Despite the falling of the Iron Curtain so many years ago, many who contemplate a trip to Europe think of the old destinations - London, Paris, Munich, etc. However, in what used to be the Warsaw Pact nations, there are many beautiful, and inexpensive, sights to see. If you are into travelling on a budget, you just might get the most bang for your buck in Bulgaria.
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Where to Go in Bulgaria - What to See, Things to Do
By Mark Camel
It is very difficult to recommend what you should see in Bulgaria! There are so many things to do and places to visit - natural, cultural and archaeological landmarks in the country!
Lets take a look step by step what can Bulgaria offer. Besides classical summer resorts we will describe something about caves, mountain and towns in this country.
Mountains
The lovers of mountains and mountain climbing should go to Rila Mountain, Pirin Mountain, Rhodope Mountains, Vitosha Mountain or Stara Planina Mountain. Musala (2925 m) is the highest peak in Bulgaria. These places are where you should go if you are interested in mountains. It is situated in Rila Mountain and is one of the 100 national tourist sites. Rila Mountain is also famous for the Seven Rila Lakes. All the lakes have names, which best characterize some of their specific features. Salzata (The Tear) is the highest lake. It is called in this way, due to its clear water, which allows visibility in depth. The lake with a perfectly oval form, second in height, is called Okoto (The Eye). Other natural phenomena, which I totally admire, are the incredibly beautiful gorges in Bulgaria.
One of the most famous gorges is The Trigrad Gorge. It is situated in the very southern parts of Rhodope Mountains. The picturesque gorge is a canyon of vertical marble rocks and encloses the stream of Trigrad River, which plunges into Dyavolskoto Garlo (Devil's Throat) Cave and comes out as a karst spring. The Erma River Gorge is another favourite place for the lovers of nature. It is located near the western border of Bulgaria, next to a small town, called Tran. There is a specially built bridge over the Erma River, which allows you to enjoy the adorable gorge.
Caves - a special place to visit in Bulgaria
If you are very fond of nature and its landmarks, you will be certainly curious to see the caves in Bulgaria! There are numerous caves all over the country.
Some of the most popular are Dyavolskoto Garlo (The Devil's Throat) Cave, Ledenika Cave, Magura Cave, Bacho Kiro Cave and Yagodina Cave.
It is assumed that The Devil's Throat Cave is 300 000 years old. The cave is 1 km long. In the cave you can see the biggest cascade of waterfalls on the Balkan Peninsula, with a total height of 60m. The longest cave on the Balkan Peninsula is Yagodina Cave. Its length is 10 km. This is a five-storied tall cave, which has many abysses and labyrinths inside. Some of the formations in the cave resemble Santa Claus, Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Magura Cave is very attractive because of its paintings, 7000 years old. The pictures represent hunting scenes, love scenes and dance scenes.
If you still don't know where to go in Bulgaria here are another places and things to do:
Summer resorts - traditional places to go in Bulgaria
Probably the most popular one is Golden Sands - mostly preferable by young people and couples due to many activities in this never-sleeping beach town.
Bulgaria provides a great condition for your summer holiday. There are many summer resorts where to go in this country - we will take a detailed look at them in our next articles.
Architectural reserves - Tsarevets
If you are willing to know more about Bulgarian culture and history, you should probably visit some of the numerous churches, monasteries and architectural and ethnographic reserves. One of the most imposing architectural reserves is Tsarevets. It is situated on Tsarevets hill, in the town of Veliko Tarnovo, northern Bulgaria. Tsarevets is a medieval stronghold. It was the primary fortress of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Behind its high walls there were patriarchal and royal palaces.
Nearby Veliko Tarnovo is located the town of Gabrovo. Apart from its fame as the Bulgarian town of humor and satire, Gabrovo is well-known for The Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex. It is an open-air museum, which presents Bulgarian craftsmanship, culture and traditions. The complex shows the way of life and architecture in the region during the Bulgarian National Revival.
Towns to visit
One of my favourite places in Bulgaria is the city of Plovdiv and its architectural-historical complex "The Old Plovdiv". There are remains, preserved from Antiquity, Middle Ages and the Revival, such as Ancient amphitheatre and Roman Stadium. The Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv was inaugurated in 1917. There are over 40 000 objects, exhibited in the museum. They were used in agriculture, crafts, textile, furniture, art and musical instruments in18th and 19th centuries.
Other impressive architectural reserves in Bulgaria, which should be seen, are Koprivshtitsa, Zheravna and Zlatograd.
As a part of Bulgarian culture, I would consider the beautiful monasteries and churches in the country. Do not miss the Rila Monastery when visiting Bulgaria! This is the largest monastery in the country. It was founded in the 10th century and was regarded as one of the most important cultural, architectural and historical places. One of the 100 national tourist sites is the Boyana Church. It was built in three stages and was finished in 19th century. There are amazing frescoes since 1259, which demonstrate the exceptional achievements of mediaeval Bulgarian culture.
Another places to visit are cities like Sofia, Burgas and Varna.
Another things to do in Bulgaria
Where to go in Bulgaria when you are fan of archaeology? Bulgaria offers you plenty of archaeological remains, giving proofs for the life of people in this region since ancient times. Madara (northeastern Bulgaria) is a village with a significant archaeological and historical reserve. It includes a Thracian settlement, ancient Roman villa and fortress, medieval palace and Christian monasteries and churches. Madara is world-famous for the Madara Rider, which is a large rock relief, carved in 8th century by Bulgars. If you are interested in Thracian history you should also visit Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (Central Bulgaria), the ancient Thracian city of Perperikon (eastern Rhodope Mountains) or Veliki Preslav (north-eastern Bulgaria), which was the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire.
If you like wellness and spa resorts Bulgaria can offer this service too! Moreover, there are some special hotels providing special procedures when you suffer from back pain and heritage.
Of course, there are many galleries, museums and monuments, which give a lot of information about the culture and history of Bulgaria. So if you do not have enough time to visit all the magnificent places in Bulgaria, you are always welcome to come again!
So do you already know where to go in Bulgaria? If so, you probably need an accommodation.
Roomter.com - New website with brand new features - Accommodation auctions and Accommodation requests.
There is so many hotels so it is hard to decide the one which fits your needs.
- Use accommodation request and property owners will create offers exactly according to your specifications. You will be always notified about new offer created. Stop searching! Let the hotels fight for you!:)
It is then easy to choose the best hotel, apartment, guest house or private room. Don't forget to always negotiate the price;)
Article Source: Where to Go in Bulgaria - What to See, Things to Do
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