City: Bulgaria
Top Things to do in Bulgaria
Top Hotels in Bulgaria
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What to do and see in Bulgaria, Bulgaria: The Best Free Things to do
Coordinates: 42°45′N 25°30′E / 42.750°N 25.500°E / 42.750; 25.500
Restaurants in Bulgaria
1. Rila Monastery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,885 reviews
Founded in the 10th century, this monastery was restored in the 15th and again in the 19th century.
Reviewed By 118val - Shepparton, Australia
Rila Monastery is considered to be one of Bulgaria's most holy sites and is UNESCO listed. It is situated in the Rila Mountains in the deep valley of the Riska River. Apparently named after the hermit Ivan of Rila from 876 - 946 AD. The Monastery was founded in the 10th century and was the spiritual and cultural center during the 12th to 14th century. The richly engraved gates lead into a stunning view of the Monastery. Our first visit was to the Museum which housed some amazing artifacts such as old books, beautifully embroidered robes belonging to the clergy and an incredible wooden cross that was intricately carved. We then viewed the stunning external vivid coloured paintings covering the external walls, the interior is equally as stunning but you cannot photograph the interior. Once outside we could see the towers where guards use to protect the site, around the edge of the complex are the monks rooms. The building is well maintained and painted with a series of wooden stair cases and balconies. It is well worth a visit.
2. Wine tasting Messembria
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 301 reviews
The Winery is situated in the heart of the old town of Nessebar - one of the most attractive spots on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is established in the spirit of the old town, meant to be a shelter of thousands of impatient tourists to taste the best Bulgarian wines. FREE WINE TASTING-EVERYDAY
Reviewed By jakobb946
Wonderful wine with interesting stories. They have very cute parrot and dog. We will be sure to visit again next time.
3. Plovdiv Old Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,740 reviews
Bulgaria's "second city", Plovdiv has 19th century houses and Roman ruins, including a Roman amphitheater in use today.
Reviewed By 773edithh
Do go! Wander around the cobbled streets, take a pick at the few ( overpriced) antique shops, check the galleries, the Bulgarian Renaissance homes, climb to the top of the hills and take a look at the breathtaking views.
4. St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6,403 reviews
Completed in 1912, St. Alexander Nevsky Patriarchal Cathedral Stauropigial Memorial-Church is an impressive landmark in Sofia. The church was built as a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish Liberation War (1877-1878).
Reviewed By loukiap550 - Nicosia, Cyprus
A Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral in Sofia (Bg). Built in Neo-Byzantine style, it serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and it is one of the largest Christian church buildings, as well as one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions. There is a museum of Bulgarian icons inside the cathedral crypt, part of the National Art Gallery.
5. Catedral de Sveta-Nedelya
6. Old Nessebar
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 9,514 reviews
Reviewed By thejetsetvet - Sheffield, United Kingdom
100% would recommend to anyone staying in and around Sunny Beach. A mere 1.30 Lev each way on the bus from the top of the strip its a beautiful and chilled day out. Excellent place for souvenir shopping - lots of art, pottery, jewellery etc. Easily the best food within a 10 mile radius of Sunny Beach, especially down at the sea front where you can couple fantastic food with breathtaking views. There is a lot of history, most places you have to pay to enter the ruins and accompanying museums but there are some free ruins to visit and they provide great photo opportunities. The Eco Bar is a great novelty cocktail bar, definitely worth a visit for its unique atmosphere.
7. Vitosha Mountain
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,208 reviews
Reviewed By Sharpehunter - Island of Malta, Malta
When you arrive in Sofia your attention is immediately drawn to the Mount Vitosha range which stands tall in the backdrop. Beautiful snow-capped mountains fringed by lush green mixed woodland and forest draws you in immediately. Easily accessible by car, buses and trams, you can even jump the various chairlifts to get higher up the range. My favourite starting point for any hike in Vitosha is Boyana Church. From here there is a myriad of routes to choose of varying difficulty all clearly marked. Take your pick from The Golden Bridges, Boyana Lake and Boyana Waterfall, or just choose a path that looks good, hit the trail and go with the flow. Advisable to wear good walking shoes, the terrain is very diverse and changeable and varies from easy-going paths to steep rocky (and slippy) climbs. Always take plenty of water, make sure you have some food. There are lots of mountain huts that serve great traditional Bulgarian food, beers, wines and soft drinks, but you have to get to them first. Fabulous days out, I still haven't done the actual Black Peak yet, but it's on the agenda.
