Attractive places to visit in Bulgaria - general information

 

1. Walking, cycling and ski tours

Single or multi-days treks around the Bulgarian mountains – Vitosha, Rila, Pirin, Rhodopi, Stara planina, etc. The tours combine the pleasure of movement with active rest and visits of monasteries, natural phenomena, historical and archaeological sites.

  • For hiking near Sofia, we recommend the Rila or Vitosha Mountain. The most attractive areas are Malyovitsa and Seven Lakes in the Rila Mountain.

  • For mountain biking near Sofia, we recommend Vitosha or Stara Planina in the region of Vratsa and Lakatnik.

  • Bulgarian mountains in winter offer interesting routes for skiing and snowshoes. Period from January to April is the most suitable for winter tourism.

 

2. Climbing

The most popular places for sport climbing in Bulgaria are the rocks above Lakatnik Station, Vratsa, Veliko Tarnovo, Cave Prehodna (Passage Cave) – villages Karlukovo, Bozhenitsa...

  • The popular alpine climbing routes are located in Maliovitsa part of Rila Mountain and in the Vratsa Balkan - Stara Planina.

  • Near the city of Sofia are well equipped climbing rocks - Kominite /Chimneys/ of the Vitosha Mountain or rocks around the village Belidie Han.

  • Bulgaria offers opportunities for Deep Water Solo climbing (DWS). This is the area of village Tulenovo situated about 25 km away from Kaliakra Cape at Black Sea.

  • In winter we have a popular site for ice climbing. This is Skakavitsa Falls in Rila Mountain.

 

3. Caves for tourist visits

Walking tours in Bulgaria can be combined with a visit to the caves. Populares caves for tourism are located in the Danube plain, the Balkan /Stara Planina/ and Rhodope Mountain. The names of the illuminated caves in Bulgaria are:

  • Magura cave, Bacho Kiro cave, Orlova Chuka cave - Region of the Danube Valley

  • Ledenika cave, Saeva Dupka cave - Region of the Balkan /Stara Planina/

  • Devil's Throat cave /Diavolskoto garlo/, Snejanka, Uhlovica, Yagodinska cave - Region of the Rhodope mountains

 

4. River tourism. 

The most popular Bulgarian rivers for adventures are Struma, Iskar, Arda, Veleka ...

  • Struma is suitable for rafting in the region of Kresna.

  • Along the river Iskar has suitable conditions for water tourism in the region of the Iskar Gorge and Karlukovo.

  • Arda river provides excellent opportunities for trip with canoe-type boats.

  • Veleka River offers a relax near the Black Sea. Cruises can be made on the Danube and Black Sea.

 

5. Beautiful places of the Bulgarian sea.

  • The coastal rock around the villages Kamen Briag and Tulenovo

  • Ropotamo River region, close to  Sozopol

  • Veleka River region, close to Sinemorets 

 

6. Bulgarian monasteries.

In Bulgaria there are over one hundred Orthodox monasteries, the most popular of which are the Rila Monastery and Bachkovski Monastery

Rilski manastir (Rila’s Monastery) is located in Rila Mountain at about 1,147 meters above the sea level. The monastery is about 117 km south from Sofia and without any doubt is the biggest tourist’s attraction among the Bulgarian monasteries with its large size, beautiful nature around him, architecture, frescoes and ages of history.  

It is considered that it has been founded by the hermit Ivan Rilski in 10th century, during the rein of Tsar Petar (years 927 – 968).

Being the second largest Bulgarian monastery, the Bachkovski cloister is located in the Valley of Chepelarska River, at about 10 km south from the town of Asenovgrad. The monastery is in the picturesque embrace of the Rhodopi Mountain hills, which combined with its impressive size and antiquity, is making it one of the most visited places in Bulgaria. It is founded in 1083 by the Byzantium military commander Gregory Bakuriani and his brother Abrazii, with Georgian origin.

More about Bulgarian monasteries, you can learn from www.bulgarianmonastery.com

 

7. Bulgarian fortresses

We recommend you to visit fortresses in the cities: Vidin, Belogradchik, Lovech, Veliko Tarnovo, Cherven, Kaliakra, Asenovgrad, ruins of fortresses in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains.

The most popular Bulgarian fortress is Tsarevets. Tsarevets Hill is located in the town of Veliko Tarnovo and its fortress used to be the main stronghold of the Old Bulgarian capital. Today there are the remains of the old fortress, which have been restored and preserved.The fortress is build on top of the remains of ancient villages, first of which is build in the early 4 millennium before Christ. In the early Middle Ages, at this place was located the largest town in Dolna Miziya (Lower Miziya) Province. On top of these ancient remains was build in 9th century the Bulgarian fortress.

Fortress, which is built among the incredible rock formations is Belogradchik Fortress. It is located in the immediate proximity of the town of Belogradchik. It is one of the best preserved fortresses in the country. Belogradchik Fortress is build during the times when the Romans has populated these lands, after that it was part of the Byzantium Empire and at the end its construction has been finished by the Bulgarians. Its importance get bigger after the separation of the Vidinskoto tsarstvo (Vidin’s Kingdom), which includes the territories of present North-West Bulgaria, parts of Serbia and South-East Romania. The walls are over 2 meters wide at their feet and up to 12 meters high.  For a last time the fortress was used in military actions during the Bulgarian – Serbian War in 1885. It is restored and announced for a cultural monument. The fortress is part of the 100 National Tourists Sites.