5 Surprising Reasons To Visit Bulgaria Right Now

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20 Responses

  1. Great post. The food sounds more interesting than I expected. But what about vegetarian food? I just wondered if it is readily available. Thanks, Amanda

    • NTripping says:

      Hey Amanda,

      there are a lot of vegetarian options.

      Since Bulgarians are primarily East Ortodox Christians, fasting is a part of the traditions. In fact, on Christmas Eve we traditionally serve vegeterian food only. Check the photo with the food, the bottom middle pic is from one of the Christmas Eve celebrations at my parents’ place :)

      Typical dishes are for example peppers filled with rice and rasins and herbs; bean soups or baked beans; vine leaves rolls; lots of potatos, cabage, eggplant or zuccini dishes, you name it :)

      Hope this answers your question.

      Cheers,
      N.

  2. Tech Gazette says:

    Brilliant piece of content. Thanks a ton for sharing.

  3. Milica says:

    Great article, N.! There are so many interesting things we can show to the world!

  4. Kristina says:

    браво на българия! I have lived for a few years in Bulgaria and ever since I have been spreading my joy all around world.
    Beautiful people, outstanding local food and stunning places. All the best, thanks for the nice article.

    • NTripping says:

      Hi Kristina, thank you for your kind words about Bulgaria and for spreading the word!
      Best of luck to you wherever you’re located now :)
      Cheers, N.

  5. NLovesToFly says:

    Love your post, thank you. Very enlightening.

    For first timer with 3.5 days to spend in Spring, would you recommend staying in Sofia and discovering the things around it, or Plovdiv??? And which must sees do you reccomend? I would imagine nature is beautiful in April.

    Best,
    N

    • NTripping says:

      Hey N., thanks for your kind words!

      For a first visit to Bulgaria and only 3.5 days, I definitely recommend staying in Sofia. You’ll need about a week to visit both Sofia and Plovdiv.

      You can visit the biggest landmarks which are very conveniently situated in the city centre in about two days and have a day for shopping, partying, chilling in the cafes or parks.

      I highly recommend going inside Alexander Nevski cathedral, then visiting St. Sofia church and going down in the underground museum. Then checking the Russian Church, continuing to the Serdica excavation site, seeing the Mosque at one end of the excavation site, visiting the Sofia Museum of History in the former building of the city bath, going inside the Central Hali (covered market), then visiting Sofia Synagogue. Afterwards go back to the Serdica ruins and check St. George Rotonda and the Museum of Archeology. These are more or less the main historical landmarks :)

      For shopping, I recommend the little boutiques in Pirotska street just opposite from the mosque. For coffee drinking and people watching – the pedestrian area of Vitosha Boulevard and the park of the National Theatre Ivan Vazov. For partying – Tsar Shishman Str.

      For transportation, the best way is to take the subway or hire a taxi. Taxi rates are under 1 lv currently but you should check the sticker with the rates before you hop in as many have inflated prices.

      Let me know if you have more questions, I’m currently working on a travel guide for Sofia but I doubt it I’ll be ready in time for your trip :)

      Cheers, N.

      • NLovesToFly says:

        Thank you so much for the quick and super informative response! I’m looking forward to checking out as much as I can!

        Do you have any recommendations on where to stay? is there a charming area, central but not too industrial/concrete jungle/modern…? More of an old town, picturesque, charm and feel? I’ve read good things about places in on Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd overlooking Alexander Nevski Cathedral..

        I’d really appreciate your thoughts on this :)

        Best,
        N

        • NTripping says:

          I would suggest staying in the city centre near the landmarks which you want to visit. This way you can walk around and see a lot in just a few days. Not sure about your budget, and I haven’t stayed myself in a hotel in Sofia I must admit, but you can check reviews before booking.

          A couple of hotels I can think of with great locations are: Radisson Blu (that is by far the best possible location for everything you might want to do!); Arena di Serdica (also very central and with ruins from the city walls in the lobby, very beautiful sight); Crystal Palace Boutique (next to Sofia University, a nice artistic neighbourhood); Hostel Mostel (a few minutes away from the city centre, loved by low-budget travellers). Tsar Osvoboditel Blvd is a great location and there are a few hotels there, incl. above mentioned Radisson.

          You can maybe make a rough plan of places you want to see and use Google Maps for finding a hotel in the area you’re most going to visit. There are also a lot of restaurant recommendations and you can rely on reviews as they seem to be genuine most of the time.

          Hope this helps :)

  6. Albena says:

    Great article. You also gave many useful tips. I will add that the public transport ticket for one trip costs 1.60 leva or 80 cents. And as NTripping wrote, it’s really good to have exact money when you get in the bus.
    As regards to climate, Bulgaria is extremely favorable for tourism in all seasons. Just keep in mind that the beginning of spring and autumn is quite rainy.

  7. Well you’ve definitely convinced me to visit. I definitely want to get there whilst it’s still nice and cheap, and I love the fact you said it’s walkable. That is something that I find quite important when visiting a destination as I love being able to just walk around and explore. The food also looks very fresh and delicious.

  8. Aimee Love says:

    Now I am ready to go! Can you travel from place to place on public transport or do you recommend renting a car or getting a driver?

    • NTripping says:

      Hi Aimee,

      I’m happy to have inspired you to travel to Bulgaria!

      Of course, hiring a driver or arranging some sort of a private/tailor-made/small group tour is the easiest way to explore any destination, including Bulgaria. But it’s also the priciest.

      Renting a car is also a good option but it’s hard to navigate on your own. Also, some drivers can be reckless making driving quite dangerous. But you’ll have the best flexibility.

      There are also quite comfortable and reliable bus companies, which run between most towns. I believe Etap is one of the most reputable ones. Trains I can’t really recommend, except for the awesome train ride on the narrow gauge train in the Rhodope Mountains (check the video in this post: https://ntripping.com/velingrad/).

      Since I’ve been asked a few times already about transportation in Bulgaria, I’m gathering information and will put up a guide soon. So check the blog for updates :)

      Cheers,
      N.

  1. May 11, 2021

    […] 5 Surprising Reasons To Visit Bulgaria Right Now […]

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