & the hugest of cowboy hats. I'll admit, I was a little intimidated by the aurora of this person. Mike had always been a cowboy having been raised in Texas & was more than comfortable with horses. Crystal also knew her way around a horse; I on the other hand was quite the novice at the whole horseback riding experience. Something I'm sure showed when I requested the "prettiest horse" in the lot. Sure others choose their horses based on well qualities & merits, I on the other hand want the one with the prettiest face.

Setting about with our cowboy guide, we rode through the small Bulgarian mountainside village in which we were located. The scenery was unique all to its own, the crumbling houses on the hillside, the alpine trees providing much shade, the old women stood near their barn doors with their pitch forks watching these strange newcomers ride by. It felt as if nothing has changed since the 14th century, & sometimes that's a good feeling.

Eventually we arrived at a small hitching post on the side of the road, where we dismounted & tied our horses. The cowboy then peering at the mountainside pointed to the small cave entrance in the cliff walls. And we all walked over there, & into the cavern. The cave tunnel once inside seemed bigger than it had from the outside; it stood about 5'5 inches tall, & was littered with cave paintings that were said to be 4,000 years old, from the times of the Thracians. After walking about 500 metres through the cave tunnel we reached a gigantic cavern. Entering the cavern was done at a slow pace as it was absolutely pitch black, even with the aid of our group's one flashlight. This cavern however was not just a normal cavern; it was titled the Devil's Throat. Thanks to a very startling cave painting that dominated the line of sight as you entered its walls. It was a 4,000 year old painting of a demonic looking creature that has been since labeled as the devil. Devil's Throat has a ceiling about 60 feet high, & a circumference of more than 250 metres. Talking was difficult in the cavern as there was an underground river as well as waterfall that overwhelmed all other sense. The water raged with an extensive might. In the 1930's two American geologists were exploring the caverns when they slipped into the river, & quickly drowned. The water doesn't resurface for another few kilometres, & again it does move at an astounding pace, so slipping into the river was not an option. We however did have to cross it, & on a wooden bridge with no railings! Very carefully treading across the river which raged about 20 feet below we all made it across. At which point we gazed up at the waterfall, & a tiny prick of light at the very top of the cavern's ceiling. We then set about climbing the makeshift staircase to the top. It was quite arduous, shockingly so, the slippery steps, as well as the more than usual precautions with every step slowed the pace even more so. But eventually after what seemed like an hour of stair climbing, we reached the top. And that little prick of light had turned into a hole that was big enough for us to climb out of. We now found ourselves on the other side of a small mountain from our horses. There however was a hiking trail, & we set about following the river & then climbing across a small ridge to once again reach our horses.

The horses by this time were more than just well rested, they were refreshed. And we mounted up, & went even further along the mountainous ridge which we had been riding upon for the duration of our trip. A few clicks down the road we reached another stopping point where there were some men waiting for us. They were to take us rafting! Ahh yes it was to turn into the day of the most exuberant adventures. There was apparently a river down the canyon's slope, & we were tasked with climbing down the edge. This was not that difficult a task, at one point however we reached a gravel slope that required us to slide down on our rears. This didn't bother me, but it did leave me wondering as to how exactly we were to get back up? A few minutes after our downward trek we reached a small river at the mouth of yet another cavern. There was a small rubber raft in the water, & Crystal & I jumped right in. Mike on the other hand decided to stay on shore in order to best protect the filming equipment. Along with me & Crystal was a young Bulgarian man who was to show us the way. This cavern was every bit as dark as the last, the only difference of course being that this was a complete river cavern with no place for walking. Just a deep mountain river flowing through it's dark regions. We had more than one flashlight this time, but some differences in paddling style, well the fact that we had no paddling style at all did see us crash into more than a few rocks, & well the sides of the cavern along the way. Fifteen minutes or so after our disappearance into the cave, we emerged, & started our trek back up the canyon slope. Which was as I had assumed, much much more difficult than our trip down the slope had been.

Skipping forward through the ride back to the stables, we said goodbye to our new cowboy friend, & hopped in our car off to yet another exciting Bulgarian adventure.

