How To Use This E-Book

Getting Around the e-Book

This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Bulgaria, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.

The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Bulgaria, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights in Bulgaria are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

You’ll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Bulgaria. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2018 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

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Table of Contents

Bulgaria’s Top 10 Attractions

Top Attraction #1

Top Attraction #2

Top Attraction #3

Top Attraction #4

Top Attraction #5

Top Attraction #6

Top Attraction #7

Top Attraction #8

Top Attraction #9

Top Attraction #10

A Perfect Day in Sofia

Introduction

The Country and its Climate

Population and Language

Religion and Culture

Landscape and Wildlife

A Brief History

Thracians, Rome and Byzantium

The Slavs

The First Bulgarian Kingdom

Simeon the Great

The Second Kingdom

Ottoman Domination and the National Revival

The Struggle for Independence

The Third Bulgarian Kingdom

The Balkan Wars and the Difficult 1920s

World War II

Communism

Return to Democracy

Historical Landmarks

Where To Go

Sofia

Modern Sofia

Byzantine and Ottoman Sofia

Imperial Sofia

Sofia’s Outskirts

Vitosha

Day trips from Sofia

North of Sofia

East of Sofia

West of Sofia

The Pirin and Rila Mountains

Blagoevgrad

South of Blagoevgrad

Bansko

Rila Monastery

Borovets

Plovdiv and the Rhodope Mountains

Downtown Plovdiv

Old Town

South of Plovdiv – the Central Rhodopes

Chepelare and Pamporovo

The Western Rhodopes

The Eastern Rhodopes

The Eastern Balkans

Veliko Tarnovo

Around Veliko Tarnovo

South of Veliko Tarnovo

Kazanlak and Stara Zagora

The Black Seas

Varna

Primorski Park

Golden Sands

Albena

Balchik

Bourgas and Surroundings

Nessebur

Sunny Beach

Sozopol

What To Do

Sports and Outdoor Pursuits

Skiing

Hiking and Walking

Mountain Biking

Golf

Sailing

Football

Hunting

Fishing

Birdwatching

Shopping

Markets and Malls

What to Buy

Where to Shop

Entertainment

Nightlife and Café Culture

Cultural Performances

Folk Music

Children’s Bulgaria

Calendar of Festivals

Eating Out

Local Ingredients

Popular Dishes

Where to Eat

What to Drink

Wine

Spirits

Beer

Reading the Menu

To Help You Order…

Menu reader

Restaurants

Sofia

Around the Country

Bansko

Plovdiv

Veliko Tarnovo

The Coast

Nessebur

Varna

Balchik

A–Z Travel Tips

A

Accommodation

Airports

B

Bicycle Hire

Budgeting for your Trip

C

Car Hire

Climate

Clothing

Crime and Safety

D

Disabled Travellers

Driving

E

Electricity

Embassies and Consulates

Emergencies

G

Getting There

H

Health and Medical Care

L

Language

LGBTQ

M

Maps

Media

Money

O

Opening Hours

P

Police

Post Offices

Public Holidays

R

Religion

T

Telephones

Time Differences

Tipping

Toilets

Tourist Information

Transport

V

Visas and Entry Requirements

W

Websites and Internet Access

Y

Youth Hostels

Recommended Hotels

Sofia

Around the Country

Bansko

Borovets

Pamporovo

Plovdiv

Veliko Tarnovo

The Coast

Nessebur

Balchik

Varna