Bulgaria Travel

I enjoyed Bulgaria very much on our Rick Steves' guided tour (not running this year, but we hope it will be back) and do recommend a visit. I've also experienced those nerves before a first solo visit to Eastern Europe, but when you get there, you'll find that everything works about the same as Western Europe. I don't find Rick's (older) TV show about Bulgaria on our web site, but is available on HULU.com. We also recommend using the Lonely Planet guidebook.

My wife and I went to Bulgaria about 3 years ago and loved it. Beautiful country. Enjoyed it so much that we are headed back in June of this year for another week. Good, kind people, as safe as it needs to be. Preparation? I would suggest a decent guide and a car. Bulgaria is the poorest country in the EU and it is reflected in the prices. Very inexpensive to hire good assistance. Remember Bulgaria does border Turkey, so a side trip to Istanbul is possible (part of our plan). And Istanbul to Budapest is about $275 on Turkish air (another part of our trip).

Let me know if I can help.

Bulgaria is a very beautiful country with an enormous tourist potential in the future. If you don't read cyrillic alphabet and don't speak Bulgarian or at least Russian it is difficult to do Bulgaria on your own. Not much English spoken. But as James suggested hire a guide with a car. I did it with the guide and also on my own but I can speak some Russian and few other Slavic languages and read cyrillic. Bulgaria has marvelous folk music and folk songs one of the best anywhere. I was using Bulgaria The Rough Guide and I bought Bulgaria Guide Book in Sofia. It is in English. There is so much to see there: mountains Rila, Pirin, Rhodopi, Stara Planina and of course Black Sea seashore. What to see depends how much time you have there.

You know I have never encountered a situation anyplace in the world where the language was an insurmountable obstacle. Google Pavlina Docheva for a good guide with a car.

Very timely post. It looks like I will be a bachelor for most of the summer while my family heads back to the States. I was thinking of taking 10 days off, grabbing my backpack and heading east by train... going through Hungary and Romania to Bucharest and then heading South to Sophia, before returning to Vienna via Belgrade. I look forward to reading the responses here. How is train service in that part of the world?

Train is slower there than in western or even central Europe. Bucuresti and Sofia are not the biggest attractions of its countries.

The trend at least in the RS forum is to want to back door everything as though there is nothing good in the front. Actually I am grappling with the back door theory and I think I will start a thread.

The trains pretty much draw wind in Bulgaria and Romania. But there is one old narrow gauge that runs through the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria that takes in some really beautiful scenery. Bucharest is an amazing but complicated lesson with at least one piece of architecture that you will not soon forget and some very interesting jewels tucked away in the corners. They have done some pretty impressive face lifting in the past few years. I think it’s well worth the effort. Sofia has some lovely parts and truly impressive religious architecture and street life/cafes/etc. that will stay with you long after you are gone. Both cities can keep most travelers occupied for at least two days. Romania is about the churches and the castles and the mountains. Bulgaria is about the villages, the blended Christian/Muslim culture and the stunning nature.

I made my tour through Bulgaria in September 2007 only by public transport, busses and trains. I can’t speak a word Bulgarian and travelled through the country without any difficulty and thinking back enjoyed it very much. With a little sense of adventure (am not a dare-devil) and an open mind you can have a really nice trip there. I think it depends totally of yourself if you have to be nervous or not and think if it’s doable. People are very nice there in contrary to the general image of the country and speaking for myself Bulgaria felt safe. With common sense you have to use everywhere you can move around and enjoy the country. It remains up to you if you feel secure enough about yourself to give it a go or not. What I describe here is the backdoor experience, guided tours are whatever they say not, but that can be a way to visit a country ofcourse and perfect for you.

Btw: Uncertainty attracts negative things, so important is to deal with these feelings for having a good safe journey.

Wil, I like your post.

We never felt the least bid nervous in Bulgaria but we never did anything stupid either. The people were wonderful. ON that narrow gauge I spoke of we didn't know how long the trip would be and the locals felt sorry for us since we had no food or water. They took care of us like no one's business, expected nothing in return...........and by they way not one of them spoke English. That was one of the high points of all of our travels.

