Planning a Trip to Bulgaria

Veliko Turnovo The gratest city of Bulgaria So far I have been there 3 times, the city is really impressive comparing to the rest of Bulgaria. The houses, stacked one above the other, situated on the slopy hills of the town show a remarkable, unique architectural style. For me it looks sometimes like a small „San Francisco”.The streets going up and down. The bridges, unexpectedly flying over the river, palaces and towers, spectacular museums, ancient columns with writings left by our proud rulers, monasteries with unique murals and the Arbanassi fortress-houses. Not only Veliko Turnovo by itself it’s worth to see. About 30 km from it there are ruins of the Roman Empire in the village Nikipolis ad Istrum. A lot of foreign archeology students are coming there every year. City is full of students, there is something going on every night, a lot of bars , pubs and restaurants are open late at night. Food is great, with lot of fresh vegetable, „shopska” salad is a must to try when you go to Bulgaria. Meat is served usually with delicious spices. The prices can vary, it depends where you will go, in the centre of the city everything is more expensive. One of the biggest attractions in Veliko Turnovo is „Tsaravets” – the castle sourrounded by river and the „sound and light show”. Through the power of music and spectacular illumination, this programme aims to create an unforgettable and emotional image of the Tsarevets Hill and Castle treasuring up the history, grandeur and glory of the ancient capital city of Turnovgrad which has become synonymous with the Bulgarian spirit and national pride. The music, which has been composed specially for the occasion, is a leading element helping to follow the historical events and describe their invisible images. To get to Veliko Turnovo you can take a plane ( there are charter flights from Europe , Asia and Africa ). From the larger Bulgarian cities you can travel to Veliko Turnovo by bus or train. Persoanlly I prefer buses, there are much nicer, safer and comfortable. The travel by bus from Sofia is about 3 hours. One of the best things about Veliko Turnovo is that you can go everywhere by foot! If you do not feel like walking you can always use the public transport. Many regular bus lines operate into the city and to some of the nearby towns and villages. The ticket for the city bus costs only 0.50 leva and can be bought in the bus. It’s not very expensive to go and stay in Veliko turnovo. Here are examples. 1.95 Leva (BGN) = 1 Euro Price Level · 1 beer (0.5l) = 0.80- 1.50 BGN · 1 coca-cola (0.3l) = 0.70 - 1.00 BGN · 1 mineral water (0.5l) = 0.60 - 0.80 BGN · Coffee/ Tea = 0.40 - 0.60 BGN · Main course = 3.00 - 8.00 BGN Lodging · Budget: BGN 15 - 25 · Mid-range: BGN 25 - 45 · High: BGN 45 -65 · Deluxe: BGN 65+ (Cash is easily changed at numerous small exchange offices, usually for no commission. Travellers' cheques are more of a hassle as not every bank will accept them, but still you’ll find enough places to cash them for a commission of around 5%. Cash advances on credit cards might also be a bit of a problem, but ATMs are a common sight around the city. I wish to add Bulgarians are usually very polite and nice for foreigners, the only problem is most of them, especially older people do not speak English. And remember when they move their head left and right it means YES and if they move it up and down means NO. J So do not get confused. Good Luck and have a nice trip.

The Rila Monastery is a square three-story building with a church in the center courtyard. It has survived hundreds of years of invaders and secular rule.It is known by travellers as the zebra monastery because of its black and white striped exterior Photos aren't allowed inside the church . Luckily the outside is covered with frescos as well, and somehow they manage to keep the colors vibrant. It is possible to spend the night, although there is no shower and no hot water. A unique masterpiece is the carved cross of the Monk Raphael who worked on it over a period of 12 years. The library contains 16000 volumes including 134 manuscripts from l5th to 19th century, numerous incunabula and documents.The monastery was founded in the 10th century by Ivan Rilski (John of Rila) and the monastery has evolved through time to become one of Bulgaria's most treasured places. It is still maintained today by Orthodox monks.

Varna is a nice city to visit. The beaches there are really awesome to visit!! You can rent appartments, go to resorts or hotels. The beaches are nice and it is generally warm enough to swim in. For history lovers, there are museums with lots of remains of the Thracians. This is a lovely city to go!!!

When getting a taxi in Sofia, make sure you get a registered yellow taxi with a meter, never get a unregistered taxi, or you'll end up getting ripped off or worse. The food is delicious at "veseloto sleo" ,"4evermeto","Divaka"

Its a beautifull place for vacations...

Beautiful colorful old town, one of the oldest town of Europe : Philippopolis, Trimontium, Plovdiv. Now built on seven hills.

one of the biggest and most popular cities in Bulgaria