8. Saint Nikolas Russian Church (Tsurkva Sveta Nikolai)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,089 reviews
9. Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 765 reviews
The Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin, built in the 19th century, houses a finely carved iconostasis and bishop's throne as well as some interesting murals and stained glass.
Reviewed By cindymarieazur - Valencia, Spain
One of many Orthodox Churches/Cathedrals in Bulgaria. It’s a must to visit whenever you can any Churches/Cathedrals as these will give great imagination on how rich Bulgaria is with their history and architecture. Visited this place there was baptism happening and it makes more memorable visit. Definitely a must place when you’re in Varna.
10. Vihren
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 148 reviews
Reviewed By ceebeebee2017 - Derbyshire, United Kingdom
It is really difficult as a Brit to find out how to safely climb the mountain, the 2nd highest peak in Bulgaria, but where there's a will, you must find a way! You can drive up Pirin Rd out of Bansko, past the National Park centre where I saw a wild tortoise- yes, wild! Drive up and up and up the windy road, following the Vihren hut signs. When you drive through an enormous bus parking, go through it, sweeping round to the far left and continue up again, eventually past Banderista hut on your left. It is worth stopping here for 15mins- walk up the steps on the uphill side of the hut and visit the second oldest tree in Bulgaria- amazing! Then continue, after 10 mins reaching uneven track and Vihren hut, your starting point. There is not much parking there, maybe 20-25 vehicles, but you can turn round to park wherever you can find just below it. The hut here is lovely, with opportunity for refreshments throughout the day. The journey took 35 mins from Bansko. Then, follow the yellow signs to Vihren, following the blue and yellow symbols painted on rocks every few minutes. The way they are painted gives the direction of travel, and little cairns often mark changes in direction- clues I figured en route. Vihren means 'windy mountain' and even though it was 30 degrees in June, we needed an extra layer at the top. Also, at this time of year, the weather can be unpredictable so go prepared for rain and never attempt if thunderstorms are predicted incase you are hit by lightening. Check Accuweather Virhen website the day before. The route up took us just over 4 hrs from the hut; we are 60 yrs of age and I walk VERY slowly uphill, and yes, I drank my litre bladder dry on the way. The terrain is stepped most of the way over natural stones alongside a stream, crossing Boulder falls at times, and through scrub on narrow paths. If in doubt of the correct route, walk no further than 15 mins without seeing the coloured symbols ( some of them are a bit faded). We found there are a few well walked pathways leading up but if they are in the general direction, they are all painted with this symbol to help guide you. The main pathway is slightly wider. There are some larger, steeper slabs of rocks to haul yourself up, but nothing requiring wire ropes and nothing technical or higher than a very large Boulder. I read online accounts beforehand which say this peak is easy and suitable for children. I have lots of mountain walking experience, and I think children need to be 8 or above and confident on rocky, steeper terrain. The views are wonderful as you walk uphill. About 30 mins from the top, the convex slope becomes exposed and extremely rocky, so pick your path wisely and preferably follow a painted symbol path. This is a hard final slog. At the top, there is a tall cairn encased in metal. An amazing view of the Pirin and Rila mountains. By the way, a 1:50,000 Pirin mountains map can be bought from the tiny fronted bookshop about 5 doors up from the central Tourist Information. We followed the red route on the map clockwise from the hut, by far the easiest route. So retrace your steps back down to the hut unless you are a very experienced walker/ scrambler/ mountaineer, mad following it clockwise off the summit towards the Premkata col, requires climbing downhill using wired ropes and down large rocks with vertical drops if you slip! We were warned at the top against doing this by a very experienced Bulgarian, who said he viewed it as more dangerous than Koncheto ridge, which is at least horizontal. He advised only doing this stretch in an upwards direction, so you are pulling yourself up the wires. In the past I have found wearing half fingered mountain biking gloves gives good grip for this and protects hands against any protruding wires. Hope this helps you to confidently give this beautiful mountain a go! It's well worth the effort.