This time we headed in a more northerly direction. Heading east through the town of Smolian before turning upwards & to Bulgaria's third city of Plvodiv. Famous for its ancient Roman amphitheatre, Plovdiv is the smaller quieter version of Sofia. But in keeping with its quieter reputation, there wasn't exactly too much there to keep our interests. And we soon found ourselves heading off once again.

We drove straight north & into the Balkan mountain range. Now driving in Bulgaria is not the same as ordinary driving, it's an experience! Very small two lane highways, winding through the steepest of mountain passes, little boys herding cows, & wagonloads of Gypsies are all common occurrences on the roads. Driving at night is definitely not recommended, as it would be highly dangerous taking into consideration all of the unmarked road work & lane endings.

Our destination this time was the renowned city of Veliko Tarnovo. Famed throughout Europe as one of the best preserved examples of medieval architecture, Veliko Tarnovo certainly lives up to its reputation. This city was stunning, by far the most beautiful we had seen in Bulgaria so far, & on an international scale it was definitely in the top few percent beauty wise. A large hilltop cathedral/fortress dominated the city's skyline; it towered over the city with an intimidating aurora. A walled passage along the ridge led up to the fortress, period actors bedazzled the tourists most of whom were Bulgarian with their antics, & brightly colours costumes. At the top of the hill was the widely spread out fortress complex, offering complete 360 degree views of the surrounding areas. The city below appeared more magical than ever, & the surrounding mountains as well as rivers added even more dimension for the eye. At night even more magic is added to the scenery as the fortified wall along the passage is illuminated with thousands of candles.

The streets of Veliko Tarnovo were narrow, & made up entirely of cobblestone. Sidewalk cafes were numerous, & the overall city scene was impressive. Just as the rest of Bulgaria the prices here were remarkably cheap, & the attitude of the people was that of a friendly welcoming nature. However as was with the rest of our trip, we didn't have all the time in the world to spend, so we spent a few days instead. Afterwards our road trip headed to the Black Sea coast, & the seaside town of Sozopol.

Sozopol is famous throughout Bulgaria for its carnival type atmosphere, & is a very popular destination in the local tourism market. The city is located directly on the Black Sea & is composed of an old town with a few squares miles of pedestrian only streets. Surrounded on both sides by water the city's historical district retains a fair-like environment, with street vendors selling an endless amount of trinkets, there are also nightclubs, live music venues, open-air movie theatres, & an infinite a of street performers. I even saw a bear walking down the street on its back two legs whilst wearing a carnival hat! He was leashed of course, but still, how often does one truly get the chance to see that? It was in Sozopol that I first had one of the most popular beverages in Bulgaria, bottled peach juice, sold at virtually every restaurant & kiosk. After one sip I was hooked, it tastes so amazing. I don't believe that there was ever a time after that for the rest of the duration of my stay when I ordered anything else at a restaurant.

After about a week in Sozopol we headed north along the coast, first stopping in Burgas, the fourth largest city in all of Bulgaria. Burgas is a beautiful seaside city; its centrepieces are its wonderful sandy beach & long pier. After a short visit in Burgas, our next stop was the UNESCO World Heritage site of Nesebar. Yes this little city on the Bulgarian coast was deemed to be so beautiful that the United Nations honoured it with its most prestigious title. Situated on a small peninsula, the majority of the buildings in the city hail from the medieval ages, but most still are in excellent condition. The tourists never stop streaming into Nesebar, & unlike a lot of other parts in Bulgaria, the majority of the tourists here reign from foreign nations such as Germany, & aren't just domestic tourists visiting from other parts of Bulgaria.

Slightly north of Nesebar lies the resort community dubbed "Sunny Beach". This is a megaplex left over from the Communist era, see in their version of tourism bigger was definitely better. Sunny Beach is a large resort area filled with gigantic hotels, & community swimming pools complete with waterslides, there are bars, & shops, restaurants, & nightclubs. Everything anyone could possibly ever need, as well as one of the more beautiful beaches in the country. On the downside though, the atmosphere is rather sterile, most of the people that you'll meet in the resort community are foreigners on vacation, & the prices in the complex are more than 4 times the average price throughout the rest of Bulgaria.