The trip there in June like the prior trip a few years back is not a package tour. This time we have particular interests that will take us to some pretty out of the way places. The activity that we are going to pursue we want to pursue as many hours each day as possible. Primarily for those two reasons we are hiring transpiration and someone that understands what we are up to and can help expedite it. And because I am getting older, lazier and ..... well, I am just going to enjoy it more this way.

Every trip to every place is different some we go light and with public transport, some we go heavier, some we stay in hotels and a lot of the time apartments. There is no one size fits all formula. Prior to 55 I would have done exactly what you did and I envy you to a large degree. But we agree, its a great place.

Our trip to Bulgaria was in 2004 (seems like yesterday) and maybe things have changed in 10 years, but for what it's worth, we really enjoyed that trip and hope to return some day. We originally planned to hook up with a Bulgarian friend and Breckenridge, CO ski instructor for several winters who went home each summer, for the first couple days. We didn't wind up connecting with him in Sofiya (a long story and really unfortunate), but we found some people who spoke English or French, and our Lonely Planet guide was a big help for trip planning, sights, and some language translation.

Plumbing: toilets were all flush, not a hole in the ground, which is more than you can say for some parts of Western Europe!

Transportation: Rental cars from Hertz, Avis, etc. were expensive, but we found Drenikov Car Rental on the Internet (they're still there at drenikov.com) and reserved a VW Passat station wagon. It was cheap because it was not a current-year model. When we arrived at the Sofiya Airport, we discovered it was a REALLY USED car, which ran OK, but on Day 2 we got a flat tire. Removing the tire, it was nearly bald. Roads had massive potholes, and a local told us potholes never got repaired, so a bald tire wasn't ideal. We rolled the tire to a service station (luckily, one was nearby) and it turns out the tire had an innertube (retro!) with about 187 patches! We had them install patch #188 and continued our trip. A couple of days later, an intermittent scraping sound came from beneath the car. Turns out a body panel had come loose and was hitting bumps in the road. Then the scraping happened all the time. We tied the panel up and reported the above issues when we turned in the car in Sofiya, and the Drenikov people just shrugged. Occasionally, we'd get passed by big, black Mercedes going about 200 kph, so we stayed out of their way in Scrapey Car. Our one train ride was to Bucharest, Romania to catch a cheap flight to Venice. Not as smooth as couchette trains in France or Austria, and we were interrupted throughout the night by loud voices, and frequent visits by border police to our sleeping compartment for passport checks, first Bulgarian then Romanian, several times.

Lodging: We found a house on the Internet for short-term rental, in Ledenik (translates to "Icicicle"), just outside Veliko Tarnovo, the capital centuries before Sofiya. It was owned by a British woman who'd built several houses in the area, intending to sell them to other Brits as second homes (much cheaper than Southern France or Spain), and couldn't believe that we were traveling to Bulgaria on vacation simply to see the country and not to purchase property. She said her Bulgarian assistant, Nasko, could help if we needed someone to show us around or provide English translation. He introduced us to a friend who taught English at the local school, and she accompanied us in Scrapey Car one day to visit towns and villages in the mountains that she'd never seen before as a native Bulgarian, so it was a treat for all of us.

Food: Bulgaria has absolutely the best, freshest vegetables! Shopska salat (incredible tossed salad) was a mealtime staple, and the yogurt and thick katak were treats. Bulgaria was doing "Greek" yogurt long before it became a hit in the USA.

People & Culture: wonderful, friendly people and fascinating Orthodox chapels (but we didn't make it to the Rila Monastery). We toured the Bulgarian interior and didn't see any of the Vacation Hotspot destinations by the Black Sea, but Bulgaria has mountains, beaches, plains, and forests. Maybe having a 2nd home there wouldn't be too bad, but the commute would be rough. They haven't switched to the Euro yet, so you'll still be spending leva and stotinki. The current Lonely Planet guidebook can give you plenty more insight. Best of luck to your son on his dig & enjoy your travels!

I enjoyed Sofia, but once again i listened to "those that know" and didn't plan enough time in Sofia on the first visit. But it really is about what you are interested in. Plovdiv is one of my favorite towns in all the towns we have visited over the years. Not to be missed. And yes, the food was very good. Especially the salads and the yogurt. Even at some pretty decent yogurt soup on the trip. I cant wait to get back.

