Bulgaria

Sofia, Bulgaria was our base from mid-September to mid-October. We chose Sofia because of its central location, expecting to spend most of our time visiting neighbouring countries. Instead we spent much of our time in Bulgaria. It is a large, diverse country with fascinating history, surprising natural beauty, and terrific food and wine. We made a few side trips from Sofia but still only saw a fraction of the country. We’ll tell you about Sofia in a future post. These are some highlights of our excursions from the city.

Plovdiv

Plovdiv is the 2019 European Capital of Culture. It is Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited city. The modern city is built on the remains of what was a thriving Roman city that itself was built on top of ruins of prior civilizations.

The downtown streets are closed to traffic. On the warm weekend evenings we were there the streets were full of locals out strolling or enjoying the cafe culture. The downtown neighbourhood of Kapana is fun. It was a rundown neighbourhood until the city offered free rent for artists and entrepreneurs in return for restoring the buildings. It is now a funky, artsy neighbourhood full of street art, cafes and bars. A good lesson in urban renewal.

Plovdiv’s marquis attraction is the Roman amphitheatre only discovered in the 1970s. It seats 6,000 on its ancient stone benches. We had the good luck to enjoy an evening concert by violinist Nigel Kennedy in the open-air amphitheatre. 

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Veliko Tarnovo

When we asked Bulgarians where they recommended we visit, everyone’s first suggestion was Veliko Tarnovo. The city did not disappoint. It sits dramatically along the hillsides of the Yantra River. The old centre retains its charm. The city is dominated by the Tsarevets Fortress, the historic home of the Tsars who ruled Bulgaria. We hiked to the nearby picturesque mountain village of Arbanasi. A quaint village but a steep ascent!

Atop Tsarevets Fortress is the Church of the Ascension. When the church was restored in the 1980s, Communist officials would not allow religious symbols. As a result, the church interior is decorated with “unique” murals not to everyone’s taste.

Burgas

During the Communist era Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast was the playground of the powerful Party leaders from Russia and other Communist countries. It remains a popular destination – in the summer. We visited in the autumn. 

Despite the cool autumn weather we enjoyed the resort city of Burgas. It is a modern city designed to accommodate sunseekers. Rather than sunbathing, we spent our time wandering the pedestrian malls and beautiful seaside Maritime Park.

We visited two nearby old port towns that have kept their ancient appeal – UNESCO-protected Nessebar to the north and Sozopol to the south. In the summer the towns are overrun with tourists. During our visit we had the streets and restaurants to ourselves.

Next Up: Sofia

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