Driving 50 miles to the north we came upon the destination we been looking forward to most...Varna. Varna is Bulgaria's second largest city, & in my opinion the definite best of all large cities in the nation. We found ourselves a nice little apartment to stay at for awhile, & we settled in for what was to be a long stay.

Varna is a great city; it has one of the most interesting & entertaining beach fronts in the world. Something is always going on. Going to the beach in here isn't a task, it's an experience. With plenty of bars, restaurants, carnival games, water parks, & open-air nightclubs, a good time isn't expected it's guaranteed.

Varna's city center is built entirely for pedestrians with networks of walking streets several kilometres long. Hundreds of shops & sidewalk cafes litter the street; there aren't many better ways to spend a day than shopping on a pink tiled street next to the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Downtown Varna has a great outdoor market, & is a great place to buy quality, yet really cheap clothes. Night time on the other hand in Varna has ore of a time than any other night I had ever seen. The beach area comes alive as the crowds flock to enjoy the warm summer nights. Nightclubs, discos, restaurants & cinemas, the carnival games are a whole lot of fun. There's even archery, which I'm not sure how good of an idea that is, seeing that vodka is practically free in this country. But everyone seems to have a fun time at the beach.

Sadly Varna was to be the last call for Crystal as she was scheduled to fly into Miami soon, & would soon depart for Zurich. Before she left however we all went to see a special rock monolith site on the outskirts of town. Parking the car on the side of a small road, we walked into the rock fields to partake in the natural phenomenon. Apparently the rocks had been naturally placed in these upright stalagmite type positions, which was very odd as they were in the middle of a grassy field. After spending a few hours exploring the field, we drove back into town for a farewell dinner, & some reflections on what had been a road trip of epic proportions.

Mike's time however was not up, & neither was mine. we would end up staying in Varna for another 2 months, taking a break in between what would be our next door. We didn't hibernate of course during the rest of our time in Bulgaria, no far from it. A lot of our days were spent at a resort complex just north of Varna called Golden Sands. Golden Sands is Bulgaria's second mega-resort complex, much like its counterpart Sunny Beach to the south. However it's my opinion that Golden Sands is a lot more entertaining than Sunny Beach.

Golden Sands has award winning beaches, 4 water parks, dozens of bars & restaurants, it's has even got mechanical bulls on the beach! The fun just doesn't stop, it's not hard to have fun in Golden Sands, it's hard not to have fun here. While I wouldn't recommend staying in Golden Sands, I do think it's a great place to make a day excursion from Varna.

During our two months in Varna our visas were conveniently expiring, which would pose a problem, as we were just days away from overstaying our month-long visa. Thankfully there was a plan to counter this obstacle. We would go to Romania! We got on the road & drove to the Bulgarian border city of Ruse, where we returned our rental car as we wouldn't be needing it any longer. From there we took a taxi to the Romanian capital of Bucharest. Spending a few days in the Romanian capital was quite the culture shock from Bulgaria, where as Bulgaria was ordered, & the people neat. Romania was chaotic, & the people were of a more erratic type. Nevertheless this is not a story about Romania, so I'll get back to the subject at hand. After spending a few days in Bucharest we had secured our extended Bulgarian visas from the embassy, & headed back to Ruse. Once arriving in Ruse we boarded the train for the one-hundred mile journey back to Varna. Where as in a lot of countries a one-hundred mile train trip would take around an hour, this was in fact Bulgaria, & the trip took a long 12 hours. Not to say the journey was bad, as it was quite comfortable, it just stretched out a little.

Back in Varna our pace of life receded to what seemed like normality for the next month & a half or so. At which point we were ready to move on to our next tour. We hopped a bus headed for Burgas, & then caught a flight that afternoon, where to you ask? Well our destination was nothing less than the Motherland. Yes that's right, we were headed to the queen of the Eastern-Bloc, Moscow!

Travel Information
Travelers Digest Review of Bulgaria   Travel Guides   Hotels   Attractions
Bus Lines   Car Rentals   National Parks   Passenger Trains   Photos
Tour Operators   Travel Agents   Vineyards