Itinerary help for 10 days in Bulgaria

It looks like you have already done a lot of research, but you might want to take a look at the itinerary of the RS Bulgaria trip for ideas of more things to do and see. Better yet, you might want to consider taking this tour! I took it two years ago in May and it really was an excellent experience with a terrific guide. I realize that it doesn’t meet your criteria of 3-4 nights in each location, but it would take care of all the challenges in traveling to Bulgaria - driving, reading the Cyrillic alphabet, hiring a guide, etc. It also gives you experiences that you probably cannot get on your own - overnight at Rila Monastery, lunch with two families (Roma and Muslim) and so on.

Stefan, the RS guide, also runs his own small touring company, along with his friend, Yuri (who I believe has also begun to work for RS). It is Lyuba Tours https://lyuba.tours/contacts They may be able to help you arrange private touring in Bulgaria. Both of them are delightful.

I remember my time on Bulgaria fondly. Have a wonderful time!

Thank you Renee and Kaeleku for your input! With your feedback, I feel we’re headed in the right general direction. Every trip to Europe (8 under our belts now), we’re fully aware that having a car will give us so much more flexibility and freedom, but my husband drives everyday and he just doesn’t want to deal with the added stresses of driving in a foreign country, signage, language, spotty cellular service for gps in rural areas, etc. and I support his decision. So my half-baked solution is to hire a driver for some segments that public transportation isn’t great or non existent, or book a day tour, which is what we’ve done for previous trips.

Renee, I haven’t ruled out a RS tour completely. I totally agree with you that reviewing their itineraries and descriptions gives me good insights and ideas. I know that we’d get to see and do things we will never be able to do on our own, but just the thought of living out of my carry on every 1-2 days sends shivers down my spine -Lol. I guess I’m not quite ready for that yet - maybe in 8-10 years (We are 57 & 59).

I’m always thinking and planning our next travels so we have time to tweak our itinerary. Kaeleku, I trust your suggestions and give it some serious thought - thank you, especially around Day 4. Thank you including the link to your blog, and I’m very sorry your loss of Yane. 😢

I was just there for a baseball tournament. Biomet was a very nice bus line and goes from Sofia to VT. We rode it all the way to the beaches at Varna. I was told the trains are terrible and not to take them. We hired a driver to go to and from Blagoevgrad which was 70 American each way. The Intercontinental in Sofia is amazing and very reasonable. I would book a tour to Rila since it is hard to get to and can get crowded. They have day tours out of Sofia. I know cars have a road tax that has to be paid. Some Americans we met on the beach said they were given a hard time by the police because the road tax was not paid when they rented the car in Serbia. Amazing country, very inexpensive and the people are very kind. The photo app on google translate was a lifesaver with the different letters. Stick to major hotel chains when you can (not an option in some towns like Blagoevgrad). They tend to be lower quality than the rating Our 5 star in Golden Sands was much more like a 3 star in USA. Clean bathrooms everywhere, even in the bus depots.

It's good. Yet if you have time. Visit varna and golden sands. Amazing city and amazing complex for the summer!

Thanks finowolf and ppetersen77! After some thought, I think we will add 2 additional days to our itinerary and visit Varna/Golden Sands.

Paulina Docheva can arrange all for you

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