Top 10 Places You Must Visit in Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a country in the Balkans on the western side of the Black Sea. It is surrounded by Romania to the north, Serbia to the northwest, North Macedonia to the southwest, Greece to the south, and Turkey to the southeast. Being located close to the Turkish Straits means the key land routes from Europe to the Middle East and Asia pass through Bulgaria.
Bulgaria offers amazing opportunities for all kinds of activities – mountain climbing, diving, bird watching, adrenaline adventures, history tours, city breaks and more.
Bulgaria is a fascinating, beautiful, difficult country, and I fell in love with it. – Garth Greenwell
There are so many places worth visiting in Bulgaria, but if you have a limited time this post may help you choose. We’ll present in this post the top 10 places you must visit on your next trip to this small Eastern European country.
Top 10 Places You Must Visit in Bulgaria
Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex
The Open Air Ethnographic Museum «Etar» is an open-air museum and a neighborhood of Gabrovo (8 km south of its center) in northern Bulgaria. It is on the northern edge of the Bulgarka Nature Park, between the park and the city of Gabrovo.
It presents the Bulgarian customs, craftsmanship, and culture on display. Outside the museum, you will also find numerous restaurants where you can taste the finest Bulgarian cuisine.
Using original instruments and following the old traditions, locals represent around 20 characteristics of the regional crafts such as wood-carving, pottery, coppersmith crafts, furriery, cutlery making, needlework etc.
Rila Monastery
Rila Monastery, nestled amid Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River, is the largest monastery in Bulgaria.
Founded in the 10th century, the Rila Monastery is regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. In 2008 alone, it attracted 900,000 visitors.
The whole complex occupies an area of 8,800 m² and is rectangular in form, centered on the inner yard (3,200 m²), where the tower and the main church are situated.
Saint Alexandar Nevsky Cathedral
The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is believed to be one of the 50 largest Christian church buildings by volume in the world.
The gold-domed Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in the early 20th century in memory of the 200,000 Russian, Ukrainian, Belorussian and Bulgarian soldiers, who died in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878.
The cathedral was designed by Alexander Pomerantsev, aided by Alexander Smirnov and Alexander Yakovlev. The temple has 12 bells with a total weight of 23 tons, the heaviest weighing 12 tons.
Tsarevets Fortress, Veliko Tarnovo
Tsarevets is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. Tsarevets is 206 metres (676 ft) above sea level.
Tarnovo is the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (the end of XII – XIV century.). It is protected on all sides by a massive fortress wall and towers. There are buildings with ornate facades inside. The throne-room and the private chambers of the ruler have a magnificent interior.
The restoration of the fortress Tsarevets began in 1930 and was completed in 1981 in honor of the 1300 anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian state. It is one of the oldest places you must visit in Bulgaria among the locals.
Pomorie city
Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast.
The town was established by Greeks. It name means “next to the sea”. Pomorie is well-known for the healing qualities of the mineral water in the town and for the medicinal qualities of the mud extracted during the production of salt in Pomorie Lake.
The lake is a famous stop for birds on their way south, through the Via Pontica bird migration route and visitors can be observed various birds in the lake.
Shipka Memorial Church
Shipka Memorial Church or Shipka Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox church built near the town of Shipka in Stara Planina. It was built between 1885 and 1902 to Antoniy Tomishko’s design in the seventeenth-century Muscovite style, under the direction of architect Alexander Pomerantsev.
The memorial church was built in memory of those soldiers—Russian, Ukrainian, and Bulgarian—who lost their lives fighting to free Bulgaria in the Russo-Turkish War from 1877-78 to the Battles of Shipka Pass fought between the Russian and Ottoman Empire.
Devetashka cave
Devetashka cave is located approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) from the village of Devetaki. A narrow path by the river leads from the village to the cave. It can also be accessed directly via Road 301 along a 400 m (1,300 ft) long dirt road and a concrete bridge. Now part of a public park, that includes a waterfall, the 2 km (1.2 mi) long karst cave formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks, characterized by sinkholes and an underground river.
Now abandoned by humans, it remains a site of national and international significance and is home to some 30,000 bats.
Besides significant archaeological findings, Devetashka cave provides a habitat for a wide diversity of faunal residents. During the breeding season of mammalian species in the cave from early June to the end of July.
Rhodope mountains
The Rhodope Mountains, or the Rhodopes, are a mountain massif and a cultural region in southern Bulgaria. Golyam Perelik is its highest peak at 2,191 meters (7,188 ft). The mountain range gives its name to the terrestrial ecoregion Rodope montane mixed forests.
The winter ski resort of Pamporovo and Bansko are in the Rhodopes. The location of the Rhodope Mountains in the southeastern part of the Balkan Peninsula also determines the climate. It is characterized by a transitional climate as it is influenced by both the colder northern air masses and the warm breezes of the Mediterranean.
The mountains have abundant water reserves with a dense network of mountain springs and rivers. Nearly 80% of the mountain’s territory falls within the drainage of the river Maritsa.
Old town Nessebar
The old town of Nessebar is located on a small peninsula in the Black Sea, just 30km north of Burgas. The town is more than 3,000-year-old and it was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria).
There are 23 churches and monuments from an Early Christian basilica to a domed Byzantine church. You can find architecture influence of the Greek, Roman and Byzantine epoch.
It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations and seaports on the Black Sea, in what has become a popular area with several large resorts.
Due to the importance of the city’s historic buildings, UNESCO included Nesebar in its list of World Heritage Sites in 1983.
Seven Rila lakes
Seven Rila lakes are a group of glacial lakes, situated in the northwestern Rila Mountain. Each lake carries a name associated with its most characteristic feature.
The famous Seven Rila Lakes are situated in the Rila Mountain at a height between 2100 and 2500 meters. This natural attraction is a must-visit place for hiking and nature lovers.
The lakes are located one above the other and are connected by small streams, which form tiny waterfalls and cascades.
