Bulgaria Off The Beaten Path

  Sofia, Bulgaria, Southern Park
by Childish
 
  • Sofia, Bulgaria, Southern Park
      Sofia, Bulgaria, Southern Park
    by Childish
  •   mountains
    by kalenderov
  •   mountains
    by kalenderov
  • vitoša
      vitoša
    by say-no-more
  • Soviet Army Monument
      Soviet Army Monument
    by HORSCHECK
 

Most Viewed Off The Beaten Path in Bulgaria

1.

mountains   Sofia

mountains, Sofia

 11 Reviews  Sofia lies at the foot of Vitosha mountain. In Winter time you can even ski here. We went to Rila & Plovdiv instead , though this is a great place to spend a day in nature with cable lifts taking... 

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2.

assen's fortress   Plovdiv

assen's fortress, Plovdiv

 4 Reviews  Assens's Fortress (Assenova Krepost) dates back to the 11-12 cc AD. It was built during the reign of Tsar Ivan Assen II, one of the greatest Bulgarian kings (Second Bulgarian kingdom). There are just... 

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3.

suburbs   Sofia

suburbs, Sofia

 9 Reviews  “Sofia Park” is a new subdivision created in the vicinity of the so-called “Business Park” (creation of the same German company) and in the foot hills of National Park Vitosha - lots of park... 

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4.

the rhodopes   Plovdiv

the rhodopes, Plovdiv

 6 Reviews  The rocky plateau which rises 50 m up is an unusual and beautiful place,near the village of Sini Vruh 30 km in Plovdiv region. The plateau is strange and majestic because of its remarkable terraced... 

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5.

Boyana Village and Church   Sofia

Boyana Village and Church, Sofia

 4 Reviews  This little church from the 13th century in on Unesco's Heritage list. It's interior is decorated with beautiful murals which date bach as far as 1259. You'll only be allowed into the church with a... 

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6.

hissarya resort   Plovdiv

hissarya resort, Plovdiv

 4 Reviews  You can find many spa’s in the surroundings of Plovdiv and Hissarya is the most famous spa town. It has 22 mineral springs. There are also ruins of a Roman fortress, the second largest Roman... 

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7.

Pancharevo lake   Sofia

Pancharevo lake, Sofia

 1 Review  Pancharevo lake is located about 15km south of Sofia on the way to Borovets resort in Rila mountain. The lake is artificial and is 5km long. Many Sofians like to go there in the weekend and just... 

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8.

bachkovo monastery   Plovdiv

bachkovo monastery, Plovdiv

 6 Reviews  Backlovo is a small village 30km south of Plovdiv that we easily reached by mini-bus in 40 minutes (Rodopi bus station is at the back side of the train station). With a ticket that costs 4leva (about... 

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9.

Kambanite (The bells)   Sofia

Kambanite (The bells), Sofia

 1 Review  25 years from the opening of the monument were celebrated this month. The monument was initially called "Flag of peace" monument. It was built back in 1979 and was dedicated to the first so-called... 

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10.

monument of alyosha   Plovdiv

monument of alyosha, Plovdiv

 2 Reviews  At Bunardjika, the hill of the Liberators) you can climb a path that goes to the top of the hill, through a relax park. At the top of the hill there is a statue of a Russian soldier, Alyosha, who... 

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11.

The Red army monument   Sofia

The Red army monument, Sofia

 1 Review  The Soviet Army Monument (Pametnik na Savetskata Armia) was erected in 1954 to commemorate the 10th anniversairy of the Socialist Revolution in Bulgaria as well as the liberation of Bulgaria by the... 

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12.

plovdiv international fair   Plovdiv

plovdiv international fair, Plovdiv

 2 Reviews  In the 1930’s the Chamber of Trade and Industry organized a fair, that in 1934 became an annual fair and in 1935 a national fair. In 1936 it became an international fair as it became a member of the... 

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13.

Bankya   Sofia

Bankya, Sofia

 1 Review  Bankya is situated in the foothills of the Lyulin Mountain. The altitude of Bankya is 630-640 m. It is only 17 km away from Sofia. Bankya is a balneotreatment resort and a nice quite town with a... 

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14.

The SYNAGOGUE   Sofia

The SYNAGOGUE, Sofia

 2 Reviews  The Sofia Synagogue, which was designed by the architect Grunanger, closely resembles the famous Sepherdic house of prayer in Vienna, which was later demolished by bombs. It was opened for worship in... 

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15.

A break from the every-day routine   Sofia

A break from the every-day routine, Sofia

 1 Review  If you want to give yourself a break, but have no time to go out of town, go to Sofia-land. To those lucky enough to have seen Disney in its American or French versions, the name will be rather... 

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16.

parks   Sofia

parks, Sofia

 1 Review  This strange structure is a wooden sculpture built a couple of decades ago. Work was still in progress when the sculptor died, and sadly it has just been looped with a bit of barbed wire and... 

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17.

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry   Sofia

Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Sofia

 2 Reviews  I personally like this building very much. It's the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry located on Macedonia square and even though it's not around the main points of interest, in my humble opinion... 

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18.

churches   Sofia

churches, Sofia

 1 Review  You can never see everything there is to see when visiting a city, I know there is so much more for me to explore around Sofia, even though it's where I was born and where I lived a big part of my... 

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Comments

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Chudnite Mostove (Marvelous Bridges)

by bijo69

The Marvelous Bridges are an impressive rock formation in the Rhodope Mountains. The surrounding area is very beautiful aswell and well worth going!The Bridges aren't reached that easily as the road there is narrow and full of potholes (you'll need your own vehicle, there's no public transportation). The nearby village of Zabardo is famous for its white cheese, you can buy it directly from the cheese dairy.

