Info about Bulgaria

Hey everyone,

In the summer i'm heading to bulgaria for a few weeks. I was already thinking about heading to plovdiv, sofia and some places at the black sea coast, but for the rest i didn't made a decision yet. Does someone have any suggestions about where to go?
And how is the train- and bustravelling in bulgaria? I heard that traintravelling was much better to do, but that it just takes a long time to get from A to B.
Well, any info about bulgaria would be appreciated,

Greetings mathijs

Hi Mathijs,

I've only been once and when there spent most of my time around a place called Ravda, which is on the black sea, a little bit south of Nessebar (historic old town) which in turn is about 15 minutes south of Sunny Beach (massive touristy spot). We were staying in an apartment hence being somewhat 'tied down'. It was a perfect place for a holiday though. A pretty nice beach nearby, really cheap (we were eating mostly in local restaurants in Ravda), lots of sun etc. Didn't get to experience public transport at all, but if you get an honest taxi driver, you can get around quite cheaply locally that way too.

I just spent two months in Valiko Tarnova. GO THERE, serious. Its on the bus route from Sofia to Varna. Its a great town with good bar scene for a weekend or two. if u go, PM me with places to stay and drink.

Buses are much more common. Trains less convenient but ofcourse more comfortable.

Hey mathijs123,

I am from Bulgaria and I am really glad that you chose Bulgaria as a destination. I live in Sofia, but I would recommend you to visit mostly the landmarks near the smaller towns. There are some really beautiful places to see. For example, the Tsarevets castle and Arbanasi near Veliko Tarnovo (which is not exactly a very small town, but coldwarspy mentioned it and he's right :D ) or villages like Ribaritsa (also a must see), Karlukovo (where is the Prohodna Cave), Melnik (very nice place with great wine ), and many more. There are many such places, it would be better if you take some kind of traveler's guide with you.

Well, from the bigger cities you could visit Sofia, Varna, Burgas and Plovdiv (and more precisely the old city of Plovdiv, there are the old style houses)....

For traveling I would recommend you the bus, cause trains may be a very bad experience here sometimes. You should be also very careful with buses, cause they are usually not so comfortable. The bus company that I usually use are BIOMET.

Also taxis are not a good solution cause they usually charge foreigners way above normal. Just avoid them whenever possible.

The best option sometimes would be to rent a car (if you have the opportunity) cause sometimes there is no transport to the smaller villages where the attractions are, and most of the time it is much more comfortable.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment. If you need any further info or if you want to know particular prices, places, things, etc., I'll be glad to help.

Best regards

Most info already covered here.
I'd just like to add that train travel is good - but as mentioned, it is rather slow. I have a house near Dobrich in the N.E. of BG and the train from Sofia takes nearly 10 hours to travel the 500kms or so. Wizzair do flights from Sofia to Varna for 20Leva 1 way including tax etc. The journey time is around 50 minutes. The buses tend to be slow and rather dirty - but it's a great view out the window and they often stop for 15 minutes and you have time to get off for a beer and a bite of very cheap local food.
I adore Bulgaria so much and wish you a very pleasant trip.