Bulgaria Information Bulgaria

Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria, and home to one tenth of the population of Bulgaria. With it's wide, leafy boulevards, and slightly dilapidated exterior, Sofia is a city in which you can soon lose yourself quite happily!

The province of Sofia is a mainly mountainous region that encompasses several ski resorts, fantastic mountian ranges and several top tourst destinations. Well communicated from the airport of Sofia, many westerners are starting to purchase holiday chalets in the mountains here.

Plovdiv is Bulgarias second biggest city (pop 360.000) and contains more history and atmosphere than Sofia. Plovdiv has been inhabitated since before Thracian times, and boasts a parade of antiquities. Its restaurants, entertainment and trade fairs all rival Sofias, meaning that youre never at a loss here!

The Haskovo region is the rose growing region of Bulgaria, and holds the annual Festival of Roses during the first weekend of June. Haskovo also contains the Dolinata na Trakiiskite Tsare - the Valley of the Thracian Kings, which is a region with countless burial mounds from across the ages, many of the open to the public as public monuments. This region is essential visiting for anybody interested in the history of Bulgaria.

Although often touted to tourists as a polluted industrial dump, Bourgas is actually a surprisingly attractive city which can come as a pleasent relief after the modern western resorts of the Black sea coast. The presence of visiting ships, and Bularias biggest port, give the town a certain something, especially during the local festival which takes place in late August.

Back in the cholera ridden days of the Ottoman empire, British troops passing through Varna on their way to the Crimean war described it as a wretched place with few shops. How times have changed  Varna is now Bulgarias third city, and is a sophisticated tourist destination designed to appeal to western tastes, and is more reminiscent of west coast USA then a far flung outpost of Europe!

The province of Rousse is a mainly agricultural, sleeply backwater, with ancient towns such as Cherven or Razgrad where the local live out their lives mainly untouched by western tourism or other trappings of 21st century life.

The city of Levtch lies an hour to the south of Pleven, and is sandwiched between the foot hills of the lower Balkan mountain range. It is an interesting combination between the modern city centre and the ancient town, which is now preserved. An important strategic city since ancient times, Lovetch has been fought over since Thracian times.

Slânchev Bryag, or Sunny Beach, is Bulgarias largest coastal resort. Originally built for the communist party leaders, Sunny Beach has successfully transformed itself into a modern western tourist destination, which attracts both Russian and western tourists year round. The beach itself is an 8 kilometer stretch of golden sand, which has been awarded to coveted EU Blue Flag award for cleanliness. All the usual trappings of Western nightlife can be found here, from McDonalds to discos.