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Sliven

by bijo69

Sliven is a midsize town between Plovdiv and Burgas. It has not much to offer itself, but the nearby National Park "Sinite Kameni" is worth a visit if you like hiking. You can go to the Karandila area, where you find a hotel and restaurants, by cablecar. Lots of paths lead from here into the mountains.

Velingrad

by bijo69

Velingrad is a pleasant little town in the Western Rhodope Mountains which is famous for its mineral waters. Apart from from relaxing in one of the numrous spas one should also go walking in its beautiful nature.To get there take the narrow-gauge train from Septemvri (on the Sofia-Plovdiv line), the trip through the mountains is very scenic!

Kleptuza Lake
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Rila Monastery-Bulgaria's Spiritual Place

by cuppajo

A "must see" for any trip to Bulgaria is the Rila Monastery. Situated in the beautiful mountains of southwest Bulgaria, the Rila is the country's most visited tourist destination and a holy place for Bulgarians. Stepping into this ancient wooden Orthodox Church transports the visitor back into early Bulgarian history. The monastery was founded in the 10th century by Ivan Rilski (John of Rila) and the monastery has evolved through time to become one of Bulgaria's most treasured places. Still maintained today by Orthodox monks, the Rila Monastery is open to travelers who want to escape and find a place where the spiritual world brings peace and solitude. Beautiful, spiritual and amazing are just a few adjectives that describe the Rila Monastery...deep in the mountains of Bulgaria.You can check out my article and photo gallery of the Rila here:Rila Monastery Photo...

Rila Monastery, Bulgaria
Hike to Preobrazhenski Monastery

by alan1972

This monastery is tucked away in a narrow valley a short distance to the north of Veliko Tarnavo. The painted exterior walls of the church are particularly appealing. You can read more about the monastery at the link below.A nice way to get there is to hike over the hills from Veliko Tarnovo. Go to the highest part of the old Varosha quarter and look for the signposted 'eco trail' to the monastery.

Preobrazhenski Monastery in mist
Don't miss the food-spices

by mirchica

Chubritsa - this plant, which botanists claim to be a species of the herb Satureia hortensis appears to grow particularly well upon Bulgarian soil. It also shares certain characteristics with Oregano (Origanum vulgare). The dried leaves are crushed and sprinked on top of soups in the last few minutes of cooking or ground into a fine powder and used on bread like butter.Parsley - This is probably the most widely used spice in Bulgaria since ancient times. Its leaves are applied fresh or dried to flavour and add vitamins to soups, broth and main courses, as an ingredient of vegetable preserves, or to decorate salads, roasted meat or fish in all seasons. In Bulgarian, Parsley is called "Magdanoz"Thyme - It is also called “granny’s soul” or “shepherd’s basil”. Fresh or dried, it is used for seasoning meat and vegetable dishes or soups, and bean, pea or bread-bean stews, and sauces; Thyme is...

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Don't miss the food-cheese

by mirchica

White Cheese - a particular variety of the increasingly-popular Greek Feta cheese now popular in many places. It originated on the Balkan Peninsula in a region called Trakia, which is the current day Southern Bulgaria. This Bulgarian sirene(cheese) has much the same texture as the Greek feta. It is a brined cheese, produced from sheep or cows or goat milk, and is both used on the table and as an essential part of other foods from Shopska Salad to Banitza. Feta Cheese is produced in many different countries, but it is widely known that Bulgarian-made Feta is the best! And actually it is not Feta but White brine cheese which is more solid,not so soft as Feta is.In addition to this white cheese, another common Bulgarian cheese is Yellow Cheese or "Kashkaval". This hard yellow table cheese, made of sheep's or cow's milk, may otherwise be called “The Cheddar Cheese of the Balkans”. It is...

sirene
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Don't miss the food yoghurt

by mirchica

Yoghurt - a particular variety produced by the Lactobacterium Bulgaricum bacteria. It grows no place else in the world. Yoghurt ("kiselo mlyako" - literally meaning sour milk) has found an important part in many Bulgarian foods. Bulgarians are also fond of "Ayran" a beverage of water mixed with yoghurt. Yoghurt can be purchased in many different grades and qualities, each characteristic of the quality of the milk to which the bacteria culture has been added. Yogurt junkies, this is your promised land - the quality, taste and choices for yogurt you'll find in Bulgaria are unsurpassed!

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Vidin

by bijo69

Vidin is a small town in the far Northwest of Bulgaria at the Danube river. The main attraction of Vidin is the Baba Vida Fortress from the 10th century.There's a nice park along the banks of the Danube where you can go for a stroll or sit in one of the many cafés and watch the river flow.Apart from that, there's also a nice history museum and an art gallery to visit. Vidin's Sv. Dimitar Cathedral is the 2nd biggest in Bulgaria.

Baba Vida Fortress
Boat Trip

by bgjulieta

You can take a boat trip for 30 minutes or hour in Nessebar or any other place of our coast.prices are varying on that how many people you are, do you have lunch, will you do fishing and so on. Simply go to the port and talk directly with the skipper.Pics here are from Nessebar area.

A Boat On Sunset
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Top 3 Hotels in Bulgaria

Grand Hotel Sofia  Sofia

 6 Reviews and 152 Opinions  I also stayed here on business and was very happy with the accomodations. The fitness facilities... 

 Hotels in Sofia

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Grand hotel London  Varna

 1 Review and 18 Opinions

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Trimontium Princess Hotel  Plovdiv

 6 Reviews and 65 Opinions  this hotel is a part of famous Turkish hotel chain "Dedeman" They have many hotels in Bulgaria... 

 Hotels in Plovdiv

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Bulgaria Off The Beaten Path

Reviews and photos of Bulgaria off the beaten path posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Bulgaria sightseeing.
Map of Bulgaria