Oh, and some other cultural things I recall: Rick's "Surprising Bulgaria" video, which you may be able to find at your library, indicated that Bulgarians move their heads from side to side to indicate "yes," and nod up and down to indicate "no." Some guidebooks indicated this as well, but we didn't find that to be the case with anyone we met, and our friend Rumen also said he nodded yes and shook no, like us Americans. He also couldn't understand why our bread tasted so sweet in the USA - but we overdo sugar and our average weight and diabetes rates are proof. You may or may not experience the yes/no thing yourselves.

Also, look for different architecture on homes than you may be used to. Lots of homes have 2nd floor extensions off the side of the house - like enclosed balconies with windows. Ten years ago, many women had red (wildly red-dyed) hair and really pointy shoes. That may or may not still be a fashion trend over there, but it never caught on in the USA, except with genies and elves :-)

James - we like the same way to travel although 2007 is already a long while ago but I also get a bit older too and notice becoming less adventureous then 6 years ago. I think not taking so much risk anymore now, just a bit more secure if everything is arranged well. In that period I didn’t really care about the preperation, some basics yes, used a Lonely Planet guide but a lot was arranged on the spot. Most a lot of funny things happened this way, making the trip so much worth to do. Like the train from Septemvri to Bansko in the mountains where the locals started singing together like a big family, and that was with a narrow-gauge, is that the one you talk about? More things happened spontaneously.
Thanks to this thread I have readed my personal trip report about Bulgaria again and yes it was a good trip even there where also lesser things ofcourse to experience, not a real big deal btw, but as a whole I look back to it as one of my favorite travels so far.

Cyn - driving around with such a bad car is too adventurous for me, personal safety remains a priority, happy that nothing happened really wrong to you. I can remember Shopska salade and appreciate your style of travel too

Wil, One of the nice things is that for about the same cost as a bare bones trip to Germany you can travel pretty nicely in Bulgaria. Yes, same narrow gauge. What a tremendous ride that was. Past all the little villages with a mosque in one end of the town and church in the other end. Past all the farm land where the Muslim women were toiling endlessly. Through the tunnels and pine trees and past the cliffs above that you could reach out the window and touch.

To temper a bit, a relative recently visited Bugaria and I talked with a fellow born and raised there. Both had no desire to return. Do proper research and establish expectations accordingly.

Hi Bruce, I think there is a big difference between living in Bulgaria and visiting this country as a tourist. I have spoken with Bulgarians and can remember the request of a woman in Plovdiv to look in the Netherlands for work for her husband, even very well educated they had a hard time to earn a living and tried to leave Bulgaria if possible to have a better life elsewhere. On the otherhand the woman I spoke in Burgas came back a few years before my visit from the US, because she couldn't get used to the way of life and my impression was that she was glad to be back in her home country. So I think it's a personal thing if somebody wants to live there, depends from person to person and situation I guess. I can imagine that it is not an easy country for living there, you meet a lot of poverty. My personal travel experience in Bulgaria was despite of that very positive, met there a lot of nice people and I think among the locals are still social values who are for most part gone in our modern way of life.
It remains important to know with what kind of expectations you go to there, but that will be to my opinon always a personal thing,
I agree of doing proper research, for me the visit payed off as I didn't expect western luxury but was interested in the way of life behind the former Iron Curtain.

Bruce you are correct. If the expectation is Switzerland you will be disappointed. If the expectation is an emerging 3 world country you will probably enjoy it. Of all the places I have visited over the years I can only think of one that I would seriously considering living in. Its very hard in Bulgaria and I would imagine that a substantial percentage of the population would live in the US if they had the opportunity.

If one has a lot I mean a lot of money then IMHO the best country to live in would be Switzerland. If that's not the case then Bulgaria would not be bad. You would still feel like a rich man there.

Ilja, once again we will have to agree to disagree.

Hello! I have read many good comments about my country and thank you heartily for all the beautiful words! I am a young boy of 20 years live in the second largest city in Bulgaria - Plovdiv . If you visit this city, I'd be happy to show you around and show you my city - Plovdiv, of course, free (No money) I've always been very nice to be like a guide , but just as a hobby. Very sadly , I do not know English well , but I think this is not a big problem, even think it would be interesting . Living with advanced technology. If you wish to contact me, please email me at : merov1993@abv.bg - I am Mario :)