Rick StevesTour to Bulgaria

Judy, I haven't taken the Bulgaria tour (yet), but have met the Guide for that area on a number of occasions, and she's wonderful! You'd be visiting a part of Europe that's a bit "off the radar" for mainstream tourists, and I don't think you'd be disappointed. Regarding post-tour locations, Budapest, Prague or Dubrovnik would be good (not sure about Bucharest?). Which one to choose may depend to some extent on ease of transportation. Dubrovnik especially can be "challenging" at times for flights. Happy travels!

Hi Judy with the distances between these places, you're looking,more realistically, at flying between Sofia and your other destination (which should not be Bucharest). A low-cost airline flying between Sofia andBudapest is WizzAir, you can check out their website. easyJet only flies to UK airports from Sofia, and RyanAir apparently only flies from Plovdiv . . . .

Ken and Kim,
Thanks for your prompt replies. Is there a reason both of you don't recommend Bucharest? Safety? Checking into flights they are quite expensive or is train travel unreliable or dangerous? Rome is the cheapest flight at $91 one way while many others are $300-400 one way. I hate to be in Europe and not be able to see another area. Any other suggestions? Thanks for your help. Judy

There's nothing wrong with Bucuresti. We spent four days there a year ago and intened to go back. We were around the train station, a rather unsavory experience, but were never intimidated. It is a nice old city when you strip away all the old communist era concrete blocks. Trains in that part of Europe are as safe as trains in the U.S. I don't know who starts the rumors that they aren't, but those people should stop peddling misinformation and every one else should stop believing them.

Judy, I wasn't sure about Bucharest, as I've never been there nor have I ever researched it as a possible destination. Therefore I'm not sure whether it's worthwhile or not? It does sound interesting in some respects. On my flight home in October, the young guy sitting beside me was just returning from visiting his grandparents in Ploesti, and he had some interesting stories to tell. Based on what he told me, I'd consider going there but would have to check out a few Guidebooks first to get a better idea of the specifics (ie: hotel quality, language issues, transportation and above all, are there any sights there that might interest me). Cheers!

I have spent a week in Bulgaria, a week in Romania and many, many, many weeks in Hungary. Bucharest is interesting but Romania is more interesting, fabulous. actually; so is Bulgaria by the way. Sure, if you can find an affordable flight its worth it to go on to Bucharest where you can spend a day ot two and then tour Romania. I know a guide that will drop you off in Budapest by the way. Dubrovnik is a little hard to reach from this region but if its the water and the coast you want to enjoy, Bulgaria has some pretty nice Black Sea resort towns.

Bucharest is indeed "interesting," but it's basically depressing, dirty, and did I mention depressing. I'm glad to have gone there, but I can't imagine spending my tourist dollars there, nor advising someone else to do so. Budapest and Dubrovnik are both beautiful and interesting -- Budapest is bigger and perhaps could hold your interest for a greater number of days, but Dubrovnik is simply stunning. I apologize to anyone who takes offense at my Bucharest comments, but that's how I feel. Are there interesting things to see there, and important lessons to be learned? Yes. Would I spend my hard-earned vacation there? No way.

Kim and others,
I appreciate all of your nice responses. I'm checking one way flights on skyscanner.com, and came up with $91 flights to Berlin, Rome, and Madrid. We've been to all three but could use these locations for other places. Budapest, Dubrovnik,and others are expensive flights with long layovers. Still hoping to book the Bulgaria trip. I'd love to hear from someone who has done it.

I'm with Kim on Bucharest. I went with an open mind expecting to like it. And while I'm glad I saw it, I'm not planning on returning any time soon, whereas I am actively planning on returning to Budapest. All large cities have safety issues, but I felt much more comfortable walking around and taking public transit at night on my own in Budapest than I did doing the same in the one small touristy area in Bucharest. So there's that. If you were thinking of Romania, Brasov is lovely and I'm sure the other "sister" towns in Transyivania like Sigisoara would be as well. That said, for convienence I'd look into a cheap flight to Croatia or Budapest depending on your interest. Coastal Croatia is beautiful in the fall, but the prices might be a bit of a shock coming from Bulgaria, as it's about as expensive as most of Western Europe. Dubrovnik is definately a bucket-list city, although I'm glad I stayed in the nearby also beautiful town of Cavtat and not in Dubrovnik itself, which was so touristy I kind of wanted to gouge my eyes out after a few hours. I think it makes a great day trip. Budapest is a real city with a lot to see - I really like it. Some people on the board don't. A lot of what people like or dislike about a city is really individual.

Kim, I dont much care for Bucharest either. Glad i saw it, but my point was its a pretty easy place to begin a tour of Romania. As for prices, check the Wizzair flights our of Burgas or Varna.

I am currently looking at a trip with Gate 1 Travel. Romania, Serbia and Bosnia .... it is currently on sale with this tour company. It is a bus tour - if you like guided tours this looks great.
If you like independent travel.....this is probably not for you.