Bulgaria Travel Guide @ TravelNotes.org

Travel Notes: Europe: Bulgaria Travel Notes

Bulgaria tourist information with details about travel to and around the country. Where to stay and what to see is made easier with insider tips and hand-selected Bulgaria links, by dedicated editors and visitors to TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.

Bulgaria

The Bulgarian state was founded as a unification of Slavs, Thracians and Bulgars in 681 AD.

Countries neighbouring Bulgaria are: Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Romania and Turkey.

Brief History of Bulgaria

The Thracians had developed their civilisation Before Christ, and were joined by the Slavs towards the end of the 5th century.

The Bulgars came down from the steppes of Central Asia and crossed the Danube in the mid-7th century.

This First Bulgarian Empire lasted until 1018, when it fell to the Byzantines.

The Second Bulgarian Kingdom was established in 1185, and Bulgaria entered a Golden Age; in which the kingdom touched three seas.

The Ottoman Turks put a stop to that for almost 500 years, and subjugated the Bulgarians to Islamic rulers.

Sofia became the capital of Bulgaria in 1879, after liberation from the Turks.

Two Balkan wars followed, and then the Bulgarians lost twice on the side of Germany in the World Wars too.

Georgi Dimitrov took power for the Communist party in 1945, and proclaimed Bulgaria a People's Republic.

Bulgaria finally declared itself a democracy in 1989, when Todor Zhivkov was peacefully ousted following the lead of other East European states.

On January 1st, 2007 Bulgaria joined the European Union.

Visiting Bulgaria

Budget Travel - Bulgaria:
Lustrous in the springtime and awesome in the summer, Bulgaria is one of the last remaining budget destinations in Europe. Forget about the expensive, crowded beaches and ski resorts in France and Italy and discover the Beauty of Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Monasteries

The building of monasteries in Bulgaria started as early as the 4th - 5th century. Rila Monastery is perhaps the most visited.

Weather in Bulgaria

View a graphical weather forecast for the week ahead in places around Bulgaria.

Burgas Weather, Kurdjali Weather, Plovdiv Weather, Rousse Weather, Sofia Weather, Stara Zagora Weather, Varna Weather.

Sofia

Sofia Sightseeing

The main points of interest in Sofia are: Alexander Nevski Memorial Church, Rotunda of St. George, St. Sofia Church, National Palace of Culture, Church of St. Nedelya, Vassil Levski Monument, Sofia University, the Russian Church and Mount Vitosha.

Outside Sofia, visit the Boyana Church and Dragalevtsi Monastery.

Accommodation in Sofia

Hotels in Sofia:
Find hotels in Sofia with special online rates.

Sort Sofia Hotels by: Hotel Price, Hotel Rating, Hotel Name.

Around Bulgaria

All About Bulgaria:
If you've got a question about Bulgaria, it's probably been answered before. Try this FAQ list - a major archive of useful information, compiled in the 1990's.

Borovets:
At 1350m, Borovets was once the hunting estate of Bulgarian Kings. Today it is a fine place to ski in the winter, and only 73 km from Sofia.

Bulgarian Coast:
If you're looking for a great-value Mediterranean style holiday on perfect golden sand beaches with beautiful, clear seas and a sunny, seasonable climate from May through October, consider the Black Sea coast.

Bulgaria Villas Rent:
Online agency for quality-checked and exclusively privately-owned holiday lodgings in Bulgaria.

Chiflik:
Starting point for hikers visiting the mountain trails, Chiflik also has a mineral spring. The mineral water, with a temperature of 50 degrees, fills a large open-air swimming pool and some smaller ones in the neighbourhood.

Rural Bulgaria - Kostenets:
Village Kostenets is one of the most idyllic and relaxing places in Bulgaria.

Varna

Varna Black Sea coast offers a combination of marvelous conditions for sea tourism, rich cultural heritage and incredible nature. The sea capital of Varna gives opportunities for pleasant recreation at seaside, entertainment and cultural tourism. To the north of Varna are located some of the most beautiful and luxurious Bulgarian sea resorts, such as 'St. St. Konstantin and Elena', 'Sunny day', 'Riviera', 'Golden sands', 'Albena', which offer excellent conditions for wonderful summer vacations, entertainment and water sports.
Sent in by: Austrian Airlines to Bulgaria.

Varna City Guide:
The complete and intuitive guide to the city of Varna; Bulgaria's number one resort on the Black Sea, with a wonderful beach and cosy cafes.

Bulgarian Background

Bulgaria - Country Study:
If you would like to learn more about Bulgaria, The Library of Congress has an extensive table of contents.

Bulgarian Culture:
Once the cradle of Slav culture the Cyrillic alphabet was created in Bulgaria by the brothers Cyril and Methodious.

Bulgaria Tours

Motoroads:
Canadian-owned and Bulgarian-operated company dedicated to providing off-road motorcycle tours and panoramic road trips around Bulgaria. Enjoy the awesome beauty of winding river gorges, breathtaking waterfalls, gorgeous lakes, pre-historic caves and hidden old villages that time forgot.
10% discount to Travel Notes members.

Bulgaria Travel Guides

Books on Bulgaria Travel:
Browse Amazon's best-selling list of books on travel in Bulgaria.